CANYON, Texas – The #12 West Texas A&M Buffaloes picked up their fourth straight win on Saturday as they withstood a three and a half hour weather delay to top the Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions, 11-10 during Lone Star Conference action at Wilder Park.
 
The Lions jumped out to an early lead as Nolan Riley singled to left with one out to score Morgan Crenshaw for the 1-0 lead. WT responded in the home half as Kennedy Badgett singled to center to score Keone Givens followed by an Eric Ortiz double to the gap in right center to plate Badgett and Reese Patterson for the 3-1 lead.
 
The teams entered a nearly three and a half hour lightning delay in the top of the third as a storm cell moved thru the Texas Panhandle. Chandler Dean retook there mound after the delay and sat the Lions down in order.
 
Cade Engle tripled to start the home half followed by a Jonah Gonzales single to center to score Engle. Ortiz doubled down the left field line to score Gonzales before a Kyle Moos two-run double to center and a Kason Haggard bloop single to center to run the lead to 8-1.
 
Fort Smith would answer in the fourth as Logan Easley crushed a two-run homerun to center field with no outs followed by a hit by pitch with the bases loaded later in the frame to cut the lead to 8-4 and knock Dean from the game. Noah Bartlett entered and forced a flyout to shallow right followed by a walk to cut the lead to 8-5.
 
The Buffs got one back in the bottom of the frame as Gonzales scored on an error with two outs and the bases loaded to make it 9-5. UAFS cut into the lead in the sixth with a single run followed by a big opportunity in the seventh with the bases loaded and one out, the Lions drew a pair of walks followed by a fielder's choice RBI groundout and a wild pitch to tie it up at 10-10.
 
WT manufactured the go-ahead run in the eighth as Gonzales singled followed by a Keone Givens sac bunt to move him into scoring position, the senior stole third and scored on an errant Lions throw to give the Buffs the 11-10 lead.
 
Jake Suddreth picked up his first victory in Maroon & White as the Queen Creek, Arizona native allowed no runs on one hit with no walks and four strikeouts over the last 2.2 innings of relief.
 
The series finale was originally scheduled for Saturday but the lengthy delay forced the final game of the series to be moved to Sunday with first pitch scheduled for Noon in Canyon.