ALEXANDRIA, LA – The Louisiana State University of Alexandria baseball team split a doubleheader against Huston-Tillotson University, 9-5 and 11-9.
"We knew they could hit," said LSUA Head Coach Kody Gautreaux said. "In the first game they came out and jumped on Pierce early with the wind blowing dead out. We weren't able to score when we had opportunities. We didn't hit the ball really bad, but when we had the opportunities, just too many lazy fly balls. In game two, Will [Vice] gave us a hell of a start in his last start at Generals Field and gave us a chance to win. We were able to score some big runs in the middle with a six-run inning. We kind of put it away but that team can really swing it and kept clawing away to make it close."
GAME ONE | HTU 9, LSUA 5
A six-run fourth inning for the Rams (17-29, 12-17 RRAC) gave them the edge over the Generals (23-22, 16-10 RRAC).
Josh Pierce (6-5) was charged with the loss. He allowed eight runs in 3.1 innings of work. Pierce allowed seven hits, three walks, and struck out a pair.
LSUA collected 11 hits.
Zach Mengarelli went 3-for-4 at the plate, drove in a pair, and scored once.
Judge Boudreaux,
Julien Kliebert, and
Brett Batteford each had two hits.
After a two-run homerun from HTU's Gary Wafford in the first, Batteford clubbed a solo homerun in the bottom of the second, cutting the Rams' lead in half, 2-1.
The Rams added a run in the third, but an RBI triple from Mengarelli and a sacrifice bunt from
Dezmon Dugas tied the game at 3-3.
Huston-Tillotson's explosion of offensive in the sixth gave them a 9-3 lead. An RBI single from Mengarelli in the Generals' half of the inning made it 9-4. Boudreaux double home a run in the sixth for the final run of the game.
GAME TWO | LSUA 11, HTU 9
Landon Langley finished game two a double shy of the cycle as the Generals' offense powered the victory.
William Vice (4-2) earned the win in his final LSUA home start. The senior lefty tossed 5.1 innings and allowed four earned runs on seven hits. He struck out nine and walked three.
Colin Ardoin recorded his second save. He tossed 2.1 innings and did not allow a hit. Ardoin struck out one and walked one.
Kliebert and Langley both notched three hits, while Batteford recorded a pair. Kliebert drove in three runs and Batteford plated a pair. The Generals recorded 12 hits as a team.
A two-run triple in the bottom of the first opened the scoring. The Rams responded with a run of their own in the second, halving the Generals' lead to 2-1. An RBI single from Kliebert and an RBI double from Mengarelli in the bottom of the second pushed LSUA's lead to 4-1.
Wafford's second two-run homerun of the doubleheader made it a 4-3 ballgame in the top of the third.
Langley hit a solo homerun to left field in the fourth for a 5-3 edge.
In the fifth, Dugas drew a bases loaded walk to score Foote from third. It was the first of six runs the Generals scored in the inning.
Jamari Valery then singled up the middle for an RBI. A pinch hit RBI single from
Jaxon Bernard made it 8-3. Kliebert then drove in two with a single of his own. The final run of the inning scored on a throwing error, putting LSUA ahead 11-3.
The Rams scored three in the sixth and three in the eighth, but Ardoin put a halt to their advance to earn the save.
UP NEXT
The Generals finish their series against Huston-Tillotson University on Saturday, April 19, at 1:00 p.m. Prior to first pitch, the Generals will celebrate a dozen seniors playing in their final season for LSUA.
