RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech baseball team put the finishing touches on their first conference sweep of the season as they won both games of Saturday's doubleheader against Southern Nazarene, 4-1 and 13-4.
GAME ONE
In the opener, the Crimson Storm struck first with a solo home run in the top the first inning. After that homer, the Crimson Storm were threatening for more as a hit-by-pitch and single and an error followed to put two runners in scoring position with just one out.
Tech's starting pitcher,
Jack Rector, would limit the damage in the first inning to just the one run as he struck out the next two batters to end the inning. Rector fell into a bit of a jam again in the second inning, but ultimately stranded two more runners and kept SNU off the scoreboard.
After those two relatively shaky innings, Rector was dominant as he did not allow a hit over his final three innings on the mound while adding three strikeouts to his total.
While Rector was shutting down the Southern Nazarene lineup, the Wonder Boys' offense was struggling to get going and had only scored one run on two hits through the first four innings of play.
In the bottom of the fifth, however, things started to break for Tech as they scored a pair of runs to take their first lead of the game, 3-1.
Markos Cabranes got the inning started. with a double to right field. Two batters later, and with two outs,
Christian Olea connected for his first home run of the season as he hit it on top of the indoor hitting facility in left field.
Now staked to a lead, the Wonder Boys turned to the bullpen and called upon
Grant Shahan, who picked up the torch of dominance that Rector left. Shahan would go on to pitch the final four innings of the game en route to securing his first save of the season. In his time on the mound, Shahan allowed just one hit, walked two and struck out five.
While Shahan was pitching, the Wonder Boys gave him a third run of insurance to work with heading into the ninth as
Brendyn Bard doubled home
Logan Schwenke in the bottom of the eighth.
GAME TWO
The second game of the doubleheader played out a bit more like what Tech has hoped heading into the day as they scored 13 runs on 12 hits. In the seven-inning game, the Wonder Boys scored at least one run in all but one inning as they plated three in the first, four in the second, one in the third, three in the fourth and two in the fifth.
Thankfully, that offense came early and often for the Wonder Boys because they found themselves trailing 3-0 early in the game as the Crimson Storm scored three runs in the top of the first and chased starter
Emiliano Mata before the inning was over.
Coming on in relief for Mata in that first inning was
Simon Murray and after getting out of the jam with the final two outs of the inning, Murray pitched the next two and struck out three and allowing just one more hit.
Murray's settling of the game was aided by the Wonder Boys offense and put him in line for the eventual win, his first at Tech. Four other relievers saw action in the game after Murray. Those four would combine for one run allowed on three hits with seven strikeouts over the final four innings.
UP NEXT
The Wonder Boys will conclude their five-game home stand this coming Tuesday against Harding. The non-conference game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. from Baswell Field.
