Wildcats Take Two From Dustdevils

Saturday, March 5

Abilene

2:35 pm

Abilene Christian

Texas A&M International

Photo by: Jeremy Enlow

3/5/2011 6:57:31 PM | Baseball

ABILENE – Head Coach Britt Bonneau won his 600th career game Saturday as the Wildcats took a pair from Texas A&M-International, 8-4 in game one and 5-6 in game two in non-conference action at Crutcher Scott Field.

Bonneau was able to claim No. 600 in game one as the Wildcats fell behind when the Dustdevils jumped to a 1-0 lead in the second inning and extended it to 3-0 in the top of the third. However, their first lead of the series would be short lived as the ACU offense would score four runs on five hits.

Abe Williams would lead off with a single up the middle and score two batters later when Aaron Oliver singled and advance to second on a heads up running play. The top half of the Wildcats order accounted for 6 of 11 hits including multi-hit efforts by Cameron Bankston and Will Calhoun.

Bankston would follow Oliver's single with one of his own for his only RBI of the night and score two batters later on a JR Roland's only a double to right. The next batter Sky Valenzuela would drive Roland in from second on a hot shot in the right center gap for a triple.

Starter Zach Sneed would settle down to pick up his second win of the season. Kevin Justice and Kris Carlson both pitched two innings of scoreless relief as Carlson earned his fourth save of the season.

ACU would add a pair of runs in the fifth and sixth making the Wildcat lead and final score, 8-4.

In the night cap the Wildcats jumped out to three early runs in the bottom of the first to take the early lead. Oliver, Bankston, Calhoun, and Roland all singled to lead off the game as Calhoun's single scored Oliver and Bankston scored on a Dustdevil throwing error. Calhoun would then score when Roland dropped a single in front of the TAMIU centerfielder.

Both pitchers settled in staying out of trouble until Roberto Castillo homered just over the wall in right to knot the game at 3-3 in the top of the fourth.

However the top of ACU's order would deliver again for the Wildcats as they accounted for 9 of the Wildcats 14 hits in game two. Bankston, who went 4-for-4 would double to left and score on Calhoun's single to center.

ACU would score two runs in the bottom of the sixth on three hits and two TAMIU errors which proved to be crucial. Ian Tomkins reached on an error to lead off and scored when Bryce Gerhardt drove him in for his only hit of the day.

Gerhardt would steal third to stand just 90 feet away from scoring ACU's 6th run of the game. He would do so when Aaron Oliver drove a 2-1 pitch back up the middle providing the insurance run the Wildcats would need.

Carlson would enter again in the top of the seventh, but a walk and two base hits would load the bases for the Dustdevils. ACU, however, would turn their first double-play of the series to pull within one out of a win. TAMIU would single one more time to make it a one-run game, but Chris Collazo would roll a ground ball to short for the game's final out.

ACU improves to 9-5 on the season and the Dustdevils fall to 9-7. The Wildcats go for the series sweep of Texas A&M-International tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. and will play host in a night game to University of the Southwest. First pitch for the second game is set for 7:05 p.m.