SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – A ninth inning solo homerun by Austin Hoffman (Goodyear, AZ/Millenium HS) was not enough to overcome a two-run deficit as the University of the Incarnate Word baseball team dropped the first of three Southland Conference games, 2-1 to Abilene Christian University on Friday night at Sullivan Field.

The Wildcats' (15-31, 7-18 SLC) Garrett deMeyeree had a terrific game keeping UIW off the scoreboard by allowing four hits and one walk while striking out four in 8.0 innings to pick up his fourth win of the season.  On the other side of the pitching duel Bernie Martinez (Laredo/United HS) allowed one run in five innings and struck out five without a walk for the Cardinals (13-36, 5-20).

The first run for ACU came in the fourth inning and it all started with two outs and nobody on.  Mark Pearson hit a ball up the middle and later stole second to put himself in scoring position, which worked perfectly.  Aaron Draper followed the stolen base with a single to center field to score Pearson and give them a 1-0 lead.  The score would stay put as Martinez, Denson Hull (San Antonio/Churchill HS), Jake Bedevian (Houston/Second Baptist School) and Tyler Lesley (San Antonio/Brandeis HS) kept the Wildcats off the board for the next three innings.

The insurance run for ACU came in the eighth when Heath Beasley hit a deep sacrifice fly to center field to score Russell Crippen, which would prove to be a big run. Hoffman led the ninth inning for the Cardinals with his first homerun of the season to cut the lead to 2-1, but the comeback came up short.  After one out and a walk to Tanner Wall (San Antonio/Johnson HS), who has now reached base in 18 straight games and was the potential tying run, the Wildcats went to their closer Nick Palacios.  Palacios retired the next two batters for his sixth save of the season to seal the win in the opener of the series.

Draper collected three singles in the win for the Widcats while also driving in a run.  ACU outhit UIW, 7-5 and there were no errors committed by either side.  For the Cardinals, Weston Pitts (Highland Village/Flower Mound Marcus HS) collected two hits and Hoffman drove in the lone run with his solo homer in the ninth.

Trevor Hardee (Alvord/Alvord HS) pitched a scoreless ninth in his 23^rd appearance of the season.

The series will now end tomorrow with a doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m. instead of the single games originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. 
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