NORMAN, Oklahoma — The ACU Wildcats battled back from a 5-1 deficit Saturday evening to take an 8-5 win over Bowling Green in their first game at the Oklahoma Tournament.
The Wildcats' second straight win after nine losses to start the season came after ACU fell behind 5-1 after giving up five runs to the Falcons in the bottom of the second inning. The Wildcats jumped on top 1-0 in the first on a Rachel Cook solo home run, the team's first round-tripper of the season.
But the Falcons rallied with five runs in the bottom of the second, an inning keyed by three Wildcat errors and a two-run single by Hannah Hunt.
Trailing 5-1, the Wildcats scored four times in the top of the third to tie the game. Cook led off with a triple, and after a hit batter, Elizabeth Schaefer doubled to score both runners. Taylor Haywood and Taylor Bachmeyer each had RBI doubles in the inning to tie the game. ACU took the lead for good in the fourth inning on an RBI single from Taylor Bachmeyer, a hit that gave ACU a 6-5 lead.
The Wildcats added some insurance in the top of the seventh on back-to-back RBI singles by Isabel Martinz and Ari Maxwell, pushing the lead to 8-5. Ella Beeman went the distance in the circle for the Wildcats, picking up her first win (1-0) while allowing just five runs (none earned) on four hits. She struck out five and walked two en route to pushing ACU to a 2-9 record on the season.
The Wildcats are back in action Sunday with a 2:30 p.m. game against Tulsa and a 6 p.m. game against Wichita State.
