Jordan Meisner

Wildcats Split Offensive Shootouts

4/1/2017 7:56:00 PM

By: LC Sports Information - Brad Welborn

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

It was a tough day to be a pitcher in Alpine, Texas, as the Louisiana College and Sul Ross State University doubleheader had no shortage of offense in either of the two games. The Wildcats were out gunned in the first game of the day 20-11 but came back with a 14-8 win in the night cap to take the twin billing and in turn the series over the Lobos. LC returns to Billy Allgood Field next weekend for a three game American Southwest Conference series against the University of Texas at Tyler.

Game 1

In a wild opening game on Saturday afternoon, the Wildcats and Lobos combined for 31 runs on 34 hits and on three combined errors. Twelve players had two or more hits in the game and the Lobos had six players with three or more hits.

The scoring started early, and things looked good for the Wildcats as a single to center field off the bat of Deauton Delgado brought in Ashton Martin for the games first run. Kiefer Moore followed with a double to left that gave the Wildcats a 2-0 lead. LC added another on an RBI groundout and stole a run on a wild pitch and LC had a 4-0 lead after a half inning of play.

The 4-0 lead didn't last long for LC, as starting pitcher Austin Thompson struggled to hit his spots, allowing a lead off single, a walk, and hit a batter to load the bases with no-out. The Lobos clean-up hitter deposited a ball over the right center field wall and tied the game at four on one swing of the bat.

The Wildcats couldn't respond in the second, but the Lobos were just getting started with their offensive onslaught. Sul Ross sent 11 men to the plate in the bottom of the second inning and scored seven runs on seven hits. They hit four doubles and a triple in the inning and jumped out to an 11-4 lead on the Wildcats after two innings of play.

They added to their lead in the third, with three more extra base hits including a 2-run home run and a 2-out, 3-run homer to put the home team ahead 17-4 after just three innings of play. LC slightly clawed their way closer in the fourth with four runs on two hits and an error in the inning. Kiefer Moore hit his second run scoring double of the game in the frame but LC still trailed 17-8 mid way through the game.

Sul Ross hits another home run in the bottom of the fourth, and back-to-back doubles in the fifth scored two more runs to give them a 20-8 lead after five innings of action. The last bit of offense in the shootout came in the top of the seventh from the Wildcats. With 2-out in the inning Walt Aldridge hit a triple to left center to score two runs and then he came in on a double by Seth Stevens.

Both teams used four pitchers each in the game, and the Wildcats Carson Bolyer was saddled with the loss, his first of the season. The Lobos third pitcher of the game, James DeLeon, was the only pitcher not to allow a run in the game. The teams combined for 17 extra base hits in the game, five of them from the Wildcats. Ashton Martin (2-4), Walt Aldridge (2-2), Kiefer Moore (3-4), and Steven Pizano (2-3) all had multiple hits in the game one loss.

Game 2

After falling behind 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning, the Wildcats recovered quickly scoring the next five runs over their next two trips to the plate. In the top of the second Sully Martin delivered the Cats first RBI hit of the day with a single to center field to cut the Lobos lead in half. Two batters later, with the bases loaded, a dropped third strike from the catcher went all the way to the backstop allowing another run to score from third to tie the game.

In the top of the third inning, LC gained the lead on a 2-out, 2-run home run from Garrett Parker, his second of the season, which was immediately followed by a solo shot from Steven Pizano, two pitches later, that put LC ahead 5-2 after three innings of play. The Lobos cut into the lead with a run in the fourth but the Wildcats answered again in the top of the fifth.

Deauton Delgado cranked a solo home run to left center with 1-out, the third long ball of the day for the Wildcats. Later in the inning, after three straight single loaded the bases, Zane Corbell picked up a hard RBI when he took a pitch off his left arm to allow the run to score from third. Ashton Martin followed the hit by pitch with a 2-run single to right to score Sully Martin and Pizano, giving LC a 9-3 lead after four and a half innings.

The Lobos chipped away in their next two at-bats with a run each, but the Wildcats limited them to just those runs, stranding five runners on base from the fifth to the eighth innings. Already leading 9-5 entering the top of the ninth inning, the Wildcats weren't quite done with the bats. Delgado hit his second home run of the game, and third of the series to start the top of the last inning. A double off the wall from Sully Martin four batters later scored another run and Zane Corbell drove in two more on a base hit up the middle to put the Wildcats up 13-5. They added one more on a throwing error at first and Sul Ross scored three runs in the bottom of the inning but Phillip Vidrine was able to get the final out and give the Wildcats the series win.

The Wildcats used five different pitchers in the game, with only starter Bo Ockman going more than 2.0 innings. Austin Taylor got the win going 2.0 innings allowing one run on two hits with one strikeout. Trey Ducote also pitched 2.0 shut out innings in relief allowing three hits and getting one strikeout.

LC hit four home runs in the game, the most in a single game all year, and Deauton Delgado went 3-for-6 with two home runs, two runs scored, and two RBI. Four other Wildcats had multiple hits in the game including a 3-for-5 performance from Sully Martin and a 2-for-4 day for Garrett Parker with a home run, three runs scored and two RBI.

The Wildcats return to Billy Allgood Field next weekend for a pivotal matchup in the ASC against conference leader Texas-Tyler. The series will also serve as host for LC's annual "Autism Awareness Game" on Friday night, and the "Cats Crush Cancer" day on Saturday. The series is scheduled for a single game Friday at 6 p.m. and a doubleheader Saturday starting at 12 p.m. Stay connected to Louisiana College baseball all season a www.lcwildcats.net, following @LC_bsb on Twitter, and liking LC Athletics on Facebook.

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