AUSTIN, Texas --- Houston Christian University saw its spectacular postseason run come to a halt as its 2025 campaign was stopped with a 7-4 defeat to Kansas State University in the NCAA Tournament Austin Regional at UFCU Disch-Falk Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
 
Kansas State broke the scoring ice in the opening stanza, manufacturing a run with a little help. Shintaro Inoue led off with a double to the gap in left center, and advanced to third on a groundout. With two away, Inoue would come across the dish on a throwing error, giving the Wildcats an early 1-0 cushion.
 
In the third, the Wildcats put a crooked number on the board.  Three consecutive one-out singles plated the first run of the inning, as again it was Inoue getting things started with the first hit before coming around on an RBI base-knock up the middle by Seth Dardar. The sacks then got cleared on a three-run opposite field homer to right by Keegan O'Conner as KSU took a 5-0 lead.
 
The Huskies put runners on the corners with one out in the fifth but couldn't push anything across. In the sixth, the Wildcats loaded the bases, but Louis Castano induced an inning-ending grounder to second to thwart the threat.
 
HCU would put two runners on with one out in the seventh after a walk to Parker Edwards was followed by a single back up the box by Graham Laxton. But they would be stranded after a fielder's choice and a pop up to first.
 
One-out singles by Kenneth Dutka and Tevis Payne in the eighth started yet another threat for the Huskies. After a groundout, Rhett Hendricks got the Huskies on the board with a two-run single just over the second base bag and into center to cut the lead to 5-2.
   
The Cats would answer the Huskies with two runs on a passed ball and sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh. Jeremy Rader then blasted a two-run homer to the HCU bullpen in the ninth to draw the Huskies to within 7-4 before KSU closed it out.
   
Hendricks finished 2-4 with two RBI to pace an eight-hit offense for HCU. Tevis Payne and Kenneth Dutka also added two hits and each scored a run while Rader drove in the two runs with his second homer of the season.
 
Joshua Caravalho took the loss, dropping to 9-4 on the season. He went 3.2 innings and allowed six hits and five runs, four earned while walking one and fanning three. Louis Castano went 2.1 in relief with three K's as part of a three pitcher relief effort down the stretch that kept the Huskies in it.
 
KSU had 10 hits with Seth Dardar going 2-3 with a run and RBI to lead the way. Keegan O'Connor had the three-run homer while Shintaro Inoue had two hits and scored twice for the Wildcats, who improve to 32-25 overall and advance to Sunday's elimination game against the loser of the Saturday nightcap between Texas and UTSA.
 
HCU finishes off Clay VanderLaan's tremendous debut campaign at 32-25, a 14-game improvement from last year and the second-most victories by a first-year head coach in program history. The Huskies captured their second Southland Conference championship, marking the 11th conference title in program history and advanced to the NCAA Regionals for the second time ever.   
 
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