ABILENE – The Abilene Christian baseball team returns home to Crutcher Scott Field this weekend for a four-game series against No. 6 regionally ranked Texas A&M-Kingsville.
The series kicks off Friday night at 7:05 and continues into Saturday for a 2:05 p.m. doubleheader, which will be broadcast by
Grant Boone via the ACU Sports page at YoeTV.org. Sunday's finale is slated to start at 1:35 p.m.
The Wildcats (14-11) and Javelinas (13-5) find themselves deadlocked in the Lone Star Conference standings at 2-2 after each club split its opening series last weekend. ACU traveled to San Antonio where it captured games one and four from preseason favorite Incarnate Word, while the Javelinas won their first two games against fourth-ranked Angelo State.
During last weekend's series the Cardinals, the Wildcats transformed Sullivan Field into their own personal dragstrip as they stole 15 bases on 18 attempts. Kevin Finklead led all players with five steals.
Rodge Macy had four thefts, and
Tyler Eager went 3 for 3 in raising the team's season total to a league-high 43.
By comparison, ACU has allowed just 15 steals on 26 attempts through 25 games as catcher
Emmett Niland has been responsible for more caught stealings (7) than stolen bases allowed (6).
ACU hit .263 as a team vs. UIW and capitalized on a shoddy Cardinal defense that committed 14 errors between games one and four. The miscues ultimately resulted in seven unearned runs and a pair of three-run victories for the Wildcats, who won the series lid-lifter, 11-8, and the finale, 13-10, in 10 innings.
ACU scored six times in the 10th inning to break a 7-7 tie with
Duncan Blades' delivering the biggest hit - a bases-clearing double. Blades finished the weekend 8 for 15 with three extra-base hits and five RBI, and raised his team-leading batting average to .403.
Eager (.467), Finklea (.357), and
Chuck Duarte (.308) also hit well off Cardinals' pitching. Eager finished the series with six runs and three extra-base hits, while Finklea drove in four RBI, including two during a five-run sixth-inning in game one that gave ACU a 11-5 lead.
Duarte drove in a pair of runs on four hits and four walks.
ACU drew 18 walks compared to eight issued by its pitchers, who were hit around a little bit by the Cardinal batters. The UIW offense, it seems, didn't need the additional free passes as it batted .341 overall with 12 doubles, two triple and three home runs.
Both of the Wildcats' wins came in relief as none of their starters made it past the sixth, however, both Jordan Herrera and
Aaron Lambrix gave their team a quality start of 6.0 innings with three runs allowed. Herrera was even credited with a complete game in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, which Incarnate Word won, 3-1, despite being outhit, 6-5.
Lambrix was in line for Sunday's win as he outpitched LSC Preseason Pitcher of the Year Kirk Jewasko, but his bullpen surrendered four runs between the eighth and ninth innings, and then another three in the 10th. Through six starts this year Lambirx is 1-2 with a 2.75 ERA.
Kingsville comes to Abilene with the second-lowest staff ERA (2.86) in the Lone Star Conference led by starters Jaden Dillon and Adam Aspaas.
Dillon (4-0) last weekend vs. Angelo State allowed just on unearned run on three hits while striking out six through 7.0 innings, and was later rewarded for his efforts in being named the Diamond Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Week. Aspaas (4-1) followed with a complete-game victory in which he surrendered two unearned runs on four hits, and struck out five in 7.0 innings of work.
Kingsville's bullpen is anchored by Cameron Dullnig, who has racked up a win and four saves through seven appearances. He has not allowed a hit over his last 6.2 innings and still owns a spotless 0.00 ERA.
The Javelinas are hitting .256 as a team led by Taylor Taska's eight home runs and Jake Mendiola's .321 batting average and 12 RBI. Dustin Aguilar is also coming on strong as of late, batting .417 with a team-best nine stolen bases.
