Baseball: April 11 Scoreboard
McNeese State 2, Lamar 0
Lamar 8, McNeese State 2
Nicholls 9, Central Arkansas 3
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 12, Abilene Christian 2
Sam Houston State 5, UIW 0
Northwestern State 13, New Orleans 3
Houston Baptist 13, Stephen F. Austin 3 (7)
Utah 14, Southeastern Louisiana 5
McNeese State 2, Lamar 0
Lamar 8, McNeese State 2
LAKE CHARLES, La. – The McNeese State baseball team faced off against rival Lamar in a Southland Conference doubleheader on Saturday in which the Pokes used a complete game shutout to score a 2-0 victory in the first game before the Cardinals rallied for a 8-2 win in the second contest that split the series at one game each.
Both teams are slated to meet in the series rubber match on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
The contest can be heard on Cajun Radio 1470-AM in Lake Charles and online at CajunRadio.com. Fans can also receive the latest updates and schedule changes by liking McNeese Sports on Facebook and by following the team on Twitter @McNeeseBaseball.
The Pokes moved to 21-15 overall and 11-6 in league play while Lamar stands at 17-17 on the year and 6-8 in conference action.
Below is a recap of both games:
Game One: McNeese State 2, Lamar 0
The Cowboys used a six hit, complete game shutout from its pitching staff that was led by an outstanding performance on the mound from starting pitcher Kaleb Fontenot.
Saturday’s shutout was McNeese’s first over a conference opponent since doing so against Nicholls on Mar. 24, 2012. It was also the second time this season that the Cowboys have blanked their opponent.
Fontenot (5-3) fired off 6.2 innings of quality innings and allowed no runs to score despite scattering five hits throughout the outing. The junior right-hander struck out a career-high nine batters and allowed only one walk in the process.
Sophomore reliever Collin Kober picked up his eighth save of the season after working the last inning and prevented the opposition from scoring and recorded a strikeout.
Also aiding in the shutout were the arms of senior Tyler Erickson (0.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R) and Cole Prejean (1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R).
It was the excellent play of the pitching staff as well as the Cowboy defense that left the Lamar bases loaded on two different occasions in the game. The Pokes left no opportunities for momentum as the Cardinals were 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and eight total runners stranded on base.
Senior shortstop Connor Lloyd turned in the best log of the game after recording two hits along with two RBIs. Senior Andrew Guillotte and freshman Joe Provenzano each recorded multiple-hits games along while each scored a run.
The Pokes started things off in the first inning when Lloyd’s outfield single drove in the first of two RBI’s on the day.
Following base-hits from Provenzano and Guillotte in the bottom of the third inning, Lloyd drop a single into left field that helped the Cowboys scrape another run across the plate and extend the McNeese lead to a 2-0 ballgame.
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Nicholls 9, Central Arkansas 3
CONWAY, Ark. –One day after getting blanked on four hits, the Nicholls State University offensive erupted, as the Colonels downed Central Arkansas by a 9-3 final, utilizing a 16-hit attack at Bear Stadium.
Nicholls (20-14-1, 9-8 SLC) came storming out of the gate with a three-run double by
Alex Tucker in the 1st. Colonel lefthander
Grant Borne served up a leadoff home run to Tyler Langley in the bottom of the inning, but did not allow another batter to reach cleanly until the fourth inning, when the Bears (18-11, 9-5 SLC) left the bases loaded.
In the meantime, the Colonels supported Borne with an RBI single by
Darius Knight in the second and another by
David Zorn in the third.
Tanner Vandevere tagged on a run-scoring double in the 5th before
Kyle Reese singled home a run in the sixth.
Seth Stevens added an RBI fielder's choice in the two-run frame.
Central Arkansas' Brandon Montalvo countered with a two-run double in the home half of the sixth, but Nicholls replied again with a
Justin Holt groundout RBI in the seventh to complete the scoring.
Borne (3-4) registered his second straight victory. He went eight innings, surrendering three runs on seven hits with four walks and six strikeouts.
Marc Frazier tossed a perfect ninth.
UCA used six pitchers, with none lasting longer than 2 1/3 innings. Starter Brandon Hagerla (4-2) took the loss, yielding five earned runs on seven hits with a walk.
Justin Smith, who entered the game with just five hits on the year, led Nicholls with three hits on the day, including a double. Smith scored twice. Knight, Reese, Tucker, Vandevere, Zorn and
Joey Morales each registered two hits. Zorn scored a pair of runs.
Montalvo recorded a pair of UCA's seven hits.
With the series even at a game apiece, the Colonels go for the win on Sunday at 1 p.m. Righthander
Justin Sinibaldi (6-1, 1.01 ERA) goes for Nicholls while righty Riley Echols (2-1, 2.70 ERA) counters for Central Arkansas. The game can be heard on KTIB 640 AM.
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Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 12, Abilene Christian 2
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi baseball team picked up a 12-2 victory over Abilene Christian in the middle game of the series Saturday afternoon at Chapman Field. The win puts the Islanders above the .500 mark on the season at 16-15 while the team improves to 6-8 in Southland Conference action.
The Islanders jumped on top of the visiting Wildcats from the start of things, scoring two runs in the third to take the early advantage. They would not look back as they poured onto the run total midway through the game, scoring 10 runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
A&M-Corpus Christi outhit Abilene Christian, 12- 5 on the day with Trevor Belicek holding the Wildcats (8-23, 6-8 SLC) to just three hits to pick up his sixth win of the year. Belicek, a Uvalde, Texas native, struck out 10 ACU batters and walked just two in seven complete innings.
The bullpen finished the game off for the Islanders as right-hander Thomas Casey came in relief in the eighth and allowed two runs. Senior AJ Flores shut down the Wildcats in the ninth, striking out a batter in the process.
Jordan Lee, who had another great day at the plate, led the Islanders offensively. The senior finished the day 3-for-4 with three hits including a two-run home run in the fifth. The homer marks the second in as many days and the third of the year for the Houston, Texas native.
Junior transfer Casey Thomas also delivered at the plate for the Islanders, finishing with two his and three RBI's. Lukas Hermanson picked up his first extra-base hit of the year with a double in the third inning on his way to a 2-for-3 day in the box and two RBI's.
Tyler Ware went for multiple hits for the eighth time this year with a 2-for-3 performance. The senior also continued to add on to his team-leading total of walks as he drew his 26th of the year Saturday.
The Islanders will wrap up the series Sunday as they take on the Wildcats at 1 p.m. at Chapman Field. Sophomore Devin Skapura is scheduled to take the mound.
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Sam Houston State 5, UIW 0
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Right-handed pitcher Sam Odom produced Sam Houston’s third complete game performance to lead the Bearkats to a 5-0 Southland Conference victory over UIW at Don Sanders Stadium Saturday.
The win completed a series sweep of the Cardinals, evening the Kats’ second record at 19-19 and upping the team’s league mark to 11-7. UIW dropped to 11-23 for the year and 2-13 in Southland play.
Rightfielder Bryce Johnson was 2-for-4 with two RBI to lead Sam Houston at the plate. The Bearkats totaled nine hits.
Odom (2-4) faced 31 batters in his nine innings of work, striking out 10 Cardinals and giving up only four hits.
After three scoreless innings, Sam Houston got on the board with two runs in the fourth. First baseman Spence Rahm and Johnson both singled and second baseman Zach Smith walked to load the bases.
Rahm scored on a sacrifice fly by catcher Hunter Courson. Johnson scored on a balk.
Johnson added two more runs in the fifth inning with a single up the middle. The hit scored left fielder Hayden Simerly who led off the inning with a walk and center fielder Colt Atwood who singled.
Pinch hitter Dalton Perry singled down the right field line to score third baseman Ryan Brinley who walked to up the SHSU lead to 5-0 in the sixth frame.
Sam Houston travels to Austin to take on the Longhorns Tuesday in a 6 p.m. non-conference game. Next Southland Conference action for the baseball team is a road trip to Abilene Christian Friday through Sunday, April 17-19.
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Northwestern State 13, New Orleans 3
NATCHITOCHES, La. – Earlier this season, Jeffrey Stovall threw nine innings in a game and was not rewarded with a complete game, as the Demons played 16 innings against Sacred Heart.
The Demons’ offense helped Stovall get even for that Saturday afternoon at Brown-Stroud Field, tying a season-high in runs, as they completed a three-game sweep of New Orleans with a 13-3 run-rule victory against the Privateers.
Stovall (4-3) worked all seven innings, earning the first complete game of his career, six weeks after his nine-inning outing against Sacred Heart came up short of the complete-game requirement.
Whereas Stovall started quickly, retiring the first six Privateers he faced, the Demons offense took a little longer to find its stride against UNO right-hander Daniel Martinez (0-3).
Once NSU did, the Demons (20-15, 12-5 Southland) tallied the second-most hits in a game this season (16), one off their season high against Mississippi Valley State on March 24. The 13 runs tied the season high set the same day against the Delta Devils.
After the Privateers took a 2-1 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth, the Demons bats awakened.
C.J. Webster opened a three-run fourth inning with a leadoff triple before Cade Jones walked. Dugas (2-for-4, RBI) then laced a game-tying double off the left-field wall that drove Martinez from the game.
Heath then welcomed reliever Darron McKigney with a two-run double to left, snapping the tie and putting NSU ahead for good.
The Demons weren’t done, as they added four runs in the sixth and five runs in the seventh to land their first run-rule victory of the season. Southland Conference bylaws state getaway-day games will end if one team holds a 10-run rule after at least 61Ž2 innings of play.
NSU reached that plateau when Webster took a 1-2 pitch from left-hander Mitchell Cohen and flipped it through the right side for the 10-run lead.
Webster joined Heath and Cort Brinson as Demons with three hits while David Fry and Dugas added two hits apiece. Brinson extended his hitting streak to a career-long 17 games while leadoff hitter Joel Atkinson tied a career high with three runs scored.
After scoring 10 total runs in the first two games of the series, NSU’s offense finally resembled the one that pushed third-ranked LSU to the wire in Baton Rouge on Wednesday.
The Demons play a pair of road midweek games for the second straight week, as they head to Starkville, Miss., to face former Demons skipper John Cohen’s Mississippi State Bulldogs on Tuesday before completing a home-and-home season series with ULM in Monroe on Wednesday.
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Houston Baptist 13, Stephen F. Austin 3 (7)
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – HBU senior centerfielder Zach Nehrir was a single shy of the cycle and posted six RBIs and scored twice as the Huskies run-ruled Stephen F. Austin, 13-3 in seven innings, to complete the sweep of a three-game Southland Conference series Saturday at Jaycees Field.
Nehrir recorded a two-run double, a two-run triple and a two-run home run for the Huskies (19-15, 10-5 SLC). Junior shortstop Louie Payetta was 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs and scored twice, while extending his hitting streak to eight games. Junior designated hitter Austin Saenz was 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, an RBI and a pair of runs, senior rightfielder Thomas Clay went 3-for-3 and scored three times, and junior second baseman Greg Espinosa doubled and drove in a pair.
Senior righthander Taylor Wright (6-3) earned the win, allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits, with a career-high tying nine strikeouts and a walk in six innings. Senior Chris Garza tossed a scoreless ninth.
Garrett McMullen went 2-for-2 with a doubled and scored twice, while Nick Ramos was 2-for-4 with a run for the Lumberjacks (12-23, 6-11). Conner Fikes singled and drove in a pair.
Jarred Greene (1-4) took the loss for SFA, giving up seven runs on seven hits with one strikeout and a pair of walks in three and two-thirds innings.
The Lumberjacks got on the board first taking advantage of a couple of Husky errors to score an unearned run in the second.
The Huskies answered with a four-spot in the top of the third. Junior first baseman Andrew Alvarez drew a leadoff walk, then Clay followed with an infield single. Nehrir ripped a two-run triple to the rightcenter field gap, then Payetta blasted a home run to right, his third dinger of the season to put HBU ahead, 4-1.
In the bottom of the inning, Ramos led off with a single, then McMullen doubled with two outs. Fikes singled up the middle to score both runners and cut the Huskies lead to 4-3.
HBU scored three runs in each of the next three innings. In the fourth, Saenz led off with a solo home run to rightcenter, his second of the season. Alvarez walked, Clay was safe on another infield single, then Nehrir followed with a two-run double left.
In the fifth, Espinosa slapped a two-run doubled inside the first base bag, the scored on a pair of SFA errors to extend HBU’s lead to 10-3.
In the sixth, Clay led off with a single, then Nehrir rocked a two-run shot to left, his first career home run as a Husky. Payetta walked and later scored on a wild pitch for the game’s final tally.
The Huskies will return to action when they face Texas Southern Tuesday at 2 p.m. at MacGregor Park in Houston, before a three-game conference series on the road against Lamar Friday through Sunday in Beaumont.
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Utah 14, Southeastern Louisiana 5
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah rallied from an early deficit to defeat Southeastern Louisiana, 14-5, Saturday at Smith's Ballpark.
Southeastern (26-10) had its four-game winning streak snapped as Utah (11-20) split the series at one game apiece.
The Lions jumped out in front early, 5-1, with three runs in the first and another two in the third.
Julian Service led off the third with a single to right field and then stole second base. Daniel Midyett drove in Service with a double to right-center.
Kevin Carr singled up the middle, putting runners on the corners. Brett Hoffman then singled to left for the Lions' fourth-straight hit to open the inning, driving in Midyett.
Utah scored 13 unanswered runs to close out the game.
Dalton Carroll (4-4) earned the win for the Utes. Junior right-hander Jake Johnson (6-1) suffered the loss, his first of the season.
Midyett (2-for-4) and Hoffman (2-for-4) led the Lions at the plate. Freshman Drew Avans picked up his first collegiate hit in the ninth, a pinch-hit single to left.
Southpaw Kyle Cedotal (4-2, 1.84), a junior from Denham Springs, Louisiana, draws the starting nod for Southeastern in Sunday's series finale against Ute right-hander Jayson Rose (2-3, 4.07).
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