PINEVILLE, La. – The #14 Louisiana Christian University baseball team was slow to start but came alive in the middle innings on their way to a 12-2 win in eight innings over the Xavier Gold Rush Friday evening at Billy Allgood Field.
Louisiana Christian (22-5, 7-3 RRAC) was slow to start while Xavier (4-14, 2-8 RRAC) scored one in the top of the first and another in the top of the second to push its advantage up to 2-0 as the Wildcats came to bat in the bottom of the inning.
But LCU took advantage of some wild Gold Rush pitching to get those runs back, even without getting base hits.
Matthew Cody and
Harrison Waxley led off the bottom of the second with walks and then
Caleb Brown laid down a bunt where Cody beat out the throw to third to load the bases.
A wild pitch moved all three base runners up 90 feet, including Cody scoring from third to get the Wildcats on the board.
Sterling Sims then hit a slow roller down the first base line which allowed Waxley to come home, tying the score at 2-2 after two complete.
LCU found its rhythm at the plate in the third.
Brady Huffman reached on an error to start the inning and then, two batters later,
Chris Kelley launched a ball to center that carried over the center field wall for a two-run home run for a 4-2 lead.
After Cody singled and Waxley doubled, a bunt down the first base line by Brown allowed Cody to race home from third, extending the lead. Sims then laid down a bunt of his own and Waxley raced home from third to put the Wildcats up 6-2 after three innings.
LCU pulled further ahead in the fourth. Huffman lead off with a single, stole second, then came home on Cody's ground-rule double down the third base line, making it 7-2.
The lead grew in the sixth inning. Cody walked and Waxley was hit by a pitch with one out. Both moved up on a double steal, and a throwing error on another bunt by Brown allowed both to come home while Brown raced all the way to third base on the miscue. Brown came home on a sacrifice bunt by Sims to give LCU a 10-2 lead.
LCU got on the cusp of enacting the run-rule in the bottom of the seventh.
Braden McLin walked to lead off the frame, moved to second on a wild pitch, raced to third after tagging up on a fly ball to center, and scored on
Braden Trull's sacrifice fly to center for an 11-2 lead.
The game came to an end in the eighth. Waxley drew a walk with one out and
Zephaniah Singleton came on to run for him. Singleton went from first to third as the Gold Rush tried to pick him off but the throw went awry. He came home on a wild pitch, bringing the game to its conclusion.
Cody was the lone Wildcat with multiple hits in the contest, going 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, stole two bases, knocked in a run and scored three times.
Kelley's one hit in the game was his seventh home run of the season, accounting for his two RBI and run scored.
Waxley was 1-for-2 with his one hit being a double, walked twice, was hit by a pitch, stole a base, and scored three times.
Brown was 1-for-2 with a walk, two RBI, and scored a run.
Brandon Carter (5-1) went seven innings on the mound for the Wildcats to pick up the win. He allowed eight hits and two runs, both earned, with no walks and a season-high 12 strikeouts.
Thomas Collins threw the final inning, allowing one hit but getting the other three batters he faced to ground out, not allowing a run.
The #14 Wildcats and Gold Rush wrap up the series on Saturday with a doubleheader. First pitch of game one of the twin bill is set for 12 p.m. at Billy Allgood Field.
