CLEVELAND, Miss. -- The 11th-ranked ACU Wildcats bounced back from a disappointing loss late Tuesday night to knock off Delta State, 5-4, Wednesday afternoon in non-conference baseball action at Ferriss Field.
The win pushes the Wildcats to 19-6 overall, while the Statesmen fall to 15-8-1. ACU will be back in action this weekend when it hosts Eastern New Mexico (13-12 overall, 11-9 in the LSC) at Crutcher Scott Field. The two teams will play a single game Friday at 7:05 p.m. followed by a 2:05 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday. The four-game set will conclude with a single game Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
In Tuesday's 8-5 loss to Delta State, the Wildcats held a 5-2 lead before a five-run Statesmen outburst in the seventh doomed their chances at a win.
The Wildcats were in a very similar situation Wednesday afternoon as they took a 5-2 lead to the eighth inning. That's when closer
Brad Rutherford got the ball, and he responded by retiring the first five batters he faced.
But with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Rutherford surrendered a walk and a double to Ricky Ware and Billy Ray Todd, respectively, to bring the game-tying run to the plate. Michael Niemann delivered with a two-run single to make it a 5-4 game.
Niemann then stole second base before Josh Gordon was hit in the back when a full-count fastball got away from Rutherford. That brought to the plate the Statesmen's cleanup hitter, Cade Hoggard, who was 0 for 4 on the day. He hit the first pitch he saw from Rutherford right at ACU second baseman
Steve Camillucci, who flipped to Willie Uechi at second base for the force out to end the game.
ACU broke on top with four two-out runs in the second inning against Delta State starting pitcher Josh Branstetter.
After retiring the first two men of the second, Branstetter gave up three straight singles to
Cameron Bankston,
Clint Bowker and an RBI hit to
Abe Williams. Camillucci then walked to load the bases, brining leadoff
Aaron Oliver to the plate.
Oliver delivered, drilling a 1-2 pitch deep into centerfield for a bases-clearing double to put the Wildcats on top 4-0.
Delta State was able to answer with single runs in the second and fifth innings, but
Zach Sneed -- who got the win to improve to 4-0 -- Will Calhoun and
Aaron Lambrix wouldn't let the Statesmen get any closer.
ACU, meanwhile, tacked on the eventual game-winning run in the top of the eighth with another two-out rally. Coty Saranthus retired the first two men of the inning before giving up a walk to Bret Bochsler and a single to
Cameron Watten. Bankston then delivered an RBI single to centerfield to plate Bochsler with the Wildcats' fifth run of the game.
Rutherford was then able to come in and pick up his fourth save of the season as the Wildcats were able to snap a three-game losing streak to the Statesmen. ACU's win on Wednesday was its first over the Statesmen at Ferriss Field since a 13-10 win in May 2003 clinched the Wildcats' only NCAA Division II South Central Region championship.
Wednesday's game marked the 21st meeting between the rivals with Delta State holding 13-8 series edge. The 5-4 final score also marked the seventh time the teams have played a one-run game and the first time ACU has won a one-run game against the Statesmen.
