Wonder Boys tame Tigers in non-conference game

RUSSELLVILLE — The Arkansas Tech baseball team picked up an 8-5 non-conference win against Ouachita Baptist at home on Monday night.
The Wonder Boys were the first to score in the game, doing so in the bottom of the third on a two-RBI single to right from Tyler Sardelli. Earlier in the inning, Brendyn Bard reached first base to lead off the inning on an errant throw by the Ouachita shortstop. Two batters later, Luke Ray singled to right to push Bard to second. A walk to Sawyer Duddleston loaded the bases for Sardelli.
Tech added a run in their half of the fourth to take a 3-0 lead. That inning, Cole Dawson led off with a single up the middle. Following a walk to Dayton Francis, Dawson got to third on a wild pitch. Bard then drove in Dawson on a sacrifice fly to left.
Ouachita was held scoreless again in the fifth as it remained a 3-0 game, but the Tigers got within a run in the sixth on a two-run home run to left. The Wonder Boys would get those two runs back and added two of their own in the bottom half.
Simon Murray led the inning off with a walk and within the next two pitches, he was at third as he stole second and third on consecutive pitches. Dawson then drove in Murray on a single through the left side. After an out, Bard singled to right to move Dawson to second. During the next at-bat, Dawson took third on a wild pitch and later, Bard stole second uncontested to put two runners in scoring position with one out.

Grant Jones then drove in both Dawson and Bard on a two-RBI triple to right-centerfield. The fourth and final run of the inning then scored on a RBI single to left-centerfield.
In the top of the eighth, Ouachita threatened again and scored three runs to get within two runs of the Tech lead, 7-5. The Wonder Boys were able to respond in their half of the frame and scored an insurance run on a clutch two-out RBI single to left-center from Ray.
That extra run was more than enough for reliever JT Cafferty as he retired the Tigers in order in the ninth to put the finishing touches on his first save as a Wonder Boy. Cafferty had entered the game in the inning prior and got the final two outs of the eighth, both on strikeouts.
The Wonder Boys will now prepare for a road series this coming weekend at Arkansas-Monticello. The three-game set is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. on Friday night.