Ladusau hits grand slam in marathon semifinal with Sam Houston

HAMMOND, La. – The ACU baseball team had a season for the ages. It came to a tough end Saturday night in a 15-13, four-hour, 35-minute marathon defeat to Sam Houston in the Southland Conference Tournament semifinal. The Wildcats historic campaign that featured numerous firsts came to an end, despite coming back from another huge deficit, trailing by as many as 12-3, but fighting back valiantly in defeat. It finishes as a 36-win season, the most in school history, and it brings the first Southland Conference championship to the program. As ACU transitions to the Western Athletic Conference, the final year in the Southland comes as a memorable one. Saturday's game featured 28 total runs, 32 total hits, and home runs by Brett Hammit and Miller Ladusau, the latter of which was a grand slam.
 
Senior Spencer Chirpich ran into some trouble in the top of the first when the Bearkats scored four runs on four hits, putting ACU in its second straight first-inning deficit.
 
Mitchell Dickson led off the bottom of the first with a single, but was stranded there. Sam Houston added four more in the top of the second, and the Wildcats had a big mountain to climb. But this team does not quit. Ever.
 
ACU responded in the home second when Brett Hammit towered his second home run in as many days, this time a three-run variety, and like Friday night, it came on the first pitch of the at-bat. Hammit made it an 8-3 game, and there was life in the Wildcat dugout.
 
Sam Houston put four more up in the third, but the 'Cats got one of those back on a sacrifice fly from Tommy Cruz to make it a 12-4 contest. Connor Carlton, who relieved Max Huffling as the third ACU pitcher of the game, then worked a 1-2-3 top of the fourth, and it was an eight-run deficit after three-and-a-half innings.
 
Hunter Gieser was hit by a pitch to lead off the fourth, Hammit doubled right behind him, and Bryson Hill walked to load up the bases with no one out. That brought up the top of the lineup, and Mitchell Dickson delivered with a single to left to moves the runners up station-to-station. Colton Eager then was hit by a pitch two batters later to bring home Hammit. Tommy Cruz then stepped in and singled through the left side to bring home another. The bases were still loaded with one out, but Miller Ladusau struck out to keep 'em packed. Randle had a shot with two down, but flew out to left center to end the inning. ACU got three back, however, and trailed 12-7 after four.
 
Sam Houston's Colton Cowser homered in the top of the fifth, but Carlton got the next three outs to keep it at a six-run deficit.
 
The Wildcats then kept their bases busy in the home fifth, loading them up with one away. Grayson Tatrow singled through the right side to score Hammit, but Hill was thrown out at the plate on the throw from right field. Colton Eager flew out, and ACU trailed 13-8 after five. The Wildcats left five on in the fourth and fifth innings combined.
 
Sam Houston put two on with one out, and head coach Rick McCarty then made a change for closer Tanner Riley. After an out and a walk, Riley got a huge groundout to end the threat to keep it a 13-8 ballgame.
 
The 'Cats kept on clawing back. ACU pushed another run across in the sixth on an rbi-double down the line in left from Brett Hammit, and it was a 13-9 game after six.
 
Sam Houston scored two in the top of the seventh before Riley induced a rare 5-2-3 double play with the bases loaded to end the inning.
 
ACU then finally capitalized with runners on base in the home seventh. The 'Cats loaded the bases with one out, and Miller Ladusau blasted a grand slam to the parking lot past the right field fence to make it a 15-13 game, and that was the score heading to the eighth.
 
Sam Houston had two on in the eighth, but Riley hung in tough and got a huge strikeout to end the inning, keeping it a two-run deficit.
 
ACU went down in order in the eighth, and Riley retired the Bearkats in order as well in the top of the ninth to send the game to the bottom half. The Wildcats were down to their final three outs.
 
ACU went down in order in the ninth, and the remarkable, historic season came to an end.

Stat Pack
- Chirpich went 1.0 inning, while Huffling tossed 1.2 frames. Connor Carlton threw 2.2 clutch innings, allowing just one earned on four hits with five strikeouts.
- Tanner Riley through 3.2 innings, the longest outing of his season, and allowed two earned on two hits while striking out three.
- Ladusau hit his eighth homer of the season, and led the way with four RBI, matching Brett Hammit for the team-lead.
- Hammit hit his ninth blast of the year, and matched Mitchell Dickson with a team-best three-hit day.
- All nine Wildcats in the order had a hit, with Cruz, Ladusau, and Hill tallying two apiece.
- Cruz drove in two, and altogether six players drove in runs.