PINEVILLE, La. – The Louisiana Christian University baseball team got three home runs during its Red River Athletic Conference-opening doubleheader against LSU Alexandria, two coming off Ju'Juan Franklin's bat, as the Wildcats split the two games against the Generals, winning game one 5-3 before falling in the second game 10-7 in 11 innings.
 
Game 1 – LSU Alexandria 3, Louisiana Christian 5
 
Franklin got things started in style in the second inning. After Brunet opened the frame with a lead-off double, Franklin came up with one out and Brunet still on second base and drove a pitch over down the left field line and snuck it inside the foul pole for a two-run homer to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead.
 
LSUA pulled one of those runs back in the top of the third inning off a solo home run, and then took the lead in the fourth inning on a two-run homer to make it 3-2 Generals.
 
A two-out rally in the bottom of the fifth helped the Wildcats take the lead for good. With runners on first and second and two away, Nick Brunet dropped a base hit into left field which allowed Alex Ashby to come around from second to score and tie the game. In a pinch hit opportunity, Jacob Fowler rolled a ground ball to second that was booted, allowing Keelyn Johnson to come around from second to score and put LCU up 4-3.
 
The Wildcats got a key insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as Nicolas Ramos doubled with one out to get into scoring position, moved to third on a base hit by Beau Freeman, and scored on a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt by Adrian Aguilar for the 5-3 score. A single in the top half of the seventh allowed LSUA to get the tying run up to bat, but a line drive to Aguilar at second allowed the Wildcats to double off the runner at first to end the game.
 
Nick Brunet and Nicolas Ramos each went two-for-three in game one with both hitting a double and scoring a run in the process while Brunet also knocked in a run. Ju'Juan Franklin's home run, his first of the season, accounted for his lone hit, both RBI, and lone run scored in the contest. Adrian Aguilar accounted for the team's final RBI in the contest.
 
Brooks Southall (2-0) threw the first 5.1 innings of the contest and allowed two hits and three runs, all earned, walked one with no strikeouts as he picked up the win on the mound. Rett Bowman was asked to get just one batter out, which he did by inducing a pop up on the infield. Colten Newsom came on and finished the final 1.1 innings, allowing just one hit and ended up facing the minimum he had to get to finish the game and collect his first save of the season.
 
Game 2 – LSU Alexandria 10, Louisiana Christian 7 (11 innings)
 
The Generals started game 2 with a base hit, but that base runner was erased as Ty Morgan caught the runner trying to steal second base. That would be rather fortunate for the Wildcats as the batter at the plate at the time of the failed steal attempt would hit a home run to give LSUA a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
 
That's how the score would remain until the fourth inning as the Wildcats jumped ahead. Alex Ashby led off the bottom of the fourth with a base on balls, and after Ashby stole second, Keelyn Johnson decided to bring them both home with a home run to right-center to make it 2-1 Wildcats. Two batters later, Ju'Juan Franklin extended the lead with his second home run of the day, a solo shot also to right-center that gave LCU a 3-1 lead as the fourth inning ended.
 
LSUA got one of those runs back in the top of the fifth inning as a sacrifice fly scored a run to make the score 3-2. However, the Wildcats reestablished the two-run lead in the bottom of the fifth by taking advantage of an error that extended the inning. After Beau Freeman reached on a dropped fly ball in right field, Alex Ashby moved Freeman to second with a single, and then Freeman came home on a RBI double to the right-center gap by Keelyn Johnson.
 
The Wildcats cruised through the next few innings, trying to close out the win. However, a two-RBI single with one out in the top of the ninth tied the game at 4-4, though LCU was able to retire the side without allowing the leading run across. LCU could not get anything going in the bottom half as the game went to extra innings. In the tenth, LCU got two out and seemed primed to get out of the inning with a chance to walk it off, but three straight RBI base hits got LSUA up 7-4 before LCU ended the two-out rally.
 
In the bottom half, the Wildcats responded as Alex Ashby led off the frame getting hit by a pitch and Keelyn Johnson doubled to put runners at second and third. With one out, Franklin added to his day by dropping a base hit to right to score both the runners and get the Wildcats back within one. Dylan David, who took Franklin's spot on the base paths, moved to third on a pair of errors by the LSUA shortstop and came home on a wild pitch to tie the score at 7-7, forcing an 11^th inning.
 
But it was in the 11^th where a 3-run deficit became too much to overcome as LCU again had a chance to get out of the inning with no damage done, only to see a 3-run home run go over the right field wall to put LSUA up 10-7. A walk with one outs was all the offense the Wildcats put together in the bottom half as the game ended.
 
Keelyn Johnson was seeing the ball well in game two, going five-of-six at the plate with three doubles, his second home run of the season, three RBI, and two runs scored. Ju'Juan Franklin went three-for-five in game two, hitting his second home run of the day and season, and knocked in three runs. Ty Morgan went one-for-five with a double. Alex Ashby went one-for-four, drew a walk, was hit by a pitch, stole a base, and scored twice.
 
Chase Gardner (0-1) threw the 11^th inning and gave up two hits and three runs, all earned, walked one and struck out one. Beau Hebert started the game and threw five innings, allowing five hits and two runs, both earned, struck out six and didn't walk any batters. Branon Pope threw two innings and gave up just one hit and no runs with three strike outs and no walks. Tripp Flott threw 1.1 innings and gave up one hit and two runs, both earned, with two walks and three strikeouts. Blake Windham went 1.2 innings and allowed five hits and three runs, all earned, with two strikeouts and no walks.
 
The Wildcats (7-3, 1-1 RRAC) and Generals (3-3, 1-1 RRAC) finish the series out on Sunday with the rubber game to decide the series winner. First pitch of the rubber game is set for 1:00 P.M. at Billy Allgood Field at Legacy Stadium.