Jordan Meisner

Wildcats Have No Trouble on Opening Day

2/16/2018 2:01:00 AM

By: LC Sports Information - Brad Welborn

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

It was a tale of two different games on Thursday night as Louisiana College opened the 2018 season, which ultimately ended with the same result, a Wildcat win. LC pounded out 14 hits and scored 21 runs in a 21-1 win in game one of the doubleheader and 4.0 innings of perfection on the mound from Carson Bolyer carried the Wildcats to an 8-0 win in game two over Rust College. The Wildcats and Bearcats will play two more games on Friday afternoon beginning at 2 p.m. at Billy Allgood Field.

Game 1

After the originally scheduled home opener was canceled last week, the Wildcats wasted no time in getting the bats going in game one against Rust on Thursday night. Duncan Cornfoot drove in the first run of the season on a sharp single to left field, plating Brady Atkins to give LC the early 1-0 lead.

The Wildcats busted the game open in the bottom of the next inning after two walks and an infield single loaded the bases with no-outs. A hit batter, two base hits, another walk and a passed ball allowed seven runs to come across the plate in the inning for LC and they were off and running with an 8-0 lead after just two innings of play. The Wildcats put up another crocked number in the bottom of the fourth on RBI singles from Blaine Ouber and Zane Corbell, along with a pair of sacrifice flies from Sully Martin and Cornfoot, putting LC up 14-1.

After a scoreless sixth, the Wildcats once again took advantage of some wild Rust pitching to score seven runs in the bottom of the sixth. Konnor James did deliver a 2-run double for one of the three hits in the inning. Charlie Gallusser drew a bases loaded walk for another run, and a pitch hit Brodie Falgoust with the bases juiced for another run three batters later.

The Wildcats had 14 hits in the game, only one of them going for extra bases, James' double in the sixth. Brady Atkins and Zane Corbell each went 2-for-3 in the game with two runs scored while Blaine Ouber was 2-for-2 with three runs scored, two RBI, and three walks.

On the mound for the Wildcats Andrew Robinson got the win going 4.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits with six strikeouts. Danny Wells and Sam Bruchhaus provided 3.0 combined innings of shutout work with three strikeouts each.

Game 2

If there was plenty of offense in the first game for the Wildcat faithful, there was plenty of pitching in game two, as Carson Bolyer retired the first 12 batters in a row to start the game, five of them on strikeouts. The junior from Minden didn't allow a hit or base runner until a lead off double to start the top of the fifth inning but got out of the inning with his sixth strikeout, leaving the runner at third.

Bolyer's dominance was rewarded by the Wildcat offense putting up two runs in the third, five in the fourth, and another in the fifth. Sully Martin brought in Brady Atkins on a sac fly to right for the first run of the third and Keelyn Johnson followed with an RBI single to right. The Wildcats broke things open in the fourth with five runs on three hits including and RBI single from Zane Corbell and a 2-run single by Brady Atkins. The final run of the game came on another sacrifice fly, this one from Corbell, for his third RBI of the day.

Brady Atkins went 2-for-3 in game two as well with a pair of RBI and two runs scored. Seven other Wildcats had hits in the game with Keelyn Johnson, Austin Futrell, and Zane Corbell each picking up a hit and an RBI in the game.

Carson Bolyer was the story on the mound for the Wildcats in game two, going 5.0 total innings, allowing just one hit, one walk, and striking out six, facing two over the minimum during his time on the bump. Dakota Durkes and Kevin Mahl, Jr each gave a shutdown 1-2-3 inning to finish off opening day for the Wildcats with a pair of win.

LC and Rust College will play another doubleheader on Friday afternoon, with first pitch for game one scheduled for 2 p.m. at Billy Allgood Field. Stay connected to Louisiana College baseball by following @LC_bsb on Twitter. For general athletics news follow @LC_Wildcats on Twitter or like Louisiana College Wildcats on Facebook.

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