SAN ANTONIO -
Garrett deMeyere pitched 8.0 scoreless innings on 96 pitches and
Aaron Draper went 3-for-4 with an RBI to lead Abilene Christian baseball to a 2-1 victory at Incarnate Word.
The Wildcats improved to 15-31 overall and 7-18 vs. the Southland Confernece with the victory, while the Cardinals - who were limited to five hits - fell to 13-36 and 5-20.
deMeyere (4-7) scattered four hits and a walk over his 8.0 innings of work and didn't allow a runner past second base until the sixth when a leadoff single by Ryan Gonzalez was followed by a sacrifice hit and fly ball to right field.
Gonzalez, however, became the third runner stranded in scoring position by deMeyere, after the Wildcats' senior struck out clean-up batter Brance Kahle for one of his four Ks and preserve ACU's 1-0 lead.
The Wildcats scored their first run in the fourth thanks to a two-out
Mark Pearson single. Pearson then stole second base and scored on Draper's RBI hit to center field. ACU went in order in the fifth and sixth, left two runners in scoring position in the seventh, but received a much-needed insurance run in the eight when
Russell Crippen came home on Beasley's sacrifice fly to center field.
Crippen led off the frame with a double down the left-field line, and advanced to third base on
Derek Scott's sacrifice bunt.
deMeyere came back out to pitch the bottom of the eighth and worked around a one-out single by getting Ryan Gonzalez to fly out to right and Eddy Gonzalez on a swinging strikeout. ACU went to its bullpen to start the ninth and the Cardinals immediately capitalized on the change as Austin Hoffman turned on the first pitch he saw from
Drew Hanson - a solo shot down the left field line.
Hanson got Kahle to fly to center for the first out, but after walking designated hitter Tanner Wall he was pulled in favor of closer NIck Palacios, who earned his sixth save of the spring.
UIW center fielder Matt Morris struck out looking against Palacios on three pitches and Trey Rodriguez ended the game with a ground ball to second base.
The Cardinals used five pitchers tonight with starter Bernie Martinez taking the loss despite striking out five batters in as many innings.
The Wildcats and Cardinals conclude their three-game series Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
