Wildcats make way into championship game
Churchill saves ACU vs. TSU; Wildcats bounce Bronchos
EDMOND, Okla. – The three-time defending LSC baseball champion ACU Wildcats didn't give up their crown Friday, beating both Tarleton State and Central Oklahoma to move into Saturday's championship round against Southeastern Oklahoma State.
The Wildcats and Savages will play the first championship game at noon at Broncho Field. If the Wildcats (41-17) win that game, the two teams will play a final championship immediately following the first game.
After knocking off Tarleton State in the Friday morning game (see story below), the Wildcats came back Friday afternoon to beat top-seeded and fourth-ranked Central Oklahoma, 7-4, to eliminate the Bronchos from the tournament.
ACU jumped on the Bronchos early, scoring two ff runs in both the second and fourth innings to grab a 4-0 lead. Brian Johnson got the Wildcats on the board in the second inning with a two-run home run off UCO pitcher Kyle Nevels. The Wildcats tacked on two more in the third when they took advantage of three UCO errors to make it a 4-0 game.
But trailing 5-1, the Bronchos began to rally in the fourth inning with one run in both the fourth and fifth innings before getting two runs in the sixth to make it 5-4. Jake Mays had a two-run single in the sixth before ACU pitcher Kade Simmons made his way out of the jam.
The game remained 5-4 until the bottom of the seventh when the Wildcats plated two crucial runs. Beau Bimson scored to make it 6-4 when he bowled over UCO catcher Blake Deen on a Marcelino Escalante sacrifice fly, forcing the ball loose. Creighton Bryan then scored when Ryan Barker reached on an error by shortstop Drew Bowers.
The Bronchos hurt themselves in both the seventh and eighth innings, killing potential big innings with double-play ground balls. Justin Whitlock then came on in the ninth and picked up his sixth save for the Wildcats, setting the Bronchos down in order.
CHURCHILL SAVES DAY FOR WILDCATS
Three-run home run in eighth inning beats Tarleton State
EDMOND, Okla. -- Chris Churchill blasted a one-out three-run home run in the eighth inning to give ACU a 5-3 win over Tarleton State in Friday's first elimination game in the Lone Star Conference Post-Season Tournament at Broncho Field.
The win sends the Wildcats to Friday's 4 p.m. elimination game against the loser of the 1 p.m. winner's bracket game between Southeastern Oklahoma State and Central Oklahoma. ACU – the three-time defending conference champion – is now 40-17 on the season, its sixth-straight season with at least 40 victories.
Tarleton State, which had beaten ACU four of six times during the regular season on its way to the LSC South Division championship, finishes its season at 31-26.
TSU pitcher Pacer Bourland had handcuffed the Wildcats through seven innings, holding them to seven hits and two runs through seven innings. But the Wildcats finally reached Bourland in the eighth inning.
Creighton Bryan and Marcelino Escalante opened the inning with back-to-back singles before Ryan Barker laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third for Churchill, who was the Wildcats' designated hitter Friday morning. Churchill took the first pitch he saw from Bourland and drove it deep over the 340-foot sign in left field to give the Wildcats a 5-3 win.
Justin Whitlock, who came into the game in the eighth inning in relief of starting pitcher Robert Newland, struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to pick up the victory. Newland pitched seven strong innings, giving up three runs on six hits while striking out 11 Texans.
The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when Paul Howey singled in Churchill, who had a one-out double. The Texans took a 2-1 lead in the fifth on a Billy Krause two-run double, but ACU tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the inning when Brad Massey scored from third base on a double-steal.
The Texans took a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning when Stephen Cheak singled to drive in a run. But Churchill saved the Wildcats in the bottom of the eighth inning, propelling them to the victory.
