ABILENE – Abilene Christian baseball started Wednesday night's game vs. Eastern Michigan in a 4-0 hole and could never quite dig its way out as the Eagles held on for a 6-5 victory at Crutcher Scott Field.
Left fielder
Derek Scott hit his second home run of the season – a two-run shot – to get the Wildcats on the board in the fourth inning, and they made it a one-run game (4-3) in the fifth after Scott drove in third baseman
Ryne Randle on a fly ball to center field.
But the Eagles would counter with what would be the game-winning runs during their sixth inning at-bat. EMU center fielder Nate Jones worked a leadoff walk and scored three batters later on a wild pitch. In between Cameron Cruz doubled to right field, and later scored on Jeff Timko's triple down the first-base line.
The Wildcats continually threatened from the sixth through ninth innings, but didn't produce that one multi-run inning that may have changed the end result. A 5-3 double play soured a sweet start to the sixth inning, in which
Robert Salazar's double was followed by
Riley Donahue's RBI single, and in the seventh, right fielder
Dalon Farkas reached third base with no outs only to see his next three teammates strikeout, strikeout and fly out.
ACU (4-5) again got to within one of the Eagles (2-6-1) thanks to a two-out double by
Dalton Dunn, which plated catcher
Lane Bourland. But Dunn was left at second base, and the Wildcats did little in the ninth besides get a two-out walk by
Derek Scott. Eagle closer Thomas House struck out pinch hitter
Koby Claborn to end the game with Scott at first base to earn his first save of the season.
Wildcat reliever
Logan Patterson did all he could on the mound to keep the Wildcats in the game. He came on board with two outs and a runner at third base in the sixth inning, striking out his first batter Drake Peggs. From there he tossed a 1-2-3 seventh and stranded two additional runners at third base in the eighth and ninth innings.
Drew Hansen started for ACU and both he and relievers
David Ruot (1.2 IP) and
Bryant Jordan (2.1 IP) all were charged with two earned runs apiece, while combining for five strikeouts. Patterson was credited with three punchouts in his 47-pitch outing.
Starter Scott Granzotto (1-1) earned the win for EMU despite only lasting 3.0 innings. However, he only surrendered one hit and one walk with three strikeouts. His replacement Nick Porretto started the fourth and gave up four of the five runs scored against the Eagles.
Mitchell Sparks tossed a scoreless seventh for the Eagles, and it was Tyler Koons who gave up the Dunn RBI double in the eighth.
Of the 22 combined base hits tonight, 11 went for extra bases, nine of which were doubles. Salazar ripped two doubles as part of a 2-for-4 night, and
Luis Trevino was 3-for-5 with a double and run scored.
The Wildcats' homestand continues Friday at 6:30 p.m. with the first of three games vs. the Hartford Hawks.
