ABILENE – Abilene Christian came up just short in their Western Athletic Conference opener, falling 3-2 to Grand Canyon in a tightly contested battle at Crutcher Scott Field.
The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead, plating a run in each of the first two innings. Grant Watkins provided a spark with a solo home run in the first, and Louis Bussard followed with an RBI single in the second to bring Maddox Miesse home.
ACU starting pitcher Dominick Reid turned in a solid outing, going seven innings while allowing three runs on eight hits and striking out four. However, Grand Canyon chipped away at the lead, tying the game in the sixth with a solo home run from Zach Yorke and taking the lead for good in the seventh on an RBI single by Josh Wakefield.
Despite multiple opportunities, the Wildcats were unable to push across the tying run, leaving 13 runners on base throughout the game. GCU's Connor Mattison secured the win with four scoreless innings in relief, allowing just one hit while striking out one.
Nick Arias led ACU with three hits, including a triple, while Watkins and Miesse also added extra-base hits.
The series continues on Saturday with the first pitch 3:05 p.m. (CT). Make sure to get your tickets at
tickets.acusports.com.
