Friday, April 3
Abilene, Texas
12 p.m.
Abilene Christian
15-16, 0-2
2
vs
3
California Baptist
26-5, 2-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Baptist | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| Abilene Christian | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
Photo by: Kaylee Kahn
Coleman Sharp as Wildcats Drop Pitchers Duel to Lancers
4/3/2026 3:22:00 PM | Baseball
ABILENE - Abilene Christian baseball took a tied game into the ninth inning versus California Baptist, but a late home run dealt the Wildcats a 3-2 loss at Crutcher Scott Field at Bullock Brothers Ballpark on Friday afternoon.
ACU aims to salvage the series at home at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, followed by a postgame Easter egg hunt.
Aidan Coleman kept the Wildcats in the pitchers duel with seven innings on the mound, matching his longest outing of the season and the deepest since the opening series. He allowed just two runs with four strikeouts and didn't walk anyone. Coleman faced the minimum in five frames and logged an efficient 65 pitches.
Diego Cardenas and Grant Watkins drove in both of ACU's runs in the third inning. Cardenas plated Brady Gray with an RBI double, and Watkins followed with an RBI single to bring home his teammate. Cardenas' 43 runs batted in lead the Western Athletic Conference, while Watkins ranks third with 35.
Zandt Payne tallied a pair of singles to extend his reached-base safely streak to 25 games. He has 13 games this season with multiple hits. Cardenas has recorded a hit in 14 consecutive games. Brady Ladusau and Gavin Brzozowski also had hits, including a double from Ladusau.
After going down 1-0 in the first, the Wildcats grabbed a 2-1 lead in the third. The Lancers evened the score at 2 in the fifth, and both teams went back and forth until a ninth-inning homer put CBU ahead for good.
ACU aims to salvage the series at home at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, followed by a postgame Easter egg hunt.
Aidan Coleman kept the Wildcats in the pitchers duel with seven innings on the mound, matching his longest outing of the season and the deepest since the opening series. He allowed just two runs with four strikeouts and didn't walk anyone. Coleman faced the minimum in five frames and logged an efficient 65 pitches.
Diego Cardenas and Grant Watkins drove in both of ACU's runs in the third inning. Cardenas plated Brady Gray with an RBI double, and Watkins followed with an RBI single to bring home his teammate. Cardenas' 43 runs batted in lead the Western Athletic Conference, while Watkins ranks third with 35.
Zandt Payne tallied a pair of singles to extend his reached-base safely streak to 25 games. He has 13 games this season with multiple hits. Cardenas has recorded a hit in 14 consecutive games. Brady Ladusau and Gavin Brzozowski also had hits, including a double from Ladusau.
After going down 1-0 in the first, the Wildcats grabbed a 2-1 lead in the third. The Lancers evened the score at 2 in the fifth, and both teams went back and forth until a ninth-inning homer put CBU ahead for good.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Yates, Zachary (1-0)
L: Coe, Brady (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Dykstra, Ryder 1
HR: McFeely, Bryce 1
RBI: Howarth, Cole 1 ; McFeely, Bryce 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Ross, Connor 1 ; Ramirez, Chris 1 ; McFeely, Bryce 1
Batting:
2B: Cardenas, Diego 1 ; Ladusau, Brady 1
RBI: Cardenas, Diego 1 ; Watkins, Grant 1
SH: Regala, Braden 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cardenas, Diego 1 ; Gray, Brady 1
Players Mentioned
OF/LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
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