ABILENE -- Northwestern State took advantage of a two-run throwing error in the seventh inning Sunday afternoon to knock off ACU, 6-4, and complete a three-game sweep of the Southland Conference basebal series between the teams at Crutcher Scott Field.
The loss drops ACU to 13-34 overall and 11-16 in the Southland Conference, while the Demons improve to 29-19 and 19-7. ACU will be back in action Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. against No. 3 TCU at Lupton Stadium in Fort Worth.
The Wildcats -- who trailed throughout the game -- trailed 3-0 after 5 1/2 innings before they got back into the game with two runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Russell Crippen led off the inning with a single and then came home on
Tyler Eager's RBI dobule to the wall in left-centerfield. A couple of batters later, pinch-hitter
Jeff Clarke grounded out to drive in Eager from third to make it a 3-2 game.
But in the top of the seventh, ACU starting pitcher
Garrett deMeyere got into trouble when he gave up a leadoff single to CJ Webster and walk to Nick Heath. ACU head coach
Britt Bonneau brought in
Kevin Sheets to replace de Meyere to try and keep the game close, and the first man he faced was Garrett Logan.
Logan dropped down a bunt in front of the plate and Sheets turned to third base to try and get the lead runner. But Sheets' throw was high and wide and went down the left field all the way into the corner, allowing both Webster and Heath to score and send Logan all the way to third base.
Sheets, though, bounced back with a strikeout before giving up a sacrifice fly to Joel Atkinson that scored Logan to make it a 6-2 game. Sheets ended the inning with a strikeout, but the damage was done.
ACU would get on the board in the bottom of the seventh when
Kyle Carroll reached on an error and then scored on
Aaron Draper's double to left-centerfield, cutting the Northwestern lead to 6-3. With Draper on third and Eager on first, ACU tried a double-steal with two outs, but Draper was gunned down at the plate to end the inning.
The Wildcats got a run in the bottom of the ninth on
Colton Hall solo home run to right field, and right after that,
Kyle Carroll went to third on a three-base error by Heath in center field. But that's when closer Brandon Smith was summoned from the bullpen and he immediately put the rally to a close. He needed just five pitches to retire Draper on a popup and set Crippen down looking to end the game and pick up his ninth save.
