By Grant Abston, Sports Editor
After giving up three runs in the top of the eighth inning to fall behind 8-3, the Wildcats used their biggest rally of the season to finish off Southeastern Oklahoma State, scoring eight runs in the bottom of the eighth inning in game four to get the series’ win.
ACU won three of four over Southeastern Oklahoma State, improving to 26-8 overall and 19-5 in conference, and improved its conference lead to two games over Angelo State; the Wildcats also jumped one spot in Collegiate Baseball Magazine’s national poll to No. 7.
“It lifted a burden off my shoulders of trying to figure out if this team knew what they could do,” head coach Britt Bonneau said of the comeback win in game four. “This team realized what kind of team we really have and what we could accomplish, and that’s a big relief for me.”
In game four, the Savage Storm jumped on ACU early, scoring two runs in the second inning and adding three more in the fifth. However, ACU scored two runs in the bottom half of the fifth after a solo home run by designated hitter Cameron Watten and an RBI single by catcher Jordan Schmitt to score center fielder Thomas Bumpass and cut the deficit to 5-3.
After scoring three more runs in the top of the eighth to take an 8-3 lead, the Savage Storm was just six outs away from a series’ split before ACU got things going. After Schmitt was hit by a pitch to start the inning, shortstop Willie Uechi reached on an infield error with one out, and Schmitt scored on the throwing error. Outfielder Travis Latz singled on the next at bat to put runners on first and second, and Watten followed with a walk to load the bases. Pinch hitter Anthony Walsh followed with a walk, scoring Uechi, and Bumpass followed with a two-run single to left field to cut the lead to 8-7.
Second baseman Chris Hall was intentionally walked on the next at-bat before outfielder Davis Page flied out to the shortstop for the second out of the inning. With two outs and the bases loaded, Schmitt came through again, knocking a two-run single to centerfield to make it 9-8. However, a throw to third by the centerfielder got away, allowing Walsh to score and moved Schmitt to third to give ACU a 10-8 lead. First baseman Bret Bochsler followed with a ground ball to first, but a fielding error allowed Bochsler to reach on base and score Schmitt and complete ACU’s rally.
“Our backs were against the wall, and they made a couple of errors, and we were able to capitalize,” shortstop Willie Uechi said. “It was a big game for us and gave us some momentum going into these two weeks on the road.”
Closer Brad Rutherford got the win after pitching the final 1 1/3 innnings, allowing no hits and no runs to improve to 4-2. Bumpass and Hall had a game-high three hits, while Schmitt had a game-high 3 RBI and Bumpass added 2 RBI.
ACU began the weekend with an 11-4 win, as starting pitcher Cameron Aspaas improved his record to 5-1 after going seven innings, allowing one run on eight hits. Right fielder Travis Latz led the Wildcats with 4 RBI and got ACU on the board early with a two-run single in the first inning as ACU scored in every inning for the win. Bochsler, Watten, Uechi and Schmitt all had two hits to lead the Wildcat offense.
In Saturday’s doubleheader, ACU responded to a three-run first inning by the Savage Storm in game one by scoring six runs in the first four innings to win its second game of the series. Schmitt’s sacrifice fly in the third inning to score Page, who reached on a triple, broke a 3-3 tie, and ACU never looked back. Starting pitcher Matt Sullivan improved to 2-0 after pitching five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, and Rutherford picked up his sixth save of the season after allowing no runs over the final 1 1/3 innings. Watten and Page led ACU with three hits, while Schmitt and Bumpass had a game-high 2 RBI.
In game two, ACU could not take advantage of one of starting pitcher Preston Vancil’s best performances of the season. The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead after the first inning, but the Savage Storm answered with a run of its own in the top of the second and took a 2-1 lead in the top of the eighth. ACU could not answer as the Savage Storm limited ACU to just one run on seven hits. Vancil went 7 2/3 innings, allowing just two runs on nine hits, but fell to 2-3 with the loss. Hall led ACU with two hits, while Schmitt recorded the only RBI.
“We lost the game that we got the best pitching performance of the weekend with Preston throwing eight innings,” Bonneau said. “We just couldn’t get any runs for him.”
Despite the loss, the Wildcats still have not lost a conference series this season and will look to continue the streak when they travel to Eastern New Mexico. The Wildcats will begin a four-game series with the Greyhounds, beginning Saturday at 3 p.m.
“I think as long as each of us our doing our job and continue to do the little things that we do in practice, we will be a tough team to beat,” Uechi said.
