Crusaders offense explodes in 15-3 win over Pilots
March 11, 2005
Shreveport, LA---The LSUS Pilots entered Friday night’s game versus the William Carey College (12-8, 5-5GCAC) Crusaders in first place in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference at 8-1, one game ahead of the University of Mobile Rams. The Pilots however saw their four game win streak end Friday night at the hands of the Crusaders who exploded for 16 hits and 15 runs to hand the Pilots their second loss at home this season by a final score of
15-3.
Jake Smith led off the top of the third inning with a single to center field which was followed by a Kyle Keeton single which advanced Smith to third. Pilots starter David Alexander managed to get Brett Harris to hit a soft ground ball to first, which scored Smith from third for the first out of the inning. Crusaders lead off hitter Casey Ginn followed with a single to center field which scored Brandon Roney who was courtesy running for Keeton, the Crusaders starting pitcher. The Pilots caught Ginn trying to steal third and Alexander struck out Steven Johnson looking to end the Crusaders rally.
The Pilots struck back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the third to tie the score at 2-2 when Dusty Maddox delivered a Keeton fastball over the left-center field fence for his team leading 6th homerun of the season.
A Justin Gros two RBI single to right-center field capped off a seven run fifth inning putting the Crusaders up 10-2, and closed the book on Alexander. Alexander (2-2) completed 4.1 innings while allowing 9 runs on 10 hits, two walks, and collected 3 strikeouts.
The Crusaders added four more runs in the top of the sixth inning off Pilots reliever Marcus Calhoun. Keeton collected his second of three hits scoring Gros and Jerry Bourne, to increase the Crusader lead to 14-2.
Kyle Mace added a solo-homerun in the bottom of the sixth over the right field fence, his first of the year for the Pilots third run of the game. That would prove to it for the Pilots however as Keeton threw a scoreless seventh and improved to 3-0 with a 15-3 victory. Keeton completed 7.0 innings allowing only four hits and three runs, while walking four and collecting eight strikeouts. Keeton finished an all-around night with a 3-3 performance at the plate which included a game high three RBI. Ginn, Gros, and Greg Alexander each collected two hits and a run scored in the Crusaders 12th victory of the year.
Maddox finished 2-3 with two RBI and a run scored while Mace was 1-1 with a hit by pitch.
Despite the loss, the Pilots remain on top of the GCAC at 8-2 as the second place Rams (7-3) were defeated by the Belhaven College Blazers (5-5) 4-1 Friday night in Jackson, MS. The Pilots and Crusaders will complete their three game series tomorrow afternoon at Pilot Field with game one scheduled to begin at 1:00pm. The projected starters for game one will be Ryan Jordan (2-0, 4.19ERA) for the Crusaders and Derek Cunningham (3-0, 0.89ERA) for LSUS.
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