After getting dominated by No. 23 Kansas State on Thursday night, Texas baseball reciprocated the Wildcats’ same energy to even the series at 1-1. In an all out slug-fest on Friday night, Texas came out on top, winning 21-11.
The victory ultimately snapped Kansas State’s 10-game win streak.
Texas sophomore catcher Rylan Galvan led the Longhorns on offense and might be wearing an unfamiliar number for the rest of the season. Due to his usual No. 6 jersey going missing, he wore the No. 52 jersey and had a career-best performance.
Galvan recorded five hits with three doubles and brought in five RBI’s. He started with a double in the third inning, opening the floodgates for the Texas offense.
Texas then went on to hit two-run home runs to erase Kansas State’s 2-0 lead. Sophomore first baseman Jared Thomas got the first home run of the night for the Longhorns to bring home Galvan.
Senior utility player Peyton Powell struck out, but when the catcher dropped the ball, he took off running to first base, beating the throw. Sophomore shortstop Jalin Flores launched his second home run of the series, hitting this one off the wall that sits behind the center field fence to double Texas’ lead to 4-2.
Texas continued its offensive momentum into the fourth inning, putting up another three runs. Redshirt senior left fielder Porter Brown got on base on a fielder’s choice and was followed to the plate by Galvan. Freshman second baseman Dee Kennedy went up to the plate and hit his second home run of the series to clear the bases. Texas took a 7-3 lead and would go on to hold Kansas State scoreless for the next two innings.
Kansas State tied the game at 11 runs, making its comeback all within the seventh inning. Texas responded with a three-run eighth inning and never looked back. The Longhorns followed up with a seven-run ninth inning and batted around the order to put the game away at 21-11.
Before the ninth inning, reigning Big 12 Player of the Week sophomore right fielder Max Belyeu launched a two-run home run onto the roof of the indoor practice facility behind the right field wall. Belyeu currently leads the Big 12 in home runs with 11 and joined Galvan with 5 RBI’s tonight.
Texas not only dominated at the plate, but had solid performances on the mound. Junior pitcher Ace Whitehead threw 103 pitches in just over five innings. Whitehead gave up five runs, including three home runs, but struck out four batters and only walked two.
Whitehead’s solid performance set the Longhorns up for success on the mound, and his ability to play deep into games saved Texas from having to go to the bullpen more than necessary.
He was followed on the mound by senior Heston Tole and senior Charlie Hurley as neither of them pitched for more than one inning. Hurley was followed by redshirt sophomore Gage Boehm, who registered the win for the night.
Through 1.2 innings, Boehm gave up no hits, struck out two batters and walked one. Freshman Easton Tumis finished the game and gave up two hits but struck out three batters in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The two teams will play for the third and final time on Saturday at 2 p.m. to decide who takes the series. Neither team has lost a series in Big 12 play yet, and Texas has a chance to tie Kansas State in second place. With the win, Texas moves to 16–11 for the season.
