ABILENE – ACU Baseball fell short in a high-scoring battle with Stephen F. Austin on Wednesday night at Crutcher Scott Field. Despite a late rally, the Wildcats fell 15-13 in a thrilling contest that marked ACU's first game since their 2021 matchup with Sam Houston where both teams scored at least 13 runs.
SFA's explosive nine-run first inning proved to be the difference-maker, as the Lumberjacks capitalized on defensive miscues and timely hitting to jump out to an early lead. Despite the deficit, ACU fought back with a four-run third inning, highlighted by a Diego Cardenas grand slam. Cardenas finished the night with two home runs and six RBIs to pace the Wildcats' offense.
Benjamin Greer continued his strong season, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple, and two RBIs, while Grant Watkins contributed three RBIs of his own, including a solo home run in the seventh inning.
On the mound, Iain Campa (1-2) took the loss after a challenging first inning. Despite strong relief performances from Andrew Gaurdino, who tossed two scoreless innings, and David Jeon, who recorded two strikeouts in the sixth, ACU's comeback bid fell just short.
The Wildcats improved their deficit, scoring four runs in the eighth inning behind Cardenas' second homer of the game. However, SFA's closer, E. Balmaceda, slammed the door in the ninth to earn the save.
Despite the loss, ACU opens conference this weekend against Grand Canyon. GCU is currently 12-8 overall and obtained eight first-place votes in the Coaches WAC Preseason Poll.
The First Pitch to start the three-game series is on Friday at 6:05 p.m. CT.
