ACU bests No.9 Texas Tech for first-ever top-10 win

LUBBOCK, Texas – What a night it was. One of the most impressive moments in ACU baseball history was witnessed Tuesday night against the No. 9 Red Raiders of Texas Tech. The Wildcats trailed 2-0, then erupted for seven runs in the second inning, and eventually held on for an 8-5 win to capture their first-ever victory over a top-10 team. ACU gets win No. 20 of the season in style, with Max Huffling slamming the door in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings against one of the best offenses in the country. The win gives ACU (20-20) a ton of momentum heading into this weekend's series against SFA, and it will be a night Wildcat fans won't soon forget.

How It Happened
- Texas Tech struck first with a sacrifice fly from Jace Jung and a squeeze bunt from Ty Coleman to take an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first off Wildcat starter Austin Glaze.
- Miller Ladusau responded in the top of the second inning with a leadoff home run to left center field on a 3-2 count. ACU would go on to load the bases with no one out, and Alexei Cazarin drew a walk to tie the game, 2-2.
- After Mitchell Dickson also walked with the bags packed to take a 3-2 lead, the ultimate moment of the game came from Grayson Tatrow. The junior crushed one to right center field, and it went off the wall and rolled back towards the infield, and all four runners came around to score for the all-too-rare inside-the-park grand slam. ACU scored seven runs in the inning to lead 7-2.
- Texas Tech got a run back in the bottom of the third with an rbi-groundout, added another in the fourth with a bases-loaded walk, and chipped away with another in the home fifth with an rbi-fielder's choice.
- ACU got its first run since the second inning in the top of the sixth when Tanner Tweedt beat out a ground ball to third base to score Mitchell Dickson to go up 8-5.
- Huffling struck out seven of his nine outs needed to slam the door and get the save.

Key Plays
- A bunt attempt in the bottom of the first was fielded by Bryson Hill, and his throw on the run appeared to pull Hunter Gieser off the bag at first. Head coach Rick McCarty challenged the play, and it was overturned for an out to end the inning.
- The bottom of the second ended with Texas Tech stranding the bases loaded. Sam Berberich came out of the bullpen and got a big third out on a ground ball up the middle. Brett Hammit made the play on the shortstop side of the second-base bag, and made a running throw to first to end the inning.

Stat Pack
- ACU pitched by committee Tuesday night. Glaze, making his second start of the season, went 1.2 innings, allowing two earned on two hits with a strikeout.
- Berberich went 2.0 innings out of the bullpen, allowing two earned on three hits with a pair of strikeouts.
- Adam Byrd went 0.1 inning, allowing no runs on no hits with a punch out.
- Connor Carlton and Carter Sells each pitched a scoreless inning, giving way to Max Huffling in the seventh.
- Huffling was remarkable, throwing the final three innings, not coming close to allowing a hit, and striking out seven, including four looking. The seven punch outs match a career-high for the sophomore. Huffling threw 37 pitches, including 28 for strikes.
- Tatrow drove in four with his 12th homer of the season, and ended up with two extra-base hits.
- Tweedt, Ladusau, and Bryson Hill all recorded two hits as well.

Beyond the Box Score
- The win is the second of the season and the second all-time against a ranked opponent. Tuesday marked the inaugural top-10 victory for the program.
- It's also the fifth win this season over a Power 5 opponent, after having just four of them ever coming into the 2022 campaign. ACU swept Michigan State in a three-game series earlier this season in Abilene, and beat No. 12 TCU on the road at the end of March. As far as their other wins go, the Wildcats beat Arizona in back-to-back seasons (2014-15), won at TCU in 2018, and at Texas A&M in 2021.
- The win snapped a 12-game losing streak in the series to Texas Tech.
- Tatrow's inside-the-park grand slam was the second in-the-park homer for ACU this season; Tanner Tweedt hit one against Marist on March 5.
- Eager played in his 200th career game Tuesday night. He joins his older brother Tyler (216), Aaron Draper (204), and Russell Crippen (204) as the only players to cross the 200-game threshold at ACU.
- Tatrow's on-base streak is now up to 32 consecutive games.
- ACU had been -11 in run differential in the second inning this season. Tuesday, ACU outscored Tech 7-0 in the second inning.

On Deck
- The Wildcats continue their four-game road trip this weekend with a big WAC series in Nacogdoches, Texas against SFA. Friday's game begins at 6:30 p.m., Saturday's game starts at 2 p.m., and Sunday's finale gets underway at 1 p.m.

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