ADA – The East Central University baseball team picked up two key victories over Arkansas-Monticello in Great American Conference action at Ken Turner Field.  The Tigers (19-13, 10-8 GAC) first earned a 9-7 win and then a 3-1 mark in the double-header.  The wins kept ECU above UAM in the GAC standings at No. 6.

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ECU was led by senior Ty Huie, with an impressive .833 batting average for the day.  He earned five hits, scored twice and added two RBIs.  Senior Dustin Torres added a .667 average, with four hits, one run and two RBIs.

Senior Oscar Gomez and junior Quentin McGrath both earned wins on the mound for the Tigers.  McGrath picked up a win in the first game, throwing the first 5.1 innings, allowing six hits and three runs and striking out five.  Gomez threw a complete game in the second game, allowing six hits, one run and striking out 10.

The teams will complete the three-game series, Saturday, April 11 at noon at Ken Turner Field.

Game 1 – ECU 9, UAM 7
The Boll Weevils (12-16, 9-12 GAC) started the scoring early with a run in the top of the first. 

The Tigers tied the game in the bottom of the inning after a walk from Torres, sacrifice bunt by senior Ariel Adut and a single by senior Nick Spini.

UAM counted with another run in the second, but ECU again tied the game in the bottom of the inning.  Senior Andrew Ayrado lead off the inning with a walk and after a wild pitch was sent home on a single by Ty Huie.

The Tigers continued to add runs with one in the bottom of the third for their first lead of the game, 3-2.  Spini was walked and sent to second on a sacrifice bunt from senior Garrett Donohoe.  After the second out, senior Casey Chenoweth singled to score the run.

The Boll Weevils tied the game in the top of the fourth with a single run, but then ECU jumped out to a 7-3 lead with a four-run fourth inning.  Sophomore Trevor Huie and Ty Huie both singled to start the inning and were sent to second and third with a sacrifice bunt by Torres.  Adut scored the first run with a single, followed by a second on a single by Spini, third on a sacrifice bunt by Donohoe and the final run on a double by senior Bryce McKee.

The Tigers added another run in the sixth for an 8-3 advantage.  Ayrado was hit, Ty Huie singled and the run was scored when Ty Huie went to steal and the ball was thrown away by the catcher.

ECU added one more run in the bottom of the seventh with single from Trevor Huie, a sacrifice bunt by Ty Huie and a single by Torres. 

The Tigers then held strong on defense until the top of the ninth, when they allowed four runs for the 9-7 final.

Game 2 – ECU 3, UAM 1
ECU was the first to get on the scoreboard in the second, scoring a single run.  Ayrado and Ty Huie singled and Torres was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Adut then hit a single to short to score the run.

The scored remained 1-0 until the bottom of the sixth when the Tigers added two more runs for a 3-0 lead.  Ayrado reached due to an error after the first out and after the second out, Ty Huie hit a triple down the right line to earn an RBI.  The final run was scored when Torres singled to left.

The Boll Weevils then got a chance to score in the top of the seventh and were able to plate one run for the 3-1 final.