Abilene Christian drops high-scoring game to No. 9 Texas Tech after long sixth inning

Midway through their Tuesday evening contest in opposition to No. 9 Texas Tech, the Abilene Christian Wildcats have been rolling.

They led 6-2 immediately after four innings as a record 4,087 lovers were being in attendance. With a 3-run fifth inning and frustrating support from the home enthusiast base, it appeared like the Wildcats could pull away from the website visitors from Lubbock.

The Pink Raiders’ sixth inning, however, was a silencer.

Texas Tech (32-16) scored 9 operates to acquire an 11-6 direct and shush the residence crowd. The Pink Raiders coasted the relaxation of the way, successful 16-12.

“Any time you give up nine runs, which is a very long inning,” ACU head mentor Rick McCarty mentioned.

Aside from the woeful sixth inning, ACU (23-21) outscored Texas Tech 12-7. The Wildcats scored in seven of nine innings and hit well the total sport.

Each groups have been dry in the first two innings in advance of ACU opened the scoring in the 3rd on a Tanner Tweedt RBI double.

The Wildcats followed scored two runs on 3 hits in the fourth. Then, Bryson Hill belted a household run to right industry, offering the Wildcats a four-run guide.

ACU finished the recreation with 17 hits. Mitchell Dickson had a group-substantial five hits, even though Grayson Tatrow experienced 4.

“We put bat to ball,” McCarty said. “Offensively, I’m definitely happy of them and the grit they confirmed.”

The trouble? Five hits, 3 walks and a strike-by-pitch in the major of the sixth inning turned a four-run ACU guide to a five-operate deficit.

The biggest blow that inning was Parker Kelly’s a few-run household operate to centre industry. It widened Texas Tech’s lead from two operates to 5 runs and broke the activity open.

“That inning acquired away from them,” McCarty claimed.

Credit to the Wildcats, though: They by no means definitely went absent.

ACU responded with six runs in the very last four frames, scoring each and every inning. The Wildcats acquired a operate off two hits and a wander in the ninth in advance of TTU recorded the third and closing out.

“I feel we just kept fighting as a crew,” Dickson said. “We had great approaches all night time and we thought in every single other. We fought truly really hard.”

Tale continues

For the Red Raiders, Kelly led the way with 4 hits, though Dillon Carter had 3. Andrew Devine was one particular of 7 Red Raiders to consider the mound and earned the get out of the bullpen.

ACU’s Connor Carlton was a person of 10 Wildcats who pitched, and he attained the reduction. Carlton gave up 3 attained operates on two hits and a stroll in a third of an inning.

Tuesday’s defeat was ACU’s first in a while. The Wildcats conquer Texas Tech 8-5 the 7 days just before in Lubbock before sweeping Stephen F. Austin on the road last weekend.

And although Abilene Christian could not gain the season sweep from the Pink Raiders, the Wildcats competed very well versus a top rated-10 workforce in front of their major crowd at any time.

That’s a earn in McCarty’s e book.

“It’s very distinctive because that is what we want here,” McCarty stated. “We want to establish a baseball neighborhood listed here. We want we could’ve located a way to earn it, but there have been a ton of positives, as well.”

Abilene Christian heads east across the Big Place this weekend for a three-sport highway established versus Tarleton Condition in Stephenville. The sequence begins at 6 p.m. Friday.

The Wildcats have just one home series remaining — in opposition to Lamar on Might 12-14.

Carson Field is the area sports reporter for the Abilene Reporter-Information. He addresses mainly Large Place substantial faculty sporting activities. If you appreciate domestically driven news, you can assist nearby journalists with a electronic subscription to reporternews.com.

This posting originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-Information: Abilene Christian falls to No. 9 Texas Tech immediately after extended sixth inning