EDINBURG – The ACU baseball team fell to 0-5 on the season Saturday night as Texas-Pan American freshman pitcher Ryan Jackson silenced the Wildcat offense in a 5-3 Bronc victory at Edinburg Baseball Stadium.
The Wildcats will try to get their first win of the season Sunday at 9:30 a.m. when the teams complete the three-game series. The game was originally scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, but was moved up several hours to try and get ACU on the road before anticipated poor weather hits the Abilene area.
Jackson – 1-1 and the reigning Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week – pitched 6 2/3 innings, striking out four while allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits. For the second straight start, he did not issue a walk.
The Broncs (4-2) gave Jackson all of the support he needed in the third. Senior Jesus Garcia drew a one-out walk from ACU starting pitcher
Joe Gawrieh and scored on a triple by Manny Loredo. After Victor Garcia Jr. was intentionally walked to set up a double play, a passed ball by ACU catcher
Alex Copeland allowed Loredo to score to make it 2-0.
Jacob Huckabay and Cole Loncar then followed with singles to make it 3-0 before Logan Landon singled to load the bases. One out later, Correy Davis hit a ground ball to freshman third
Brayden Gomez, who fielded the ball, but threw high and over first baseman
Russell Crippen for an error that allowed two runs to score to make it 5-0.
The Wildcats scored their only runs against Jackson in the seventh as they were able to cut their deficit to 5-2.
Colton Hall got it started with a leadoff home run to right field to make it 5-1. After
Russell Crippen popped out,
Heath Beasley reached on an error and went to third on a
Kyle Carroll double that chased Jackson from the game. Beasley immediately scored on a wild pitch thrown by Johnny Gonzalez to make it 5-2. But after issuing a walk to
Tyler Eager, Gonzalez retired pinch-hitter
Garrett Hale on a line out to centerfield.
Trailinig 5-2 going to the ninth, UTPA closer Andrew Padron came on and got Copeland to ground out to shortstop to lead off the inning before giving up a solo home run to Crippen, making the score 5-3. But Padron needed just four more pitches to retire Beasley and Carroll to end the game and earn his second save.
Gawrieh – one of four ACU pitchers in the game – was tagged with the loss as he falls to 0-1.
Nate Cole again pitched well in relief, giving up just three hits and one unearned run in 3 2/3 innings of work.
