In the first game of the Lone Star Conference part of the 2012 baseball season, the University of the Incarnate Word played host to Abilene Christian University on Friday with an 11-8 result in favor of the Wildcats.
The game filled up the Runs, Hits & Errors-side of the scoreboard, as the two squads combined for 26 hits (13 each), 19 runs, and 12 errors… 7 of which were committed by the Cardinals as their record now sits at 5-7 overall and 0-1 in LSC play.
UIW Fell behind in the first 1-0. But then retook the lead in the 2nd inning, 2-1. ACU, not to be outdone, responded with a 2-run third and reclaimed the lead, 3-2, before Incarnate Word retook the lead with a 3-run third inning, 5-3.
Then, however, the Wildcats score 8 runs (3 in the fourth and 5 in the sixth) for the 11-5 lead that initially seemed well out of reach for UIW, who was struggling in all areas.
But then, Incarnate Word sent out senior pitcher Michael Farrekopf and the tall left-hander seemed to frustrate ACU's bats and pitched scoreless baseball the rest of the way. HE allowed just one hit and struck out a batter in 10 batters faced.
With Farrenkopf stopping Abilene Christian's offense (and the defense playing mistake-free the rest of the way), the UIW bats started heating up and chipping away at the Wildcat's lead with one-run innings in the 7th and 8th inning – although the eighth inning could have given the game back to UIW as the bases were loaded with 2 outs and the tying run at the plate in Lucas Miller.
Miller, who had gone 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI up to that point, got ahold of a pitch and sent it deep into the outfield, but it was about 20 feet short of the wall and ACU avoided giving up any more runs in the inning (Hector Flores scored Jordan Littlefield, who was running for Connor Snoga, with an RBI-single earlier in the inning).
The Cardinals added another run to their comeback bid in the bottom of the ninth when Travis Fuquay ripped a home run near the left-field foul pole, but UIW ended the game with a fly-out and left two runs stranded.
Friday's game was the first of four LSC contests at Sullivan Field this weekend. Saturday will feature a doubleheader of seven-inning matchups and Sunday will be a solo 9-inning game with the action starting at 1 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
