K-State Upsets Arkansas, On The Brink Of Advancing In NCAA Tournament

Kansas State is one win away from advancing to the NCAA Tournament after upsetting the top-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks in the second game of the Fayetteville Regional, 7-6.

The Wildcats were led by their bats, which caught fire in the middle innings to push the Wildcats to a 6-2 lead in the fifth inning. An eighth-inning home run by Nick English gave the Bat Cats extra cushion as Tyson Neighbors shut the door on Arkansas’s offense.

The win puts K-State on the brink of progressing to the super regionals of the tournament. The Wildcats will play the winner of Arkansas and SEMO. The loser of that game will get eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. With a 2-0 start in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats have built a cushion that allows them to lose two games before being eliminated.

Here are three takeaways from K-State’s win over Arkansas.

KAELEN CULPEPPER SHINES AGAIN

In the NCAA Tournament, teams need their stars to lead the way.

To this point, the Wildcats have gotten meaningful production from arguably their biggest star, Kaelen Culpepper.

In the bottom of the fifth, Culpepper took a pitch from Arkansas’s Hagen Smith to deep right field for a three-run home run. The homer capped off a six-run inning and gave the Wildcats a 6-2 lead.

It might’ve been Culpepper’s only hit, but it was arguably the most important hit of the game. Heck, it might be the most important hit of K-State’s season.

While it seemed unlikely, the Wildcats needed to beat Arkansas to gain a stranglehold of the regional. Now, the pressure is on an Arkansas team that’s used their best pitcher (Hagen Smith) already.

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CATS CHASE HAGEN SMITH

As we previously mentioned, Hagen Smith is Arkansas’s best pitcher and one of the best pitchers in the nation. The southpaw will be one of the top picks in the MLB Draft next month and is capable of taking over games with his arm.

However,…

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Author : EMAW Online

Publish date : 2024-06-02 04:23:37

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