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Contributed by Lance Fleming, ACU Associate Director of Athletics for Media Relations
ABILENE -- Pitchers from ACU and Northeastern dominated the first three games of their series at Crutcher Scott Field, and Sunday was no different, although it was the bullpens that took center stage in the Huskies' 4-3 win in the series finale.
After starting pitchers from both teams dominated the first three games, it was the nine relief pitchers who took the hill Sunday that were the most important players in Sunday's contest. The Huskies' victory earned them a split of the series as ACU falls to 6-3 on the season and the Huskies leave Texas with a 4-4 mark on the season (2-2 vs. Oklahoma and 2-2 vs. ACU).
The Wildcats will be back in action this weekend in Thibodeaux, La., against Nicholls for a three-game set that opens Southland Conference play for both teams.
While ACU's five-man bullpen that was the strongest overall, it was Northeastern's that came up big in the game's most important moments to keep ACU off the scoreboard.
After scoring four runs in the top of the fourth inning off ACU starting and losing pitcher Drew Hanson (1-1) to take a 4-2 lead, the Huskies turned to their bullpen to keep the Wildcats at bay, and those four pitchers responded in three huge situations.
ACU - which scored twice in the bottom of the first to grab an early lead - had chances to score again in the third, sixth and seventh innings before finally breaking through with one more run in the eighth. The Wildcats' best chance to score came in the bottom of the sixth when Dalton DeVries singled with one out and then went to third on a double to left-centerfield by freshman first baseman David Ruot.
That's when Tyler Robinson replaced Nate Borges on the mound, and he proceeded to strike out Russell Crippen with a 3-2 fastball, and then coaxed an inning-ending groundout out of freshman shortstop Mark Pearson.
In the seventh, Aaron Draper reached second with two outs in front of a Hunter Mardwardt walk before Isaac Lippert replaced Robinson on the mound and retired Braxton Wilks on an inning-ending comebacker to preserve the Huskies' 4-2 lead.
ACU finally got on the board again in the eighth inning when DeVries walked before Mike Fitzgerald came on to pitch for Northeastern. With pinch-runner Chris Altimont running on a 1-0 pitch to Ruot to stay out of the double play, he made it to second on a groundout to shortstop by Ruot. Crippen then bounced a single into right field to drive in Altimont to cut the lead to 4-3.
Crippen, however, was caught stealing and Fitzgerald struck out Pearson to get ouf of the eighth, and he then retired the Wildcats 1-2-3 in he bottom of the ninth to finish it off.
The ACU bullpen of Zach Kornely, Collin Dudley, Nate Cole, Joseph Goetze and Brandon Lambright - all of whom pitched one complete inning in relief of Hanson - were outstanding. Those five threw five hitless innings, struck out four and only allowed two baserunners in those five frames: one on an error in the fifth inning and one on a hit by pitch in the sixth inning.
The ACU relievers finished the game by retiring the final 10 Huskies they faced and 15 of the last 17 they faced over the final five innings.
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ABILENE -- Pitchers from ACU and Northeastern dominated the first three games of their series at Crutcher Scott Field, and Sunday was no different, although it was the bullpens that took center stage in the Huskies' 4-3 win in the series finale.
After starting pitchers from both teams dominated the first three games, it was the nine relief pitchers who took the hill Sunday that were the most important players in Sunday's contest. The Huskies' victory earned them a split of the series as ACU falls to 6-3 on the season and the Huskies leave Texas with a 4-4 mark on the season (2-2 vs. Oklahoma and 2-2 vs. ACU).
The Wildcats will be back in action this weekend in Thibodeaux, La., against Nicholls for a three-game set that opens Southland Conference play for both teams.
While ACU's five-man bullpen that was the strongest overall, it was Northeastern's that came up big in the game's most important moments to keep ACU off the scoreboard.
After scoring four runs in the top of the fourth inning off ACU starting and losing pitcher Drew Hanson (1-1) to take a 4-2 lead, the Huskies turned to their bullpen to keep the Wildcats at bay, and those four pitchers responded in three huge situations.
ACU - which scored twice in the bottom of the first to grab an early lead - had chances to score again in the third, sixth and seventh innings before finally breaking through with one more run in the eighth. The Wildcats' best chance to score came in the bottom of the sixth when Dalton DeVries singled with one out and then went to third on a double to left-centerfield by freshman first baseman David Ruot.
That's when Tyler Robinson replaced Nate Borges on the mound, and he proceeded to strike out Russell Crippen with a 3-2 fastball, and then coaxed an inning-ending groundout out of freshman shortstop Mark Pearson.
In the seventh, Aaron Draper reached second with two outs in front of a Hunter Mardwardt walk before Isaac Lippert replaced Robinson on the mound and retired Braxton Wilks on an inning-ending comebacker to preserve the Huskies' 4-2 lead.
ACU finally got on the board again in the eighth inning when DeVries walked before Mike Fitzgerald came on to pitch for Northeastern. With pinch-runner Chris Altimont running on a 1-0 pitch to Ruot to stay out of the double play, he made it to second on a groundout to shortstop by Ruot. Crippen then bounced a single into right field to drive in Altimont to cut the lead to 4-3.
Crippen, however, was caught stealing and Fitzgerald struck out Pearson to get ouf of the eighth, and he then retired the Wildcats 1-2-3 in he bottom of the ninth to finish it off.
The ACU bullpen of Zach Kornely, Collin Dudley, Nate Cole, Joseph Goetze and Brandon Lambright - all of whom pitched one complete inning in relief of Hanson - were outstanding. Those five threw five hitless innings, struck out four and only allowed two baserunners in those five frames: one on an error in the fifth inning and one on a hit by pitch in the sixth inning.
The ACU relievers finished the game by retiring the final 10 Huskies they faced and 15 of the last 17 they faced over the final five innings.
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