TWU strikes late, wipes out Eagles' upset bid in Shreveport

SHREVEPORT, Louisiana — For seven full innings, A&M-Texarkana had third-ranked Tennessee Wesleyan on the ropes, looking for a knockout punch to complete the upset. But it was the Bulldogs who swung back and swung hardest, scoring four runs in the eighth to erase a three-run deficit and escape Pilots Field with a 5-3 win over the Eagles.

The Eagles (9-11) broke open a scoreless tie in the fifth with three runs on Brandon Riley's RBI single, Luke Hyzdu's run-scoring single, and an RBI single by Kyle McMullen. TWU was able to grab a run back in the top of the seventh but scored four in the eighth on a sac fly, passed ball, single and double.

Saneil Patel inherited a three-run lead when he took the mound for the eighth, but walked two batters, gave up a hit and was tagged for three runs (two unearned) and took the loss. Collin Fenili, Joe Digiacomo and Blake Taylor combined to throw 5.2 scoreless innings.

Hyzdu finished with two hits, as did Pudge Carlisle. The Eagles are back home tomorrow when they host Briar Cliff (IA) at 2 pm.