ABILENE — Junior
Colton Eager paced a get-right day for the ACU offense in a doubleheader sweep of the UIW Cardinals on Saturday at Crutcher Scott Field. After struggling to score against Texas last weekend and in the opener against UIW Friday, the Wildcats exploded for 18 run and 26 hits in a pair of big home wins, 10-7, and 8-3. It was a big day to ensure at least a split in the weekend, but the 'Cats now go for the series win on Sunday. Today's wins ensure a 20-win campaign for ACU, who now sits at 21-17 and 12-11 in the Southland Conference, which now moves the team into fifth place at the end of the night. Eager led the way with five hits and seven runs driven in.
ACU goes for the series win on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 2:05 p.m. The game can be seen on
ACUSports.com and heard on
102.7 The Bear.
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Game 1: ACU 10, UIW 7
UIW jumped out of to an early 2-0 in the second inning off Wildcat starter
Genner Cervantes, and then the offense came to life. Eager was on fire from his first at-bat, and put ACU on the board in the third inning with a three-run homer, and it was a 3-2 lead for the home team.
Bryson Hill then roped a double into left center to plate
Tommy Cruz and the Wildcats led 4-2. Not only did the bats come alive, but it was all power. Nine of the 14 hits in the game went for extra bases. The four-run third inning was duplicated in the fourth inning.
UIW scored three runs in the top of the fourth inning, but the Wildcats were there to respond.
Mitchell Dickson got into the action with a two-run home run to right field to go up 6-5, and Eager followed it up with a run-scoring triple.
Tommy Cruz capped the inning with a sacrifice fly, and it was another four-run frame. ACU led 8-5, and thought it would be comfortable the rest of the way.
The visitors fought back in the sixth inning with a pair of solo home runs, and all of a sudden it was an 8-7 lead.
Max Huffling, who came into the game in the fourth inning to relieve Cervantes, fought back and kept ACU in front going to the home half, where Eager and company added some insurance. The ACU right fielder, needing a single for the cycle, ended up with his second double of the day to plate
Grayson Tatrow, and
Hunter Gieser contributed with a pinch-hit single to score Eager to make it 10-7.
Huffling slammed the door in the seventh to ensure the win.
Stat Pack
- Eager went a perfect 4-for-4 and had a homer, a triple, and two doubles. He stepped up in the sixth with a chance at the the historic cycle, and instead ended up with all extra-base hits. The junior drove in five runs as well.
- Dickson drove in two runs, and tallied two hits.
- Tatrow and
Sebastian Randle each recorded a pair of hits.
- Tatrow and Eager each scored three runs as well.
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Game 2: ACU 8, UIW 3
It was a battle in game two, and it began as a pitcher's duel. ACU starter
Adam Stephenson was spectacular, throwing six scoreless innings and striking out eight batters, both ACU career-highs. The southpaw got an early run from his offense as well, and it came on an infield hit from
Bryson Hill. The sophomore beat out the throw to first, and Tatrow crossed the plate to go up 1-0. It was the only run of the game all the way til the sixth frame.
Despite Stephenson's high pitch count, he was brilliant. UIW put runners on base in every inning against him, but he stranded nine runners to preserve the shutout. ACU added a run in the sixth inning as well to provide a little insurance. With runners on the corners,
Harrison Caley bunted the ball down the first base line. Caley beat the throw to the bag at first, and Hill came in to score to make it 2-0. It looked like that would be enough, but the Cardinals came back.
UIW scored three runs in the seventh inning off reliever
Austin Glaze with a pair of home runs, and in the blink of an eye, UIW led 3-2. Now the Wildcats were playing from behind, and needed some late-inning heroics. Ask and ye shall receive.
Miller Ladusau and
Eric Wimpee got the inning started with back-to-back singles, and Caley then moved them up to second and third with a sac bunt. Randle then put the ball in play with a ground ball, and the throw home was wide enough so Ladusau could score, and the game was tied.
Cal Strandt was then hit by a pitch, and ACU had a chance to grab the lead with the bases loaded.
Dickson singled through the ride side to plate a pair to make it 5-3, and Eager added to his special day with a two-run single as well. All of a sudden a one-run deficit turned into a five-run lead when Hill singled as well. It was 8-3 and UIW was out of life at that point. Glaze got the final three outs to ensure the doubleheader sweep.
Stat Pack
- It was Glaze's first win of the season, allowing three runs in three innings of work.
- Stephenson had a career performance, allowing no runs on six innings with eight strikeouts.
- Ladusau had a four-hit game two, while Hill tallied three hits with a pair of runs batted in.
- Caley had a pair of hits as well.
- Dickson and Eager added two hits, giving Eager five for the day with seven driven in.
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