SAN ANTONIO – Fueled by a combined 22 runs in 16 innings, the University of the Incarnate Word baseball team swept Central Arkansas in double-header action on Saturday afternoon, at Sullivan Field, sponsored by H-E-B. UIW came from down 10-0 to claim game one, 12-11 in seven innings and used a five-run fourth inning and four more in the seventh for a 10-2 win in game two.
Ryan Flores, Zach Limas and Lee Thomas each collected four hits across the two games. Thomas and Ron Brown ripped their second home runs of the season and Grant Smith rocketed his firs long ball of the season with a three-run home run in game two.
Game one started off when the Bears roared out to a 10-0 lead after just two innings, scoring seven in the first and three in the second. Connor Emmet started the day with a leadoff home run to right-center field and the Bears rattled off back-to-back singles and an RBI double by Hunter Hicks. UIW starter, Isaiah Zavala got Kolby Johnson to ground out to second and a flyout to center, but UCA added another run for an early 4-0 lead. The Bears continued the inning with a walk, an RBI double and an RBI single for the 7-0 first-inning lead. Kayden Cassidy came one in relief and gave up two more walks before getting Benny Ayala to fly out to right and end the inning.
After the Cardinals went down in order in their half of the first, UCA continued with the offensive pressure by loading the bases with two walks and a single for Nate Sagdahl to hit an RBI single through the right side to score Hicks and keep the bases loaded. RJ Pearson hit a comebacker back to Cassidy for an RBI groundout and Emmet was credited with a sac fly to score Sagdahl and give the Bears a 10-0 lead after two.
UIW scratched through a run in the bottom half of the second inning and followed with four runs in the third to cut the Bears' lead in half, 10-5. Devon De Leon singled but cut down at second on a fielder's choice with Etzel hitting a grounder to shortstop. Etzel ended up on second on the failed double-play throw and scored in the next at-bat on an RBI single by Ryan Flores. Ridge Rogers followed up with an RBI triple to score Flores for the fourth run of the inning.
The Cardiac Cardinals continued to mount the comeback with three more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning with Smith reaching on a double to left field and De Leon driving in Smith with how own double down the left line to get within four, 10-6. Lee Thomas made it a two-run game with a two-out-two-RBI home run in his second game in a row to left field as the Cardinals were breathing down the back of the Bears.
Cassidy kept the Bears' offense quiet through the next four innings to give UIW a chance. The junior lefty scattered just four hits before being replaced by Steve Hayward with two outs in the fifth inning.
Two quiet UCA innings and two more UIW runs scored in the bottom of the sixth inning tied the game at 10-10 after Wilson Ehrhardt and Etzel drew back-to-back walks to start the inning. Thomas singled for his third hit of the game and drove in Ehrhardt and Flores did his job with an RBI sac fly to score Etzel.
The Bears (8-11, 5-6 SLC) looked to close out the game with another run in the top half of the seventh before UIW capped the comeback in the bottom half. Rogers drew a leadoff walk and Zack Limas rocketed a comebacker that glanced off the pitcher to get two runners on and no outs. Smith laid down a sac bunt to advance the runners for the first out of the inning and the Bears intentionally walked Landen Kimbro to load the bases, but it did not pay off for UCA as Etzel walked in a run and Thomas walked off game one with an RBI single through the left side on a 12-11 game one thriller.
The Cardinals rattled off five runs in the fourth inning of game two, fueled by the 2-7 hitters in the lineup. Brown starter off with a no-doubter home run over the trees beyond the left-field fence. Thomas and Flores went back-to-back with a pair of doubles and Limas scored Thomas with an RBI single and Smith added another RBI single up the middle to score Rogers. After a De Leon pop fly, Limas moved to third and later scored on a passed ball for the 5-1 UIW lead.
UIW (10-7, 6-4 SLC) put up another crooked four-run seventh inning for a 9-2 lead after UCA scored in the top half of the seventh. After a hard-hit line out by Thomas, Flores singled to right field and Ehrhardt reached first being hit by a pitch and Rogers smacked an RBI single back up the middle to score Flores easily. Limas drove a ball to left-center that was caught for the second out of the inning, but Smith cleared the bases in his first home run of the season with a three-run homer over the left-field fence.
Michael Garza who got the win in game one, started game two and went for four more innings, giving up just four hits and a run in the second inning. Michael McElmeel and Hayward combined to scatter four hits and another run through the final five innings to give the Cardinals the doubleheader sweep.
ON DECK
UIW and UCA wrap up the four-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Cardinals make the trip 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.
FOLLOW ALONG
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on Twitter @UIWAthletics and like UIW Athletics on Facebook.
Follow the team on Twitter and on Instagram @UIWbaseball.
