For the second time in four days the Wabash baseball team let a lead slip away in the final innings. Schreiner University tied Tuesday’s game in the seventh inning before scoring the game-winner in the tenth inning to defeat the Little Giants 6-5.
Wabash took a 5-4 lead in the top of the seventh on a Tanner Coggins triple after John Holm drew a two-out walk. The Mountaineers responded with a run in their half of the seventh to tie the game at 5-5.
The Little Giants loaded the bases in the eighth and put runners on first and second in the ninth --- both times with two outs --- but could not push a run across. Wabash stranded a total of 13 base runners in the contest.
Wabash was retired in the top of the tenth after getting a runner to second with two outs. Keegan Leckrone came into the game to keep the Little Giants even with Schreiner. The Mountainers’ Justin Garza led off the tenth inning by reaching on an error. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, then raced home with the winning run when Oscar Ibieta blasted a double to right-center field.
Jake Thomas collected four hits, including two doubles to lead Wabash. His first two-base hit in the first inning led to the opening run for the Little Giants, scoring on a sacrifice fly by Holm for the freshman’s 15 RBI of the season. Wabash added three runs in the fourth after Schreiner took a 2-1 lead when Tyler Burke started the rally with a one-out triple. He scored one batter later when Joe Johnson singled through the left side. After moving to second on a wild pitch, Johnson scored on Chris Deig’s single to give Wabash a 3-2 lead. Deig came home two batters later on Thomas’ second triple to put the Little Giants in front 4-2.
Deig and Coggins each finished with two hits to join Thomas in accounting for eight of the Little Giants’ 13 hits.
Craig Austin worked four innings in his first career start, giving up six hits and two earned runs with five walks and two strikeouts. Patrick McCarley surrendered three runs on three hits with three walks in 2-2/3 innings on the mound. Luke Zinsmaster pitched 2-1/3 innings with a walk and strikeout. Leckrone took the loss after throwing a third of an inning with one hit.
Wabash (3-4) heads to Brownsville, Texas Wednesday afternoon for a single nine-inning game against Howard Payne University.