Box Score ABILENE - Coming back from a 3-0 deficit was easy for the Abilene Christian baseball team, but a six-run fifth for Stephen F. Austin proved too much for the home team to overcome as the Lumberjacks earned a 12-8 victory Thursday night at Crutcher Scott Field that took three hours and 40 minutes to complete.
The loss dropped ACU's season and Southland Conference records to 12-22 and 2-8, while SFA improved to 16-21 and 7-9.
After the Wildcats tied the score at 3-3 in the third thanks to a couple of double steals and a RBI ground ball, the Lumberjacks exercised great patience at the plate in the fifth. In that frame, they drew four (of 11 ACU issued) walks in between two base hits, a hit batsman and a devastating throwing error by pitcher
Stuart Patke on a bases-loaded one-hopper back to the mound that he sailed over the head of catcher
Seth Spivey.
SFA led the Wildcats 9-3 after sending 11 batters to the plate that inning and added a solo home run off the bat of No. 9 hitter Kyle Thornell (vs.
Hunter Wakefield) in the sixth to push its advantage to seven runs.
The Wildcats scored one more run in the sixth on a triple by
Colton Hall, and in the eighth they came away with four runs after starting the frame with three straight hits followed by a one-out two RBI double by Spivey and two-out, two-run error put in play by
Tyler Eager.
ACU collected nine hits tonight, but had at least three stolen by SFA center-fielder Matthew Dickey.
The Wildcats and Lumberjacks continue their three-game series Friday at 2 p.m.
