HUNTSVILLE — The Abilene Christian Wildcats delivered a dominant performance on the road, defeating Sam Houston 13-6 at Don Sanders Stadium on Friday night. The Wildcats' offensive firepower led the charge, improving their season record to 13-5.
ACU jumped out early, scoring two runs in the first inning and adding four more in the second. The Wildcats' bats stayed hot, highlighted by a six-run seventh inning that cemented their lead. Grant Watkins played a pivotal role, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and launching a home run. Nick Arias and Diego Cardenas each added homers as well, while Benjamin Greer had a standout performance with four hits, including a triple and a home run, driving in three runs.
The Wildcats showed discipline at the plate, drawing five walks and taking advantage of five hit batters to keep their offense moving. Maddox Miesse contributed a key double, drove in a run, and reached base four times with two walks and a hit-by-pitch. Reese Borho and Holden Rook scored three additional runs, adding valuable depth to ACU's lineup.
On the mound, Dominick Reid earned the win, improving to 4-0 on the season. Reid pitched five innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits while striking out seven. Caden Greanead followed with two scoreless innings, recording three strikeouts to keep Sam Houston's offense in check. Joseph Carbone, Chandler Freeman, and Colin Huspen closed the game, combining to limit the Bearkats' late-inning surge.
bSam Houston battled back with runs in the second, third, and fifth innings, but ACU's offensive burst proved too much. The Bearkats managed two late runs in the eighth and one more in the ninth, but the Wildcats' early lead kept them comfortably ahead.
The Wildcats' defensive effort was equally strong, with solid performances across the field. Jack Nielsen anchored the team behind the plate with ten putouts, and Maddox Miesse added a double, a stolen base, and a sacrifice bunt to round out ACU's well-balanced performance.
The Wildcats are back at Don Sanders for the second game of the series on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT.
Live stats will be available to those who are unable to attend.
