Ragin’ Cajuns Walk Off Wildcats in Extras, 3-2

Wednesday, February 25

Lafayette, La.

6 p.m.

Kansas State University

6-3

Louisiana

7-2

Kansas State

Louisiana

Feb 25, 2026 | Baseball

Box Score

LAFAYETTE, La. – Louisiana's Drew Markle hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 11^th inning to give the Ragin' Cajuns a 3-2 walk-off victory over K-State Wednesday night at M.L. Tigue Moore Field.

Trailing 2-1 headed into the ninth, third baseman Grant Gallagher belted a game-tying home run to keep K-State (6-3) in the game. With the score tied at 2-all, Markle unloaded on a 2-2 pitch for the deciding run and hand Louisiana (7-2) its seventh consecutive win.

"Good effort by our team tonight," head coach Pete Hughes said. "Disappointing result. We lost that game many times before the last swing. That one will sting for a while, as it should, but our guys are tough enough to learn from these games and will bounce back. We look forward to coming home."

Reliever Cohen Feser (1-1) was tagged for the loss after allowing the game-winning home run in the 11^th. The redshirt-senior went 2 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on the home run with a walk and strikeout.

Louisiana's Bryce Wilson (1-0) was credited with the win, limiting the Wildcats to one hit through two scoreless innings.

HOW IT HAPPENED
A sacrifice fly from Rigoberto Hernandez pulled Louisiana ahead in the opening frame. After surrendering the run, starter Matt Flores set down nine consecutive batters before running into trouble, forcing K-State to make a call to the pen.

Tazwell Butler relieved Flores in the fourth, inheriting a bases loaded situation with two outs. The righty struck out the batter in four pitches to get out of the inning. Butler went on to retire 10 straight batters to allow the offense to get back in the game.

After 15 consecutive scoreless innings, the Wildcats pushed a run across the plate with Gallagher's two-out hit to right field to score Dee Kennedy, who doubled in the previous at bat.

Tied 1-1 in the bottom of the eighth, Louisiana took advantage of a throwing error to take back to the leade.

Gallagher continued his hot streak as the senior homered 416-feet to straight-away center at 102-mph off the bat to lead off the ninth – his second home run of the season.

With one out, Markle hit a solo shot to left to capture the win and complete the two-game series sweep.

INSIDE THE BOX

Louisiana scored three runs on five hits with two errors committed with five runners left of base.
K-State plated two runs on seven hits, committed one error and stranded four men on base.
Six different Wildcats produced a hit, led by Gallagher (2-for-4).
Gallagher drove in a game-leading two RBI and was issued a walk.
Markle was the only Ragin' Cajun to register a multi-hit game, going 2-for-5 with one RBI.
Flores logged 3 2/3 innings in his first start for K-State, surrendering one run (earned) on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
Butler fired 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Flores, striking out four and allowing one run (unearned).
Feser (1-1) suffered the loss, allowing one run in 2 1/3 innings, while Wilson (1-0) was awarded the victory.
Shintaro Inoue broke starter Tyler Papenbrock's no-hit bid in the fifth with a dribbler to third base.
Papenbrock recorded five shutout innings in the start, allowing one hit.
K-State registered four of its hits in the sixth inning.
Three of the Wildcats hits came with two outs, while the Ragin' Cajuns had none.

TEAM NOTES

Louisiana leads the all-time series 3-0.
The series marks the first meeting first since March 13, 1986.
K-State ended a 15-inning drought with a run in the sixth inning.
Under Hughes, the Wildcats are 7-8 in extra-inning games.
Wednesday's contest marked K-State's first extra-inning game since February 28, 2025, vs. No. 2 LSU.
K-State's bullpen has allowed just nine runs this season, limiting opponents to a .156 batting average.
The Wildcats have out-hit opponents in four games this season, going 3-1.

PLAYER NOTES

Butler recorded his second-longest career outing at K-State, and longest of the season. Through three appearances, he has allowed just one run through 6 1/3 innings.
Inoue and Kennedy stretched their on-base streaks to four, while Gallagher has reached in three straight.
Gallagher hit his second homer of the season.

UP NEXT
K-State will open the home slate of the 2026 schedule this weekend, as the Wildcats start off an eight-game homestand with a series against Columbia (0-3) at Tointon Family Stadium. The series will now feature a Friday doubleheader, starting at 2 p.m. CT. Game 2 of Friday's doubleheader will start approximately 45 minutes at the conclusion of Game 1, while Saturday's contest will still be played at 1 p.m.

– k-statesports.com –

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