Baseball Swept by ACU
February 18, 2008
Dakota Streber
ACU, the Lone Star Conference favorite, won the first game 6-1 on Sunday and finished off the Bulldogs with 15-5 and 10-2 victories on Monday. The wins allowed ACU to grow its current winning streak to 15 straight against SWOSU.
SWOSU, now 2-6 on the year, will next play a four-game series at Texas A&M-Kingsville beginning on Thursday. The Bulldogs will be at home next Friday, Feb. 29 to begin a four-game series against West Texas A&M.
In the first game SWOSU started in front when Nelson Espinal led off with a walk and then advanced to second on an errant pick off attempt. Ryan Starzenski followed with an RBI single that scored Espinal and the Bulldogs were up 1-0.
The lead was short as ACU answered with four runs in their half of the second. The score stayed at that point until the Wildcats added two more on a two-run homer by Matt Spotanksi in the eighth to make the final 6-1.
Starter Adam Phillips (0-2) took the loss for SWOSU and was lifted in the second inning because of a muscle strain.
SWOSU was again first on the scoreboard in game two when Espinal’s one-out single drove in Daniel Castillo with a run in the third. Espinal would then score on Starzenski’s single and the Bulldogs were in front 2-0.
ACU then took charge with an eight-run fourth inning that was aided in part by two SWOSU errors.
The Bulldogs cut ACU’s lead in the sixth when Dakota Streber led off with a solo home run. Blain Perkins reached on a single and then scored on a double by Mitchel Trimmer. Castillo then sent a sacrifice fly to right scored Trimmers to make it 10-5, ACU.
The Wildcats added two in the seventh and three in the eighth to win 15-5 and force a stoppage by run rule after eight innings.
Ty Pool (0-2) got the loss on the mound for SWOSU. He worked six innings, allowed 10 runs, only five of which were earned. He scattered seven hits, struck out six and walked four batters.
In the finale, ACU was the front runner taking a 6-0 lead midway though the third inning before the Bulldogs got on the board. Espinal, who went four-for-four, led off with a single and then scored on a double by Perkins to cut ACU’s lead to 6-1.
The Wildcats made it 10-1 before the Bulldogs plated their final run when Jonathan Fontanet singled in Espinal with SWOSU’s second run.
Chris Morrison (1-1) got the loss on the mound after allowing eight hits and six runs in two and two-thirds innings.