Hounds eliminated from postseason chase

ABILENE, Texas — Any slim hopes the Eastern New Mexico University baseball team had of making the Lone Star Conference tournament went by the wayside quickly against Abilene Christian.

ACU catcher J-Bob Thomas drew a tie-breaking, bases-loaded walk in a five-run eighth as Abilene Christian beat Eastern New Mexico University 10-6 to complete a three-game sweep of their Lone Star Conference South Division series. The losses officially eliminated ENMU (17-25-1, 6-12-1 South) from contention for one of the division’s two berths in the upcoming LSC tournament.

Center fielder Chris Judkins was 4-for-4 and first baseman Matt Callahan 3-for-4 in ACU’s 13-hit attack. Both contributed a pair of run-scoring singles for the Wildcats (28-21, 14-7 South), who won all six games from Eastern this season.

ACU opened a 4-0 lead through four innings, but ENMU (17-25-1, 6-12-1) pulled into a 5-5 tie in the top of the eighth on a walk to Boyd Erickson, a sacrifice and a two-out RBI single by Joey Aguilar.

Kelly Crain (4-4) struck out six but took the loss, pitching into the eighth before loading the bases with no outs on two singles and a hit batsman. Trevor Davis got the first out before walking Thomas to force in the go-ahead run.

Erickson and Bryan Moore each had two of Eastern’s nine hits, and Moore and Aguilar both drove in a pair of runs.

ACU 7-9, ENMU 4-3 (Friday) — The Wildcats spotted Eastern a 3-0 first-inning lead in the nightcap before rallying to complete a doubleheader sweep.

Erickson hit a two-out, two-run single with the bases loaded in the first off ACU’s Ben Brockman (6-3), and another Hounds run scored on an error by Thomas.

The Wildcats took the lead with two runs each in the second and third innings, then put the game away by batting around in a four-run sixth.

Brockman allowed nine hits and struck out nine over seven innings, while ENMU’s Ian Thurman-Kelly (3-3) went the distance in a losing effort.

In the seven-inning opener, ACU put together three-run innings in the first and fourth against Jesse Garcia-Perez (4-4). The Wildcats pounded out 12 hits, with right fielder Dan Gubbels going 4-for-4 with two doubles and three runs batted in.

After Moore’s two-run single pulled ENMU to 6-4 in the fifth, Andrew Dillman relieved starter Aaron Lawler (5-1) and allowed one hit over the final 2 1/3 innings for his second save of the season.

Saturday

Abilene Christian 10, ENMU 6

ENMU 000 022 011 — 6 9 2

ACU 102 110 05x —10 13 3

Kelly Crain, Trevor Davis (8) and Brett Scherer; Ben Maynard, Andrew Dillman (5), Coy Polk (7) and J-Bob Thomas. W — Polk (6-5). L — Crain (4-4). DP — ENMU 1. LOB — ENMU 10, Abilene Christian 4. 2B — ENMU: Bryan Moore. 3B — Abilene Christian: Joel Wells. T — 2:28. A — 150.

Friday

First game

Abilene Christian 7, ENMU 4

ENMU 100 120 0 — 4 10 1

ACU 300 301 x — 7 12 1

Jesse Garcia-Perez, Davis (6) and Scherer; Aaron Lawler, Dillman (5) and Paul Howey. W — Lawler (5-1). L — Garcia-Perez (4-4). DP — Abilene Christian 1. LOB — ENMU 10, Abilene Christian 7. 2B — Abilene Christian: Cody Cure, Dan Gubbels 2. T — 2:16. A — 250.

Second game

Abilene Christian 9, ENMU 3

ENMU 300 000 000 — 3 10 4

ACU 022 014 00x — 9 13 1

Ian Thurman-Kelly and Scherer; Ben Brockman, Polk (8) and Thomas. W — Brockman (6-3). L — Thurman-Kelly (3-3). DP — Abilene Christian 2. LOB — ENMU 9, Abilene Christian 7. 2B — ENMU: Joey Aguilar. Abilene Christian: Gubbels, Matt Callahan, Thomas. T — 2:28. A — 125.