ACU (7-3) took a 6-4 win over Baylor (1-7), Wednesday night after two late-game runs put the Wildcats ahead.
The Wildcats have had a strong start to the season, posting a .319 batting average with 90 hits over their first ten games, helping them win their first two weekend series. ACU took both games versus Baylor last year including an extra-innings win at Waco when they visited last season.
After two quick outs, senior outfielder Miller Ladusau singled to right and was able to advance to third on two passed balls. On the first pitch of his AB, graduate utility player Gino D’Alessio would send one back up the middle to bring home Ladusau and give the Wildcats an early 1-0 lead.
Sophomore catcher Maddox Miesse would lead off the second with a single to left. Miesse would advance to third where junior infielder Zandt Payne would bring him home off of a single and add a run to the Wildcat lead.
In the top of the third, Ladusau would lead off the inning with a walk which was directly followed up by a single and another walk to load up the bases with no outs. After a pitching change for the Bears would get the first out, Miesse would work a full count walk to bring home Ladusau and make it 3-0. Sophomore infielder Cade McGarrh would bring home the runner on third after an RBI groundout and ACU would find themselves up 4-0 through the first three innings.
Freshman left-hander Brett Lanman and junior right-hander Caden Greanead gave the Wildcats four strong innings on the mound, each allowing only one hit while striking out two apiece.
It wasn’t until the sixth when the Bears began to do some damage, scoring two in the bottom of the sixth and one in both the seventh and eighth to tie the game at 4-4.
After not being able to get a hit for five straight innings, D’Alessio doubled down the line to put the go-ahead run in scoring position with one out. Pinch-hitting, junior catcher Caden Matlon singled down the left side to bring home the runner. The Wildcats would plate one more in the inning off of a passed ball, and despite allowing a leadoff single, would record three straight outs in the bottom of the inning to take the 6-4 victory.
Both teams ended with eight hits each and the Wildcats finished with eight bases-on-balls, including three from Miesse. A total of six Wildcat pitchers struck out ten, with McGarrh picking up his second win of the season.
The Wildcats face their first road series this weekend as they take on Texas A&M Corpus Christi in a three-game series with the Friday and Saturday games at 6:30 p.m. and the Sunday game at 1 p.m.
Quotes will be added following head coach Rick McCarty’s next press conference.
