RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech baseball team secured the series win over Southeastern Oklahoma on Sunday with an edge-of-the-seat 11-9 win at home in the rubber game.
After giving up a run in the top of the first inning, the Wonder Boys responded emphatically on offense and scored four runs in both the bottom of the first and second innings to take an 8-1 lead.
In the first,
Simon Murray got things going with a two-run laser home run out to right field.
Kirby Jenkins later doubled in a run and
Joe Kinneberg also collected a RBI on a fielder's choice. In the second, the Wonder Boys scored three of their four runs without the benefit of a hit as Murray and Duddleston drew bases loaded walks while Jenkins had a sac fly. The lone run-scoring hit in the frame was off the bat of
Christian Olea.
Southeastern scored their second run in the top of the fifth, but the Wonder Boys got that run back on as
Cole Dawson reached on a fielder's choice. An inning later, the Wonder Boys were on the brink of getting into run-rule territory as they scored a pair of runs. The first of those was a bases loaded walk to
Brendyn Bard while the second scored on a groundball double play.
That gave the Wonder Boys a nine-run lead heading into the top of the seventh. Unfortunately, Southeastern rallied over the next two innings and cut the Tech lead down to just two after scoring five unearned runs in the seventh and two in the eighth.
The Savage Storm even threatened for more runs in the ninth as they had the potential tying run on base with two outs, but the Wonder Boys were able to escape that inning without any runs scoring to secure the win.
Daniel Hutchison, who was the starting pitcher for Tech in the four-hour marathon of a game, earned the win. He would pitch 5.0 innings, scatter five hits, allow two earned runs, walk two and strikeout eight.
JT Cafferty was the final pitcher of the game for the Wonder Boys and he earned his second save of the season.
The Wonder Boys will now prepare for a tough road non-conference test this coming Tuesday as they will play at nationally-ranked Delta State. First-pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
