RUSSELLVILLE — The Arkansas Tech baseball team bounced back from a tough one-run loss on Friday night to Arkansas-Monticello and came away with a doubleheader sweep on Saturday to claim the series over the Boll Weevils.
GAME ONE
In the opener, the Wonder Boys were first to strike and did so in the bottom of the second inning. They would score four runs on four hits in the frame. Everything got going in the inning on a one-out single up the middle by Brendyn Bard. Shane Poe followed with a single through the right side. A batter later, the based were loaded as Grant Jones drew a four-pitch walk. The first run then scored on a bases loaded walk issued to Cole Dawson.
After the second out of the inning, the Wonder Boys got a clutch knock from Nick Jones as he singled up the middle to score Poe and G. Jones. Logan Schwenke was then hit-by-a-pitch to extend the inning to Keaton Ranallo, who came through with a RBI single to left field.
The Boll Weevils would get a run back in the next half inning thanks to a sacrifice fly. By the end of the sixth, UAM had tied the game at four-all with two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth.
The Wonder Boys' offense would come back alive in the bottom of the seventh as they struck for three runs on three hits. All three runs scored on the strength of home runs as Sawyer Duddleston hammered a two-run homer to left-centerfield. G. Jones then went back-to-back with Duddleston as he ripped a solo homer out to right.
After neither team scored in the eighth, UAM threatened in the top of the ninth as they scored a run and had the bases loaded with two outs. The one run would be all they would get, however, as Tech closer Mason Griffin was able to escape the jam with a groundout to short to end the game.
GAME TWO
The momentum of the win in the opener carried right over into the second game as the Wonder Boys scored four runs on three hits in the bottom of the first.
On the very first pitch of that frame, Markos Cabranes hammered a home run out to left field. Nick Jones followed with a double to left-centerfield on the very next pitch. Logan Schwenke then drew a four-pitch walk. Both Jones and Schwenke would trot home shortly thereafter as Keaton Ranallo crushed a three-run home run out to left-centerfield.
The Boll Weevils pulled within a run in the top of the third, but the Wonder Boys would get a run back in the bottom half as Grant Jones drew a bases loaded walk.
UAM once more got within a run as they scored one run in the top of the fifth. The Wonder Boys responded in a major way offensively in the bottom of the frame as they scored four runs once again to surge ahead by five runs.
All four runs in the inning scored with two outs as G. Jones drove in two on a single through the right side while Cabranes doubled home a pair two batters later.
That would be all the cushion needed as the game ended 9-4 in favor of the Wonder Boys.
Wonder Boys come up short in opener
The Arkansas Tech baseball team fell just short in the opening game of their weekend series against Arkansas-Monticello on Friday night, losing 3-2.
UAM would get on the board first with a run in the top of the first. The Wonder Boys would get things going in the bottom of the third as they scored twice to take a one-run lead.
Shane Poe led that inning off with a sharp single up the middle. A batter later, Poe scored on Grant Jones' successful sacrifice bunt that also included a throwing error by UAM. On that play, Jones reached and got to third while Poe scored from first. Cole Dawson then drove in the go-ahead run on double to right-centerfield.
In the top of the fifth, UAM knotted the game at two-all with a solo home run to right.
That score held until the top of the eighth as the Wonder Boys starter John Gray and UAM's starter Connor Irvine were locked in an old-fashioned pitcher's duel. The go-ahead run for the Boll Weevils in the inning came as they were able to move around a leadoff hit-by-pitch and drive in the run with two outs.
The Wonder Boys would get the tying run to the plate in the eighth and ninth innings, but were unable to get the big hit to tie the score or take the lead as UAM held on for the one-run win in the opener.
UP NEXT
The Wonder Boys will hit the road for their mid-week game and will travel to Clinton, Miss. to take on Mississippi College. First-pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
