JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Abilene Christian freshman
Peyton Hedrick reached second base in the seventh inning with two outs after ripping her third hit of the ballgame and 10th of the weekend, but was left stranded once more as the Camels of Campbell University held on to beat the Wildcats, 4-3, Sunday at Jacksonville University's Pruitt Complex.
The loss dropped ACU's season record to 3-13, while Campbell improved to 9-5.
Hedrick led all Wildcats at the plate this weekend, going 10-for-18 (.556) with four runs, two RBI and two extra-base hits. And following a first-inning strikeout today, she singled in her final three at-bats only to be twice stranded at third and once at second base in the seventh inning, representing the game-tying run.
ACU entered its final frame down 4-1 against starter Katie Baker, who struck out seven in her complete-game effort. But Baker plunked
Brianna Barnhill to begin the inning and watched her score two batters later on a RBI double to left-center by
Taylor Brown.
Baker came back to strike out
Kristin Watkins for the second out, then allowed consecutive singles off the bats of Hedrick and
Baylee Travers. That brought freshman
Alyson Bishoff to the plate with runners and first and second, but Baker quelled the rally after getting her to ground into a game-ending fielder's choice.
The long ball got the best of ACU starter
Emily Seidel for the second straight day as a third-inning solo shot by Stephanie Jones put the Camels on the board, 1-0. Then in the fifth, Campbell broke a 1-1 tie on a wild pitch and two outs later Lia Batchelor crushed a two-run home run to left field to make it 4-1.
ACU scored its first run of the game in the fifth on a squeeze bunt by Hedrick that scored Brown from third base. The Wildcats, however, had two other runners thrown out at home that inning.
ACU returns to home action next weekend for a three-game series against Southland Conference rival Southeastern Louisiana. The Wildcats and Lions will play a Friday night doubleheader, starting at 4 p.m. and a single game Saturday at noon.
