ABILENE – Abilene Christian baseball won its series opener vs. Nicholls, 10-8, Friday night at Crutcher Scott Field. The Wildcats' No. 2 - 7 batters combined for all 10 runs and hits, including a 3-for-4, four RBI performance from senior first baseman
Riley Donahue.
Donahue and the offense got things rolling during the Wildcats' four-run fourth, which started with four-consecutive base hits off starter Trever Kilcrease (3-5).
Luis Trevino led off with a double to left followed by a towering home run by senior
Dalon Farkas, which was his fifth of the spring.
Ryne Randle then dropped a single into right field and Donahue chopped a single over the head of first baseman Adam Tarver.
A bunt by
Collin Chaney moved Randle and Donahue into scoring position, leading into Matt Muñoz' unorthodox RBI grounder to first base. Tarver tagged the bag while on the ground, but his throw home to catch Randle bounced away from catcher Chris Sandberg, allowing Donahue to score from second base and giving the Wildcats a 4-1 lead.
ACU further padded its lead to 7-1 in the fifth off two Nicholls' pitchers.
Derek Scott and Trevino reached base via single and walk, respectively, and Randle collected his second base hit – a single to right field – to score Scott, who slid under Sandberg's tag at the plate. Donahue then clubbed his first of two doubles over the head of left fielder Austin France.
Two innings later the Wildcats loaded the bases with Scott (BB), Trevino (1B) and Farkas (HBP) all reaching base vs. reliever Peter Holland. Donahue brought two runs home on his ground-rule double that hopped over the wall in right-center field and Chaney brought in Farkas with a fly ball to left field.
The Wildcats (24-26, 11-17 Southland) needed all that insurance as the Colonels put up crooked numbers in the sixth and eighth. Tarver cut ACU's lead to 7-4 on his three-run blast to left field in the sixth, and in the eighth, the visitors scored four times on three hits to make it a 10-8 game.
Tarver singled with two outs against starter
Drew Hanson (5-3) to load the bases for Dillon Belle, who sliced a two-run single to the right-field corner. Dane Simon then punched a two-run double to left-center field off reliever
Hunter Spaeth.
With the Colonels (27-26, 13-15 Southland) within striking distance of the lead, the ACU coaches called in closer
Brennan Lewis who retired all four batters he faced between the eighth and ninth innings to secure his 10th save of the season. He threw 16 pitches and recorded a strikeout of pinch hitter Alec Paz for the second out of the ninth.
ACU and Nicholls conclude their series Friday with a 3 p.m. doubleheader. The Senior Day ceremony will take place in between games at approximately 6:20 p.m.
