ABILENE — Brett Hammit drove in four runs,
Colton Eager drove in a clutch run in the seventh inning, and the Wildcat baseball team picked up a non-conference win over UT-Arlington Tuesday night at Crutcher Scott Field, out-powering the Mavericks 11-10. ACU (19-13) never trailed, but overcame UTA tying the game twice and getting within one in the seventh by adding two in the home half to pull away for good. The Wildcats get a much-needed win to open a busy week of baseball, as the team will head to No. 3 Texas this weekend. ACU outhit UTA 10-8, and used five pitchers in the win.
Six runs in the first three frames
The Wildcats jumped out of the gate, scoring four in the first inning off UTA starter Cade Winquest. Hammit drove in a run on a fielder's choice to set up
Miller Ladusau. The ACU left fielder crushed a three-run home run and all of a sudden it was 4-0.
Austin Glaze got the start for the 'Cats, lasting 2.1 innings, but got into trouble in the third. UTA scored on a sacrifice fly, and then got some help on an error at third base that allowed a run to score. The Mavericks ended up scoring four in the inning to tie it, but the Wildcat offense answered back.
Bryson Hill, back in the starting lineup after an injured hand kept him out, singled to right field to score a run, and then a wild pitch allowed
Hunter Gieser to score and ACU led 6-4 through three.
Hammit delivers in the fourth, scoreless in the fifth and sixth
UTA tied it up again in the fourth inning on a wild pitch and an RBI-groundout, but just when you thought the Mavericks had some momentum, ACU answered the call again.
Brett Hammit delivered again. The third baseman hit a three-run bomb on a line to left center to put the 'Cats up 9-6. It was the seventh homer of the season, the second most on the squad.
Both teams were scoreless in the fifth and sixth, with
Connor Carlton and
Max Huffling getting the game to the late innings with ACU in front.
Seventh inning offense wins it
UTA once again got within a run, scoring twice in the seventh to cut it to 9-8 off of Huffling. But once again, when the Mavericks get close, the Wildcats respond.
Cal Strandt was up with runners on the corners, and laid down a bunt to get
Alexei Cazarin to the plate. The out was made at first because the ball was rolling slowly enough down the first-base line. ACU executed perfectly, and led 10-8. The key run came from
Colton Eager, who drove in
Mike Brown with a clutch double to left center field. It would prove to be the biggest hit of the game, pushing the lead to 11-8.
UTA got two back in the eighth on a two-run single, cutting it to 11-10. But guess who came in to close it in the ninth?
Tanner Riley did it again. The right-hander got hit fourth save of the season, recording the final three outs to win the game.
Stat Pack
- Huffling got the win, going 3.0 innings and allowing one earned on three hits. The lefty struck out three of the 11 batters he faced.
- Riley's fourth save came easy, facing the minimum in the ninth.
- Glaze struck out three in his start.
- Ladusau led the way with three hits, and drove in three with the homer. In total, eight Wildcats recorded a hit.
- Hammit drove in a game-best four runs.
- Brown scored three runs, and Eager and Hammit scored a pair apiece.
Up Next
ACU hits the road to the state capital to take on the No. 3 Texas Longhorns for a rare three-game series against a Power 5. The Wildcats and Longhorns meet Friday at 6:30, Saturday at 2:30, and Sunday at 1 p.m. and all three games can be seen on the Longhorn Network and heard on 102.7 The Bear.
