RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech baseball team got a pair of quality starts from their starting pitchers on Saturday as they doubled up Southeastern Oklahoma to claim the series, 2-1.
GAME ONE
In the opener, the Wonder Boys (28-17, 21-9 GAC) spotted starting pitcher
Grant Shahan with four runs of support in the bottom of the first inning, with the big blow being a three-run home run the opposite way out to right-centerfield off the bat of
Logan Schwenke.
That four-run first inning proved to be more than enough for Shahan as he would pitch 7.0 innings, scattering six hits, walking one and allowing one run while striking out six en route to his third win of the season.
With Shahan dealing, the Wonder Boys added a run in the third, two in the fourth, two in the fifth and one in the sixth to account for their 10 runs in the ballgame. Shahan's only blemish as far as a run scoring came in the top of the fourth.
For Tech, the run in the third scored on a
Nick Jones single to second base. In the fourth,
Shane Poe and
Sam Stephenson each had RBI singles while Poe added two more RBIs with a two-run single in the fifth. Jones was responsible for the final run as he drove in Stephenson on a single through the right side.
Southeastern (23-23, 14-16 GAC) would put together a threat in the top of the eighth and scored twice on four hits but stranded two. In the ninth, they would collect two more hits, but both were stranded without scoring.
GAME TWO
With the series in the balance for both teams, Southeastern got out to the initial lead with a run in the top of the second inning. That run came as the Savage Storm took advantage of a leadoff hit-by-pitch with a RBI double in the ensuing at-bat.
Following the double, Southeastern successfully sacrificed the runner over to third where he stood with less than two outs. Game two starter
Emiliano Mata limited the damage there and retired the next two batters on swinging strikeouts.
Mata would continue to work around traffic on the basepaths and ultimately pitched 5.0 complete innings, giving up just that one run.
While Mata was holding the Savage Storm offense at bay, the Wonder Boys were having a challenging time putting together a strong rally against Southeastern's starter, Dylan Turner.
With just two hits through three innings and after making two quick outs in the fourth, the Wonder Boys got something going as Schwenke extended the inning with a single. After that, he made third base on a rocket single the other way by
Brandon Bunton.
Looking to generate something offensively, the Wonder Boys sent Bunton to second on a delayed steal hoping to coax a throw down that might allow Schwenke to score. Southeastern did not take that bait and instead elected to try to get Schwenke at third, where it appeared that had stumbled down the line.
The call to put the pressure on the Southeastern defense was clutch as the catcher was errant on his throw to third, which allowed Schwenke to score the tying run. Having already made second base on his steal attempt, Bunton was able to then motor on home for the go-ahead run as the ball traveled deep into left field foul territory.
Now with the lead and Mata pitching 5.0 solid innings, the Wonder Boys turned to their bullpen in the sixth for
Will Horton.
In that inning, the Savage Storm would load the bases with one out on Horton on consecutive hits and a walk. Despite the jam, Horton and the Wonder Boys would escape unscathed as they turned a 9-6 double play after a ball was lined to
Keaton Ranallo in right, who then wisely threw to second to get the runner out there for the inning-ending double play.
In the seventh, Tech called upon their closer,
Mason Griffin. The Savage Storm would once again apply pressure and put the potential tying run at third base with less than two outs as Damon Burroughs hit a one-out triple.
The Wonder Boys then pulled the infield in and that decision paid off as well as Griffin quickly induced a ground ball to Stephenson at shortstop. Fielding it cleanly, Stephenson looked the runner back to third and threw on to first for the second out of the inning. Not long after, Griffin got a harmless flyout to Ranallo in right to put the finishing touches on his seventh save of the season.
UP NEXT
The Wonder Boys will now prepare for their final non-conference game of the season as they are set to travel to Jackson, Tennessee to take on Union this coming Tuesday afternoon. First-pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
