PINEVILLE, La. – The Louisiana Christian University baseball team scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to rally from a one-run deficit and defeat the St. Francis Cougars 6-2 Sunday afternoon in the Texas Roadhouse Red River Classic at Billy Allgood Field.
 
Louisiana Christian (15-2) struck first in the first inning. Brady Huffman sent a base hit up the middle with one out to get things started. He moved to second on a wild pitch and got to third on an errant pick-off attempt. Chris Kelley brought him home as he banged a double off the center field wall to make it 1-0.
 
That lead held all the way to the fifth inning where St. Francis (1-7) tied things up on a two-out RBI single. The Cougars took the lead in the sixth as a runner raced in from third on a ball that was banged into the ground and went no further than 15 feet from the plate, making it 2-1 USF.
 
But the Wildcats found their roar in the seventh. Gavin Vordick opened the frame with a pinch hit base hit past a diving third baseman and into left. Harrison Waxley was hit by a pitch and Drake Aldridge, also serving in a pinch hit role, dropped a base hit down the right field line to load the bases with no outs.
 
Sterling Sims became the third pinch hitter of the inning to reach base safely as he watched ball four pass by for a base on balls, forcing home Caleb Brown, for whom Vordick had hit, to tie the score.
 
Braden McLin greeted a new Cougar pitcher by sending a base hit down the line, past a diving first baseman, for a double which scored both Waxley and Owen Simoneaux, who Aldridge had hit for earlier, giving LCU the lead for good.
 
Huffman kept the rally going with a productive out, hitting a fly ball to right which was deep enough to score pinch runner Cayden Cuti from third base. Braden Trull capped the big inning with a base hit to center field which allowed McLin to come in from second for the 6-2 score.
 
St. Francis got a runner on in both the eighth and ninth innings, but did not truly threaten again.
 
Trull was the lone Wildcat with multiple hits in the contest, going 3-for-4 at the plate and drove in a run.
 
McLin was 1-for-4 with a double, two RBI, and scored once.
 
Huffman was 1-for-2 with a walk, a RBI, and a run scored.
 
Kelley was 1-for-3 with a double and a RBI.
 
Colton Williams (2-0) picked up the win as he threw the final three innings, allowing just one hit and two walks with no runs allowed and six strikeouts.
 
Brandon Carter got the start and threw four hitless innings, not allowing a run, with six strikeouts and a walk.
 
Kade Linn threw two innings, allowing four hits and two runs, both earned. He struck out one and walked two.
 
The Wildcats will enter Red River Athletic Conference play this week riding an eight-game win streak. RRAC action starts on Friday as Jarvis Christian comes to Pineville for a three-game conference set which starts with a pair of games on day one. First pitch of game one of Friday's doubleheader against the Bulldogs (0-7) is set for 4 p.m. at Billy Allgood Field.