By Kyle Robarts
ABILENE – A day after lighting up the scoreboard for 14 runs against the Tigers, a 30-plus MPH wind tamed the Wildcat offense falling 3-0 in game one and rebounding with a 2-1 victory in game two.
The split gives ACU the chance to take three out of four from its former Lone Star Conference rival Sunday as the teams close the series with a single nine-inning game at 1 p.m.
In the first game Saturday, Andrew Olson and Gabriel Martinez combined for seven shutout innings in the win for the Tigers. Olson struck out three and walked just one over five innings to improve to 2-1 on the season while Martinez tossed a perfect two-inning save retiring six Wildcat hitters consecutively.
ACU managed five hits in the contest but left 11 runners on base, and the Wildcats' three errors in the field led to all three Tiger runs. In the losing effort
Ty Taylor pitched a complete game surrendering three unearned runs, walked one and struck out two to fall to 0-2 on the season.
In game two, ECU led 1-0 after an RBI single from Michael Mariano in the top of the second inning. ACU loaded the bases in the bottom half of the inning with one out on three consecutive singles, but the inning was fruitless ending on a double play. However, in the sixth, the Wildcats finally broke through when
Rodge Macy drove home two Wildcats with a two-out single.
Carter Hahn (1-0) carried the Wildcats through the first six innings, scattered six hits and struck out six on the way to his first victory of the season.
Aaron Lambrix closed the door in the seventh with his first save of the season striking out one.
