Box Score (Game 1)
Box Score (Game 2)
ABILENE, Texas – The Cameron Aggies pounded out 28 hits and 21 runs over two games while allowing just three runs to complete their series sweep of Abilene Christian on the road on Saturday to secure a spot in the 2011 Lone Star Conference Baseball Championship.
The Aggies took the day’s first game, 7-0, behind strong pitching from James Rhodes (6-0).
In the nightcap, the Aggies (28-13, 20-10) enacted the run rule after eight innings of baseball, 14-3, to complete the sweep.
Nate Valdez went 4-for-4 in the opener with three RBI while Josh Dawson and Andrew Garcia both got four hits in the second game to lead the Aggies at the plate.
Kenny Held also recorded his eighth triple of the season in the second game to tie a school record while Chase Larsson knocked out his 25th homer of the season to continue to build on his national lead.
In game one, Larsson put the Aggies on the board in the third inning with a two-out double into left center to bring in Dawson.
In the sixth, CU added two more runs aided by a Wildcat error and added four in the seventh highlighted by a two-run single by Valdez into center field.
Rhodes worked all seven innings in the scheduled seven inning game to earn the victory. He scattered seven hits in the shutout victory while striking out four and walking three.
The nightcap only helped the Aggies at the plate as they pounded out 14 runs on 19 hits to earn the sweep.
ACU jumped out to a 2-0 lead but allowed the Aggies to tie it up in the fifth on a pair of wild pitches to score Kaleb Brawner and Dawson from third.
Held put up two more runs in the sixth, on a bases clearing triple, as part of a five-run sixth inning.
The Wildcats added a single run in the bottom of the frame to make it 7-3 but the Black and Gold responded with two more in the seventh including Held’s 68th RBI of the season.
In the eighth, the Aggies, who had been held without a home run all weekend, posted five runs including a three-run roundtripper from the nation’s top home run hitter in Larsson. Larsson is now just one homer shy of tying Keith Towne of ACU’s 2009 home run record in the LSC with 26.
Valdez added the exclamation point for the inning with a single shot of his own, his fourth of the season, to left field.
Up 14-3, the Aggies closed out the bottom of the eighth in the minimum number of batters, turning a double play along the way, to enact the run rule and complete the sweep.
Jerry Pajak worked six innings to earn the victory after allowing just seven hits and three runs (two earned). Pajak (2-0) walked one batter and struck out three.
Clay Vanderlaan also appeared in relief to close out the final two innings. He gave up one hit and struck out one batter.
The Aggies now return home to host LSC rival Angelo State in a pair of twinbills beginning at 1 P.M., Friday, April 29. The series will also close out the home schedule for the 2011 season for Head Coach Todd Holland’s squad.
