Pilots finish off SAGU with double header sweep
April 01, 2011
SHREVEPORT, La. - The no. 8 LSU Shreveport Pilots baseball team took two games from the SAGU Lions on Friday afternoon at Pilot Field by final scores of 11-1 and 12-5 to complete the three game series sweep in Red River Athletic Conference play.
GAME 1, W 11-1 (5 Innings)
For the second game in a row the Pilots got a quality start from their pitcher as Ben Suit (5-2) retired the first eight batters that he faced and only allowed two hits and one earned run in five innings while he struck out four batters and did not walk any as the Pilots cruised to the second run-rule of the series in five innings. SAGU starter Nic Morgan (1-3) suffered the loss for the Lions as he allowed 11 runs, eight earned, six hits, four walks, and four strike outs in four and 1/3 innings.
LSUS notched the first run of the game in the bottom of the first as Chase Wentz brought in Andrew Brouillette with a single to right field to give the home team the early lead.
The Pilots waited until the third inning to erupt for five runs to pull away from the Lions. Stephen Hobbins led off the inning with a walk and then advanced to second, on a stolen base and then to third on a wild pitch. Kevin Smith singled to right scoring Hobbins. Justin Brodnax reached on a walk and then Wentz was awarded first base on Catcher Interference. Smith scored on a wild pitch while the other runners moved up 90 feet. Cody Causey converted on the safety-squeeze as Brodnax scored and then Wentz scored on the throw to first base. Causey then stole second and third and scored on the throwing error by the catcher.
Two errors by the Lions led to one more Pilot run in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 7-0 after four complete innings of play. SAGU scored their first run of the series in the top of the fifth with two outs as Dustin Jett single in Cameron Ward who led off the inning with a single.
The Pilots got the final four runs they needed to complete the run-rule in the bottom of the fifth as Causey hit his seventh homer of the year, a two-run shot that had no doubt that it was gone, to extend the Pilot's lead to 9-1. Allen Degges and Manny Estrada both reached via hit by pitches while Hobbins drove in one and Smith ended the game with a single to right center to score the final run of the game.
NOTES
LSUS: Smith 2-4 2-RBI 2B...Wentz 2-2 1-RBI 2-RS...Causey 2-3 3-RBI HR 2-RS...Hobbins 1-2 1-RBI...Suit3-Hit Batsman...LSUS had 7 stolen bases- Brouillette, Causey (2), Estrada, Hobbins, Wentz(2)...ERROR-Martinez
SAGU: Jett 1-2 RBI...Ward 1-2 1-RS... Morgan 7-Wild Pitches, 2-Hit Batsman...ERRORS-Gomez, Denton (3), Lippe
Time of Game: 1:33
GAME 2, W 12-5
The Pilots jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings with four runs in the second. Michael Diffie led off the inning with a hit by pitch. Curtis Beaudoin then doubled to left scoring Diffie and Beaudoin advanced to third on the throw that attempted to get Diffie. Carson Martinez ripped a single to center to bring Beaudoin in. Matt Bagley was then hit by a pitch and Ridge Gonsoulin followed with a walk to load the bases. Martinez scored on Shawn Moy's fielder's choice and then the Pilots got the final run of the inning on an RBI-ground out from Brouillette.
The Lions trimmed the lead to three with a run in the top of the third as Patrick Wherland brought home Dustin Jett. The Pilots would answer with two runs in the bottom of the inning as Bagley drove them both in with a single to left to extend the Pilot lead to 6-1 after three complete innings of play.
SAGU would chip away at the deficit as they scored in each of the next four times at bat. They picked up single runs in the third, fourth, and fifth before scoring two in the top of the sixth to cut the LSUS' lead down to one, 6-5 heading into the bottom of the sixth. The Pilots would score two runs in each of their final three at bats to cushion the lead once again.
In the sixth, Moy's sacrifice fly scored the first run and Estrada scored the other run on a wild pitch. Estrada drove in a run in the seventh with a sac fly while Gonsoulin brought in the other run with a triple to center. Brodnax singled home the first run of the eighth inning while Beaudoin drove in the final run of the game for the Pilots with a double to left field.
Scott Petroski (2-0) was the most effective pitcher out of the Pilot's pen as he picked up the win as he tossed the final three innings allowing only three hits and no runs. He struck out three while only walking one batter. Michael Reeves (1-7) took the loss for SAGU as he allowed four earned runs on two hits in four innings of work.
NOTES
LSUS: The Pilots have now won 8 games in a row and are 30-8 overall with a 20-1 RRAC record...Moy was 0-4 2-RBI...Diffie 2-4 3B 4-RS...Beaudoin 2-3 2-RBI 2-2B 3-RS...Bagley 1-1 2-RBI...Smith 1-1 2B...ERROR-Brodnax...LSUS had 4 stolen bases; Beaudoin, Diffie, Estrada, Wentz...Hit Batsman; Middleton, Riggs
SAGU: The Lions have now lost 7 in a row and are now 8-25 overall and 3-21 in the RRAC...Jett 2-3...Hensel 1-3 2B 3-RBI...Ward 3-4...SAGU had 2 stolen bases; Villarial, Chavez...Wild Pitch; Stanley...Hit batsman; Reeves (2), Stanley (2)
Time of Game: 2:45
The next game for the Pilots will be Saturday at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park in Ruston, La., against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (13-12) at 6:00 p.m. The Dawgs are currently riding a three game winning streak as they come off a mid-week win over Southern Arkansas 4-2 on Wednesday night. The Bulldogs and Pilots will complete the two-game series at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday in Ruston. LSUS won last year's meeting at Fair Grounds Field 10-7.
