NEW ORLEANS – ACU scored seven runs in the fifth inning to break the game open Sunday afternoon and then
Russell Crippen put the game away with a grand slam in the top of the ninth inning as the Wildcats finished off a sweep of New Orleans with a 12-5 win in Southland Conference baseball action at Maestri Field.
The Wildcats' three-game winning streak — their longest of the season — has pushed ACU's record to 13-31 overall and 11-13 in the Southland. New Orleans, meanwhile, falls to 14-32 and 3-21. ACU – which swept a Southland Conference baseball series for the first time in its history, even dating back to its first stint in the league (1964-73) — is now tied for eighth place in the Southland Conference going into the final two conference series of the season.
ACU will host Northwestern State this weekend at Crutcher Scott Field before playing at TCU on May 12. The Wildcats will then host Incarnate Word the following weekend (May 14-16) before heading to Arizona the next week to play Arizona State, Arizona and Hawaii to close the season.
The Wildcats never trailed Sunday, scoring once in the second inning and then breaking the game open with a seven-run fifth inning to give starting pitcher
Garrett deMeyere an 8-0 lead.
Crippen — who was 4 for 5 with 5 RBI for his best day as a Wildcat — led off the fifth with a single and one out later,
Alex Copeland doubled to left to drive in Crippen to make it 2-0. After
Kyle Carroll singled,
Aaron Draper singled to drive in Copeland to make it 3-0. After
Jeff Clarked reached on an error,
Tyler Eager doubled to centerfield to drive in a pair of runs to make it 5-0.
The Wildcats scored a couple of unearned runs before Crippen came back up and singled again, driving in
Marcelle Carter to make it 8-0.
The Privateers answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth and then got to deMeyere in the seventh with four runs to cut ACU's lead to 8-5.
Ladgie Zotyka came into the game in the seventh and gave up an RBI single before getting a double play and a flay out to end the inning and the Privateers' threat.
Zotyka retired the Privateers in order in the eighth and then in the ninth Crippen put the game away with one swing of his bat. With two outs and the bases full of Wildcats, Crippen took a 1-1 pitch out over the left-centerfield wall for his first career grand slam and the hit that slammed the door on any UNO comeback hopes.
Zotyka gave up a copule of hits in the bottom of the ninth, but he sandwiched a strikeout between to pop outs to end the game. deMeyere – who pitched into the seventh inning – picked up the win to improve to 3-4, while Zotykia picked up his second save of the seasons with three solid innings of work.
"Garret pitched a solid six innings for us, and because of that we were able to relax at the plate and get on the board for him," AACU head coach
Britt Bonneau said. "The seven-run fifth got us the separation we needed going into the late innings, and then Zotyka was able to come in and get us out of a jam and finish the game pitching well like he has all season. Crippen's home run took the air out of their team and the entire stadium and we were able to regain the momentum."
