Ninth Inning Rally Lifts LSU Shreveport Past Lee at Avista-NAIA World Series
May 27, 2011
LEWISTON, Idaho - Junior Cade Bowen (2-0) was credited with the win for LSU Shreveport, allowing two of the five batters he faced to collected a hit. Junior counterpart Jared Mortensen started the game, striking out seven and allowing three Lee runs on as many hits in 6 1/3 innings of work. Flame starter Shay Crawford had a no-hitter through five innings. In eight innings, the junior fanned 15 batters and issued just one free pass. He allowed four hits and surrendered two earned runs.The Pilots went into the bottom of the ninth inning trailing 4-1, sending the heart of their lineup to the plate. No. 3 hitter Kevin Smith was hit by a Crawford pitch to open the frame. Crawford was replaced by Kris Hall, who threw four straight balls to send Chris Wentz to first base. Hall then walked Kyle Pearson to load the bases with nobody out. Coming in for Hall, Max Catapano had Michael Diffie at a full count, when the senior sent the payoff pitch to left field to score Smith, cutting the lead to 4-2.
Catapano was on the verge of getting the first out by working Shawn Moy into a 0-2 hole. That advantage disappeared on four straight balls to walk in Wentz and bring the game within one run, 4-3, still with no outs. Catapano's struggles continued as he walked Justin Brodnax in five pitches to bring in pinch runner Cody Causey to tie the game at 4-4.
Matt Passauer came in to replace Catapano with no outs and the bases still loaded. Passauer forced the Pilots into two outs, a fielder's choice and a fly out, before losing a 0-2 count to Andrew Brouillette with four consecutive balls with the bases loaded to bring Moy in for the winning run.
The Flames had built the early lead by posting single runs in the first, sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Jonathan Clark, Chris Grayson, Travis Anderson and Seth Walker were each 2-for-4 at the plate, with Grayson picking up two RBIs.
LSU Shreveport's offense was guided by a 2-for-4 outing with one RBI from Diffie. Four other Pilots were credited with an RBI, including a solo homerun from Beaudoin.
