No. 1 Pilots sweep UHV for 14th straight win
April 07, 2012
SHREVEPORT, La. - The no. 1 LSU Shreveport Pilots swept Saturday's double header to complete the three-game series sweep of the University of Houston-Victoria Jaguars taking the first game 8 - 0 and the second 3-1. The Pilots have now won 14 games in a row.
GAME 1, W 8 - 0
The Pilots got a solid pitching performance from senior right hander Jared Mortensen as he went the distance for the fourth time this year allowing only three hits while walking just two and striking out 11 which ties his season high for strike outs in a single game.
Devin Greco delivered a big two-out single to left field to bring in the first two runs of the contest as they were the only two until the Pilots crossed the plate with a sac fly from Kade Billeaudeaux to take a 3-0 lead in the fifth inning as they got a boost from courtesy-runner Jacob Lopez who stole a pair of bases running for the catcher David Dorton who delivered a one-out single and then Lopez was brought in on the sac fly.
LSUS six insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth as Greco started the rally reaching on an error while Manny Estrada, Stephen Hobbins, and Kyle Pearson all had RBI singles in the frame as the Pilots extended their lead to a comfortable 8 - 0 heading into the top of the seventh. Mortensen struck out two of the four that he faced in the seventh to seal the deal.
LSUS scored eight runs on 12 hits while UHV had three hits.
Four Pilots had a multi-hit game as Billeaudeaux was 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs while Ridge Gonsoulin and Kyle Pearson were 2-for-3 while Greg Friesen was 2-for-3.
GAME 2, W 3 - 1
Logan Norris (5-1) led the Pilots past the Jags in the second game of the twin bill as he retired the first 17 batters of the game as catcher Mark Macias broke up his bid for perfection with a single to left field with two outs in the top of the sixth. Norris threw only 73 pitches as he struck out eight and walked none.
UHV (11-23) rallied for four singles in the seventh but Norris induced a comebacker to the mound that was turned into a 1-2-3 double play to end the game sending the Pilots to the win column for the 14th straight time.
LSUS (33-3) scored the first two runs of the game with a two-run triple from Manny Estrada in the fourth inning and then got one more run in their next at bat with a RBI single to left field from Kyle Pearson for a 3 - 0 lead after five complete.
Kade Billeaudeaux was the only Pilots with multi-hits in the final game of the series going 2-for2 with a run scored as UHV had their best pitching performance of the series with freshman Brayden Blanton (1-4) suffered the loss after tossing a solid four innings scattering five hits and allowing just two runs while walking one and striking out three batters.
Zack Moya allowed one run on one hit in one inning of relief work while Nick Huff struck out all three batters that he faced in the sixth.
The next game for the Pilots will be on Tuesday, April 10, in Alexandria, La., for a double header beginning at 4 p.m. The next home game is next Friday, April 13, as they take on UT-Brownsville in a double header beginning at 4 p.m. and then the series will conclude on Saturday with a single game at 1 p.m.
