The company line after any loss is to flush it, move on to the next one. Some defeats are harder to move past than others, but Arizona managed to pull the handle.
The UA beat Kansas State 11-7 on Sunday afternoon at Hi Corbett Field, salvaging the finale of a series in which it led the first two games 1-0 entering the late innings only to lose both. Saturday’s loss was particularly deflating, as Smith Bailey struck out 15 over six innings of 1-hit ball only to see the bullpen get crushed.
“For these
guys to win today was a huge thing,” UA coach Chip Hale said. “We easily could have just gotten swept. I can say it and I can preach it and all these things, but they have to do it. They did a really good job of coming out and playing good baseball.”
Hale acknowledged the weekend was a missed opportunity, yet despite dropping two of three Arizona (15-24, 6-12) actually improved in the Big 12 standings. The Wildcats are tied for 12th with Texas Tech, which was swept at Utah, and only the top 12 make the conference tournament next month.
Tech has the tiebreaker, though, so Arizona would have to finish at least a game ahead of the Red Raiders or catch someone else in the standings. The next closest teams are Cincinnati and Oklahoma State, both at 8-10.
“We need to win series, whether they’re here or on the road, if we plan number one making the tournament—our own tournament—and doing anything,” Hale said.
A warm, windy day at Hi Corbett made for great hitting conditions, particularly on balls in the air. The teams combined for 10 extra-base hits, seven by Arizona, which tied for second-most in a game this season.
The Wildcats scored single runs in the 1st and 2nd inning, the first time they’d scored in the opening frame since March 27 at UCF. The run in the 2nd came on a solo homer by TJ Adams, the second of his career and first since May 2024.
“I took the first pitch … and it was right down Broadway,” Adams said. “I was like, if he throws that again, and he did, and I got it, and I was like, oh, I think that’s gone.”
K-State scored four times in the 3rd to take a 4-2 lead but Arizona responded by scoring once in the 4th, twice in the 5th, once in the 6th and three times in the 7th to build a 9-4 lead. The big blow in the 7th was a 2-out, 2-run bloop single by freshman Cash Brennan, who was 2 for 4 from the No. 9 hole.
Brennan, a left-handed hitter, is batting .400 against lefty pitchers.
“I wouldn’t say I focus more on lefties, I would say I have a more fine approach against them,” Brennan said. “I really focus on staying up the middle, hitting it right back off the pitcher. And sometimes I’ll get out a little out in front, and it’s up the middle for a hit, or sometimes, as you see, I’ll get jammed and drop one in there behind the six hole.”
But as good as conditions were for the hitters, that also meant trouble for pitchers. UA starter Luc Fladda only went three innings, allowing four runs including a 2-run home run to Nick English, whose 3-run homer in the 8th on Saturday gave Kansas State (25-15, 9-9) the lead for good.
“He’s had to do this three or four times now in this hot, wind blowing out weather, so we had an idea that we weren’t gonna let (Fladda) go very long,” Hale said. “We were gonna go to McKinney and Colin did just a really, really good job for us.”
McKinney got the win, throwing four scoreless innings of relief with six strikeouts before giving up back-to-back singles to open the 8th. Maclain Roberts replaced him and allowed a 3-run homer, cutting Arizona’s lead to 9-7.
Garrett Hicks prevented further damage in the 8th, then threw a 1-2-3 9th to get his 6th save which is tied for most in the Big 12.
“I think we did a better job of getting pitches to hit,” Hale said. “If you watch last night’s film, )hitting coach) Toby (DeMello) went over every pitch, and we just swung at a lot of pitches that the game plan said not to swing at. Today we did a lot better job of swinging at the balls that we want.”
Arizona remains home to face BYU (20-18, 9-9) for a 3-game series that starts Thursday.
