LC Hangs Tough but Tigers are Too Much

3/14/2017 8:14:00 PM

By: LC Sports Information

Box Score In front of a crowd of over 10 thousand fans, the Louisiana College Wildcats baseball team hung tough with power house LSU on their home field of Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. Despite a valiant effort from the Wildcats, LSU was too much for them to handle as the Tigers scored seven runs in the seventh inning to ice the game with a 13-0 final score. The Wildcats travel to East Texas Baptist Friday for the first game of their three game series with another set of Tigers.

Perhaps the nerves of playing on the biggest stage in college baseball, or the fact that LSU is that good, the Wildcats found themselves behind after the first inning of play. A hit batter and a walk put runners at first and second with 1-out in the first inning, and LSU's Deichmann doubled down the right field line to bring in the first run of the game for the Tigers. LSU followed with a sacrifice fly and a base hit up the middle for two more runs in the inning, going ahead 3-0.

Starting pitcher Jacob Buchanan settled into the game and got LSU to go down in order in the second, and the first reliever of the game, Charlie Waddingham entered the game in the bottom of the third and retired the first five batters he faced, before three straight base hits by the bottom of the the Tigers lineup plated two more runs and put them ahead 5-0 after four innings of play.

LC finally got to starting pitcher Zach Hess with a dribbler off the bat of Jarvis Griffith, to the left of the pitchers mound. Griffith used his speed to beat out the throw at first for the Wildcats first hit of the game, breaking up the perfect game and no-hitter in one at-bat. A pair of walks in the bottom of the inning led to another Tiger run, on a fly ball to shallow center allowing the runner from third to score on a close play at the plate.

The Wildcats had their first major chance to score in the top of the seventh, when Sully Martin led off the inning with in infield single, and moved to second on a balk, which was followed by a walk to Walt Aldridge to put runners at first and second with 1-out. The threat ended during the next at-bat as Garrett Parker grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the Wildcats half inning.

A lead off double in the seventh started the rally that would all but ice the game for the Tigers. After a fly ball to center gave LC 1-out in the inning, the next seven batters reached base by either a hit, fielder's choice or an error. The big hit came from Duplantis on his bases clearing double to right center that cleared the bases and added three more runs to the Tigers total. A fly ball and a ground out by the next two batters ended the inning but the Tigers held the commanding 13-0 lead over the Wildcats.

Save for a couple defensive miscues and some clutch hits from the Tigers, the Wildcats hung with the national powerhouse for the better part of the game. LC managed only three hits in the, all coming in the late innings, but were unable to get a runner past second base on the night.

Jacbo Buchanan suffered his fourth loss of the season, going 2.0 inning, giving up three runs, all in the first, and striking out two. Evan Mativi and Austin Taylor pitched a combined 2.2 innings of scoreless baseball late in the game for LC. Jarvis Griffith, Sully Martin, and Seth Stevens each had base hits in the game for the Wildcats.

LC will head to Marshall, TX this weekend for a pivotal conference matchup with rival East Texas Baptist.The series is scheduled for a single game Friday night beginning at 6 p.m. and will end with a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. Stay connected to Louisiana College baseball all season long at www.lcwildcats.net, following @LC_bsb on Twitter, and liking LC Athletics on Facebook.

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