By Grant Abston, Sports Editor
The ACU athletic program walked away with four road wins Wednesday as the men and women’s basketball teams defeated Eastern New Mexico University and the softball team capped off the afternoon with a doubleheader sweep over the University of Incarnate Word.
Pitcher Jacque Gregoire picked up her eighth win and first save of the season Wednesday night as ACU pounded out 28 runs and 33 hits in a doubleheader sweep against the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio.
The Wildcats improved to 13-6 overall and will return to action Friday when they host West Texas A&M (12-2) in the first Lone Star Conference South Division matchup of the season for both teams.
In game one, ACU fell behind 4-2 in the first inning after Gregoire allowed a grand slam to Lea Padilla; but Gregoire would settle down, allowing just two hits and no runs over the final six innings. The Wildcats scored five runs in the third inning to put the game away after RBI singles from short stop Melissa Rodriguez, center fielder Caitlin Nabors, second baseman Jenny Kulp and first baseman Katie Cornelison pushed the lead to 8-4.
ACU went on to score in every inning en route to a 14-4 win as Rodriguez led the Wildcats with four hits and two RBI. Catcher Jessica Shiery, Cornelison, Nabors and left fielder Brooke Whittlesey all recorded two RBI for ACU. Gregoire went seven innings, allowing four runs on five hits to earn her eighth win of the season.
In game two, ACU scored six runs in the second inning to take a 6-4 lead, keyed by a three-run homerun by Shiery. The Cardinals pulled within one in the third inning, but ACU scored four runs in the fourth and sixth inning to go ahead 14-6. However, the Cardinals would not go away, scoring five runs in the sixth inning before Gregoire came in to close out the game, pitching the final two innings and allowing just one run on one hit to earn her first save of the season as the Wildcats won 14-12.
Starting pitcher Kim White went 3 1/3 innings, allowing five earned runs on six hits to improve to 3-1 on the season. Right fielder Shelby McElvain led the Wildcats with a game-high four hits and two RBI. Shiery added three RBI while third baseman Nancy Sawyers had three RBI and two hits.
The Wildcats three-game series with West Texas A&M will begin with a doubleheader on Friday at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. before concluding on Saturday at noon.
Men’s Basketball
Despite falling out of playoff contention last week, the Wildcats fought off Eastern New Mexico in overtime to end a six-game losing streak, keyed by a late 3-pointer by guard Ean Wagner to give the Wildcats a 71-65 win on the road in a Lone Star Conference South Division matchup.
ACU improved to 9-16 overall and 3-8 in the LSC South while the Greyhounds fell to 0-12 in the LSC and 4-22 overall in their final game of the season.
The Wildcats, who did not taking guard Riley Lambert and forward Milos Kilmovic due to injuries, took another blow when leading scorer Dejan Sencancski left with just over 11 minutes in the first half with back spasms and would not return.
However, Wagner responded with a career-high 26 points including five 3-pointers. After a Wagner layup with 1:10 left in regulation, the Greyhounds tied the game with a 3-pointer with 46 seconds left and the Wildcats could not answer, sending the game to overtime.
After falling behind 64-65 with 50 seconds remaining, Wagner hit a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a two-point lead. The Greyhounds were unable to answer on the following possession, and forward Ben Wharton made two-free throws after getting fouled to seal the win.
Forward Cameron Holson added 13 points and eight rebounds and guard Dante Adams scored 14 points.
The Wildcats final game of the season will be Saturday at home against West Texas A&M at 8 p.m.
Women’s Basketball
ACU used a late 13-0 run to pull away from Eastern New Mexico Wednesday night, winning 85-70 in a Lone Star Conference South Division matchup.
The Wildcats improved to 17-9 overall and 8-3 in the LSC and need a win over West Texas A&M Saturday night or an Angelo State loss to clinch the No. 2 seed in the LSC Post-Season Tournament. The Zias fell to 9-21 overall and 0-12 in the LSC.
After holding just a one point lead at halftime, the Wildcats could not pull away as the Zias pulled within six with just over 12 minutes remaining. However, forward Jamie Meyer keyed a 13-0 run over the next five minutes to put the game away. Jamie Meyer scored four points while forward Kristee Davidson had three points, guard Autumn Whitaker, forward Courtney Laing and guard Joanna Harner each had two points during the run.
Center Audrey Maxwell-Lively led the team after recording her 12th double-double of the season, scoring 18 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Forward Jody Meyer finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds while Jamie Meyer had 16 points and seven rebounds. Guard Kelsey Darby had 10 points and Davidson finished with 11 points.
The Wildcats will conclude the regular season at home Saturday against West Texas A&M at 6 p.m. before beginning the LSC Post-season Tournament on March 4.
