Abilene Christian
10-10
Loyola Marymount
7-15
ACU Cranks 5 HR, 22 Runs on Blustery Sunday
3/15/2026 3:47:00 PM | Baseball
The win puts the Wildcats back at .500 for the season at 10-10 overall, while LMU dropped to 7-15.
The temperature was around 80 degrees at first pitch, but steadily dropped as a strong cold front made its way into Abilene. A constant wind of 25-30 miles per hour, with gusts to 40 mph, pushed out to right field which helped the teams combine for 11 home runs in just 6.5 innings of play. In addition to the Wildcats' five homers, they also smacked a season-high six doubles and induced 11 walks.
Grant Watkins finished with 7 RBI, a new career-best, on a pair of 3-run round-trippers and a sacrifice fly. Diego Cardenas went 3/5 with two doubles and a long ball, and Nick Arias drove in a career-high 5 runs with two 2-RBI doubles to deep center field. Zandt Payne smashed two home runs, including a solo home run to start the scoring in the first.
ACU added seven runs in the second. Abilene Wylie H.S. graduate JT Thompson doubled to right center, and Brady Gray's single advanced him to third. A two-RBI double by Arias, and a three-run homer from Watkins contributed to a seven-run inning.
In the third inning, Watkins again homered, this time a three-run shot to center field, increasing the lead to 11–4.
The Cats continued to pummel Lion pitchers in the fourth with 11 runs. Gavin Brzozowski walked with the bases loaded, followed by Arias being hit by a pitch to score another run. Payne homered to deep right, his second home run of the game, to bring plate three more runs. Cardenas hit an RBI double to deep center, and came around to score on a single by Brady Ladasau who wound up coming home on a wild pitch. Arias crushed his second 2-RBI double to bring in Thompson and Brady Gray to put ACU in front 22-6. Gray had a career-high three runs.
Loyola Marymount added three runs in the fifth and two in the sixth, but the Wildcats' lead was never in jeopardy.
David Jeon earned the win by delivering a perfect relief appearance, pitching the top of the seventh without allowing a hit or a walk, while striking out one batter. Cade McGarrh, who started the game, surrendered 4 runs on 4 hits in his 2 1/3 innings of work. Logan Young provided much-needed stability by retiring the only two batters he faced in his brief outing, inducing a 6-4-3 double play in the fourth.
It is the second time in 11 days the Wildcats have reached the 20-run mark after taking down Stephen F. Austin 20-10 on March 4. The 22 runs are the most ACU has scored in a game since plating 23 against Prairie View A&M on March 9, 2025.
ACU TOP PERFORMERS
Diego Cardenas
- 2 doubles
- 1 home run
- 3 RBIs
Nick Arias
- 3 runs (season high)
- 5 RBIs (career high)
- 2 doubles
Grant Watkins
- 2 home runs
- 7 RBIs (career high)
- 2 runs
Zandt Payne
- 2 home runs
- 4 RBIs
- 2 runs
Brady Gray
- 3 runs (career high)
- 3 walks
- 2 hits
UP NEXT
The Wildcats close out their four-game homestand by taking on the UIW Cardinals on Wednesday, March 18 at Bullock Brothers Ballpark at Crutcher Scott Field. First pitch has been moved up to 4 p.m. to better accommodate travel plans for both teams. Due to the time change, the game will now be broadcast on WAC International instead of ESPN+.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jeon, David (1-0)
L: Laine, Avery (1-3)
Batting:
2B: Ghiorso, DJ 1 ; Gurney, Winfield 1 ; Wall, Jaxson 1
HR: Malone, Noah 1 ; Lyall, Jake 1 ; Gurney, Winfield 1 ; Mhoon, Andrew 1
RBI: Malone, Noah 3 ; Lyall, Jake 2 ; Gurney, Winfield 2 ; Mhoon, Andrew 2 ; Wall, Jaxson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Malone, Noah 2 ; Lyall, Jake 1 ; Ghiorso, DJ 1 ; Friend, Travis 1 ; Gurney, Winfield 2 ; Mhoon, Andrew 3 ; Wadas, Zach 1
HBP: Friend, Travis 2 ; Gamboa, Alex 1 ; Mhoon, Andrew 2
PO: Malone, Noah 1
Batting:
2B: Cardenas, Diego 2 ; Arias, Nick 2 ; Thompson, JT 1 ; Jones, Ryan 1
HR: Cardenas, Diego 1 ; Watkins, Grant 2 ; Payne, Zandt 2
RBI: Cardenas, Diego 3 ; Arias, Nick 5 ; Watkins, Grant 7 ; Ladusau, Brady 1 ; Brzozowski, Gavin 1 ; Payne, Zandt 4
SF: Watkins, Grant 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cardenas, Diego 2 ; Arias, Nick 3 ; Gray, Brady 3 ; Watkins, Grant 2 ; Thompson, JT 3 ; Ladusau, Brady 2 ; Jones, Ryan 2 ; Brzozowski, Gavin 3 ; Payne, Zandt 2
CS: Ladusau, Brady 1
HBP: Arias, Nick 2 ; Ladusau, Brady 1
PO: Gray, Brady 1
