STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Baseball fell short in the second game against the Wildcats to split the series at 1-1 with a single game remaining.
Tarleton State (10-6, 1-1 WAC) dropped Game 2 against Abilene Christian (9-7, 1-1 WAC) with a 4-0 final.
Matt Haley (1-3) took the loss for the Texans after starting on the mound, pitching 5.2 innings, giving up four runs on six hits, three walks and four strikeouts. Iain Campa (W, 3-1) claimed the win for the Wildcats with 5.2 innings pitched, giving up no runs on five hits, one walk and five strikeouts. Brett Garcia (S,1) got the save with 2.1 innings pitches, giving up no runs, no hits, one walk and three strikeouts.
The home team tallied five hits, no runs, and one double play.
Mason Hammonds led the Texans at the plate with a pair of hits.
Tyson Drake,
Hunter Smith and
Sergio Guerra each added a hit for the home team. Haley,
Ike Shirey and
Brandon Howell turned Tarleton State's lone double play in the top of the fourth. ACU compiled four runs on nine hits, three doubles and one double play.
In the first four innings, both teams struggled to get a run in with Tarleton State leaving four runners on the Wildcats only seeing one runner left on.
In the top of the fifth, the Wildcats put the first run on the board after the leadoff runner walked and advanced a pair of bases on groundouts. With a runner on third, their four-hole for the inning laid a double down the left field line to see one run in.
The top of the sixth opened with a single through the right side to put a runner on for ACU. Another single followed by a double brought home the leadoff hitter of the inning to tally their second run with a pair of runners on and in scoring position. An intentional walk loaded the bases for the visiting team but a pop up to first saw the Texans claim their first out of the inning. A second walk tallied a third run for the visitors for their second of the inning, and a final run came across the plate as the Wildcats capitalized on a wild pitch. Tarleton State got out of the inning with back-to-back outs, leaving two runners on for ACU.
Both teams went scoreless for the remainder of the game.
The series finale will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
