Box Score (HTML)

MONTICELLO – The University of Arkansas at Monticello baseball team surrendered four runs in the top of the ninth inning resulting in an 8-6 to Southern Nazarene on Friday at Weevils Field. It was the first Great American Conference game of the season for both squads.

UAM (3-3, 0-1 GAC) gave up four walks in the ninth and hit three batters, eventually resulting in a four-run inning for the Crimson Storm on zero hits.

The Weevils opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first inning on a sacrifice fly from senior Bronson Gillam to score redshirt freshman Brian Ray. Ray hit a ground-rule double down the right field line in the previous at bat and stole third base to move into to scoring position for the sac fly.

UAM added another run in the second on an RBI double from junior Nick Cerda, and took a 4-0 lead in the third inning with back-to-back sac flies from junior Travis Steinke and junior Corey Wood.

SNU (2-3, 1-0 GAC) got on the board in the top of the fifth with one run, was held scoreless in the sixth and began mounting its comeback with two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth before the four-run ninth.

Junior Travis Steinke and Cerda each had RBI singles in the bottom of the seventh, which gave UAM a 6-3 lead heading into the final two innings

Cerda led UAM with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate. Wood and Ray each added two hits. Steinke and junior C.J. Womack accounted for UAM's other two hits.

The Weevils and Crimson Storm conclude the three-game series on Saturday at Weevils Field with a double-header starting at noon.