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Contributed by: ACU Athletic Media Relations
ABILENE - Aaron Mason extended his scoreless inning streak to 17.0 and reliever Nick Palacios survived a shaky ninth inning as Abilene Christian baseball held on to blank Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 4-0, in the night cap of a doubleheader played at Crutcher Scott Field.
The Islanders (12-22, 4-10 Southland) won game one, 11-4, but the senior from Broken Arrow, Okla., quickly erased the memories of that game by tossing 8.0 scoreless innings with six strikeouts. Mason allowed singles in four innings and walked one in the sixth, but no opposing runner advanced past second base and he retired the side in order on four occasions.
He sat down 12 consecutive Islanders from the first to fifth innings and later got three straight ground balls in the eighth. Then on his 100th and final pitch of the night he surrendered an infield single punched between he and first baseman David Ruot.
Palacios was called in from the bullpen and survived some tough moments in completing the shutout and giving Mason his fifth win of the spring. The first batter Palacios faced popped one up between the mound and plate, and the senior pitcher cautiously stepped forward to make the catch - tracking it in the wind - but the ball glanced off the top of his glove while trying to make a basket catch.
The next batter waked to load the bases, but Palacios came back with a swinging strikeout of Brian Deaver and finished the game with a ground ball off the bat of first baseman Austin Krajnak.
Mason's eight scoreless innings lowered his season ERA to 2.63. As for Palacios he's now been part of three shutouts this year and has not given up a run in 12 of 16 appearances.
The Wildcats' offense supported Mason with four runs all scored between the first three innings.
Russell Crippen singled home Aaron Draper with a bunt single in the first. David Ruot then made it a 2-0 game in the second inning with a two-out RBI single to left, plating Mark Pearson.
ACU (12-21, 4-10 Southland) pushed its lead to 4-0 with two runs in the third. Draper led off with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Hunter Markwardt drew a walk, and as the Wildcats were attempting a hit and run with Crippen at the plate, Corpus Christi starter Devin Skapura aired his pick off throw to third base.
Draper scored all the way from second on the error and Markwardt moved to third, coming home two batters later on Austin Call's double play ball.
The Wildcats had three hits the rest of the night off Skapura (2-4) and reliever Nolan Holland, including a seventh inning single by Draper as he finished the night 3-for-3. Ruot also had a multi-hit performance, going 2-for-3 with the RBI.
ACU produced 10 hits in game one, but could not overcome four errors and 13 Islander base hits in an 11-4 defeat.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 1-0 lead on first-inning, bases-loaded infield single by Alex Copeland; however, Corpus Christi would counter with three big innings, scoring four times in the second and fourth innings and three times in the fifth.
ACU endured two errors and a pair of free passes (hit by pitch and walk) from starter Garrett deMeyere in the second inning, and after the Wildcats cut their deficit to 4-2 on a RBI single by Call in the third, Corpus largely put the game out of reach with two unearned runs in the fifth.
The first run that inning scored on a sacrifice fly to center field, and two more came across when Kyle Carroll at second base was charged with a fielding and throwing error on the same play.
The ACU bullpen was responsible for the four runs scored in the sixth inning as Casey Thomas, Zacarias Hardy and Anderson all produced run-scoring hits. Anderson completed game one 4-for-4 with two runs and a RBI.
The Wildcats scored the game's final two runs in their half of the ninth. A throwing error by reliever Caleb Hanks allowed Willie Harris to score from first base and Draper to advance to third. Markwardt then singled in Draper with a shot to center.
Islander starter Chris Falwell improved to 2-3 with the victory, striking out five with no walks through 7.0 innings of work.
ACU and Corpus Christi conclude their three-game series Saturday at 1 p.m.
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ABILENE - Aaron Mason extended his scoreless inning streak to 17.0 and reliever Nick Palacios survived a shaky ninth inning as Abilene Christian baseball held on to blank Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 4-0, in the night cap of a doubleheader played at Crutcher Scott Field.
The Islanders (12-22, 4-10 Southland) won game one, 11-4, but the senior from Broken Arrow, Okla., quickly erased the memories of that game by tossing 8.0 scoreless innings with six strikeouts. Mason allowed singles in four innings and walked one in the sixth, but no opposing runner advanced past second base and he retired the side in order on four occasions.
He sat down 12 consecutive Islanders from the first to fifth innings and later got three straight ground balls in the eighth. Then on his 100th and final pitch of the night he surrendered an infield single punched between he and first baseman David Ruot.
Palacios was called in from the bullpen and survived some tough moments in completing the shutout and giving Mason his fifth win of the spring. The first batter Palacios faced popped one up between the mound and plate, and the senior pitcher cautiously stepped forward to make the catch - tracking it in the wind - but the ball glanced off the top of his glove while trying to make a basket catch.
The next batter waked to load the bases, but Palacios came back with a swinging strikeout of Brian Deaver and finished the game with a ground ball off the bat of first baseman Austin Krajnak.
Mason's eight scoreless innings lowered his season ERA to 2.63. As for Palacios he's now been part of three shutouts this year and has not given up a run in 12 of 16 appearances.
The Wildcats' offense supported Mason with four runs all scored between the first three innings.
Russell Crippen singled home Aaron Draper with a bunt single in the first. David Ruot then made it a 2-0 game in the second inning with a two-out RBI single to left, plating Mark Pearson.
ACU (12-21, 4-10 Southland) pushed its lead to 4-0 with two runs in the third. Draper led off with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Hunter Markwardt drew a walk, and as the Wildcats were attempting a hit and run with Crippen at the plate, Corpus Christi starter Devin Skapura aired his pick off throw to third base.
Draper scored all the way from second on the error and Markwardt moved to third, coming home two batters later on Austin Call's double play ball.
The Wildcats had three hits the rest of the night off Skapura (2-4) and reliever Nolan Holland, including a seventh inning single by Draper as he finished the night 3-for-3. Ruot also had a multi-hit performance, going 2-for-3 with the RBI.
ACU produced 10 hits in game one, but could not overcome four errors and 13 Islander base hits in an 11-4 defeat.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 1-0 lead on first-inning, bases-loaded infield single by Alex Copeland; however, Corpus Christi would counter with three big innings, scoring four times in the second and fourth innings and three times in the fifth.
ACU endured two errors and a pair of free passes (hit by pitch and walk) from starter Garrett deMeyere in the second inning, and after the Wildcats cut their deficit to 4-2 on a RBI single by Call in the third, Corpus largely put the game out of reach with two unearned runs in the fifth.
The first run that inning scored on a sacrifice fly to center field, and two more came across when Kyle Carroll at second base was charged with a fielding and throwing error on the same play.
The ACU bullpen was responsible for the four runs scored in the sixth inning as Casey Thomas, Zacarias Hardy and Anderson all produced run-scoring hits. Anderson completed game one 4-for-4 with two runs and a RBI.
The Wildcats scored the game's final two runs in their half of the ninth. A throwing error by reliever Caleb Hanks allowed Willie Harris to score from first base and Draper to advance to third. Markwardt then singled in Draper with a shot to center.
Islander starter Chris Falwell improved to 2-3 with the victory, striking out five with no walks through 7.0 innings of work.
ACU and Corpus Christi conclude their three-game series Saturday at 1 p.m.
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