Baseball rallies for split at Tarleton State

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STEPHENVILLE, Texas (March 4) - After dropping both ends of a doubleheader on Friday, the Cameron baseball team rallied to salvage a series split with Tarleton State on Saturday. Coach Todd Holland's Aggies won by scores of 14-4 and 12-11.

Kacy Groves tossed his fourth complete game of the year in Game 1, while the Aggies rallied with three runs in the seventh to win Game 2. The victories improved the Aggies' season record to 7-8.

Groves held the Texans scoreless and allowed just two hits through the first four innings of Saturday's opener. By that time, the Aggies had built an 8-0 lead thanks to a six-run outburst in the top of the second.

John Herbert doubled in a run for Cameron in the top of the first, to stake the Aggies to a 1-0 lead, but is was a five-hit attack in the second that broke the game open. Trey Chambered rapped a two-run double and Herbert added to his RBI total with another two-run double later in the inning. B.J. Cole added an RBI double and Greg Patton singled in a run to cap off the rally.

Herbert continued to hammer TSU pitchers in the fourth with a solo home run that put the Aggies up by eight runs, but another Cameron rally in the fifth produced the knockout punch. Blake Hughes cleared the bases with a three-run double down the left field line and Herbert added another RBI single and later scored on a Ryan Whiteley single.

Tarleton State finally got on the board in the fifth on a two-run homer by Charles Desmarias and Matt Perry homered off Groves in the sixth, but it was way too little and far too late. Cole scored on Whiteley's sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh and Daniel Mayne singled in a run for the Texans in the bottom half of the inning to round out the scoring.

Herbert finished the game 4-of-5 at the plate with three runs scored and five RBI, leading Cameron's 19-hit attack in the game. Groves scattered nine hits and struck out three.

Game 2 proved to be another offensive showcase for the Aggies, but this time Tarleton State kept pace. Cameron jumped out to a 4-1 lead on Cole's leadoff homer to start the third inning, but the Texans answered with three runs in the bottom half of the frame to knot the score at 4-4. The Aggies pushed across five runs in the top of the fourth, highlighted by Hughes' three-run jack, to take a 9-4 lead.

Tarleton State rallied with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth and pulled ahead with a five-run sixth inning off Cameron reliever Ryan Bengert that featured six hits, including a two-run homer by Keith Peacock.

Trailing 11-9, Cameron got an RBI double by Matt Machinski to get things started in the seventh. The Aggies then pulled ahead when a pair of TSU errors produced a pair of unearned runs.

Bengert faced just four batters in the bottom of the seventh and struck out Daniel Bruce to end the game.

Hughes and Machinski each finished with three hits to lead the Aggies at the plate in Game 2. Hughes collected four RBI in the game, while three others, including Machinski, plated two runs apiece.

Cameron returns to action at home next week, hosting Texas A&M-Kingsville in a four-game set beginning with a Friday doubleheader at McCord Field. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.