Late explosion carries ACU

Friday, March 25

Abilene

7:05 pm

Abilene Christian

Northeastern State

Photo by: Jeremy Enlow

3/26/2011 12:15:21 AM | Baseball

ABILENE – ACU scored 10 runs in its final two at-bats Friday night as the Wildcats turned back Northeastern State, 13-7, in Lone Star Conference baseball action at Crutcher Scott Field.

The win pushes the Wildcats to 15-11 overall and 8-8 in the LSC, while the RiverHawks fall to 3-21 and 2-17. ACU and Northeastern will conclude their three-game series Saturday with a 2 p.m. doubleheader at Scott Field. Saturday's games will be broadcast locally on KSLI 1280 AM.

ACU carried a 3-2 lead to the seventh inning before two errors by leftfielder Cameron Bankston led to four unearned runs and a 6-3 Northeastern State lead.

But the Wildcats rallied for four runs in the bottom of the sixth, and, after NSU scored a run in the top of the eighth to tie the game at 7-7, scored six more in the bottom of the eighth to put the game away.

Aaron Oliver pulled the Wildcats to within 6-5 in the seventh with a two-run home run – his first of the season – and ACU was able to take the lead on a two-run single to centerfield by Bryce Gerhardt.

In the eighth, Cameron Watten had a two-run single, Ian Thomkins an RBI single, Gerhardt an RBI single, and Reed Watson and Oliver drove in runs when hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Gerhardt finished 3 for 4 with five RBI, while Oliver drove in three runs and Watten was 3 for 5 with two RBI. The late offensive outburst made a winner of reliever Zach Sneed, who is now 4-2 on the season.