Maycee Lachney

Baseball Takes First Two from Cru

3/9/2018 6:30:00 PM

By: LC Sports Information - Brad Welborn

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

The Louisiana College baseball team returned to American Southwest Conference play on Friday night with a doubleheader against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas. The Wildcats took both games of the double dip with a convincing 10-2 win in game one and an extra inning thriller 7-6 win in game two. The teams will wrap up their series on Saturday afternoon with a 1 p.m. start at Red Murff Field in Belton, Texas.

Game 1

The Wildcats wasted no time in putting their first runs of the game on the board in the top of the first. Deuaton Delgado and Duncan Cornfoot delivered back-to-back doubles that plated two early runs for the Wildcats, Brady Atkins coming in along with Delgado on the second two-bagger. Two relatively quick, scoreless innings sent things to the fourth inning where the Wildcats added to their lead in a big way.

Another double in the game, this one from Steven Pizano to lead off the inning, set the stage for the Wildcats. With runners at second and third and 1-out later in the inning, Brady Atkins sent a ball through the right side bringing in Pizano from third. Two batters later Delgado singled through the left side as well, but an error by the left fielder allowed a second run to score on the play and send Delgado all the way to third base. He came in on a wild pitch during the next at-bat and LC had a 6-0 lead after three and a half inning of play.

The Cru got their only two runs of the game on a 2-out, 2-run homerun in the bottom of the inning, but the momentum they gained was quickly lost as the Wildcats added three more runs to their total in the top of the fifth. All three runs came on the swing of Zane Corbell as he deposited his first homerun of the season over the left field wall bringing in Pizano and Hunter Bower who both singled in the inning. The Wildcats made it 10 runs in the top of the sixth, taking advantage of another Cru error, that allowed Delgado to score easily as the ball trickled into foul territory.

Blayne Haro (2-1) finished the final two innings with two of his best efforts, retiring the final six batters for the Cru in order to complete the seven-inning game one final. Haro tossed his first complete game of the season, going all 7.0 innings allowing just two runs on three hits with four strikeouts.

Leadoff batter Brady Atkins was 4-for-5 in the game with an RBI and two runs scored and Deauton Delgado was 3-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored. Duncan Cornfoot added two hits, both doubles, and Steven Pizano three more. Zane Corbell's only hit of the game was his 3-run homerun in the sixth inning.

Game 2

Just as they did in the first game of the day, the Wildcats got on the board first with two runs in the top of the first inning. Steven Pizano broke the ice with an RBI single down the right field line, then Blaine Ouber dumped a pitch into left center for the second RBI hit in a row to put the Cats up 2-0 after a half inning of play.

UMHB cut the lead in half in the bottom of the second on an RBI double to right center, then took their first lead of the day in the third on another RBI double and a ground out two batters later to go ahead 3-2 after three innings. Their lead didn't last long though as the Wildcats came back with two runs of their own in the top of the fifth to go back on top. On an almost identical play as the one earlier in the day in left, Deauton Delgado singled up the middle but an error by the outfielder allowed him to get to third and Brady Atkins to come in to score easily from second to tie the game. Duncan Cornfoot brought Delgado in on sacrifice bunt and the Wildcats were once again in the lead.

The Cru tied the game in the sixth on a sacrifice fly to center, but with the bases loaded in the an only one out in the inning, the damage could have been much worse if not for an inning-ending strikeout by Phillip Vidrine. LC answered UMHB's run with once of their own in the top of the next inning, as Sully Martin doubled down the right field line to score Atkins from second and give the Wildcats the lead back at 5-4.

The score remained the same through the next two-plus innings as Vidrine continued to mow down the Cru hitters, striking out eight in 4.1 innings of work out of the bullpen. With 2-outs in the bottom of the ninth, UMHB nine-hole batter Mitch Patterson tied the game with one swing of the bat on a solo homerun to left field. Vidrine got his ninth strikeout of the game on the next batter but the game was headed to extra innings.

Neither team threatened in the 10^th but in the 11^th the Wildcats had runners on first and second with 2-out when Sully Martin singled to right center, bringing in the go-ahead run. Deuaton Delgado added a crucial insurance run on a base hit to left and the Wildcats led 7-5 going into the bottom of the inning.

Two walks to start the inning made things interesting and nerve-racking for the Wildcats. A sacrifice bunt moved the tying run into scoring position with 1-out and a sacrifice fly scored one and moved the tying run to third with 2-out. Freshman pitcher Tyler Atkins, who came in the game in relief in the 10^th got Patterson to swing and miss for the final out of the game, securing the win and leaving the tying run at third.

Tyler Atkins got the win, the first of his career, going 2.0 innings allowing one run, but no hits, with three strikeouts. Deauton Delgado got the start on the mound and went 4.1 innings giving up three runs on three hits with eight strikeouts while Phillip Vidrine pitched 4.2 innings of relief allowing two runs, one of them earned, on two hits with nine strikeouts, both pitchers receiving a no decision for their efforts. The three Wildcats hurlers struck out a total of 20 batters in the 11-inning game.

Sully Martin was 3-for-5 in the game with two RBI, Deauton Delgado was 4-for-6 with two RBI and two runs scored. Brady Atkins went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and Blaine Ouber added two hits and an RBI in the win.

The Wildcats and Cru will finish their three game series on Saturday afternoon with a 1 p.m. start scheduled at Red Murff Field in Belton, Texas. 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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