HAMMOND, La. -
Alexei Cazarin,
Mitchell Dickson and
Colton Eager each hit home runs in Abilene Christian baseball's 13-9 win at Southeastern Louisiana Friday night.
The victory, which was the Wildcats' first in Hammond since 2015, lifted ACU's season and conference records to 17-11 and 9-8, while the Lions fell to 18-11 and 11-6. The two sides will resume their four-game series Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
Dickson went 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs and got the Wildcats rolling early with a leadoff home run against Will Kinzeler. The Wildcats' backstop later ripped two singles, and defensively, picked two runners off base.
Eager hit his ninth of home run of the season with
Tommy Cruz on base in the seventh inning, to give ACU a 10-7 lead, and Cazarin went yard to left field in the fifth, making it a 3-1 game for the Wildcats.
Following Cazarin's round-tripper both teams combined to score 18 runs between the fifth and eighth innings. SLU put up four runs in its half of the fifth only to watch the Wildcats claw their way back with a five-run sixth. That inning
Brett Hammit ripped a two-run double that tied the score at 5-5.
Sebastian Randle and Dickson then followed with RBI singles to the outfield.
The Wildcats would never trail again and helped put the game on ice with a three-run eighth inning in which RBI were provided by Eager,
Grayson Tatrow and
Miller Ladusau.
Connor Carlton (1.0 IP, 3K) earned the win in relief following starter
Tyler Morgan (4K in 4.2 IP) and
Max Huffling (2K in 1.0 IP).
Tanner Riley (3K in 2.1 IP) then earned his second save of the spring after striking out Bryce Grizzafi to end the game.
