Pilots pound Rams in series finale
April 22, 2012
SHREVEPORT, La. - The no. 1 LSU Shreveport Pilots pounded 12 hits in the series finale in route to a 14-2 win on Sunday afternoon at Pilot Field against the Texas Wesleyan Rams for their seventh win in a row.
Logan Norris (6-1) picked up the win with another solid performance tossing six innings scattering five hits allowing two earned runs while walking two and striking out four batters. He worked around two hits in the first inning stranded both runners to let the Pilots offense go to work and they did in the bottom half of the frame with two runs.
Texas Wesleyan (33-18, 16-10 RRAC) starter Dillon Wilson struck out the first two Pilot hitters that he faced but then the Pilots achieved success against the 6 foot 7 left hander with a single from Kyle Pearson and then Devin Greco delivered a two-run homer hugging just inside the fair-pole down the right field line going the opposite way for an early 2-0 advantage.
The Rams led off the next inning with a single from Christian Soberanes but then the Pilots turned a double play to kill the rally as Norris dodged another single in the inning. In the third inning the LSUS offense executed the two perfect hit-n-runs as Manny Estrada brought home Devin Greco with a RBI double and then Estrada scored on a single from Stephen Hobbins to take a 4-0 lead for the Pilots after three innings.
Ridge Gonsoulin brought in the fifth run of the game legging it out for an infield hit and a 5-0 LSUS' lead. TWU scored a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning as Justin Barnes delivered a two-strike, two-out single to center to trim the LSUS' lead to 5-2.
The Pilots (42-4, 22-4 RRAC) made it to the TWU bullpen in the bottom of the fifth inning and took advantage as Derek Vaughn, the first reliever, hit four of the five batters that he faced. After summoning the pen for the second time of the game Blake Ballard beaned his first hitter Kade Billeaudeaux to bring in the second run of the inning and then LSUS' pinch hitter Greg Friesen delivered a pinch-hit grand slam over the batting cages past the right field wall on the first pitch that he saw from Ballard.
LSUS scored the final run of the game on a base hit from Kyle Pearson to right field to score Gonsoulin who had singled. Jake Kight worked the final scoreless inning of the day retiring three of the four batters that he faced.
The Pilots had four hitters record multi-hits as Hobbins and Causey led the way going 2-for-3 with two runs batted in. Gonsoulin and Pearson registered two hits in the game and each drove in a run. Greco was 1-for-2 with two RBIs and one walk.
LSUS will wrap up the 2012 regular season schedule on Tuesday afternoon with a double header at Centenary College at 4 p.m.
