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Contributed by Lance Fleming, ACU Associate Director of Athletics for Media Relations
NATCHITOCHES, La. - The ACU Wildcats closed out Southland Conference play Saturday with another heartbreaking one-run loss, this time a 4-3 decision to Northwestern State at Brown-Stroud Field.
The Wildcats wrap up conference play with a 16-35 overall mark and 8-21 in the league, while the Demons head into the Southland Conference Post-Season Tournament next weekend at 33-22 and 20-10. ACU will wrap up its season Tuesday and Wednesday in Tucson, Ariz., with a pair of games against the Arizona Wildcats at Hi Corbett Field.
ACU is now 7-11 in one-run games this season, and 13 of the Wildcats' 21 conference losses have been two runs or less. That includes a 2-9 record in one-run games against Southland competition. Northwestern got ACU by one run twice in the series - 10-9 Friday night and 4-3 Saturday - and won Thursday's series-opener by a 2-0 score.
The Demons put up three runs in the third inning Saturday to take an early lead against ACU starting pitcher Nate Cole, but the Wildcats battled back. ACU got two runs in the fifth inning on RBI singles by Willie Harris and Aaron Draper before tying the game with a run in the eighth on a Heath Beasley single to right field.
That set up the bottom of the ninth with Caleb Dougherty on the mound to start the inning for the Wildcats. He immediately gave up a leadoff double to Daniel Garner before being lifted for Braxton Wilks, who gave up a single to Regan Kaufman, driving in pinch-runner Miller Parker with the game-winning run.
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