ARKADELPHIA, Ark. (Feb. 11, 2012) ―Cameron took the field Saturday with revenge on its mind but fell short in its bid to even the series against Henderson State at two wins apiece. Henderson State defended its home field, defeating the Aggies 8-0 in game one, but lost game two 6-5. Despite the victory in game four, CU lost the series 3-1.
“It was a long day out there, but at least we pulled one out,” said Head Coach Todd Holland. “In game one, we just came out flat, sluggish … it was cold. We got off to a slow start, and we couldn’t come back. It’s hard to come back when its 38 degrees out.”
Cameron (7-4, 0-0) came out to make a statement early in the first half of Saturday’s double header, but the team stranded a runner on base in the top half of the first and failed to make an early impression. But the Reddies (3-1, 0-0) did, roughing up CU starter Mike Carlson for three runs in the first on three hits. Two of the runs were self inflicted, as HSU benefitted from an error and wild pitch in the inning.
After the Aggies went down in order in the second, the Reddies plated two more runs on four hits in the bottom half of the frame. Cameron’s offensive woes continued throughout the game, as the Black and Gold failed to put a dent into Henderson starter Brittain Diamond.
HSU added one insurance run in the fourth and two in the fifth to carry an 8-run lead through the end of the game.
Holland turned game two over to Clay Vanderlaan on the mound, hoping to spark his team to victory. Cameron again flirted with taking an early lead but failed to capitalize on first inning hits by Taylor Lyons and Josh Dawson. The Reddies jumped up 2-0 in the home half of the first on three hits of Vanderlaan.
The Aggies responded in the top of the second, manufacturing a run off of a hit batter. Kaleb Brawner took the hit for the team, and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After a walk to Tyler Cox, Kevin Lum stepped up and roped a single to score Brawner from second.
HSU would plate two more runs in the third and one in the sixth go up 5-1 heading into the seventh and final inning, when Cameron decided to make its move.
The Aggies began the inning with a walk by Benshell Garcia, followed by a single by Brad Blumer and a walk by Brawner to load the bases. Garcia would come in on a wild pitch to make the game 5-2, while Blumer came in on an RBI double play by Kevin Lum. After advancing to third on Lum’s ground out, Brawner would come around to score on a Nick Smith single to make the game 5-4. Smith would advance to second on a single by Lyons, before scoring on a big RBI double by preseason All-American Josh Dawson to tie the score at 5.
The usual suspects got off to the same start in the top of the eighth, as Benshell Garcia began the inning with another leadoff walk, followed by a single by Blumer. Garcia was able to advance to third on Blumer’s single to set up the go ahead run with no outs. Brawner came up next and drove the ball to center field to pick up a sacrifice RBI, scoring Garcia and giving CU the 6-5 lead in extra innings. Aaron Kleekamp, who came in for Vanderlaan in the sixth, picked up the victory for the Black and Gold.
“Clay (Vanderlaan) went out and threw really well,” Holland said. “We just need to learn, we can’t squander opportunities. We got to their bullpen today and it fell apart for them. It’s amazing what happens when you get to the bullpen of most teams.”
Up next for Cameron is a chance to exact revenge on Southwestern Oklahoma State. SWOSU defeated the Aggies in the bottom of the ninth last week at McCord Field. The opening pitch is set for 3 p.m. on Feb. 21.
“We’ve still got a lot of work to do … I know that,” the coach said. “We just need to trust each other and continue to play hard and don’t give up, ever. We didn’t today.”
