K-State baseball wins first matchup in NCAA regional

FAYETTEVILLE (KSNT) - K-State baseball came up victorious in its first NCAA tournament game in over a decade.

The 'Cats beat Louisiana Tech 19-4 in its first game of the Fayetteville regional, marking their highest run total of the 2024 season.

The game spanned over two days due to weather delays, with the first six innings being played Friday evening as scheduled and the remainder being delayed until Saturday morning.

The Wildcats got off to a hot start Friday night, putting two runs on the board right away in the first inning. K-State then extended its lead to 7-0 after a five-run second inning highlighted by a two-run home run from infielder Brady Day.

Owen Boerema started the day on the mound for the 'Cats on Friday, throwing six strikeouts in 4.1 innings pitched. Freshman Blake Dean got the start when the game picked back up on Saturday.

The scoring party from Friday night carried over to Saturday morning, with home runs from three different Wildcats. One of those home runs was a two-run shot for Kaelen Culpepper, who hit for the 'Cats' first cycle since 2014.

With the win, K-State will have a few hours to rest before facing No. 1 Arkansas on the Razorbacks' home field at 8 p.m.