Senior transfer Robert Fortenberry delivered three and two-thirds hitless and scoreless innings in relief as Kansas State defeated Air Force 11-8.
It was not only Fortenberry’s first appearance of the season, but his first in a Wildcat uniform, and he dazzled in front of his new teammates. Fortenberry was in relief for starter Tanner Duke, who didn’t have his best performance, giving up four runs in two and two-thirds innings.
“Good way to end a really productive weekend for us, but a lot of room to improve,” K-State head coach Pete Hughes said. “Great effort by Robert Fortenberry against a super offensive, dangerous team. That was a scary game for me, but Robert came in with a veteran presence. He calmed everything down and let our offense go to work.”
The K-State offense once again came through when needed and did it in a variety of ways, using the long and small ball. Shintaro Inoue and Grant Gallagher both hit their first home runs of the season, putting the Wildcats’ power on display.
Outfielder AJ Evasco never left the yard, but had the biggest hit of the game when he tripled to give K-State the lead, which they would hold for the rest of the game. The next batter was Inoue, who homered and capped off the three-run fourth inning.
With the Wildcats leading 8-4 in the eighth, Gallhager hit his home run, which capped off another three-run inning and pushed K-State’s lead to 11-4. However, Air Force rallied in the bottom of the eighth, hitting back-to-back home runs and keeping things tight, 11-7.
In the ninth inning, the Wildcats didn’t score in their half of the inning and brought on Tazwell Butler to close the game. Butler allowed one run and had some traffic on the bases, but controlled the situation well to give K-State its fourth straight win.
Capping off an undefeated MLB Desert Invitational, the Wildcats averaged just over 14 runs a game, displaying their offensive prowess. K-State’s defense and pitching also had a good weekend themselves, limiting errors and having quality outings when they took the mound.
The strength of this K-State team will be tested when they face off against No. 9-ranked Auburn in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series in Arlington, Texas. The Wildcats will also play Nebraska and Michigan in the series, giving Pete Hughes’ squad quality competition early on.
K-State will face Auburn at 7 p.m. Friday in Globe Life Field.
