MESA, Ariz. – Maddox Miesse had a three-hit day,
Austin Glaze pitched seven strong innings, and the ACU baseball team staved off elimination on Thursday with an 8-2 victory over UTRGV at Hohokam Stadium. The game was all even at 2-2 after four innings, but the Wildcats (35-23) scored the final six runs of the game from the sixth inning on to pull away from the Vaqueros (30-26). ACU avenges a regular-season series loss to UTRGV down in Edinburg, and wins the inaugural postseason matchup between the teams. ACU lives to fight another day, advancing to Friday afternoon. The Wildcats will have to win twice on Friday to get to the championship round on Saturday.
How It Happened
- Glaze faced one more than the minimum in the first three innings, and the game was scoreless after the first third of the game. ACU grabbed the lead in the top of the fourth when Miesse singled in
Miller Ladusau.
Crew Parke followed it with an RBI-groundout to score
Tanner Tweedt, and ACU led 2-0.
- UTRGV finally got something going themselves in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run home run from Brandon Pimentel to even the game, 2-2.
-
Jake Skaggs, making his first start of the tournament, came through with his biggest plate appearance of the season with a sacrifice fly to left to score Tweedt, giving ACU the lead for good.
Holden Rook then tripled to center field to plate both Parke and Miesse, and ACU took advantage of a pair of UTRGV errors to lead 5-2 after six.
- The WAC Player of the Year was at it again in the seventh, launching a solo home run to right center to make it a 6-2 game.
- ACU added a pair of runs to officially put the game away in the ninth with a bases-loaded hit by pitch from Tweedt and a wild pitch to plate Ladusau.
Stat Pack
- Glaze had a career outing, getting the win (4-1) after tossing 7.0 innings allowing just two runs on six hits with six strikeouts.
- Glaze passed it off to
Adam Stephenson, who tossed the final two innings and putting up a pair of zeros on no hits with three punch outs.
- Miesse led the way with a three-hit day while
Logan Britt and Tatrow each had two hits.
- Rook led ACU with two RBI, while Tatrow, Tweedt, Miesse, Skaggs, and Parke all tallied an RBI as well.
Beyond the Box Score
- Tatrow's home run was his second of the week and his 25th of the season, extending his ACU single-season record.
- Britt stole another base Thursday, his 33rd of the season, tying him with Marc Thompson (1999) for the most in one campaign in ACU history.
- ACU now has 18 triples on the season and four this tournament, all in the last two days. Tatrow hit two Wednesday while Rook and Ladusau each hit one Thursday.
- ACU moves to 6-3 all-time at Hohokam Stadium and in the WAC Tournament after finishing 4-2 last season.
On Deck
- ACU takes on the loser of Thursday night's Sam Houston-Utah Valley game on Friday, May 26. The game starts at 3 p.m. CT (1 p.m. PT) and will air on ESPN+ and on the radio on the ACU Sports Network.
#ATO | #GoWildcats
