ACU Suffers Heatbreaking Split Vs. TSU Texans
By: ACU Press Release
Updated: April 21, 2012
ABILENE - Sitting
just three outs away from an important Lone Star Conference
doubleheader sweep of Tarleton State, the ACU Wildcats couldn't close
the door as the Texans rallied to win the nightcap, 3-2,
at Crutcher Scott Field.
The Wildcats won
the first game, 2-1, behind a strong pitching performance from Jordan
Herrera and were poised to win the second game after Aaron Lambrix threw
six shutout innings and handed the ball to
Clint Cooper with a 2-0 lead going to the bottom of the seventh inning.
But Cooper - who
picked up a win with a scoreless seventh inning as the Wildcats won in
walk-off fashion in the first game - walked the first three batters of
the seventh and left without recording an out
and only throwing two strikes.
Brady Rodriguez
came on in relief of Cooper and immediately got pinch-hitter Jonathan
Schmitz to hit a ground ball to second base. But the Wildcats were only
able to get the force at second as the ball
was hit too slowly to turn a double play. Ty Crump scored on the play
to cut ACU's lead to 2-1.
With runners at
second and third, Evan Robinson dropped down a squeeze bunt that first
baseman Rodge Macy fielded and flipped to catcher Emmett Niland, who was
standing on the plate as if there were a force
at home. Instead, Andrew Wolfe slid in safely to tie the game at 2-2.
After a single to
shallow left field re-loaded the bases, Noah Ringenberger flew out to
center field to drive in Schmitz with the go-ahead run. Blake Silguero
then lined out to shortstop Luke Mejia to
finally put an end to the inning.
Niland led off
the bottom of the seventh with a bunt single and pinch-runner Bryce
Gerhardt went to second on a Mejia sacrifice bunt. But Gerhardt was
left stranded at second as Kyle Conwell struck out
swinging and Tyler Eager grounded out to end the game, putting a capper
on one of the most frustrating losses of the season for the Wildcats.
Lambrix allowed
just four hits and only one walk in six innings of work and the Texans
only got one baserunner past third base against him.
In the first game
the two teams battled through four scoreless innings before the
Wildcats finally got on top of TSU ace Pete Perez with a run in the
bottom of the fifth.
With Gerhardt on
at second after entering the game as a pinch-runner, Conwell reached on
an error by Landon Thompson, pushing Gerhard to third base. Eager then
dropped down a perfectly placed squeeze bunt
that brought in Gerhardt with the first run of the game.
Herrera needed
just two pitches to record the first two outs of the sixth, but after
falling behind Silguero 2-0, he grooved a fastball that was turned
around for a solo home run to tie the game, 1-1.
The Wildcats got a runner to second with one out in the home half of the
sixth, but couldn't push a run across.
After Cooper
pitched a scoreless seventh for the Wildcats, the offense went back to
work. Pinch-hitter Kevin Finklea reached when the first pitch of the
inning from Perez hit him in the left shoulder.
Conwell struck out trying to bunt him over, but Eager singled to left to
move Finklea to second base. Second baseman Chuck Duarte - who has had
a penchant for coming up with big hits late in games - came up with
another one as his single to center drove in
Finklea with the game-inning run.
