LAWTON, Okla. (March 30, 2012) — Cameron’s baseball team hit a rough patch this weekend, dropping three out of four to conference foes Incarnate Word. After dropping the opener 5-2, the Aggies split the doubleheader Saturday, winning game one 7-3, before losing game two 6-3. The teams concluded Sunday, with the Cardinals taking the game 14-9 in a slugfest.
“This was an important series for us,” said Head Coach Todd Holland. “I told our men that. These guys (UIW) will be somewhere around us at the end of the season, and now they have the tiebreaker. But, you know, hopefully it doesn’t come down to that.”
The Cardinals (11-12, 6-6) scored early and often in Sunday’s final game, jumping ahead 4-0 in the first inning, chasing CU (17-17, 5-7) starter Jordan Watson in the process.
UIW continued its attack in the second inning, picking up three runs on five hits off reliever Wade Myatt. Incarnate Word scored another run in the third off CU’s Cody Hudson to take an 8-0 lead into the fourth inning, when Cameron’s bats finally came alive.
Andy Garcia led off the inning with a single to center field. After a Kevin Waukau pop-out, Brad Blumer shot a single between first and second, forcing an errant late throw to advance both he and Andy Garica. Benshell Garcia then blasted a two-run double off the wall in left center to put Cameron on the board, 8-2. Thomas Galvin capped off the inning with a single, scoring Benshell Garcia.
The Aggies were outscored 6-2 over the next three innings, setting up a tough 14-5 ballgame.
Nick Smith and Andy Garcia each picked up RBI doubles in the 8th inning to cut the score to 14-7. Taylor Lyons picked up two RBI off his own on a double in the 9th, but the Aggies failed to score anymore runs, losing the game 14-9.
“At the end of the game we really started hitting the ball better,” Holland said. “We started driving the ball and hitting it solid. I’ve been trying to get them to do that all season. Hopefully this is something that will continue to happen.”
James Rhodes took the mound for Cameron in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader, tossing seven strong innings for the 7-3 victory. Rhodes pitched the complete game, allowing three runs on six hits with five strikeouts.
UIW jumped ahead early, picking up a run in the top of the first off Rhodes.
But Cameron responded as Taylor Lyons came in to score on an Andy Garcia single to tie the game at one at the end of the first.
Rhodes breezed through the second inning and set the table for a big CU inning. Nick Smith led off the inning with a single, but traded places with Tyler Cox on a fielder’s choice. Benshell Garcia and Kevin Lum followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases. Lyons picked up an RBI with a fielder’s choice to the shortstop for Cameron’s first run of the inning. Josh Dawson followed with a two-run double to left and came around to score on a double by Blumer.
Dawson hit a two-run single in the seventh inning for Cameron’s final runs in the game. Dawson finished the game with four RBI in CU’s 7-3 victory.
The Aggies got the action started in game two, picking up a run in the first inning as Blumer doubled to center field, scoring Lyons.
The Cardinals took a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning, as UIW finally got to CU starter Clay Vanderlaan. Vanderlaan pitched 5.1 innings, allowing only four hits and two runs to keep the Aggies in the game. He did not factor in the decision.
CU continued to trail 2-1 heading into the final inning, but the game was far from over. Cameron continued to grind, eventually getting the tying run on second base. Waukau then stepped up and delivered a single up the middle, tying the game. CU had an opportunity to win the game in regulation, but failed to pick up another hit, leaving the bases loaded.
Incarnate Word finally pushed runs across the plate in the top of the 10th inning. The Cardinals picked up four hits and took advantage of a Cameron error to score four runs in the inning and take a 6-2 lead.
Cameron was able to score one run in the home half, but the Aggies fell short in their comeback bid, stranding two runners on base, to lose 6-3.
“Some days our pitching is great, on others our offense looks good, but we have yet to have them both clicking at the same time,” Holland said. “The worst part is that we played like this at home. When you aren’t scoring it puts a lot of pressure on the pitchers. It’s a constant push and shove.”
Cameron will travel 10 hours to Kingsville Texas to take on 2nd place Texas A&M-Kingsville (19-7, 8-4). The Aggies are currently sitting in 6th place in the conference. The teams will play four games over three days, with the first game coming at 1 p.m. on Thursday.
“They have two really good pitchers, so this should be interesting,” Holland said. “We need to be ready to play.”
For more information on Cameron’s baseball team, visit www.cameronaggies.com.
