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ABILENE – The ACU Wildcats are back at home tonight to take on TCU in the conclusion of a home-and-home series between the teams. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. from Crutcher Scott Field.
The game can be heard on 98.1 FM and can be seen on acusports.com. The Wildcats – who have lost three straight games – are 19-22 overall, while the Horned Frogs enter them are 22-18 and have three of their last four games, including taking two of three last weekend from No. 4 Texas Tech in Fort Worth.
The Wildcats knocked off TCU, 4-2, in 11 innings on April 17 in Fort Worth, snapping ACU's 21-game losing streak against the Horned Frogs that dated back to 1959. The win was ACU's first against a team from the Big 12 and gave the program wins over teams from two Power 5 conferences since making the move to NCAA Division I affiliation in 2014 (wins over Arizona from the Pac 12 in 2014 and 2015 are the other two wins over Power 5 programs).
ACU will send RHP
Caleb Dougherty to the mound, while TCU counters with LHP Russell Smith. Dougherty is 2-1 on the season with3.72 ERA in 15 appearances (13 in relief). He has allowed 39 hits, 23 runs (15 earned) and only walked seven batters while striking out 36 in 36 1/3 innings of work. Smith, meanwhile, is 3-2 with a 3.81 ERA in eight appearances (all starts). He has allowed 29 hits, ,18 runs (12 earned) and walked 12 batters while striking out 26 in 28 1/3 innings of work.
TCU is hitting just .261 as a team and is led by Michael Landestoy, who is hitting .314 with one home run and 28 RBI. Josh Watson (.305 with six home runs and 22 RBI) is the only other Horned Frog hitting better than .300 on the season. The Horned Frogs lost their offensive catalyst – junior first baseman Luken Baker – in the 4-2 loss to ACU on March 17 when he broke a bone in his lower left leg. He underwent surgery last week and is out for the rest of the season.
ACU is hitting .287 as a team and is led by six players hitting better than .300 onto the season: centerfielder Matt Munoz (.341, 3 HR, 23 RBI), rightfielder
Colton Eager (.337, 0 HR, 11 RBI), first basemen
Koby Claborn (.333, 1 HR, 12 RBI), outfielder
Caleb Kyle (.331, 4 HR, 20 RBI), utility player
Dalon Farkas (.314, 6 HR, 299 RBI), and first baseman
Riley Donahue (.314, 3 HR, 13 RBI).
After Tuesday night's game, the Wildcats will return to Southland Conference action when they host Central Arkansas this weekend in a three-game series at Crutcher Scott Field. ACU enters the series at 5-16 in league play, but only four games out of the eighth and final spot for a trip to Sugar Land and the conference's postseason tournament. The Wildcats – 15-6 at home this season – will play seven of their final 11 games of the season at home, including six in league play.
