ACU (24-17, 11-7) was able to grab a 7-0 conference win against Tarleton (22-19, 12-9) on Tuesday night in a quick five-inning game that was cut short due to a heavy thunderstorm.
The Wildcats entered the mid-week matchup coming off of a weekend series loss to Cal Baptist where the Wildcats were outscored in the Friday doubleheader 28-9.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Cade McGarrh would be on the mound for the Wildcats to open up the game and would quickly get the first two batters to fly out to the outfield. After issuing two walks and runners advancing on a passed ball, McGarrh found himself in a tough spot but got the big third out on a lineout to the mound.
Three ACU groundouts left the Wildcats hitless in the first and in the second, senior right-handed pitcher Rolando De La Cruz would come in for the Wildcats getting three quick outs while striking out two.
The Wildcats opened up the second inning with a bang, starting with a single from sophomore infielder Maddox Miesse connecting for a single to get ACU its first hit of the game. Junior infielder DJ Van Atten quickly followed the single with a two-run blast into left field off of an 0-2 count to give the Wildcats an early two-run lead.
An ACU walk allowed for senior infielder Ben Greer to knock down a single to put runners in the corners where he would then steal second to put two runners in scoring position. Freshman outfielder Reese Borho was able to bring one of the runners home on a bunt down the line and outrun the throw to avoid the first out. However, Borho would get caught stealing during the next AB which would allow Greer to come home on the double-steal attempt to make it a 4-0 game.
With the bases clear, sophomore outfielder Holden Rook would work a walk and steal second, which would allow senior outfielder Miller Ladusau to single one into center and make it a 5-0 game. Ladusau would eventually find his way home off of a wild pitch and graduate utility player Gino D’Alessio would hit a sac fly to center to bring home the seventh and final ACU run of the inning.
De La Cruz would open up the top of the third allowing a single and would quickly find himself in a bases-loaded situation with only one out. However, the senior pitcher would get out of the inning unscathed to bring it to the bottom part of the third.
An empty third inning for the Wildcats brought the Texans to the fourth where Tarleton would knock in its second hit of the game but could not bring anything from it. Ladusau would send a double into right in the bottom of the fourth but that would be all the action the Wildcats would see in the inning. After a quick eight-pitch top of the fifth from De La Cruz, the game would be called due to the thunderstorm and the Wildcats would take a 7-0 victory.
The Wildcats finished with seven total hits with two coming from Ladusau and De la Cruz was awarded the win pitching 4.0 innings while striking out three.
The Wildcats hit the road this weekend where they will take on Utah Tech in a three-game series, with game one on Friday scheduled for 7:05 p.m. with the game streaming live on ESPN+.
