NATCHITOCHES, La. – Northwestern State scored five runs in their final three at-bats Friday night – including three in the bottom of the ninth inning – to rally to deal the ACU Wildcats a heartbreaking 10-9 Southland Conference loss at Brown-Stroud Field.
The loss dropped the Wildcats to 16-34 overall and 8-20 in the league, while the Demons improve to 32-22 and 19-10. The Wildcats and Demons will wrap up the series and Southland Conference play Saturday with a 2 p.m. game.
The Wildcats led 8-5 after their biggest inning of the season – a six run outburst in the top of the seventh, but the bullpen and defense collapsed down the stretch.
ACU trailed 5-2 going to the seventh, but plated six runs in the inning to take an 8-5 lead. With one out,
Mark Pearson singled and then went to second when
Hunter Markwardt reached on a fielding error, one of four errors by the Demons on the night.
Aaron Draper then walked to load the bases before Pearson scored when
Hunter Hays reached on another fielding error.
Senior
Heath Beasley then cleared the bases with a three-run double to left-centerfield, and he advanced to third on the throw to the plate.
Russell Crippen then plated Beasley with the fifth run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to make it a 7-5 ACU lead. After
Braxton Wilks singled and was pinch-run for by
Derek Scott, the freshman outfielder stole second and scored on an
Alex Check RBI single to make it 8-5.
The Wildcats should have gotten out of the bottom of the seventh unscathed, but Markwardt dropped a two-on, two-out fly ball in centerfield, allowing two NSU runs to score to cut ACU's lead to 8-7. ACU got a run back in the top of the eighth when Draper doubled to left-centerfield to plate Markwardt, giving the Wildcats a two-run advantage.
Nick Palacios came on in relief to start the eighth and got a quick 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth, sending the game to the ninth with ACU lead 9-7. ACU went quietly in the top of the inning, but it didn't take long for the Demons to start making noise in the bottom of the inning.
With one out, Regan Kaufman doubled to left and went to third on a single by Bret Underwood. Nick Heath then singled to left field, driving in Kaufman and pushing Underwood to second as the Demons crept to within 9-8. Cort Brinson then singled to right field to re-load the bases, brining up David Fry, who was 0 for 4 going into the at-bat. Fry, however, fouled out four straight 1-2 pitches before singling up the middle to drive in the tying and game-winning runs.
The loss went to Palacios, who falls to 0-4 on the year after giving up five hits and three runs (all earned) in 1 1/3 innings of work.
Collin Dudley, who entered the game in the seventh in relief of starting pitcher
Aaron Mason, gave up one hit and two unearned runs in his one inning of work.
