STERLINGTON, La. – The #5 Louisiana Christian University baseball program survived a four-run rally in the ninth by their crosstown rivals that sent the RRAC 1st Round matchup to 11 innings, surviving to advance onto the winner's bracket with a roller-coaster 13-12 victory over the fourth-seeded LSU Alexandria Generals.
 
The Basics:
 

• Theme
  • Red River Athletic Conference Tournament
    • 1st Round

 

• Score (11 Innings)
  • #5 Louisiana Christian – 13
  • #4 LSU Alexandria – 12

 

• Records
  • #5 Louisiana Christian (28-18, 17-13 Red River)
  • #4 LSU Alexandria (21-22, 18-12 Red River)

 

• Location
  • Sterlington, Louisiana – Sterlington Sports Complex

 

• Series History (Since 2003)
  • LSU Alexandria Leads 19-17 (47.2%)

 

• Winning Streak (Since 2003)
  • Louisiana Christian (W3) | LSU Alexandria's Last Win: March 1, 2024 (21-16)

 
Wildcats Top Performers:
 

• Big bopper #1 that was referenced in the headline was the six-foot, 235-pound Braden Trull, who did it all during his 2-for-4 (.500) night, smacking his tied for team-high fifth home run for a two-run bomb, walking and scoring three times each, and drove in a contest-best four RBIs including the game-winner in the top of the 11th.

 

• The second big bopper came via the towering 6-foot-3, 215-pound backstop Tyler McKenna, as one of the nation's best hitters for batting average (sixth in NAIA coming in) raised his number by two points with a 3-of-6 (.500) ballgame in which he produced a trio of ribbies courtesy of an RBI single, RBI double, and a sacrifice fly on top of crossing the plate once.

 

• Hunter Gotreaux watched ball four go by on four separate occasions, smacking a single and placing his foot on the dish on three of those instances.

 

• Harrison Waxley registered a pair of RBIs and got on-base safely three times (two hits, one walk) with a score while Nick Lorio had the same stat line as Waxley, minus the runs batted in but adding on a stolen base.

 

• Senior Nicholas Brunet, who graduated with a nursing degree earlier that day, only had one hit but it came in a clutch spot, sending the ball careening for a two-run double.

 

• Trip Flotte could not have picked up his first win of the year in a bigger spot, putting the brakes on the Purple and Gold during the bonus baseball session with five of his six outs being whiffs and his lone flaw was giving up a pair of walks.

 

• Braxton Cooksey has pitched his way into a starting role as of late, getting the nod in the critical opening game and going 4.2 innings of three-run work (two earned) plus a fistful of strikeouts (5).

 
Notes:
 

• The 11-frame free-for-all was the longest game for LCU since February 19, 2022 when the Wildcats fell 10-7, also against LSUA.

 

• Coach Byrnes' warriors have now won the First Round contest in the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament in all three seasons as a member since switching to the NAIA, have won at least one game in the conference tourney in each of their past five berths, and have not been swept out of a league round-robin since 2014.

 
Next:
  

• If the weather in northern Louisiana decides to cooperate, the Cats will lock horns with the fourth-ranked team in the NAIA and three-time defending RRAC Regular Season Champion LSU Shreveport Pilots on Thursday at 5 p.m. in the Monroe suburbs.

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Follow the Wildcats on Facebook (@LCUAthletics), Twitter/X (@LCU_Wildcats) and Instagram (@LCU_Wildcats).