Amarillo College pitchers put forth an all-time great performance last weekend at Hodgetown, leading the team to a 3-1 series victory against Garden City Community College.
The Badger pitching staff etched its name in the AC record book as a collective unit with a team-record 49 strikeouts (in a series), Feb. 20-21, led by sophomore Duncan Bowles.
The 6-foot-6 righty from Amarillo tied the program record for strikeouts in a game (13) in a five-inning stint as the game four starter on Saturday. Bowles is now tied with Braylen Timmins for the single-game punchout mark, a record originally set by Timmins during AC’s inaugural season in 2023.
While AC came up short – a 3-2 defeat – in the series finale, the Badgers secured three consecutive wins to begin the homestand.
Dallas Baptist University commit Aiden White continued to display why he was called upon as the team’s opening day starter.
And for the first time this season, AC was in the lead when he trotted to the mound for the second inning of play.
AC gained a 3-0 advantage during the first frame and cruised to a 6-2 win to open the series. In six innings on the hill, White tallied eight strikeouts, no walks, and two earned runs.
Owen Curtis followed with a near-perfect performance as the team’s closer. The freshman struck out three consecutive batters in 17 pitches during the seventh and final frame.
Rowin Donaldson’s heroics lifted AC to a 10-9 win to end play on Friday. The freshman shortstop hit two home runs, including a game-tying three-run shot in the sixth inning.
Garden City gained a brief 9-8 advantage during the seventh inning before Will Jamison’s inside-the-park homer gave AC a 10-9 lead.
Sophomore Carson Priebe got the start for AC on the mound, and the Frisco native recorded a season-high eight strikeouts and walked three over 3 2/3 innings.
Tyler Holmes earned his first victory of the season as the freshman righty struck out two batters, had no walks, and allowed one earned run during the final three innings.
At the plate, AC scratched out a season-high 19 hits, including four hits and four RBIs by Donaldson, and three hits by Jatniel McCloud.
AC once again got off to a hot start, gaining a 1-0 lead after the first inning and a 3-0 lead by the end of the second frame to start game three. McCloud scored a passed ball with the bases loaded in the first inning, followed by a Donaldson two-RBI double in the second.
Texas Tech University transfer Carter Williams struck out eight batters, walked two, and allowed one earned run across five frames. The Canyon Lake High School product claimed his second straight win and improved his team-best batting average against rate to .179.
Jaykenn Marrero’s RBI double in the fifth inning of game three extended AC’s lead to 4-1.
Garden City narrowed its deficit to 4-3 before Donaldson and Gonzalez sealed the series win. The two-hole and cleanup hitter had RBI singles in the bottom of the sixth.
AC improved its overall record to 6-9 with the series win.
The Badgers will play a home-and-home matchup against Vernon College for its final non-conference series of the regular season this week. AC heads to Vernon for a doubleheader on Thursday, Feb. 26, starting at noon.
The Badgers return home for a doubleheader at Hodgetown on Saturday, Feb. 28, beginning at noon.
Stat leaders vs. Garden City
Offensive
Rowin Donaldson – 8 hits, .571 average, 2 home runs, 7 RBIs
Luis Gonzalez – 6 hits, .429 average, 2 doubles, 4 RBIs
Jaykenn Marrero – 5 hits, .357 average, 2 doubles
Jatniel McCloud – 5 hits, .357 average, 8 runs
Colton McClure – 4 hits, .308 average, 1 double, 2 RBIs
Dylan Steele – 2 hits, .500 average, 1 RBI
Pitching
Duncan Bowles – 13 K, 2 BB, 0 ER, 4 H, 5 IP
Aiden White – 8 K, 0 BB, 2 ER, 6 H, 6 IP
Carter Williams – 8 K, 2 BB, 1 ER, 2 H, 5 IP
Carson Priebe – 8 K, 3 BB, 2 ER, 1 H, 3.2 IP
Owen Curtis – 3 K, 0 BB, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 IP
