ACU Rallies, Clinches Series With Extra-Innings Victory at New Mexico

Saturday, March 21

Albuquerque, N.M.

3 p.m. (CT)

Abilene Christian

12-11

New Mexico

14-9

Abilene Christian

New Mexico

Photo by: Kaylee Kahn

ACU Rallies, Clinches Series With Extra-Innings Victory at New Mexico

3/21/2026 9:06:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Luke White

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Abilene Christian baseball rallied from a five-run deficit to pull out an 11-7 win in 10 innings versus New Mexico at Lobo Baseball Field on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats bashed four home runs and each starter recorded a hit as ACU clinched the series.

The Wildcats go for their first series sweep of the season at 1 p.m. (CT) Sunday. ACU registered its fourth series win and first extra-innings victory of the year.

ACU trailed 5-0 through five innings before rattling three runs in the sixth and seventh frames. The Wildcats banged out four runs in the top of the 10th and kept the Lobos scoreless in the bottom of the frame.

Brady Gray became the catalyst for the Wildcats' offense for the second game in a row. He crushed his second three-run homer of the series in the sixth inning before Diego Cardenas tied the game at 5 in the seventh with his first of two home runs on the day.

Nine of ACU's 15 hits were for extra bases. Cardenas fueled the Wildcats with a team-high three hits while raising his conference-leading home run total to 13 with a pair of long balls. He paced the WAC with 19 home runs last season.

Five Wildcats tallied multiple hits with Gray, Ryan Jones, Gavin Brzozowski and JT Thompson collecting two apiece. Gray drove in three runs with his fifth big fly of the season to go with a double. Grant Watkins gave ACU its first lead with a solo shot in the seventh, his 11th dinger of the year. Brzozowski doubled twice with a couple of walks.

Cardenas and Thompson each extended their hitting streaks to six games, while Zandt Payne reached base safely for the 17th straight matchup.

Brady Coe picked up his first win of the season, allowing no earned runs in 3.2 innings out of the bullpen. It's his second appearance of the week after tossing three scoreless innings to open a midweek matchup versus Incarnate Word.

OJ Gonzalez delivered his best outing of the season with 2.2 scoreless frames. He entered in relief of Aidan Coleman, who struck out six in 3.1 innings.

The Wildcats faced an early deficit for the second game in a row as the Lobos led by five after five frames. Gray got ACU going in the sixth with his three-run blast after Watkins walked and Brzozowski doubled. The Wildcats took their momentum into the seventh, where Payne's leadoff single gave way to a game-tying two-run shot by Cardenas. Two batters later, Watkins moved ACU in front with a solo homer.

New Mexico answered with a run in the bottom of the frame to knot the score at 6. Cardenas pushed the Wildcats back in the driver's seat with a solo shot to lead off the top of the ninth, but the Lobos responded with the tying run with two outs in the home half of the inning.

ACU wasted little time going to work in the 10th inning. Gray kickstarted the rally with a double before Thompson was hit by a pitch and Nick Arias singled. Following a pitching change, Jones wore a pitch of his own to bring home Gray. Payne then drew a walk to score another ahead of Brady Ladusau's two-run single.