ABILENE – Eight players tallied two or more hits, six players recorded two or more RBI, and the ACU baseball team exploded for season-highs in run and hits with a 20-5 win to claim the series over Sacramento State on Sunday. The Wildcats (18-6, 7-2 WAC) scored 10 times in the third inning and answered that with six more in the fifth to completely run away from the Hornets (12-11, 2-4 WAC). ACU keeps it trend of winning the series going; the ‘Cats have not lost a series this season. The 20 runs and 22 hits are both season-bests, and the 7-2 start to WAC play is the best start to conference play since 2010.

Head coach Rick McCarty said, “Yeah Sunday always has the potential to be an offensive day. The thing in college baseball is you wanna score first, you wanna win the first three, you wanna win the middle three. I think our guys did a really good job of that today. The approach was there and I think they forced him over the plate. Did a really good job of getting on time with some swings. You’re right, I think the pressure was just on them from the get-go from the ten-run inning on, they did a good job of it. Anytime you can score 20 and I think have 22 hits, you’re gonna take those.”

How It Happened
– Garrett Williams started the bottom of the first off with a double down the right field line, and Miller Ladusau followed with an rbi-single down the left field line. ACU led 1-0 and showed what was to come in the game.
– Sacramento State took the lead off Wildcat starter Austin Glaze, scoring three times in the top of the second off a home run, a triple, and a groundout. It was 3-1 Sac State after an inning and a half.
– The Hornets pushed the lead to 4-1 with another rbi-groundout in the top of the third, but then ACU responded in the home third.
– It was a 10-run, 10-hit inning that featured 15 batters. Williams and Ladusau each singled in runs, and then the big moment came from Grayson Tatrow. The ACU right fielder launched a grand slam to right center field to go up 7-4. The inning was not even close to being over, however. Jake Skaggs singled in a run, Riley Bender doubled home one, and Williams singled in two more to push the lead to 11-4 after three innings.
– Bash Randle singled home another run in the bottom of the fourth, and it was 12-4 after four.
– Leading 12-5 in the home fifth, it was another wild inning. ACU scored six more runs on four hits, including a Tatrow rbi-single, a Tanner Tweedt two-run double, a Skaggs bases-loaded walk, a Crew Parke sacrifice fly, and a Bender fielder’s choice. It was 18-5 after five innings.
– Tweedt and Skaggs each singled in runs in the home sixth to push it to 20-5, and that finished as the final.

Stat Pack
– Eight players tallied at least two hits led by Williams’ four. Ladusau, Tatrow, and Tweedt all had three hits each, while Randle, Skaggs, Parke, and Bender each recorded two knocks.
– Tatrow led the way with five runs batted in, a new season-high, while Williams, Tweedt, and Skaggs all brought in three runs. Williams and Skaggs set new career-highs in those categories.
– Ladusau and Bender each drove in a pair of runs on Sunday.
– Tatrow and Williams scored three times each, while six Wildcats scored two runs each.
– Glaze went 4.0 innings in the start to earn the win (2-0) allowing four runs on four hits with a pair of strikeouts.
– Drake Boggan, Adam Byrd, and Sam Berberich all threw an inning each on Sunday, allowing one run combined.

Beyond the Box Score
– Tatrow’s five RBI game is the second-highest total in a game in his career; he brought in six runs last season against Marist.
– Tatrow launched his second grand slam of the season and the fourth for the team this season.
– ACU outscored Sac State 12-2 in the third inning this weekend; the ‘Cats came in with a -15 run differential in the third inning this season.
– The ‘Cats outscored the Hornets 10-1 in the fifth inning in three games, and now hold a 38-5 edge in the fifth inning this season.
– The 20 runs are the most in a game this season and the most since scoring 23 last season against Marist.
– The 22 hits are the most this season and tie for the most in the Rick McCarty era, matching last season’s game against Marist.

On Deck
– ACU will take a break from conference play this week with four games against three different opponents. The ‘Cats will head to Waco on Tuesday to battle Baylor at 6:30 p.m., and then they will return to Crutcher Scott Field for an unconventional weekend. ACU will host former Southland foe Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday, March 31 at 6:05 p.m. before taking on Nebraska on Saturday, April 1 at 4:05 p.m. The weekend wraps up with Corpus again on Sunday, April 2 at 1:05 p.m. The Islanders and Huskers will play on Saturday for a single game before ACU takes on Nebraska to close that doubleheader.