Baseball
SBU earns third split of the year
By
Feb 28, 2006, 22:58

Skyler Powers had 5 RBIs on the day and a home run.

[pics vs. ATU]

[Game 1] [Game 2]

BOLIVAR, MO. ... Looking at a possible sweep of Arkansas Tech, the Southwest Baptist University baseball team finished 1-1 vs. the Wonder Boys as ATU came back and won the game two in extra innings.  SBU is now 5-3 on the year.

On the day, junior Skyler Powers led SBU with five RBIs on a 3-of-8 performance with a home run.  Also smacking home runs for SBU were Kevin Miller, Chris Martinez, Bobby McMillian and Spencer Wilkins as SBU had five on the day.

GAME 1

After three scoreless innings, ATU put up two runs in the top of the fourth inning but saw SBU answer with two runs in the bottom of the inning.  Freshman Bobby McMillian led off the inning with his first career collegiate home run to cut the lead to one.  Wilkins came in for the second run when he advanced to home on an ATU pickoff play trying to throw Jason Asher at second base.

Zane Montgomery improved to 4-0.

SBU scored in the next two innings to make it 8-2.  In the bottom of the fifth inning SBU picked up two home runs as Powers hit his first onf the season followed by Wilkins second of the year just two batters later to make it 4-2.

A four-run sixth inning gave SBU some breathing room at 8-2.  Joel Gould singled in Asher for the first run.  Four batters later, Powers cleared the bases with a double to score all three runs to record his 2nd, 3rd, and 4th RBIs of the game.

ATU scored two runs in the top of the 7th inning to make it 8-4.

Zane Montgomery improved to 4-0 on the year as he pitched a complete game.  He recorded eight strikeouts and did not walk a single batter.  Rob Mitchell took the loss for ATU on 1.1 innings pitched. 

GAME 2

SBU scored the first run of the second game in the 2nd inning on a Kyle Griffin double to score Powers.  ATU took the lead, 2-1, in the top of the next inning only to see SBU pick up two more runs in the bottom of the 3rd.  Miller collected his first home run of the year with one out when he put a shot over the left center field fence to score two RBI. 

Chris Martinez had two hits in game two with a home run.

In the next three innings, nobody scored as SBU was looking for the win in the top of the seventh inning.  ATU's Justin Bollig tied the game immediately as the first batter with a home run that cleared the nets in left field to tie the game at three. 

In the bottom of the seventh inning, SBU had a chance for the win but could not get the hit.  SBU had runners on the corners with two outs but did not get the hit they needed for the win.

In the eighth, ATU scored on a home run on the second batter of the inning and then picked up an insurance run on a sacrifice fly.  SBU did cut the lead to one, 5-4, when Martinez set flight to his 3rd home run of the year over left center.  Powers slammed what looked like the game tying home run but ATU caught the ball at the fence as SBU struck out after that for the third out to end the game.  The loss ended SBU's four-game winning streak.

SBU had four pitchers work the game as Nick Henderson pitched the final inning for the loss.  Ian Murray went two innings wheil J.R. Smith went 2.1 innings and Ray Kelly 2.2 innings. 

Miller went 1-of-3 for two RBIs in the game as Martinez and Griffin each had an RBI.  Martinez was the only batter to record two hits.

SBU will host Bemidji State on Friday, March 3, at 1:00 p.m. in a double header in Bolivar.