MONTICELLO, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech baseball team got things rolling early on offense in their mid-week game at Arkansas-Monticello and then were able to hang on late for a 9-8 win over UAM.
That fast start saw the Wonder Boys come out of the gates on fire with six runs on six hits in the first inning.
The inning started with a walk to
Markos Cabranes.
Shane Poe followed up with a single to left. After the first out of the inning was made, the bases were loaded thanks to an infield single to shortstop off the bat of
Keaton Ranallo.
Christian Olea then provided the first big hit of the frame, doubling down the left field line to drive in Cabranes and Poe.
Brendyn Bard then kept things going with a RBI single to left to score Ranallo and move Olea to third. A wild pitch followed and moved Bard to second with Olea scoring.
Cole Dawson then doubled down the right field line to chase home Bard.
Sawyer Duddleston put the finishing touches on the scoring with a double himself, this one to right-centerfield, scoring Dawson.
An inning later, the hit parade continued for Tech as they added another run on two hits. Both hits were doubles with
Logan Schwenke having the first and then Olea driving him home on his second double of the game.
That 7-0 score held until the bottom of the third when UAM struck for five runs on five hits. The big blow in the inning was a two-out, bases-clearing double. The Boll Weevils then added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie things at seven-all.
The Wonder Boys would have a quick answer in the top of the sixth and regained the lead with two runs on one hit. The hit did indeed score both runs as Ranallo drove in Schwenke and Cabranes on a single to right field.
That would end up being the last of Tech's offensive output as they were held scoreless over the final three innings.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Boll Weevils scored a run and threatened to push across more as they left the bases loaded. Getting out of the inning on the mound was
Mason Griffin for the Wonder Boys and he did so with a strikeout.
After the offense went 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth, Griffin returned in the bottom of the inning in search of his third save of the season. Griffin would go on to earn that save and allowed just a one-out walk before doing so.
The Wonder Boys will now return home for a weekend series at Baswell Field against Southwestern Oklahoma. The series is scheduled to start on Friday, March 22 at 6 p.m. and conclude with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 23 starting at 1 p.m.
