Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content
Miller Ladusau
Jeremy Enlow
5
Winner Abilene Christian ACU 5-3
4
UC Santa Barbara UCSB 5-2
Winner
Abilene Christian ACU
5-3
5
Final
4
UC Santa Barbara UCSB
5-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Abilene Christian ACU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 9 1
UC Santa Barbara UCSB 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 8 0

W: Riley, Tanner (3-0) L: Roberts, Connor (1-1) S: Adkins, Colby (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Wildcats roar back in ninth to top UCSB

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – After trailing for eight innings Sunday afternoon, the Wildcat baseball team went to work in the ninth inning, scoring five times to complete a comeback win over the Gauchos of UC-Santa Barbara, 5-4. ACU (5-3) then survived a rally in the home ninth, withstanding a three-run inning to get back on the winning track.

Ninth-Inning Rally
  • Trailing 1-0 and facing Gaucho closer Connor Roberts, Tommy Cruz did exactly what you want your leadoff man in the ninth to do: get on base. Cruz drew a walk and Nico Limoncelli came in to run at first base.
  • Colton Eager then reached on an infield single and Mitchell Dickson was hit by the pitch to load the bags with no one out.
  • Then Eric Wimpee stepped in. The senior had just one RBI through the first seven games, but was ready for the challenge. The Rockwall native roped a double down the right field line to clear the bases, giving ACU a 3-1 lead, its first lead of the series.
  • Miller Ladusau followed with an RBI-single to score Seth Watts, who came in as a pinch-runner for Wimpee.
  • The final run of the inning came on a passed ball, scoring Ladusau to give ACU a 5-1 advantage.

Holding on in the Bottom of the 9th
  • Tanner Riley, who entered the game in the fifth inning in relief, started the bottom of the ninth inning. The inning began with a walk, a single, and a fielder's choice to load the bags with nobody out. Head coach Rick McCarty then went to Colby Adkins to close out the game.
  • Adkins got the first out on a ground ball to first base, and even though a run scored, the lead was still three.
  • Trouble came when Adkins gave up a two-run single up the middle and it was a 5-4 contest with just one out, but back-to-back fly outs ended the inning and the game as Adkins earned the save.

Stat Pack
  • ACU starter Nate Hawkins went 4.2 innings in a no-decision, allowing one unearned run on three hits. The unearned run occurred in the first inning, and was the only run of the game until the ninth.
  • Riley tossed 3.1 innings of relief, and improves to 3-0 after earning the win.
  • Hayden Clearman, Miller Ladusau, and Colton Eager each led the way with two hits.
  • Wimpee's three-run double was hit lone hit in four at-bats, and the biggest hit of his season.
 

Highlight Reel Catch
  • Hayden Clearman showed his range in center field with an incredible diving catch.
   

Up Next
  • ACU returns to the friendly confines of Crutcher Scott Field to take on Youngstown State for a three-game series next week. The opening game takes place Thursday, Feb. 27 at 6:35 p.m.
 
 
 
 
 
Print Friendly Version