ALEXANDRIA, La. – The Louisiana College baseball team opened American Southwest Conference play on Saturday, battling through two games where pitching dominated for the most part, but the Mary Hardin-Baylor bats did just a bit more damage in both games as the Wildcats fell 5-1 and 2-0 to the Crusaders Saturday at Holy Savior Menard Central High School's Eagle Field.
Game 1 – Mary Hardin-Baylor 5, Louisiana College 1
The Crusaders did enough early damage that once the pitchers started getting into their groove, UMHB had enough of a head start. A RBI single and a two-run home run gave UMHB a 3-0 lead after one inning, and then a solo homer made it 4-0 after two innings of play. They added another run on a RBI single in the fourth.
LC got a rally going in the fifth, which started when
Ty Morgan was hit by a pitch to open the frame. That was followed by a single by
Brodie Falgoust. After a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position,
Brady Atkins hit a ground ball off the pitcher that allowed pinch runner
Jacob Fowler to score to cut the deficit to 5-1, but back-to-back strike outs ended the LC rally and the Wildcats would not threaten again in the contest.
Brady Atkins,
Dane Pedersen, and
Brodie Falgoust each had a hit in the game to account for all three LC base knocks in the contest. Atkins also drew a walk and had the Wildcats' lone RBI in game one.
Alex Ashby drew a pair of walks and stole a pair of bases in two steal attempts.
Andrew Robinson (1-1) went the distance for the Wildcats, allowing six hits and five runs, all earned, in the seven innings with eight strike outs and no walks.
Game 2 – Mary Hardin-Baylor 2, Louisiana College 0
In game two, the starting pitchers were both in control from the start, limiting base runners and chances for the two offenses. LC starter
Brooks Southall retired eight straight UMHB batters from the second to the fifth innings before the Crusaders scratched one across in the fifth. A double play to end the fifth was the first of ten straight batters retired by Southall to close out his day when he came off the field at the end of the top of the eighth inning. UMHB scratched across an insurance run in the top of the ninth inning.
Even in a pitching duel, the Wildcat offense had its chances, including doubles with less than two outs by
Ty Morgan in the third inning and
Keelyn Johnson in the seventh inning, but couldn't get them home. LC even got a bit of a two-out rally going in the bottom of the ninth as a
Christian Vandergrift single and
Keelyn Johnson base on balls brought the winning run to the plate, but a strike out ended the threat.
Keelyn Johnson led the Louisiana College offense in game two, going two of three with a double and a walk.
Ty Morgan went one for three with a double.
Brooks Southall (0-2) took the hard luck loss on the mound. He went eight innings and gave up three hits and a run, which was earned, struck out ten and walked two.
Konnor McDermott threw the ninth inning and allowed three hits with one earned run, walked on and struck out one.
The Wildcats (3-4, 0-2 ASC) look to salvage a game of the series on Sunday from Mary Hardin-Baylor. First pitch of the series finale against the Crusaders (5-1, 2-0 ASC) is set for 1:00 P.M. at Holy Savior Menard's Eagle Field.
