Senior first baseman Koby Claborn led the Wildcats in a series-sweep with a walk-off single in Friday night’s game and another walk-off RBI in the final game of the series, Saturday.
Junior pitcher Spencer Chirpich got the start for the Wildcats in Friday night’s game. Chirpich started the game with a three-up three-down inning in the first that included a strikeout. In the second inning, Chirpich earned three more strikeouts, but allowed a run with a two-out single to center-field. The Hawks earned an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second.
Senior outfielder/pitcher Derek Scott got on-base with a lead off walk in the bottom half of the second, but the Wildcats continued to struggle with leaving runners on-base and left Scott stranded at second.
The Hawks put the pressure on the Wildcats in the third inning by loading the bases with no outs. Chirpich came up big with a strikeout and forced the Hawks to hit into a 5-4-3 double play.
In the fourth inning, Scott doubled and reached third base on an error, but ACU, again, left Scott stranded on the base.
Junior infielder Dalton Dunn knocked a triple to right-center in the bottom of the fifth and scored off of a throwing error. Dunn tied the game 1-1.
Senior pitcher Hunter Spaeth came into the game for Chirpich in the sixth inning. Chirpich allowed seven hits, but only allowed one run and earned eight strikeouts tying his season-high. Spaeth came in for a short 1-2-3 inning.
The game remained 1-1 until the ninth inning. In the ninth, redshirt senior catcher Luis Trevino hit a single with one out. Seth Watts came in to run for Trevino. Scott moves a runner into scoring position with an infield single. With a runner on first and second, Claborn hit a single and brought in Watts to win the game.
Game two of the series was a back and forth game. When the Wildcats scored, Hartford answered until late.
In game two, the Wildcats started with an inning-ending double play in top of the first. In the bottom half of the inning, Trevino knocked a two-run home run, second of the year, scoring senior infielder Dalon Farkas and got off to an early 2-0 lead.
The Hawks got a run back in the top of the second that made the game 2-1, but ACU answered in the bottom half on a single from Dunn that scored senior infielder Robert Salazar.
Hartford did not back down when the Wildcats scored. In the third inning, the Hawks scored two more runs tying the game at 3-3.
Once again, the Wildcats took the lead in the bottom half of the third on an RBI from Salazar on a fielders-choice for a 4-3 lead.
Just like clock-work, the Hawks score a run in the fourth to tie the game once more.
Farkas gave the Wildcats a 6-4 lead in the fourth with a hit to right field that got by the right fielder after a diving attempt.
Errors continued to give ACU problems this weekend with two in the fifth inning that gave Hartford a 7-6 lead.
Scott and Claborn combined for three RBI in the sixth inning to get the lead back for ACU that made the score 9-7. Scott with an RBI double and Claborn with a two-RBI single.
Trevino added to the lead in the eighth with his second home run of the game, third of the year. Salazar added another run with a triple to center field that scored Claborn. The final score of game two was 11-7.
The second game of the double-header on Saturday and final game of the series was eventful. The Wildcats got off to a 6-0 lead through five innings, but let Hartford come all the way back and take the lead by the seventh inning.
Claborn came up big late, however, with a sacrifice fly to center field that scored a run tying the game. Claborn hit another RBI sac fly to left field in the ninth inning to win the game for the Wildcats.
ACU improved to 7-5 on the season and will face Texas A&M on Wednesday in College Station at 6:30 p.m.
