Wildcats Crush BYU Behind Six Home Runs

The Bat Cats bounced back in a big way in their final game in Utah on Tuesday night, run-ruling BYU 16–3 after eight innings. The Cats scored in every inning but one to improve to 19–10 on the season.

The game got off to a hot start, with Grant Gallagher leading things off with a home run. He was followed later in the inning by long balls from Dee Kennedy and Carlos Vasquez. The Wildcats continued their hitting clinic, finishing with six home runs and five doubles. Kennedy and AJ Evasco each recorded multi-home run games with two apiece.

The hitting was spectacular, and the pitching was solid—especially Aaron Arnold, who allowed just two hits over the final two innings without giving up a run. This was refreshing to see, considering the struggles to close out games in recent outings. Aside from the Nebraska game, Arnold has been very reliable in relief. Over six appearances, he has allowed four runs on nine hits, with just three walks while striking out 12. If you exclude the Nebraska game, those numbers improve to six hits, one run, and one walk allowed. While that may sound like cherry-picking, the point remains: Arnold is emerging as a dependable option out of the bullpen.

K-State will get a couple of days off before kicking off a homestand against TCU. TCU is an interesting team this season. They were the lone ranked Big 12 team to start the year and faced a tough opening schedule, but they’ve dropped some games they likely shouldn’t have and now sit just outside the rankings with an 18–10 record. TCU also faced Arizona State in mid-March and lost that series 2–1, similar to K-State. It should be an intriguing matchup—and one the Cats would like to take, especially after dropping a series they shouldn’t have in Utah.