ARLINGTON, Texas — Wehiwa Aloy and his younger brother, Kuhio, each hit a home run in the same inning, but they were about all the hitting No. 5 Arkansas (4-1) could get.
The result was the first loss of the season with a 3-2 setback against Kansas State (2-4) in front of an announced crowd of 13,886 Friday night in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series opener at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Trailing by a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth, the Hogs tied the game with solo homers from the Aloy brothers.
Wehiwa Aloy hammered a 2-2 pitch and sent it 360 feet to right to lead off the inning before Kuhio Aloy smashed a 3-2 pitch and deposited it 435 feet to left with an exit velocity of 112 mph to even the game at two, pulling off a feat that according to Elias Sports Bureau has only been accomplished by six pairs of brothers in the MLB since 1900.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, just six pairs of brothers since 1900 have each hit a home run in the same inning at the MLB level. The feat has been accomplished 10 times in total: April 10, 2024: Josh and Bo Naylor, CLE; July 14, 2023: Josh and Bo Naylor, CLE; April 23, 2013: B.J. and Justin Upton, ATL; April 6, 2013: B.J. and Justin Upton, ATL; May 28, 1996: Billy and Cal Ripken, BAL; Sept. 15, 1990: Billy and Cal Ripken, BAL; July 12, 1962: Hank and Tommie Aaron, MLN; Sept. 15, 1938: Lloyd and Paul Waner, PIT; and July 19, 1933: Rick (with BOS) and Wes (with CLE) Ferrell.
The Wildcats, however, responded to the Aloy homers with a run in the top of the seventh, using a leadoff single and a one-out RBI double to retake the lead. Relief pitcher Blake Dean silenced the Arkansas offense over the final 3.2 frames, allowing only three hits while striking out five to close out Kansas State’s 3-2 win and earn his first victory of the year.
Right-hander Gabe Gaeckle started on the mound for the Razorbacks and grinded through 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and four walks with two strikeouts. Fellow righty Tate McGuire, who took the loss, tossed 1.1 innings in relief of Gaeckle, allowing the go-ahead run in the seventh while striking out one in the longest outing of his career.
Left-hander Parker Coil (1.0 IP) and veteran right-hander Will McEntire (1.0 IP) combined for two scoreless innings in relief, putting Arkansas in position for a dramatic come-from-behind win. McEntire benefitted from an electrifying defensive play by Justin Thomas Jr., making his first start in center field, who caught a shallow fly ball and threw out Kansas State catcher Bear Madliak at home plate for an inning-ending double play in the top half of the ninth.
Kendall Diggs led off the bottom of the ninth with a bloop single to left but would not advance. Ryder Helfrick flied out to deep left, Nolan Souza struck out swinging and Thomas Jr. grounded out to third, sealing Arkansas’ one-run loss.
Offensively, Wehiwa Aloy led the way with two hits, his second multi-hit game of the season, and raised his season slash line to .353/.522/.706. Brent Iredale had a first-inning double, extending his hitting streak to a team-leading five games.
Arkansas continues its three-day stay at the home of the Texas Rangers with a ranked showdown against No. 22 TCU Saturday night. First pitch between the Razorbacks and Horned Frogs is scheduled for 6 p.m. on FloCollege.
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
