ABILENE -- ACU's recent offensive woes continued Friday night as the Wildcats fell to Cameron, 8-0, in the opener of a four-game Lone Star Conference baseball series at Crutcher Scott Field.
ACU, which scored just nine runs while losing three of four games last weekend at West Texas A&M, was shut out by a Cameron team that entered the series with the second-worst earned run average in the LSC at 6.71 and had lost 12 of its last 14 games.
The Wildcats -- hitting just .291 as a team entering the series -- managed just six singles and only got one baserunner as far as third base en route to losing for the fourth time in their last five games.
The loss drops ACU to 22-16 overall and 10-7 in the LSC, while the Aggies improve to 11-22 and 5-12. The teams will continue their series Saturday with a 2 p.m. doubleheader.
Cameron's effort was spearheaded by pitcher Drew Reidt, who tossed a complete-game six-hitter. Reidt, who improved to 2-3 with the win, walked just two and struck out two Wildcats and only needed 101 pitches to throw his second complete game of the season.
Reidt got all of the offensive support he would need in the first inning as the Aggies scored three runs on four hits and one ACU error. The Aggies opened with three straight singles to make it 1-0 before Brad Blumer drove home a run with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. Kenny Acosta tacked on the third run of the inning with a double to left-centerfield that plated
Nick Smith.
ACU's only real threat in the game came in the second when
Kyle Conwell singled, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and moved to third on a groundout by
Chuck Duarte. But he was left at third when
J.R. Roland grounded out to end the inning. The Wildcats would never seriously challenge Reidt the rest of the night.
Jordon Herrera went six innings and gave up eight hits, seven runs (four earned) and one walk while striking out eight Aggies. He took the loss to fall to 5-3 on the season.
