Barker leads ACU to series win

Wildcats complete LSC South Division with 16-4 mark

ABILENE – Abilene Christian senior first baseman Ryan Barker made his final regular-season appearance at Crutcher Scott Field a memorable one as he went 8 for 8 with five RBI as the Wildcats swept a Lone Star Conference South Division doubleheader from Eastern New Mexico.

ACU improved to 41-14 overall and finished 16-4 in the division with 11-3 and 12-4 wins over the Greyhounds, who finish the season at 26-27 and 10-10.  ACU's win in the second game tied the school record for the most regular-season wins in program history.  The Wildcats have one more regular-season game remaining, a 6 p.m. game at Dallas Baptist on May 9. 

The Wildcats – ranked No. 5 in the nation and No. 2 in the NCAA Division II South Central Region – will then move on to the regional tournament the weekend of May 19-21.  Where that tournament will be played – either in Cleveland, Miss., at the site of No. 1-ranked Delta State or in Abilene – won't be decided until May 14 or May 15.

Barker – the LSC’s career RBI leader with 187 after he collected five more in Saturday's doubleheader – was 4 for 4 with two RBI in ACU’s Game 1 win.  ACU led the game 1-0 behind a strong pitching effort from Brandon Moore before scoring six runs in the sixth inning.

Joel Wells and Johnny Zepeda drew back-to-back bases-loaded walks before Ruben Rivera was hit by a pitch for another RBI.  Dan Gubbels then collected a two-run single before Alec Sowards closed the inning with an RBI single.

ACU added three more runs in the eighth, one coming in on a Barker single.  Moore improved to 9-0 on the season by pitching 7 2/3 innings and striking out four Greyhounds.

Barker then went to work on the LSC and ACU record books in the second game. 

He finished 4 for 4 with four doubles, three runs scored and three RBI.  His four doubles set a new ACU single-game record and tied an LSC record, and his fourth double of the day gave him 57 for his career to set new ACU and LSC career records.

ENMU, though, got out of the box quickly, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning.  The Wildcats, though, answered back with five of their own in the bottom of the inning.  Cody Cure doubled to open the inning, his 26th double of the season which tied ACU's single-season record set in 2003 by all-America leftfielder Marcelino Escalante.  Barker then drove in Cure with a double, and Barker scored on a Brenan Herrera double.  Wells followed with a single, and then Johnny Zepeda blasted a two-run home run to left-centerfield to make it a 5-3 ACU lead.

The Wildcats added three runs in the second and three more in the third to put the game away.  After struggling through the first inning, Justin Whitlock and pitched six strong innings, striking out seven Greyhounds, to pick up the win and improve to 6-3 on the season.