THIBODAUX, La. -- ACU jumped out to a 5-0 lead over Nicholls in the first four innings Friday night and then used some solid bullpen work and timely defense to take a 5-4 win over the Colonels at Ray E. Didier Field in the first game of Southland Conference play for both teams.
The Wildcats are now 7-3 overall and 1-0 in the league, while the Colonels fall to 4-7 and 0-1 with their seventh straight loss. The two teams will continue the series Saturday at 6 p.m. before the series finale Sunday at 1 p.m.
ACU didn't win its seventh game in 2015 until an April 2 win over Houston Baptist pushed the Wildcats to 7-19 overall. The Wildcats wasted little time in making sure Friday night's game would end up in the "win" column by jumping out to that 5-0 lead with the first two home runs coming home on solo home runs by
Russell Crippen and
Aaron Draper in the second and third innings, respectively.
In the top of the third, the Wildcats tacked on three more runs against Nicholls pitcher Justin Sinibaldi -- the reigning Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year -- to take that 5-0 lead.
Mark Pearson led off the third with a single and went to second when
Alex Copeland was hit by a pitch.
Willie Harris then reached on an error to load the bases before Draper singled up the middle to drive in two runs.
With two outs and runners at the corners, Draper took off for second and Harris for the plate on a potential double-steal. Draper got into a rundown just long enough to allow Harris to score before he was tagged out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, Dylan Manichia ripped a two-out double to the right field wall, before Ethan Valdez reached on an error by Crippen at second base. Valdez stole second, before Justin Holt drew a walk to load the bases. Kyle Reese then singled to right field to drive in Manichia and Valdez to cut the ACU lead to 5-2. Alex Shermer then singled up the middle to drive in Holt to make it a 5-3 game.
But ACU starting pticher
Kyle Carroll coaxed a ground ball out to end the inning with ACU's lead still intact.
In the sixth, Kyle Knauth reached on a fielding error and an errant throw allowed him to advance to second. Manichia then singled to left to drive in Knauth before the Wildcats closed out the inning.
Kyle Carroll picked up the win to improve to 2-1 on the season by going 6 1/3 innings and allowing six hits and four runs (all unearned) while giving up just one walk and striking out five Colonels. Joseph Goetz and
Nick Palacios combined to throw 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Palacios struck out three in two innings of work to pick up his fourth save of the season.
