Wildcats sweep No. 6 Rattlers
ACU runs winning streak to nine games with pair of wins
ABILENE -- Two strong pitching performances and a solid night at the plate by Ryan Barker led ACU to a doubleheader sweep of nationally ranked St. Mary's in a non-conference doubleheader Tuesday at Crutcher Scott Field.
ACU won the first game, 6-0, behind a complete-game performance by Sam Hall, and then won the second game, 6-2, thanks in part to a strong relief performance by Coy Polk. The Wildcats' sweep of the No. 6 Rattlers pushed their winning streak to nine games and their overall record to 20-16.
ACU will return to action this weekend when it hosts Tarleton State in a three-game Lone Star Conference South Division series at Crutcher Scott Field. Friday's doubleheader will start at 2 p.m. with Saturday's single game starting at 2 p.m. All three games can be heard on KSLI 1280 AM.
Hall (2-2) was dominant in Tuesday's opening game, giving up just five hits and three walks while striking out three in seven innings. St. Mary's entered the doubleheader hitting .352 as a team, but managed just three extra-base hits in the two games, including one against Hall.
ACU scored two runs in the first and then added single runs in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Barker and Matt Callahan each had RBI doubles in the first inning, and Barker finished the game 2 for 4 with one RBI. Cody Cure, Brian Johnson and Joel Wells had the other RBI for the Wildcats.
Ben Maynard started the second game on the mound for ACU, but he lasted just three innings, leaving the game trailing 2-0 after the Rattlers got on the board first with a pair of runs in the third. ACU, though, answered with three runs in the bottom half of the third inning, all three runs coming in on Johnson's inside-the-park home run.
Polk entered the game in the fourth inning and pitched the final four innings, allowing just one hit while striking out two Rattlers to pick up the win, his fourth of the season.
ACU added a single run in the fifth and two in the sixth to secure the victory. Johnson was 1 for 3 with an RBI, while Johnson was 2 for 4 with three RBI. ACU catcher Paul Howey had the Wildcats' other RBI with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.
