Wildcats Can’t Catch No. 1 Delta State In 6-5 Loss

Tuesday, March 12

Abilene

6 p.m.

Abilene Christian

Delta State

Photo by: Benjamin Dishong

Wildcats Can’t Catch No. 1 Delta State In 6-5 Loss

3/12/2013 10:29:00 PM | Baseball

ABILENE – Abilene Christian left 10 men on base as part of a frustrating 6-5 loss to top-ranked Delta State Tuesday night at Crutcher Scott Field.

The Wildcats (11-9) just couldn't find that one key hit even though they were presented with plenty of late chances to either tie or take the lead from the Statesmen (17-3), who led the entire game.

ACU entered the ninth trailing 6-4, but got its first two runners aboard via error and single. A wild pitch from closer Taylor Stark then moved them into scoring position. Kyle Conwell followed with a sacrifice fly to score pinch runner Reed Watson; however, Travis Schuetze was left standing at third when Stark struck out Ryan Luckie to end the game.

The strikeout was Stark's second of the game as he earned his third save of the season. He entered the game the inning prior with runners at first and third and got Seth Spivey to end it on a routine ground ball to first.

Jordan Moore (3-0) started for the Statesmen and held the Wildcats scoreless until the fourth when Schuetze, who had had led off with one of his two doubles, scored on a Conwell's ground ball to second. Moore rebounded in the fifth after leaving runners at first and second, but was quickly pulled in the sixth after giving up another two-bagger to Schuetze followed by a walk.

Schuetze finished the game 3-for-4 in extending his season-best hitting streak to 12 and reached base streak to 20.

Jared Bond came on to replace Moore and let the Wildcats back in the game by giving up two runs – one earned – on three hits. With Schuetze still at second base, Bond surrendered a two-out RBI single to Giusti that made it a 4-2 game, and then in the seventh, ACU cut its deficit to 4-3 when Schuetze drove home pinch runner Mason Smith on a fly ball to shallow center caught by the shortstop.

The Statesmen pushed their lead back to three runs at 6-3 behind a two-run eighth off reliever Brady Rodriguez, who was close to unhittable last weekend vs. Bellarmine. But tonight, Delta State tagged him for two hits in between a walk and a controversial balk call that allowed one of the runs to score.

ACU made a little more noise vs. Bond in the bottom half of their inning when a two-out hit by pitch to Giusti was followed by a single by Chuck Duarte and a run-scoring hit off the bat of pinch hitter Rikky Salazar. Stark was then called in from the bullpen to face Spivey and subsequently close the game.

Delta State scored its first three runs off ACU starter Aaron Lambrix (1-1) in the first, fourth and fifth innings. Jordan Chovanec led off the game with a triple and scored a batter later on Tyler Aldridge's RBI single to right, and then in fourth, Lambrix was a strike away from escaping a two-out jam with runners at the corners when his pitch hit the dirt and squirted away from catcher Rodge Macy.

Lambrix' wild pitch gave the Statesmen a 2-0 lead, and then they pushed it to 3-1 in the fifth after the No. 9 batter Kasey Hinton – who started the inning with a walk – scored on Aldridge's high chopper over the mound.

Austin Palmer tossed two innings for ACU and allowed an unearned run in the sixth that scored when Macy dropped Spivey's throw to home plate. Macy thought he caught the ball and had possession of it when he placed the tag on Brent Langston, but the home plate umpire indicated the ball was on the ground.

Nick Palacios finished the game for ACU with a scoreless ninth.

The Wildcats and Statesmen conclude their two-game series Wednesday at 2 p.m.