HOUSTON, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word baseball team dropped their first game of the year on Sunday afternoon against Abilene Christian at Minute Maid Park as part of the Astros in Action D-II Invitational.  The Wildcats had a six-run first inning and a four-run third inning and knocked off the Cardinals, 12-5.  (Box Score)

The Wildcats (2-1) never trailed in the game as they scored six times in the first inning on five hits and three walks.  The Cardinals (2-1) closed to within 6-4 heading into the top of the third, but the Wildcats added four more runs in the top of the third inning and they never let the Cardinals get closer than five runs the rest of the game.

ACU pounded out 14 hits in the contest, including five doubles.  Seth Spivey led the team with three hits while three other players had at least three hits.  Travis Schuetze came off the bench to go 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI's.  Aaron Lambrix picked up the victory after tossing 4.1 shutout innings of relief.  He allowed just three hits without a walk and struck out four.

The Cardinals finished the game with 10 hits and Derrick Walls (San Antonio/Reagan HS) was the only player to have two hits in the game.  Thomas Rinn (Cameron/Yoe HS) scored twice while Slade Brown (Keller/Keller HS) drove in a pair of runs.  Adam Pena (Mission/Sharyland HS) cracked his first career home run in the fifth inning.  Junior Alex Shaffer (Seattle, WA/Nathan Hale HS) was handed the loss in his first start for the Cardinals.  Joe Mills (Allen/Allen HS) pitched a solid 4.0 innings of relief for the team allowing four hits, two runs and two walks while striking out one.

The Cardinals are back in action on Saturday at home against Florida Southern in a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m.
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