Wildcats Mash Four Straight Home Runs in 11-4 Victory Versus Texans

Friday, April 10

Stephenville, Texas

3 p.m.

Abilene Christian

18-17, 0

Tarleton State

22-12, 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Abilene Christian	0	1	0	6	0	0	0	4	0	11	13	0
Tarleton State	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	4	9	0

Diego Cardenas celebrates his home run in the dugout in ACU's 9-8 win over CBU at Crutcher Scott Field at Bullock Brothers Ballpark on April 4, 2026.

Photo by: Kaylee Kahn

Wildcats Mash Four Straight Home Runs in 11-4 Victory Versus Texans

4/10/2026 9:35:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Luke White

STEPHENVILLE, Texas - Abilene Christian baseball rattled off four consecutive home runs in the fourth inning of its 11-4 win over Tarleton State at the Tarleton Baseball Complex on Friday afternoon. Gavin Brzozowski, Zandt Payne, Diego Cardenas and Grant Watkins each went yard within the span of 13 pitches in the offensive explosion.

The Wildcats look to capture the rivalry series win in Saturday's rubber match at 12 p.m. in Stephenville.

Brzozowski got ACU's home run derby started in the fourth after Brady Ladusau led off with a single and Kanon Sundgren was hit by a pitch. Brzozowski sent a 2-1 offering over the left-field wall for a three-run blast that pushed the Wildcats in front, 4-0.

Four pitches later, Payne cleared the wall in left-center with a solo shot, his 10th home run of the season. Cardenas followed with his first of two home runs on the day, a no-doubter off the parking garage beyond left field. Then, facing a full count, Watkins hammered a moonshot to right field for his conference-leading 18th homer.

Cardenas wasn't done, crushing a grand slam in the eighth inning to give ACU an 11-2 lead and raise his season total to 17 home runs. It's his fifth multi-homer game of the year. Cardenas leads the Western Athletic Conference with 49 runs batted in after a five-RBI outing on Friday. It's his 11th multi-RBI game of the season and his third with five or more runs driven in.

Payne went 4 for 5 at the plate with a couple runs driven in. He's batting .350. The Wildcats' first four batters in the lineup each recorded multiple hits, with Cardenas, Watkins and Nick Arias tallying two apiece. Sundgren walked twice and scored a team-high three runs.

Payne reached base safely for the 29th game in a row with his 16th multi-hit effort of the year.

Aidan Coleman delivered his second straight outing of 7.0 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with five strikeouts. Logan Young closed out the final two frames.

ACU got on the board first in the second inning, with Payne's RBI single bringing home Sundgren. The Wildcats blew the game open in the fourth, taking a 7-0 advantage behind their four-home run ambush. Walks to Sundgren and Brzozowski and a single by Payne loaded the bases for Cardenas' eighth-inning grand slam.