Baseball: March 22 Scoreboard
McNeese State 5, Abilene Christian 4
Houston Baptist 2, Abilene Christian 1
Southeastern Louisiana 8, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3
Nicholls 4, Sam Houston State 3
UIW 2, Prairie View A&M 0
UIW 11, Prairie View A&M 0
McNeese State 5, Abilene Christian 4
ABILENE, Texas – The McNeese State baseball club split a pair of Southland Conference baseball games with Abilene Christian Sunday afternoon after picking up a 5-4 victory in a game resumed from the day before to even the series before the Wildcats completed a 3-0 shutout over the Cowboys to take the series at Crutcher Scott Field.
The victory in the second game was completed just 21 hours after being halted due to rain as the Cowboys (16-8, 6-3) held off the Wildcats in the final two innings to take the win.
In the third and final game of the series, ACU used a complete game shutout effort from starting pitcher Thomas Alimont to help post the Wildcats blank McNeese for the second time on the weekend.
The Cowboys will be back in action on Tuesday, March 24 when they welcome in-state rival Louisiana-Lafayette to Lake Charles for a mid-week showdown. Following the contest with the Cajuns, the Pokes will travel to Natchitoches to take on Northwestern State in a three-game league series.
Below is a recap of both games:
Game 2: McNeese State 5, Abilene Christian 4
With the skies clear and the field dry, both teams resumed action in the bottom of the eighth inning on Sunday afternoon as McNeese clung to a 5-3 lead over ACU.
The Wildcats rebooted the contest with two runners in scoring position along with two outs and a 3-2 count on the batter. McNeese reliever Collin Kober helped the Pokes out of a jam as Alex Copeland flew out to center and ended the inning.
After failing to score any runs in the top of the last inning, the Cowboys held off a last ditch scoring effort from Wildcats who plated a run with two outs and cut the lead to one run.
However, ACU struck out on the last at-bat as the Cowboys evened the series at 1-1.
Trent Fontenot (3-1) picked up the win after tossing 6.0 innings and allowed only one run to score and five hits. He struck out three in the process.
Kober picked up his fifth save of the year after delivering the last 1.2 innings and gave up just one run on three hits.
James Cantu and Joe Provenzano each recorded three hits in the game while Connor Crane knocked in two runs.
Game 3: Abilene Christian 3, McNeese State 0
Abilene Christian’s Thomas Alimont pitched a complete game shutout while the ACU offense delivered seven hits and three runs to help score the series win over McNeese in the finale on Sunday.
Alimont worked nine innings and gave up only five hits and one walk while having struck out five batters.
The Cowboys received two hits from Crane and Bryce Packard in the contest while Lewis Guilbeau was the only other Cowboy to get a bat on the ball.
Starting pitcher Ethan Stremmel was charged with the loss despite pitching six innings and gave up only three runs off of seven hits and no walks. He fanned four batters during the outing.
Cole Prejean worked the final two innings and allowed no runs and no hits.
Abilene Christian took a one run lead in the first inning and extended its lead in the second on a pair of RBI hits to take a 3-0 lead that would hold until the end of the contest.
McNeese threatened to score during the last at-bat when Crane smacked a double off of the left center wall. A two-out walk from Lucas Quary gave the Pokes new life as the game was extended again with a wild pitch that advanced the runners into scoring position.
The Cowboys were unable to capitalize in the final inning and drop the series finale.
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Houston Baptist 2, Abilene Christian 1
HOUSTON, Texas – Senior outfielder Zach Nehrir delivered the first Southland Conference series sweep for the HBU baseball team in a two-out walk off single up the middle for a 2-1 edge of Central Arkansas on Sunday afternoon at Husky Field.
The Huskies (12-11, 4-2 SLC), who joined the SLC in the 2014 season, doubled-up UCA (11-7, 6-3 SLC) in runs and hits with the aid of Nehrir. The native of Orange, California, recorded the only multi-hit game between either team, posting a 2-for-4 performance at the plate. Nehrir recorded two singles and reached on a walk to go along with his game-winning RBI.
Senior Curtis Jones went toe-to-toe with Bear starter Connor Gilmore in the rubber match, both taking no-decisions. Jones tossed eight solid innings, scattering three hits and recording a season-high seven strikeouts, before being relieved in the ninth by senior Chris Garza (1-0), who picked up his first win of the season.
The series finale proved a pitcher’s duel out of the gate, as both starters had no-hitters through three innings.
In the fourth inning, Jones surrendered the first hit of the game, coming on a single up the middle with one out. However, Nehrir proved the equalizer, taking advantage of a ball lost in the sun for a leadoff double to right field in the bottom frame.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Jones walked on four pitches before senior Samm Wiggins broke up the shutout and drove in the first run of the game with a double to left-center.
Following a hit by pitch to open the seventh inning, Jones retired his next six batters faced to hold the 1-0 advantage through eight innings.
Three consecutive errors in the top of the ninth allowed UCA to tie the game one-all. After Matt Anderson reached on a fielding error by second baseman Greg Espinosa to open the frame, a throwing error by Jones on a sac bunt in the next at bat allowed him to advance to third. With runners at the corners and no outs, Garza took over on the mound for HBU. Two pitches later, the Bears again laid down a sac bunt and Garza’s throw home was off target, allowing the run to score. UCA continued to threaten, as the team still had runners at the corners, but Hayden Steele lined out to junior Andrew Alvarez on a failed bunt attempt and junior Louie Payetta made a diving stop on a ball up the middle to turn two to escape the situation.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Espinosa walked and advanced to second on a pinch-hit single to center field from freshman Zac Garcia. Then, a fielder’s choice in the next at bat put runners at the corners, setting up Nehrir’s walk off.
The Huskies will be back in action on Tuesday, March 24, playing at Prairie View A&M in a 2 p.m. first pitch.
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Southeastern Louisiana 8, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Southeastern Louisiana staked pitched Kyle Cedotal to an early lead Sunday and the left-hander made it hold up as the Lions picked up an 8-3 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, sweeping the three-game Southland Conference series at Chapman Field.
With the win, Southeastern (19-7, 7-2 Southland) is now in sole possession of first place in the conference standings. The Lions have won seven of their last nine at A&M-Corpus Christi (10-10, 2-4 Southland) and grabbed their fifth-straight series over the Islanders.
It was the first time A&M-Corpus Christi has been swept at home since Stephen F. Austin accomplished the feat April 15-17, 2011.
Southeastern scored three runs in the first inning off Islander starting pitcher Devin Skapura (1-3). Jacob Williams ripped a one-out double into left-center field. Daniel Midyett singled through the left side on a check swing, moving Williams to third base.
Kevin Carr pushed a bunt up the first-base line for a single, driving in Williams with the first run of the game. Midyett and Carr both moved into scoring position when A&M-Corpus Christi second baseman Brett Burner lost the ball, colliding with Carr while covering first.
Brett Hoffman plated Midyett on a grounder to first and Carr scored when Burner had trouble handling a hot shot off the bat of Chris Eades.
Five of the Islanders eight hits came in the first two innings off Cedotal (3-1). After giving up a pair of runs in the second, the junior from Denham Springs, Louisiana, scattered three hits over his final six innings of work.
The Lions scored the eventual game-winning run in the fifth, mirroring the first inning. Williams doubled to left, took third on a Midyett single to the left side and scored on Carr's push-bunt single up the first-base line.
Southeastern added a single run in the sixth, two more in the eighth and one in the ninth. The Islanders scored their final run of the game in the seventh.
Cedotal earned the win, allowing three earned runs on eight hits. In eight innings pitched, he walked one and fanned seven. It was just the second walk he has issued in his last 22 innings. Kade Granier tossed a scoreless ninth to close out the game. Skapura was tagged with the loss.
Five Lions turned in multi-hit performances as Southeastern pounded out 14 hits on the way to its fourth-consecutive win.
Webb Bobo (3-for-5) picked up a career-high three hits and Carr (3-for-4) had three infield singles. Kennon Menard (2-for-5), Midyett (2-for-4) and Williams (2-for-3) each had a pair of hits.
Southeastern returns home to host Louisiana-Monroe Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field. The game is Local Heroes Night and all first responders will receive free admission. For more details, contact Lindsey Cramer in the Southeastern Athletic Marketing and Promotions Office at (985) 549-2430.
General admission tickets to Tuesday's game are $8 for adults and $5 for youth (ages 3-12). Children younger than three are admitted free with a paying adult. Southeastern students are also admitted free with their university ID card.
The Southeastern Athletic Ticket Office is located in Room 107 of the Dugas Center for Southeastern Athletics. For more information, contact the ticket office at (985) 549-5466 or 1-866-LION-TIX. Ticket office hours are 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Fridays.
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Nicholls 4, Sam Houston State 3
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The Nicholls State University baseball team appeared to be outmatched against Sam Houston State in its doubleheader on Friday, but after a day off to avoid inclement weather, the team came alive on Sunday to steal a 4-3 series-finale win in Texas.
The Colonels (11-10-1, 3-5 SLC) were only able to score two runs through 18 innings on Friday against the Bearkats (12-12, 6-2 SLC), but wasted no time on Sunday, taking a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
Gavin Wehby led off with a single to center field and advanced to third on a
Kyle Reese single to right. After a
Marc Frazierwalk,
Christian Correa reached on a fielder's choice that sent Wehby home for the first run of the ballgame. In the next at bat,
Seth Stevenscrushed a monster three-run home run to clear the bases.
Justin Smith followed with a single to right field, forcing a Sam Houston pitching change to stop the bleeding.
Nicholls held onto its four-run advantage through the second inning, but the Bearkats punched back in the third. Sam Houston turned three singles and a double into three runs and brought the score to 4-3.
The Colonels maintained their slim lead over the next few innings, but the Bearkats provided a scare in the eighth. Sam Houston put two on and forced a pitching change before loading the bases, but Nicholls escaped the inning unscathed, completing a 6-4-3 double play to end the frame.
The Bearkats weren't finished and threatened again in the ninth, but the Colonels turned their third-straight inning-ending double play to escape with the win.
Righty
Justin Sinibaldi (4-1) tossed five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with two strikeouts. In relief, right-hander
Ryan Deemes held Sam Houston to just one hit and fanned three batters through two innings of work. Left
Stuart Holmes closed out the victory, throwing the final two innings en route to his eighth save of the year.
Righty Ryan Brinley (1-3) took the loss, surrendering four runs on four hits with a walk through 2/3 innings. Southpaw Hayden Nixen tossed the remaining 8 1/3 innings on the mound, holding Nicholls to just two hits with three strikeouts.
Stevens paced the Colonels offensively with a three-run home run. Correa registered the only other RBI for Nicholls. Wehby was 1-for-2 with a run scored in the win.
Colt Atwood and Zach Smith each hit 3-fo-5 to lead Sam Houston offensively.
The Colonels will head down I10 for a matchup with Louisiana-Lafayette at 6 p.m. on Wednesday before taking on Southeastern Louisiana in a home-away-home three-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m. in Thibodaux. Wednesday's contest will be broadcast live in KNSU 91.5 FM.
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UIW 2, Prairie View A&M 0
UIW 11, Prairie View A&M 0
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word baseball team threw 18 scoreless innings in a non-conference doubleheader against Prairie View A&M on Sunday. UIW won 2-0 and 11-0 at Sullivan Field.
The first game featured junior
Geno Encina's (San Antonio/Brandeis HS) first start of the season after battling some injuries. The pre-season all-conference first team selection showed why he is the ace of the staff. He hurled six scoreless innings giving up only three hits, walking two and striking out five on 71 pitches to earn the win. Head coach Danny Heap said he was on an 80-pitch limit.
"It felt good to be back," Encina said. "My arm felt strong and now I just need to keep improving and helping the team as much as I can."
John Shull (San Antonio/Churchill HS),
Chris Jones (Hallettsville/Hallettsville HS) and
Trevor Hardee (Alvord/Alvord HS) combined to throw the remaining three innings. They allowed only one hit and no runs to preserve the shutout. Hardee earned his second save of the season with 1.1 innings of no hit ball, walking one and striking out one.
The two runs came on sacrifice flies in the second and the sixth innings. Both
Christian Divelbiss(Yuba City, CA/Yuba City HS) and
Ethan McGill (Penn Valley, CA/Nevada Union HS) drove in a run on deep fly balls to center field. The two runs proved to be enough as the Cardinals took game one.
Despite taking the loss, Alberto Aveytia threw a complete game scattering six hits and giving up only one earned run. He walked one and struck out four.
The Cardinals bats woke up in the second game. After only scoring two runs on six hits in game one, they UIW offense exploded for 11 runs on 12 hits.
Matt Morris (Scottsdale, AZ/Saguaro HS) led the way with a 3-for-4 game that included two doubles, three RBI and three runs scored. Overall, Morris was 4-for-8 at the plate in the doubleheader.
McGill added three RBI in the second game, scored a run and hit a double in the first inning to open the scoring.
Colton Besett (Cedar Park/Vista Ridge HS) hit his fourth home run of the season in the third inning to extend the lead to 6-0. He also scored two runs and walked twice.
Garret Cooper (Round Rock/McNeil HS) collected his fourth win of the season with five solid innings of work. He allowed only three hits, no runs, walked six and struck out five. He struggled with his command throughout the game, but found a way to work out of jams to preserve the shutout. In the third inning he had the bases loaded and got Kevin Macias to swing at strike three. Later in the fifth inning, he found himself in trouble with runners on second and third with one out. He retired the side with a strike out and a weak fly ball to right field.
For the Panthers, Jordan Stewart was tabbed with the loss, giving up seven runs on eight hits in three innings.
Brandon Anderson (Cheyenne, WY/Cheyenne Central HS),
Jacob Malatek (New Braunfels/New Braunfels HS),
Tyler Miller (Conroe/Oak Ridge HS) and
Adam Hunter (Yoakum/Yoakum HS) all got some work in and did not allow a run in four innings combined. Among the four of them they only allowed three hits.
The UIW pitching staff finished the day without allowing a run and held the Panthers to 10 hits. The offense finished with 13 runs scored and 18 hits while the defense committed two errors.
The Panthers committed four errors in both games and Connor Wrye was the only hitter to collect multiple hits in a game with a 2-for-4 performance in game two.
The teams were originally scheduled to play a third game this weekend, but they ultimately decided to push the final game to May 6 at 6:30 p.m. at Sullivan Field.
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