Todd Ryals

Late Inning Miscues Cost Wildcats

4/14/2017 9:05:00 PM

By: LC Sports Information - Brad Welborn

Box Score

With the score tied in the seventh inning of a nine inning game, a bases loaded sacrifice fly to left led to two runs after two throwing errors on the same play to put the University of Texas at Dallas in the the drivers seat for the series sweep over Louisiana College. The game ended in a 5-2 Wildcats loss, dropping LC to 18-15 overall and 9-12 in conference play. The sweep moves the Wildcats to the eighth spot in the American Southwest Conference standing with three games conference games left for the Wildcats.

The Comets took an early lead on the Wildcats with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. A double brought in the first run, and an RBI single up the middle put the Comets ahead 2-0. Sully Martin prevented a third run to score by throwing a man out at the plate to end the inning.

Wildcats' starter Charlie Waddingham kept the hot hitting Comets in check through the next five innings of play, thanks to another outfield assist at the plate from Kiefer Moore in the second inning, and some key strikeouts and fly ball outs. The Wildcats had a couple of chances to score but were unable to break through until the top of the fifth.

In the inning, the Wildcats put together a quick 2-run rally to tie the game. With Zane Corbell sitting at third base, Walt Aldridge ripped a double down the left field line to bring Corbell in and cut the Comet lead in half. Seth Stevens followed with a base hit up the middle that allowed Aldridge to race home from second to tie the game.

The score remained tied through the sixth, heading into the bottom of the seventh. With the bases loaded and one out in the inning, a fly ball to left scored a run on the sacrifice, but some aggressive base running and two throwing errors by the Wildcats led to another run on the play and put a runner at third base. A base hit by the next batter made it a three run deficit, with just six offensive outs to play with in the game.

LC couldn't start a rally in the eighth, but got runners to the corners and the tying run at the plate in the ninth, but, in a rare occurrence, Sully Martin was thrown out at second trying to steal for the final out of the game.

Charlie Waddingham had another quality outing, scattering 10 hits over 5.1 innings and only allowing two earned runs with two strikeouts. Jacob Buchanan pitched 1.1 inning in relief and took the loss, allowing three runs on four hits. Evan Mativi kept the Wildcats in the game going the final 1.1 innings giving up no runs on two hits.

The six LC hits were spread across five batters, with Kiefer Moore picking up two in the game. Walt Aldridge and Seth Stevens both had RBI hits in the game and went 1-for-3 with a walk each.

The Wildcats return to action next Friday for a doubleheader in Shreveport against Centenary College. They will play a home-and-home four game series with the Gents, with two games in Shreveport on Friday and two games at Billy Allgood Field on Saturday. The pair in Pineville will begin at 1 p.m. Stay connected to Louisiana College baseball by following @LC_bsb or @LC_Wildcats on Twitter and liking LC Athletics on Facebook.

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