RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – It happened in two completely different ways, but the Arkansas Tech baseball team picked up two pivotal wins on Friday afternoon, sweeping the doubleheader against visiting Southwestern Oklahoma out at Baswell Field.
The opening game saw the Wonder Boys (22-15, 14-12 GAC) plate nine runs on eight hits with three of those hits being home runs which accounted for all but two of the team's runs in their 9-3 win. The nightcap, on the other hand, was an old fashioned pitcher's duel that saw the Wonder Boys tie the game in the fourth and win it in extra innings in the eighth to beat the SWOSU (17-22, 11-15 GAC) 2-1.
GAME ONE
In the opener, SWOSU applied pressure early with an aggressive approach that saw them load the bases in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, the bases loaded with two outs, allowing starter
Patrick Miner to get just one out to escape the jam. He did just that and struck out Jean Ortiz to strand the bases loaded.
The Wonder Boys then answered in the bottom of the inning and took control of the game with four runs on two hits. Both hits were home runs as
Yadier Medina belted a two-run homer to left.
Shelby Quiggins then went back-to-back with Medina as he hammered an opposite field home run out to left.
Prior to the power, the Wonder Boys scored their first run using small ball.
Sam Stephenson led off the game being hit-by-a-pitch. He then stole second and was moved over to third in the next at-bat as
Trace Maddux grounded out to second base.
Josh Detweiler then laced a sacrifice fly deep enough into right field to score the speedy Stephenson.
Miner tossed another scoreless in the second as he retired the side in order. Tech then added a single run in the bottom of the second to take a 5-0 lead.
SWOSU scored their first run of the game in the top of the third on a one-out solo home run.
The Wonder Boys got that run back and added two more in the bottom of the inning as they took advantage of a SWOSU error. The error occurred after
Evan Hafley's leadoff single up the middle and saw Medina reach first and Hafley safely reach second on a botched potential double play ball. The next two batters struck out, which would have ended the inning had the error not occurred. Instead, the inning continued to
Carter Thessing and he made the error as painful as it could be as he hammered a three-run home run out to right field, giving Tech an 8-1 lead. The home run was the first of the season for Thessing and his first collegiate home run as well.
That score held until to the top the fifth when SWOSU plated two runs to make it an 8-3 game. Tech pushed across their ninth and final run in the bottom of the eighth on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Thessing.
Miner would collect the win after pitching 7.0 innings and allowing seven hits, three runs, three walks and striking out six.
Grant Shahan handled the final two innings and scattered two hits with no runs, no walks and one strikeout.
GAME TWO
The nightcap started out with fireworks, but ultimately settled in to a well-played and even better pitched game.
The fireworks started in the top of the first as the Bulldogs nearly scored the game's first run on a throwing error by Tech. The error followed a one-out double and nearly scored the batter who doubled, but a laser of a throw by the right fielder Detweiler, who was backing up the play, cut down the run at the plate for the second out.
With the error, the SWOSU batter was able to make second despite the other runner being thrown out. On the very next pitch, the Bulldogs made up for the baserunning miscue as a soft single landed in centerfield to push across the first run of the game.
That unearned run off starter
Will Horton proved to be all the damage the left-hander would allow as he went the next 6.0 innings scattering five hits, allowing no runs, walking one and striking out one.
The strong effort on the mound by Horton was backed up by the Tech offense in the fourth as Quiggins laced a one-out single to right field to score Detwiler and tie the game at one-all. Detweiler had previously walked to lead off the inning.
In the top of the fifth, Horton issued his lone walk, but no damage followed as he got a fielder's choice and a double play to end the frame. He then worked a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth.
The Wonder Boys' offense was still finding it tough to string together anything off SWOSU starter Nate Postlehwait as he continued to hang zeroes himself.
After his offense was retired in order in the bottom of the sixth, Horton returned to the mound for the top of the seventh inning, which as the second game of a doubleheader, was the final scheduled inning.
SWOSU got that inning started the way they would have liked with a leadoff single through the right side of the infield. That runner was then sacrificed into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Horton did not break and got the next two batters to ground out to end the threat and give the Wonder Boys a chance to walk it off in the bottom half.
Eager to do so were the Wonder Boys, but Postlehwait sat them down in order, sending the game into extra innings.
In the eighth, the Wonder Boys turned the ball over to
Marshall Brown. He promptly got a strikeout looking and then worked around a tough one-out single that skied in the air and dropped just feet in front of the plate to keep the game tied and allow for a walk-off win in the bottom of the eighth.
This time, the Wonder Boys cashed in.
Stormy Taylor led off the inning with a pinch-hit single through the right side. He was then pinch-run for by
Ommar Jackson. Jackson was successfully bunted over two second base by Stephenson.
Trace Maddux was then intentionally walked. Detwiler drew a conventional walk to load the bases with one out and put the winning run 90 feet away.
Postlehwait and the Bulldogs survived one bullet in the ensuing at-bat as he got a called strikeout for the second out.
Now needing to reach base safely, Medina was the hero as he shot a seeing-eye single up the middle to score Jackson and win the game for the Wonder Boys.
UP NEXT
The Wonder Boys and Bulldogs will look to conclude their three-game series on Saturday afternoon starting at Noon. Prior to the game, the Wonder Boys will have its senior day ceremony where they will honor 12 departing senior players.
