HATTIESBURG, MS – The Louisiana State University of Alexandria baseball team upset No. 13 William Carey University with a go-ahead single from
Brett Batteford in the ninth inning for a 3-2 win.
"What a game!" LSUA Head Coach Kody Gautreaux said. "It's hard to express how proud I am of this team and the game they played tonight. It was a complete team win with multiple guys coming through in big spots. William Carey is a very tough place to come and win and we're just very proud of how our guys responded."
Colin Ardoin got the start on the mound and tossed 7.2 innings. He allowed two runs on five hits with two strikeouts and five walks. Blaise Lalonde opposed him on the bump, hurling 6.0 innings of one-run baseball.
The Generals (26-10) struck early. They took advantage of a pair of fielding errors in the top of the first for a 1-0 lead. After
Trevor Dooley reached on a fielding error,
Dalton Wilson advanced him to scoring position with a single.
Lane Kratzer reached on the inning's second error two batter later, which allowed Dooley to race home.
Both offenses were quiet until the bottom of the fourth.
A lead-off walk was followed by a double to put runners on second and third. After a line out and a free pass, Tyler Ducksworth reached on a fielder's choice, as LSUA attempted to turn two, allowing Hays Carley to score.
The Crusaders (24-11) took the lead in the fifth. A pair of back-to-back singles opened the inning before a wild pitch allowed both runners to advance. A one-out sacrifice fly from Jayden Mark brought in Weston Wales for a 2-1 lead.
LSUA tied the game two innings later. Caleb Ougel came on for Lalonde in the seventh and immediately registered a strikeout. A one-out walk to Wilson was followed by a second strikeout. Kratzer roped a two-out, game-tying double to left on the first pitch he saw, tying the game at 2-2.
Both teams had a runner in the eighth, but neither were able to bring them around.
Jimmie Johnson (3-2) opened the ninth by hitting Dooley. He forced Wilson to ground out to third, but Dooley advanced into scoring position. After a fly out, Johnson hit his second batter of the inning to put two aboard.
Batteford worked the count to 2-2 before driving a pitch to the opposite field for a single. Dooley raced around from second for the 3-2 lead.
Nash Tamplet game on in the ninth to record the save. He forced a ground out before giving up a single, but rolled a 4-6-3 double play to secure the victory.
Brenyn Ebarb (1-0) earned the win in relief. He shutdown the Crusaders in the eighth to keep the game tied.
LSUA is back at home on Thursday, April 2, and Friday, April 3, to host Texas A&M-Victoria in RRAC play.
