RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – After the beginning of the game was delayed an hour and a half due to rain, the Arkansas Tech baseball team won the opening game of their three-game series at home against Ouachita Baptist on Friday night by a score of 5-2.
In the game, the Wonder Boys got a big jolt early as starting pitcher
Cole Dickson stranded the bases loaded in the top of the first inning. The offense rewarded that effort with some run support as the Wonder Boys scored three runs in the bottom of the first.
Tommy Caya led the inning off with a single up the middle that caromed off the bottom of the pitcher's glove. Three batters later, the bases were loaded with one out as
Tyler Sardelli drew walk which was followed by sharp single by
Kirby Jenkins.
Derek Rockett then worked a walk to force home Caya for the first run. The second run scored shortly after on a RBI groundout by
Weston Johnston. On the groundout, Jenkins was able to take third and that proved big as he would score not long after on a passed ball.
An inning later, the Wonder Boys scored a run as Caya doubled home
Drew Vega, who tripled in the at-bat prior. In the fourth, Tech scored their fifth and final run of the game and Caya was in the mix of it once more.
This time, it was Caya hitting a leadoff triple. He then scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of
Cole Dawson.
After cruising through the first five innings on the mound, Dickson ran into a bit of trouble in the sixth as the Tigers hit consecutive RBI doubles to account for their two runs in the game. Limiting the damage to just those two runs, Dickson was relieved by
Ashton Greenlee to start the top of the seventh.
Greenlee would work around a leadoff single in the seventh and held Ouachita scoreless. He then came back in the eighth and retired the side in order with a pair of strikeouts at the end. Greenlee then was relieved by
Eric Woodley in the top of the ninth for the save opportunity.
Woodley piggy-backed off of Greenlee's dominant finish as the Wonder Boy closer struck out the side in order to secure his sixth save of the season.
The Wonder Boys and Tigers will play a doubleheader to conclude their series on Saturday starting at 1 p.m.
