Pressure mounted as the Badgers saw a possible series victory go to the wayside following a game three loss in Roswell on Saturday.
The resilience displayed by AC since the start of conference play revealed itself once again.
AC rallied from a 3-2 deficit in game four as the Badgers plated seven runs in the fourth frame and four runs in the fifth en route to a 13-3 run-rule victory.
The win secured a series split against New Mexico Military Institute, which entered the matchup at No. 2 in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference standings.
“NMMI is a program at the top of our conference; they’ve been playing good baseball. They have several high-profile players,” AC head coach Brandon Rains said. “So, to go in there and come out with two wins is a pretty good accomplishment. Obviously, we would have liked to get a third win, but against a team like that, we’ll take a split.”
The split has the makings of a significant outcome.
AC maintained its position – fourth place – in the WJCAC standings with four series remaining in the regular season.
“To put ourselves in a position to make the playoffs, we had to split the series at least,” Rains explained. “If we went 1-3 or 0-4, then we probably wouldn’t deserve to make the postseasons. We went in there and did what we had to do.”
Jaykenn Marrero and Matthew Tellez ignited AC’s game four comeback with back-to-back singles to start the fourth inning.
Five walks and RBI singles by Jatniel McCloud and Gabe Compton ensued for a seven-run frame, turning a 3-2 deficit into a 9-3 advantage.
Singles by Colton McClure, Brooks Carter, and Cole Giametta propelled AC to a four-run fourth during the fifth inning, giving the Badgers a 13-3 lead.
Sophomore pitcher Eli Heyen forced two pop-outs and recorded a strikeout during the bottom of the fifth to end the series in Roswell.
Heyen improved his record on the season to 4-2, finishing the game with three strikeouts, one walk, and two earned runs allowed.
NMMI handed AC its first shutout loss of the season (10-0) to begin the series on April 3. Three Bronco home runs proved to be the difference in game one.
The Badgers quickly shook off the run-rule loss, leading from start to finish in game two. AC scored nine runs in the first inning and three runs in the second frame for a 12-0 lead.
A four-run seventh frame led to a run-rule stoppage as the Badgers split day one in Roswell with a 17-7 win.
Badger bats tallied 17 hits in game two, highlighted by three home runs (Axel Chasak, Rowin Donaldson, Brooks Carter).
McCloud added a pair of doubles as a part of his team-high eight-hit series.
The freshman from Puerto Rico paced the Badger bats with a team-best .615 average across four games last weekend.
A pair of Texas Panhandle natives teamed together on the mound for a game two win. Brayden Gurney earned his third consecutive WJCAC victory in a 4 1/3 inning stint.
The Shallowater High School tallied twice as many strikeouts as walks (4-2) and allowed six earned runs.
Amarillo native Duncan Bowels, a redshirt sophomore and Randall High alum, recorded five strikeouts while allowing no earned runs or walks over the final 2 2/3 innings.
AC’s record moved to 17-22 overall and 10-10 in the WJCAC following the series split in the Land of Enchantment.
Up next, the Badgers are set to host Howard College this coming weekend at Hodgetown. The matchup is scheduled to begin at noon on Friday, April 10.
The series represents the final true home series of the regular season for Amarillo College.