SAN ANTONIO – Three big innings by the visiting Central Arkansas Bears were too much for the University of the Incarnate Word baseball team to overcome a 12-7 loss in game one on Friday night, March 26, at Sullivan Field, sponsored by H-E-B.
Cardinal veteran Lee Thomas led the offense with two hits, a two-run triple in the fifth and a two-run home run in the ninth to give UIW a chance to complete the comeback, but a few big innings early from the Bears proved too much.
UCA got on the board with a four-run second inning. The Bears started the inning with Benny Ayala reaching on an error before a two-run home run off the bat of Hunter Hicks and a solo shot from Kolby Johnson made it 3-0. UCA later loaded the bases with two outs on two walks and a single to scratch across its fourth run on a passed ball. UIW starter Carson Rollins induced a ground out to shortstop to get out of the second inning jam.
The Bears tacked on one run in each of their top half of the next three innings for a 7-0 lead. Hicks doubled to right field and later scored on an RBI-single for the Bears' fifth run of the game. Nate Sagdahl hit a solo home run to lead off the fourth inning before UIW made a call to the bullpen for Luis Martinez to relive starter Carson Rollins. Martinez got two quick fly ball outs and an infield pop fly to end the fourth inning. Hicks led off the top of the fifth inning getting on base after a hit-by-pitch and motored to third base on a failed pickoff and later scored on a sac bunt to score from third for a 7-0 start.
The Cardinals' big inning came in the bottom of the fifth when the black and red started with a triple off the bat of Ridge Rogers. Zach Limas and Devon DeLeon followed the extra-base hit with back-to-back walks to load the bases. Landon Etzel delivered with an RBI single to left field to score Rogers and keep the bases loaded with no outs. Grant Smith struck out after the Bears made a pitching change and Thomas hit a base-clearing triple, his third triple this season, to get the Cardinals within three, 7-4, after five innings.
The Bears responded with another two-run home run over the left center field wall off the bat of Connor Emmet to stretch the Bears' lead to 9-4 in the sixth inning. Aaron Celestino who came in for relief after a leadoff walk, got a strikeout, flyout and groundout after giving up the home run, to get out of the inning.
UCA (8-9, 5-4 SLC) added three more runs in the top half of the ninth inning with a two-RBI double down the right-field line and the third on a wild pitch to give the Bears a 12-4 lead heading into the bottom half of the inning.
UIW (8-7, 5-4 SLC) did not go down quietly in their last at-bats. After Limas grounded out on a hard grounder to third base, Ron Brown homered for the first time this season to right field. Etzel struck out and Smith walked before Thomas crushed a two-run shot over the right-field fence to cut the deficit to 12-7, but a hard liner to third off the bat of Noah Brewer ended the game.
ON DECK
The Cardinals and Bears play a double-header on Saturday with the first pitch set for 2:00 p.m. UIW and UCA wrap up the four-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Cardinals head to SFA on April 1-3.
FAN INVOLVEMENT
Join Cardinals Club today! Email UIW Baseball Director of Operations, Maddy Jordan (majorda1@uiwtx.edu) for more information.
**Due to COVID-19 safety guidelines, all home UIW baseball events are sold out and tickets will not be available for purchase. Visitors must be on the home player/coach pass list. All visitors must fill out a Cardinal Daily Health Check prior to admittance to the park.
FOLLOW ALONG
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