Glendale, Ariz. - Despite giving up two home runs in the opening frame for the second consecutive game, Arizona Christian was completely unfazed and flipped the script to a 12-3 win over #6 Tennessee Wesleyan. The Firestorm used four multi-run innings and clean defensive work (zero errors) to put an end to a three-game skid early in the season.

Of the three players with two hits to their name, Kane Kiaunis was rewarded with the most RBIs (3) thanks to a three-run blast in the fifth inning. Besides Kiaunis, three others hit home runs in the third game of the East West Challenge (Andrew Ivy, Trey Tarver, Tanner Vielguth). Notably, Jaylen Edmonds has now hit safely in his first six games with the Firestorm (10-for-22 total).

It was a redemption story for starting pitcher Adrian Santa Cruz, who had stumbled against #13 MidAmerica Nazarene. Today against the Bulldogs, Santa Cruz threw a solid 6.0 innings, rang up five batters and only allowed three runs.

ACU Baseball's last win against an NAIA top-10 opponent came on February 3, 2023 in a 4-3 battle with #8 St. Thomas (FL) during last year's East West Challenge in Lakeland, Florida.

GAME INFO

Score: RV Arizona Christian 12 | #6 Tennessee Wesleyan 3
Records: RV ACU 3-3 (0-0 GSAC) | #6 TWU 0-2 (0-0 AAC)
Location: Greenway High School - Glendale, AZ

STAT TRACKER 

Kane Kiaunis - 2 hits, 3 RBIs, 1 home run
Andrew Ivy - 2 hits, 2 RBIs, 1 home run
Jared Anderson - 2 hits, 1 RBI, 2 runs
Trey Tarver - 1 hit, 2 RBIs, 1 home run
Tanner Vielguth - 1 hit, 1 RBI, 1 home run
Justin Colon - 1 hit, 1 RBI, 1 triple
Adrian Santa Cruz - 6.0 IP, 3 RA, 5 strikeouts

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

It was an ominous beginning for ACU in the second straight game. Tennessee Wesleyan's Braxton Turner and Marco Martinez uncorked solo home runs at first and third in the lineup. Santa Cruz was able to end the damage by forcing two ground outs. 

While the Firestorm was too little and too slow against Ave Maria, Tarver made sure to put this narrative in the past. The first baseman sent a ball sailing over the left-center fence and scored Jared Anderson, who got aboard via a double. A scoreless inning from Santa Cruz created an opportunity for ACU to grab their first lead of the ball game.

Two of the first three Firestorm batters struck out, and it seemed that Kiaunis' single in the middle of them was all for nought. This would not be the case at all, for Edmonds and Marques Titialii bookended a rally of four consecutive singles. Through two complete innings, ACU had taken a 5-2 lead.

The third and fourth innings were scoreless, and Santa Cruz made quick work of the Bulldogs in the fifth (three up, three down). Anderson led off the fifth and reached first base after being hit by a pitch from TWU's Julian Berinti. Titialii got on via a walk immediately after and Troy Collins paid off the lead baserunner with a single through the right side of the Bulldog defense. A strikeout by Deshon Thomas made it two outs, before Kiaunis gifted his team three runs on a home run to right field.

Martinez went yard for the second time, but it would end up being the third and final run by the Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs. 

A Firestorm highlight reel was still in production, as Justin Colon laced a ball to the right-field wall and wheeled his way to the first triple of ACU's 2024 season. The hit would score Collins, who got aboard by means of a walk. Frank Wierman and Trey Tarver would relieve Santa Cruz and do enough (four combined strikeouts) to close things out.

With nothing to lose and everything to gain, Ivy and Vielguth lit up the dugout and Firestorm crowd with back-to-back home runs to lead off the eighth. The final hit tally (12) would equal their score in a nine-run victory. 

THOUGHTS FROM COACH JOE MCDONALD

"I was very proud of our guys after a tough loss in the first game to come back and play a very clean, mistake-free game of baseball with some huge hits, quality pitching and excellent defense," Coach McDonald said. "We continue to keep getting better and there is no quit in this team."

NEXT FOR THE FIRESTORM

Arizona Christian, because of the revised East West Challenge schedule, has tomorrow off and returns to Greenway on Saturday for a date with #1 Southeastern. The Firestorm have the honor of playing in the final game of the tournament, with first pitch slated for 6:00 PM. Don't miss any of the action with live stats at https://acufirestorm.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary and watch the game at https://www.gsacsportsnetwork.com/azchristian. 
    
                          
Roll Storm!