Todd Ryals

Cats Split First Double with Gents

4/21/2017 11:05:00 PM

By: LC Sports Information

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

The Louisiana College baseball team split the first two games of their four game home-and-home series against Centenary College on Friday night in Shreveport. A late rally from the Gents secured their 8-3 win in game one but the Wildcats rode the hot bat of Deauton Delgado to a 5-4 victory in game two. The two team will make their way to Billy Allgood Field for a Saturday doubleheader that begins at 1 p.m., the first two games of the Wildcats five-game season ending home stand.

Game 1

The Gents struck first in the first game of the day, plating two runs in the bottom of the first inning. After retiring the first two batters of the game, back-to-back singles and a balk put runners at second and third. A ball hit to center broke the glove of Sully Martin for a hit allowing the runs to come in to score and give Centenary the early 2-0 lead.

After a scoreless second, Martin led off the third with a triple to deep center field and was promptly brought in on an RBI ground out by Ashton Martin on the very next pitch, cutting the lead in half at 2-1. The Wildcats then tied the game in the fourth on a squeeze bunt by Deauton Delgado that allowed Kiefer Moore to race home from third.

The tie didn't last long however, as the Gents struck again with 2-out in the inning and scored two runs on a throwing error after a ground ball that would have ended the inning. LC got back within a run in the top of the sixth on an RBI groundout by Delgado scored Moore, but the tying run was left stranded 90 feet away to end the half inning.

Centenary ran away with the game in the bottom of the sixth, with four straight base hits scored two runs, and a throwing error on an attempted steal allowed a third run to score, and a sacrifice fly plated the fourth.

Steven Pizano was the only Wildcats with multiple hits in the game and Deauton Delgado went 0-for-2 with two RBI. Austin Thompson pitched a complete game allowing eight run, five of them earned, on 13 hits with two strikeouts.

Game 2

Just as they did in the first game of the day, Centenary struck first in the bottom of the first inning. A 2-out single to left scored the first run of the game as the batter was thrown out at second trying to stretch the hit into a double. The Wildcats, though, answered quickly in the top of the second with back-to-back extra base hits. Steven Pizano ripped a 2-out, double to left center that was followed by a 2-run home run from Deauton Delgado, three pitches later, putting LC on top 2-1.

The Wildcats lead held until the bottom of the third when the Gents tied the game on a sacrifice fly to center. After a quick fourth and fifth innings, LC rallied for two more runs, the first of which scoring on a Delgado single up the middle to bring around Trey McNeal to score. A double from Zane Corbell and a walk by Sully Martin loaded the bases for LC with 1-out. Ashton Martin was hit by a pitch for the second run of the inning, but the next two batters struck out and flew out to left to leave the bags full.

Centenary got a run back in the bottom of the inning, but the Wildcats got it right back as a much needed insurance run in the top of the seventh. It was once again Deauton Delgado coming through for the Wildcats with a base hit up the middle to score Kiefer Moore from second. That run was the difference in the game as the Gents scored in the eighth after a 2-out triple, but were shut down by relief pitcher Evan Mativi, who picked up the 4-out save for LC, striking out the final batter of the game.

Mativi got his third save of the season, going 1.1 innings of hitless baseball with one strikeout. Freshman Andrew Robinson got his third win of the season, going 3.0 innings, allowing one run on three hits. Bo Ockman pitched the first three inning, giving up two runs on three hits, and Austin Taylor pitched 1.2 innings allowing one run on two hits with two strikeouts.

Deauton Delgado had a 3-for-4 game with four RBI and two runs scored, giving him six total RBI for the day. Steven Pizano also went 3-for-4 batting ahead of Delgado in the order and Kiefer Moore had two hits and scored a run in the nightcap as well.

The Wildcats and the Gents will play their final two games of the home-and-home series Saturday at Billy Allgood Field with game one beginning at 1p.m. LC plays their final five games of the season at home, and will host American Southwest Conference opponent Mary Hardin-Baylor next weekend. Stay connected to Louisiana College baseball by following @LC_bsb or @LC_Wildcats on Twitter or liking LC Athletics on Facebook.

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