ALEXANDRIA, LA – The Louisiana State University of Alexandria baseball team split the final two games of their series against No. 10 Texas A&M-Victoria, 11-3 and 3-2, taking the series two games to one.
GAME ONE | TAMUV 11, LSUA 3
The No. 10 Jaguars put up eight runs in the fourth inning and collected 14 hits to even the series at a game each.
Blane Zeplin (8-1) went the distance on the mound for A&M-Victoria. He allowed three earned runs on two hits and three walks. He fanned six hitters.
Seth Leger (6-2) was charged with the loss. He surrendered eight runs, just three earned, on eight hits over 3.2 innings.
A&M-Victoria scored the game's first run in the top of the first. Connor Kaiser singled up the middle to drive in Antonio Benitez.
The Generals responded in the second with a productive out from
Cayden McCollough, plating
Landon Langley.
TAMUV unloaded in the fourth for eight runs, capped by a pinch-hit grand slam from Zion Hankins.
McCollough launched his first home run of the season in the fourth as well, a solo shot to make it 9-3.
The Jaguars added a run in the sixth on a solo home run by Xavier Ortega and one in the seventh off a single from Kaiser.
GAME TWO | LSUA 3, TAMUV 2
Carter Fabre (6-1) and Jacob Baker (6-2) produced a pitchers' duel in the series finale, allowing just five combine runs in over seven innings of work each.
Baker was charged with the loss for the Jaguars (28-11, 17-4 RRAC). He went seven innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on seven hits and two walks. Baker struck out five. Fabre went 7.2 innings and allowed just two runs on six hits and four walks. He struck out eight. Both starters went over 100 pitches before turning the ball over to the bullpen.
For the third time in the series, the first inning saw a touch of offense. Antonio Benitez scored on a first and third play for a 1-0 Jaguars lead.
In the second,
Lane Patin notched an opposite field single.
Colin Ardoin rounded second, headed for third, as the throw from right field caromed into the dugout -pushing Ardoin home to tie the game at 1-1.
With runners on first and second with one out in the third, Beck Zimmerman hit a would-be single up the middle. Patin raced behind the bag, fielded the ball, stepped on second, and fired to first to turn an inning-ending double play.
The Generals (28-11, 16-5 RRAC) responded to the defensive gem with a run to take the lead in their half of the inning.
Dalton Wilson was hit by a pitch with one out and proceeded to steal both second and
third.
Landon Langley drove him in with a single to right, giving the Generals a 2-1 lead.
After a lead-off single to start the top of the fourth, Fabre struck out Garrett Smith swinging, then
Zack Berry caught Connor Kaiser stealing, before Fabre notched a strikeout of Hankins for the third out.
Brett Batteford and McCollough opened the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back singles before Berry laid down a sacrifice bunt to put runners on second and third. Patin hit a line drive to center, allowing Batteford to score from third on the sacrifice fly for a 3-1 lead.
The Jaguars found an answer in the fifth. They loaded the bases with one out with a hit by pitch and back-to-back singles. Benitez earned an RBI the hard way, wearing a pitch to make it 3-2. Fabre struck out Zimmerman before forcing a ground out to stymie the comeback.
Both offenses went relatively quietly until the eighth. The Jaguars threatened once in the seventh, advancing a runner to third, but Fabre forced a ground out to end the inning. The Generals did the same, putting two runners in scoring position with two outs before Baker forced a fly out to quiet the brewing storm.
Fabre retired the first two hitters of the eighth but the Jaguars offense made a bit of noise. Smith reached on a throwing error and Hankins worked a walk. Fabre was lifted for
Nash Tamplet. Jackson Purcell hit a ground ball into the hole at short but a diving stop from Patin kept it from reaching the outfield and preserved the 3-2 lead. Smith was then thrown out at the plate on a pitch that caromed away, ending the inning with the Jaguars scoring a run.
A&M-Victoria threatened again in the ninth. A lead-off single from Xavier Ortega put the tying run on first. Ty Boozer laced the first pitch he saw to center and a dive from LaBruyere became the inning's first out. Josiah Taylor tried to sneak a ground ball through the right side of the infield but another diving stop, this time from Langley, kept Taylor off the basepath and became the second out. With a runner on second and two outs, Tamplet forced Benitez to fly out to right on a 1-2 pitch – sealing the series victory.
UP NEXT
LSUA hosts Red River Rival Louisiana Christian on Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11, in RRAC play. Senior Day is slated for Saturday. LSUA will make a midweek trip to Southeastern University on Tuesday, April 7.
