Baseball suffers road sweep
March 02, 2013
FORT WORTH, Tex. - The no. 2 LSU Shreveport Pilots (12-7, 3-3 RRAC) were swept in Saturday's double header by the Texas Wesleyan Rams (16-7, 4-2 RRAC) to finish off the series sweep for the Rams. Texas Wesleyan won game one 12-8 and then held on to take game two today 6-5. The sweep makes the first time the Pilots have been swept in a three-game conference series since William Carey back in 2009 but the last time one team beat the Pilots in three straight was when LSUS lost a rare triple header to Lindenwood back in 2011.
GAME 1 (L 8-12)
The bottom of the second inning did the Pilots in as they surrendered 10 runs on seven hits to the Rams adding to the two runs they scored in the bottom of the first inning for a dominating 12-0 lead after two innings.
The Pilots finally got a little fight in them but the deficit was too much to overcome despite putting up a five-spot in the fourth inning that was highlighted by a two-run single by Greg Friesen and a rbi-singles from Manny Estrada, David Dorton and Kade Billeaudeaux to trim the Rams' lead to 12-5. The Pilots previously added a run the inning before on a rbi-ground out by Dorton.
Ridge Gonsoulin belted a two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning to bring the Pilots within four but the Rams called on Nolan Barbee to close the door.
Sam Martin (4-0) picked up the win in relief for the Rams tossing three innings allowing four hits, two runs, and one strike out. Jason Mouton (3-1) suffered the loss for the Pilots throwing an inning and a third surrendering five hits, seven runs (five earned), two walks and two strikeouts.
Jerry Lawrence did a good job in relief for the Pilots although he did surrender three runs as a part of the 10-run second. He would not allow another run as he did his part to give the Pilots a chance to make a comeback. He struck out five and walked only one.
GAME 2 (L 5-6)
The first three and a half innings breezed by and then the Rams struck for four runs (two unearned) in the bottom of the fourth as it appeared that game two was heading in the same direction as the first but the Pilots rallied for a pair of runs in the top of the fifth and the sixth to bring them within one of the home team.
Brandon Cooksey's first homer of the year was one of the runs in the fifth and Gonsoulin had the other RBI on a sac-fly. Estrada drove in both runs in the sixth with a triple to right field to trim the Rams' lead to 5-4.
TWU got their only homer of the series in the bottom of the seventh from Brian White which proved to be the game-winner as the Pilots scratched a run in the top of the ninth off TWU's closer Patrick Stanley. The first three batters of the inning all singled and then he reached back and got the final three batters striking out two of them to end the game and earn his 4th save of the season.
Sean Simonz (3-1) picked up the win allowing only two runs on five hits in five innings of work. He walked two and struck out two. Paul Barton pitched well but suffered the loss with six solid innings allowing only three earned runs while striking out nine and walking only two. LSUS reliever Jonathan Burnett fanned four in an inning and a third.
The Pilots will hit the road again on Tuesday to try and snap their three-game losing streak in Alexandria as they take on the LSU Alexandria Generals as they meet a former player and coach for the Pilots now the Head Coach for LSUA Brent Porche. The double header is set to begin at 4 p.m.
