HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Senior right-hander
Spencer Chirpich threw 8.2 innings of brilliant ball to guide the ACU baseball team to a series win over the Sam Houston Bearkats Sunday afternoon at Don Sanders Stadium. The veteran threw 119 pitches and came just one out away from his second complete game as the Wildcats (31-18, 22-12 SLC) picked up a 5-3 victory. It is the fourth-staight series win for the team as they move to the final weekend of the regular season.
The game began with a 35-minute lightning delay, and there would only be one more interruption during the day. And once it got officially started, ACU was in control right from the get-go, and held on in the end.
The offense put pressure on Sam Houston starter Kyle Backhus, but the lefty worked around some early trouble.
Sebastian Randle ripped his sixth hit of the weekend into the right field corner for a one-out double in the second inning, but was stranded there. ACU left another in the third, but the game was still scoreless.
Chirpich was dealing early, striking out six Bearkats in the first three innings, including punching out the side in the second. He did not allow his first base runner until the fourth, and was in control, throwing strikes early and often.
ACU cracked the scoreboard first in the top of the fourth, and it began with a Randle double, his seventh hit of the weekend, and third two-bagger. The freshman came around to score on a
Bryson Hill groundout, and it was a 1-0 Wildcat lead.
Sam Houston tied the game in the fourth on a sacrifice fly, but ACU came right back in the fifth.
Hunter Gieser, making his first start of the weekend, had a golden opportunity with the bases loaded, and he took advantage. Gieser was previously 0-for-4 with the bags packed this spring, but this time turned on a fast ball and ripped it into the left field corner to clear the bases with a double, giving ACU a 4-1 lead.
Before the first pitch of the home fifth was thrown, the skies opened up. It immediately went from zero to 100 and turned into a torrential downpour, and delayed the game for a few more minutes. No harm, no foul for Chirpich. The right-hander came right back out and dealt a 1-2-3 inning in five pitches.
Colton Eager added to the ACU lead with an rbi-single into right field in the top of the sixth, and it turned into a comfortable 5-1 advantage. Sam Houston put runners on in the seventh, and despite giving up one run, Chirpich worked through it and kept it a 5-2 lead going to the eighth.
Chirpich shut it down in the eighth and then ran into danger in the ninth. Sam Houston put the first two on with no outs, and the tying run was at the plate. But head coach
Rick McCarty stuck with the vet, and he delivered with a double-play ball up the middle that Randle turned with ease. A pair of runs eventually scored on back-to-back singles, and Chirpich was pulled after 8.2 frames for lefty
Connor Carlton. The southpaw got the final out via strikeout, and the celebration was on.
Stat Pack
- Chirpich threw a brilliant 8.2 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with 10 strikeouts. The 10 strikeouts are a new career-high.
- Tatrow,
Tommy Cruz, and Randle all led the way with two hits apiece.
- Gieser drove in three, matching a season-high.
- Randle finished the weekend with seven hits including three doubles.
Up Next
ACU returns to The Crutch for the final weekend of the regular season when it hosts SFA for four games. The regular season title is in play, and more updates will be provided on the standings as the weekend moves closer. The series takes place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with the doubleheader in the middle on Saturday. ACU will honor its three seniors as well.
