MESA, Ariz. – ACU scored four in the first, three in the third, and seven in the sixth. It was all Wildcats from the beginning Saturday afternoon in the WAC Tournament semifinal game against the top-seed from the West Division, Grand Canyon. The Wildcats (30-28) showed they have the best offense in the league in a big way, dominating nationally-ranked Grand Canyon (41-19), 15-8. It's a historic day indeed, as ACU will now move on the tournament title game later Saturday night at 8 p.m. CT against New Mexico State.
How It Happened
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Tommy Cruz reached on a fielder's choice in the first inning to bring in a run, but then the inning was hit with a bang when
Tanner Tweedt cleared the bases with a three-run double down the left-field line. The Wildcats led 4-0 after one.
- Cruz delivered with a run-scoring single in the second inning to make it 5-0, and then ACU scored three in the third.
Bryson Hill scored on a wild pitch, and
Bash Randle followed it up with a two-run double to right center field. It was 8-0 early on.
- GCU scored five in the fourth and one in the fifth, however, to get right back in the game. It was 8-6 ACU heading to the home sixth. Then the game was OVER.
- ACU erupted for seven runs in the sixth inning. It started when
Grayson Tatrow scored on a wild pitch, and continued with a bases-loaded walk by Hill, a pair of doubles by Tweedt and Randle, a sacrifice fly by
Mitchell Dickson, and a single by Tatrow. All-in-all, the game effectively was over. ACU led 15-6 on their way to the win. GCU added two in the seventh, but that was it.
Stat Pack
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Sam Berberich got the start on the mound, and turned in a solid performance, going 3.2 innings out of the gate, allowing five earned on eight hits with one strikeout.
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Connor Carlton then took over and was brilliant, going 5.1 innings, allowing two earned on four hits with five strikeouts.
- Tweedt and Randle each tallied three hits, and the two combined for seven runs driven in (Tweedt - 4, Randle - 3).
- Cruz tallied two hits and drove in a pair of runs, while Tatrow reached base four times with a hit and three walks.
Beyond the Box Score
- After using five pitchers against GCU in the opening round of the tournament on Wednesday, ACU has used just seven total pitchers since in four games.
Genner Cervantes through a complete game against Seattle U,
Adam Stephenson and
Carter Sells combined to shut down Lamar, and Huffling and Riley dominated against GCU Friday. It's another game with just pitchers on Saturday, with Berberich and Carlton getting it done. It's a remarkable turnaround for the pitching staff.
- ACU will play in the championship game of the conference tournament for the first time in its Division I history. It's the first tournament championship game for the program since the 2010 season, when they won the Lone Star Conference Tournament title.
On Deck
- The Wildcats take on the other No. 4 seed, New Mexico State, for the right to earn the automatic qualifying bid into the NCAA Tournament. First pitch is slated for 8 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. PT on ESPN+.
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