ABILENE — The ACU offense went wild Saturday afternoon, launching seven home runs from five different players on its way to a doubleheader sweep of the Lamar Cardinals at Crutcher Scott Field.
Colton Eager led the way with two blasts, and
Miller Ladusau drove in a team-high four runs on the day en route to an 8-4 and 10-5 win over their guests from Beaumont, and now the team goes for the four-game sweep on Sunday. The wins move the Wildcats (27-17, 18-11 SLC) to 10 games over .500, and now pushes the winning streak to eight, the longest in the Division I era of the program (2014). ACU tallied 19 hits in 16 innings and had RBI from eight different players on the day. Game two featured a heroic comeback, after trailing 5-2 after six innings. The 'Cats scored five in the eighth to complete the comeback and earn the sweep.
The win moves ACU temporarily into second place in the Southland standings heading into the final day of the weekend. Game four of the series begins on Sunday, May 9 at 2:05 p.m.
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Game 1: ACU 8, Lamar 4
The opening game of the day was a lot less stressful than the back-half, and it featured eight runs through four innings for the offense as they backed up starter
Genner Cervantes. The ACU right-hander dazzled yet again in the seven-inning game, going 5.2 innings without allowing an earned run. The scoring got started in the second inning for the home team.
Cameron Cromer, making his second straight start of the weekend, this time at second base, singled to score
Sebastian Randle, and the 'Cats jumped in front with a 1-0 lead. ACU then took advantage with runners in scoring position and less than two outs in the third inning. It was good situational hitting from
Colton Eager and
Tommy Cruz, who each drove in runs with ground outs to short stop to plate two more, pushing the lead to 3-0 off Lamar starter Dylan Johnson. Then Randle got another chance at an RBI, and delivered with his first career home run, a two-run shot to go up 5-0. Meanwhile, Cervantes kept pitching well.
The junior worked a 1-2-3 fourth inning, and set up shot for his offense to keep playing long ball.
Mitchell Dickson ripped a two-run homer to left field to go up 7-0, and
Grayson Tatrow backed it up with an all-too-rare, inside-the-park home run. He shot one down the right-field line, and after a ricochet, used his great speed and never stopped around the bases, beating the throw home for the solo homer, pushing the lead to 8-0.
Cervantes got into some trouble in the sixth with a pair of walks, and after an error bringing home a run, was taken out for
Carter Sells, who then passed the baton over to
Connor Carlton. Two more runs would eventually come in for Lamar, but the 8-3 lead was plenty for ACU in the opener. Lamar added one more in the seventh, but the 'Cats held on for an 8-4 win.
Stat Pack
- Cervantes tossed 5.2 innings of three-run ball, but none of the runs were earned. The right-hander allowed four hits and struck out three batters.
- Carlton went 1.1 innings of relief work, allowing one run on one hit.
- Dickson and Randle each had a two-hit game one, both driving in a pair of runs as well.
- Dickson, Randle, and Tatrow all scored two runs each.
- Cromer and Eager recorded hits as well.
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Game 2: ACU 10, Lamar 5
It was high drama in game two. The Cardinals were the ones who jumped in front this time, scoring a run in the top of the first off
Adam Stephenson on a double into left. It was 1-0 Lamar after a half, but the Wildcats would answer. The home run was gigantic for ACU Saturday, and they used the wind to their advantage. It was almost 30 miles-per-hour wind out to left field at Crutcher Scott Field, and Eager used that to help get a ball out to left to tie the game in the home first. The game was even 1-1, and the pitcher tried to settle in, but it would not be easy.
Lamar added two runs in the third off a groundout and a sacrifice fly, pushing the lead to 3-1, but ACU would get a run back in the bottom half.
Grayson Tatrow grounded one to second base, and on the throw to first to try to complete a double play, the ball got away, allowing Cromer to score to make it 3-2. The pitchers then went to work, keeping it that same score until the sixth.
Stephenson worked his way into the sixth frame and got the first two outs of the inning, but back-to-back doubles pushed the Lamar lead to 4-2, and they added another one on a single up the middle off reliever
Austin Glaze. Stephenson finished with two earned in 5.2 innings of work. Glaze would go the rest of the way, however, on the mound.
ACU responded immediately in the home sixth, again playing long ball. Eager homered again to left field on a 1-0 count to make it 5-3, and after a
Tommy Cruz single,
Miller Ladusau stepped up and launched one to left for a two-run shot to tie the game. The Wildcats used the elements to their advantage and got the game even again going to the final three innings.
Neither team scored in the seventh, and Lamar went down in the eighth, setting up a wild finish.
Tatrow doubled with one out to put the go-ahead run in scoring position, and Eager was then intentionally walked. Cruz had a chance to be the hero, and always seems to be clutch in late situations. He proved to be so again with a single to left, but because Tatrow didn't know if the ball would drop safely or not, hesitated and stopped at third to load the bases. And in comes Ladusau. The Wildcat left-fielder homered an at-bat earlier, and singles this time into left field to plate a pair of runs to give ACU its first lead of the game, 7-5.
Bryson Hill then steps up after a pitching change and send one out of the ballpark to left field to blow the game open, 10-5. The five-run inning completed the wild comeback to put ACU in position to sweep.
Glaze got the final three outs, and the celebration was on at The Crutch.
Stat Pack
-Â Stephenson got the no-decision, but pitched 5.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits with a pair of strikeouts.
- Glaze gets the win, moving to 2-1 on the season after going the final 3.1 innings, allowing no runs on just two hits while striking out three and touching up to 95 miles per hour.
- Four Wildcats had two hits in the game (Eager, Cruz, Ladusau, Randle), and Ladusau led the way with four RBI, while Hill drove in three.
- For the day, Randle led the way with four hits in seven at-bats, and drove in a pair while scoring four times. Ladusau drove in four, Eager drove in three with two homers, and five players hit bombs (Eager x2, Randle, Tatrow, Dickson, Ladusau, and Hill).
- The eight straight wins is a new Division I program record, the previous of seven was tied with a stretch from late February to early March in 2017.
- It is ACU's fourth doubleheader sweep of the 2021 season.
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