CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Junior newcomer
Spencer Chirpich continued to impress throughout his fifth Friday night start of the season, pitching a season high 8.2 innings with two strikeouts in Abilene Christian's 4-1 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (12-8, 2-2 Southland) at Chapman Field.
Chirpich tossed 116 pitches vs. the NCAA's No. 3 hitting team (.330 batting average) in lifting his season record to 3-1, and nearly became the first Wildcat pitcher to post a complete game shutout vs. a Southland Conference team since April 9, 2016 when
Aaron Mason blanked Houston Baptist over 9.0 innings in a 9-0 triumph at Crutcher Scott Field.
Alas, the call went to the bullpen with two gone in the ninth after designated hitter Trevor Beard broke the shutout bid by slapping a RBI single up the middle on a 2-2 pitch.
Brennan Lewis came into the game and earned his fifth save of the spring on five pitches when Steve Rivera-Chijin flew out to
Dalon Farkas in left field.
Chirpich stranded seven runners on base overall (four in scoring position) with the help on a superb defense playing behind him. The Fairmont, Minn., native started his outing retiring six of the first seven batters he faced, but the Islanders began to make some noise at the plate in the third inning with three consecutive base hits.
Drake Osborn and Enrique Sanchez Jr. each singled, and Osborn – the catcher – tried to break the scoreless tie on Itchy Burts' double down the right field line but was tagged out at the plate by
Lane Bourland for the second out following two terrific throws by
Colton Eager and
Seth Watts.
Chirpich walked a batter to load the bases after that dramatic putout, but got cleanup hitter Mike Williams to line out to Farkas.
The Wildcats' offensive response to that Houdini escape act couldn't have come at a more opportune time as they sent eight men to the plate as part of a two-run fourth inning. Farkas, designated hitter
Luis Trevino and
Koby Claborn loaded the bases on three-consecutive singles, and with one out, Watts smacked a RBI single to the left-center gap, scoring Farkas and Trevino.
Three innings later, ACU (10-8, 3-1 Southland) padded its 2-0 lead with a pair of insurance runs off reliever A.G. Ayala with two outs. Trevino and Claborn each doubled to make it a 3-0 game, and then Eager drove home the Wildcats' first baseman with a base hit to left field.
Claborn went 4-for-4 at the plate and reached base five times in lifting his season batting average to . 298. Trevino also continues to hover near .400 as his 2-for-5 performance picked his average up to .391.
In between ACU's scoring frames, Chirpich stranded runners in scoring position in the fourth and fifth, and watched his infield spin a pair of double plays after surrendering leadoff singles to begin the seventh and eighth. He then got two more ground outs around a Luke Marbach ninth-inning single, the second of which put him at second base leading to Beard's RBI single.
Dustin Lacaze (3-1) started for the Islanders and lasted 6.0 innings, during which he gave up two runs on five hits and four walks with seven strikeouts. Ayala pitched the final 3.0 frames, whiffing four Wildcats.
The Wildcats and Islanders continue their three-game series Saturday at 4 p.m. Sunday's finale is set to start at 1 p.m.
