Despite rainy weather conditions, the Wildcat baseball team topped No. 21 Southern Arkansas University Friday afternoon at Crutcher Scott Field.
ACU was able to break a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning on a bloop single by junior Luke Mejia.
The win pushes the ‘Cats to a six-game winning streak and raises its record to 7-2. The Muleriders drop to 4-3.
Southern Arkansas overcame a three-run deficit between the seventh and eighth innings. However, Ryan Luckie blasted a pinch-hit double that glanced off the right fielder’s glove near the warning track in the eighth. One out later, Mejia stepped into the batter’s box and blooped a single in shallow left-center field. The ball dropped between three SAU players and Luckie sprinted from second to home without a throw.
Junior Josh Stone (1-0) shut the door in the ninth. He struck out the first two batters he faced then allowed an infield single to the lead-off hitter, Trey Buck. Gavan McCauley followed with a pop fly to center. The ball was caught by freshman Tyler Eager to end the game.
Junior Aaron Lambrix pitched a magnificent game for the Wildcats. He allowed just one hit through the first six innings before the Muleriders finally came across the plate in the seventh scoring two runs on three hits and a walk.
Lambrix could not hold onto a three-run advantage. Four of the first five batters who came to the plate in the inning reached base. As a result, head coach Britt Bonneau called on Jordan Herrera from the bullpen to replace Lambrix.
Herrera got McCauley to hit a sacrifice fly to center that brought home Jody Spain from third base. The run decreased ACU’s lead to 3-2.
In the eighth, relievers Austin Palmer and Stone allowed one run to tie it at 3-3. David Allday hit a single to left to lead-off the inning but he ran to second after Luckie mishandled the ball.
Two batters later, pinch hitter Kyle Fillier whacked a double down the left field line off Stone. Even though he was thrown out attempting to stretch for third, Allday scored the tying run.
ACU scored the first three runs of the game all in the fifth inning on SAU’s starter Doug Shields. Before this game Shields had a 1-0 record and a 0.00 ERA.
