ADA, Okla. – The Arkansas Tech baseball team snapped a season-long losing skid in a big way on Friday afternoon as they beat East Central in run-rule fashion, 11-1, to open their final weekend road series of the season.
The Wonder Boys (24-16, 17-8 GAC) pretty much controlled the game from the outset and took the only lead they would need in the top of the second inning on a
Logan Schwenke solo home run. That initial one-run lead quickly turned into a 9-0 advantage as Tech scored four runs in both the third and fourth innings.
In the third, the four-run inning started as a two-out rally as
Sam Stephenson extended the inning on a double to left-centerfield. After getting to third on an error by the ECU catcher, Stephenson scored on a
Sawyer Duddleston single to right-centerfield.
Nick Jones then drove in Duddleston with a double to left-center. The final two runs of the inning scored in the ensuing at-bat as
Keaton Ranallo connected for a two-run home run, giving him 10 for the season.
The fourth inning saw the Wonder Boys take advantage of a pair of early errors by the Tigers (8-32, 3-22 GAC) as
Brandon Bunton and
Markos Cabranes both reached on errors to start the frame. After Bunton reached to lead off the inning, he made third on the error in the Cabranes at-bat.
The Wonder Boys then got aggressive and pushed home a run on a sacrifice bunt by
Shane Poe.
Cade McBride then followed with a RBI double. Two batters later, Duddleston singled to left to drive in McBride and on the same play made third on an error by the ECU left fielder. In the next at-bat, Jones singled to left to bring home Duddleston and give Tech the aforementioned 9-0 lead.
An inning later, the Wonder Boys were back to scoring as Schwenke led off the inning with a triple to right-centerfield. He was then quickly driven in by Bunton on a sacrifice fly.
The shutout being authored by Tech starting pitcher
John Gray continued until the sixth inning when ECU hit a leadoff home run for their first and only run of the game. At the moment, that run negated the potential 10-run rule, but the Wonder Boys put it back into effect in the top of the seventh as Bunton, who doubled in his at-bat, came home to score on a wild pitch.
Ensuring that the game would end early in seven innings was reliver
Kade Cartwright as he handled the bottom of the seventh without allowing a baserunner.
The series is now set to conclude on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader that is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
