ABILENE – Abilene Christian baseball overcame three deficits to post a 7-6 walkoff win Friday night over New Orleans in game one of their three-game series at Crutcher Scott Field. Freshman center fielder
Colton Eager came through with the game-winning hit, slicing a double down the first-base line with the bases loaded to score
Nolan Ritchie and
Caleb Kyle.
The victory lifted ACU's season and Southland Conference records to 12-4 and 1-3 while the Privateers slipped to 8-10 and 1-3 despite receiving a quality start from Bryan Warzek (six strikeouts in 6 IP).
Warzek left the game midway through the seventh with a 5-2 lead only to see his bullpen allow four runs over the final 3.0 innings. The Wildcats tied the score at 5-5 in the seventh on a wild pitch from reliever John Barr that allowed two runs to cross the plate. Kyle - who had doubled to left field with two outs - scored easily from third base, while
Dalon Farkas barreled in from second after the throw from catcher Beau Bratton missed Barr, who was covering the plate.
The Privateer eventually retook the lead a final time in the ninth on a sacrifice fly RBI by center fielder Orynn Veillon, but their bullpen once more proved erratic as relievers Matthew Oset (2-1) and Christopher DeMayo walked the top of the order (Ritchie, Kyle and Farkas) to load the bases for Eager.
UNO brought in Kyle Arjona to face Eager, and the rookie ripped the 1-1 pitch past the outstretched glove of first baseman Jacob McFadden to finish the game 4-for-4 with a run, two RBI and a hit by pitch. He also made three put outs in center field.
Garrett Hutson started for ACU and frequently pitched his way out of trouble, giving up five runs on 12 hits and one walk in 5.1 innings (92 pitches). He left runners in scoring position in the first and second but was reached for one run in the third when Jay Robinson scored from third base on a line drive by Pearce Howard off Hutson's glove. Howard again would plate Robinson in the fifth inning to tie the score at 2-2, and in the sixth, Hutson was chased from the game after surrendering three runs on four hits that made it a 5-2 game.
Brennan Lewis did a fine job in relief of Hutson, stranding Darren Willis at second base in the sixth, with a strikeout of Howard and pop up of Owen Magee. Then in the seventh he produced the Wildcats' only 1-2-3 inning by getting a ground out, fly out and pop out of the Privateers' No. 4, 5 and 6 batters.
Knowles (1-0) came into pitch the eighth and ninth, and was the pitcher of record when the winning run was scored.
ACU scored its first two runs in the fourth in briefly taking a 2-1 lead. The Wildcats loaded the bases on two walks and a hit by pitch, and
Robert Salazar capitalized with a one out, two-run single through the left side.
Kyle and
Riley Donahue each recorded multi-hit games for the Wildcats in addition to Eager as each newcomer went 2-for-4, while Robinson led New Orleans with three base hits, two of which were doubles.
The Wildcats and Privateers continue their three-game series Saturday at 2 p.m.
