SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Louisiana Christian University baseball team put itself in position to potentially win the series against Our Lady of the Lake by winning the first game of Saturday's doubleheader but dropped the rubber game 9-5 Saturday afternoon at Missions Baseball Academy.
 
Game 1 – Louisiana Christian 6, Our Lady of the Lake 2
 
Adrian Aguilar got the Wildcat offense started fast, hitting a double to open the contest. A double play behind him threatened to leave him stranded on third base, but Ju'Juan Franklin made sure that would not happen as he doubled to left to score Aguilar to give LCU a 1-0 lead.
 
In the third inning, the Wildcats extended the lead as Jacob Fowler led off the frame with a triple and would come in on Alex Ashby's sacrifice fly to right which made it 2-0 LCU.
 
Fowler's speed came into play again to help LCU extend the lead again in the fifth inning. After beating out a potential double play ball to keep the inning alive, but with two outs, Fowler was off on the crack of the bat as Adrian Aguilar sent a pitch to the left-center gap. Fowler motored all the way from first to the plate to score and give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.
 
OLLU made it a one-run game in the bottom of the fifth by scoring a pair of runs, but LCU would maintain the lead at the end of the inning, and then in the sixth, extended it back out again as Dru Scully, pinch running for Ju'Juan Franklin, came home on a passed ball.
 
LCU added some key insurance in the final inning. Haydon Helms led off with a pinch hit double. Jacob Fowler and Adrian Aguilar both bunted for base hits to load the bases with no outs. Keelyn Johnson's base hit through the left side scored Helms. With the bases still loaded, Nick Brunet drew a walk forcing Fowler home for a 6-2 Wildcat lead. The Wildcats would not be threatened in the bottom of the seventh as LCU secured the win.
 
Adrian Aguilar saw the ball well in game one, going three of four at the plate with two doubles, a run scored, and a RBI. Jacob Fowler went two for three with a triple and three runs scored. Ju'Juan Franklin was also two for three with a double and a RBI. Alex Ashby, Keelyn Johnson, and Nick Brunet all picked up a RBI in the contest.
 
Cortlynn Ramirez (5-0) went 5.1 innings and gave up seven hits and two runs, both earned, with five strikeouts and three walks. Colten Newsom picked up his third save of the season as he came on in the sixth with two runners on and one out and needed just one pitch to get out of that inning. He threw the final 1.2 innings and allowed only a single and no runs as he faced just one batter over the minimum.
 
Game 2 – Louisiana Christian 5, Our Lady of the Lake 9
 
As they had all series long, LCU cracked the scoreboard first, getting a pair of big hits with two outs to get a run across. Nicolas Ramos and Ty Morgan went back-to-back with doubles to take a 1-0 lead as Ramos touched home.
 
But the game went solidly against the Wildcats in the bottom half of the frame as the pitchers struggled to find the strike zone, allowing OLLU to get six runs across in the inning and blow the game open with the benefit of just one base hit and one error out in the field.
 
Beau Freeman tried to get a rally going as he hit a solo homer in the fifth to get some momentum going.
 
In the sixth, the Wildcats pulled closer as a Ty Morgan single scored Jacob Fowler and a bases loaded walk to Alex Ashby forced home Nicolas Ramos to cut the deficit to just 6-4.
 
OLLU got one of those runs back in the bottom of the sixth to make it 7-4, only to see LCU get that run right back in the top of the seventh as Peyton Lamartiniere's pinch hit RBI single scored Ju'Juan Franklin to cut the Saints lead back down to two runs at 7-5.
 
But that would be as close as LCU would get the rest of the way as OLLU added a run each in the seventh and eighth to extend their advantage and the Wildcats would get no more runs across in the contest.
 
Nicolas Ramos led the offense in the nightcap, going two for four with a double, a walk, and two runs scored. Adrian Aguilar also went two for four with a walk. Ty Morgan went two for five with a double and two RBI. Beau Freeman's one hit was his second home run of the season. Peyton Lamartiniere and Alex Ashby also had a RBI each in the contest. The Wildcats out-hit the Saints 10-8 in the contest.
 
Trip Flotte (2-1) started the game and went 1.1 innings, allowing just one hit but four runs, all earned, with two walks and two strikeouts. After the combination of Dylan Coburn and Blake Windham secured one out, the onus went to Colten Newsom, fresh off his save in game one. And Newsome settled things down, finishing out the final 6.1 innings, allowing seven hits and three runs, all earned, with two walks and four strikeouts.
 
The Wildcats (15-6, 9-3 RRAC) look to get back to winning series next weekend as Huston-Tillotson comes into town for a three game conference series. First pitch of Friday's single game against the Rams (7-13, 5-7 RRAC) is set for 6:00 P.M. at Billy Allgood Field at Legacy Stadium.