ABILENE -- ACU starting pitcher did everything he could Sunday afternoon to get the his team back in the win column, but his biggest mistake of the afternoon cost the Wildcats dearly in a 3-1 loss to Texas A&M-Kingsville at Crutcher Scott Field.
The loss drops the Wildcats to 16-13 overall and 4-4 in the Lone Star Conference, while the Javelinas improve to 15-7 and 4-4. The Wildcats scored just six runs in the four-game series split, including just two in the final three games (11-0 loss, 1-0 win and 3-1 loss).
The Wildcats will be back in action Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Portales, N.M., when they take on Eastern New Mexico in another four-game LSC series.
Lambrix threw just 87 pitches (61 for strikes) in a nine-inning, complete-game performance. He struck out seven batters and walked just one while allowing only four hits and one earned run. He induced 12 groundouts and seven flyball outs and at one point retired 13 straight batters from the fifth through the top of the ninth. Lambrix, in fact, retired 15 of the last 16 batters he faced in the game.
But he and the Wildcats will look back on the top of the fourth as the inning that cost them the game.
Kingsville's Trent Wagner reached on an infield single to start the inning, although ACU head coach
Britt Bonneau argued to no avail with the first-base umpire that
Duncan Blades' throw across the diamond had beaten Wagner.
The next batter, Cameron Dullnig, dropped down a sacrifice to move the runner into scoring position. However, Lambrix fielded it and threw wide of first base and the ball hit the fence down the right field line and squirted into right field. That allowed Wagner to score all the way from first and sent Dullnig to second.
After another sacrifice bunt by James Wallace moved Dullnig to third, James Black ground out to the shortstop, but Dullnig scored the second unearned run of the inning to make it a 3-1 game.
While Lambrix was pretty much mowing through the Kingsville lineup, Javelina relief pitcher Cole Foster was doing pretty much the same to the Wildcats. He took over in the sixth for starter Zach Pettiford in the top of the sixth and retired each of the first seven Wildcats he faced.
But the Wildcats had a chance in the bottom of the eighth to get the game tied when, with one out,
Rodge Macy singled and then went to second on a walk to
Duncan Blades.
But pinch-hitter
Ryan Luckie popped out to the first baseman in foul territory and
Mark Bailey flew out to right field to end the threat.
After Lambrix worked around a one-out walk in the top of the ninth, the Wildcats went back to work in the bottom half of the inning to try to extend the game.
Luke Majia was hit by a pitch on the first pitch of the inning by Dullnig, the Kingsville closer.
Freshman
Tyler Eager then drilled a pitch into righ-centerfield for a double to put the tying run in scoring position.
But that's where the wheels fell off for the ACU offense.
Kevin Finklea looked at the first two pitches of his at-bat for strike and then swung and missed for the second out, and
Kyle Conwell lined out hard to third base to end the game.
