LSUA allows four runs in seventh inning in second game, as it drops twice to William Carey
ALEXANDRIA–Sloan Dieter homered on the first pitch he saw in the seventh inning, beginning a four-run top of the seventh to finish off a sweep for William Carey, as LSUA dropped two on Tuesday at the Generals Baseball Field.
The Crusaders took both games of the double header, winning 9-0 in game one, and 6-2 in the nightcap.
LSUA (23-20) dropped two straight following its four-game sweep of Jarvis Christian on Sunday and Monday.
In game one, the Crusaders jumped on the Generals early and often, scoring seven runs in the first three innings, including five in the third to build a big lead. WCU pitcher Connor Adams sailed through the game, throwing a complete game shutout to put an exclamation point on the win.
It was a pitcher’s duel for the entire second game until the final inning. It was 2-2 entering the seventh and final inning when Dieter blasted the first pitch of the inning over the left field wall for the deciding run. WCU tacked on three more runs for good measure in the seventh to come away with the four-run win.
On the day, Dieter, a transfer from Oklahoma State, went 2-for-4 with three RBI, which led both teams.a transfer from Oklahoma State, went 2-for-4 with three RBI, which led both teams.
WCU (27-10) has won six in a row and 11 of 14 with the only losses coming in a sweep at the hands of Middle Georgia State.
The Generals return to the field on Friday when they host Texas A&M-Texarkana in the final home series of the season. It will not only be Senior Day, but Alumni Weekend at the diamond.
Game 1: WCU 9, LSUA 0
The Crusaders scored seven in the first three innings and dominated the game from start to finish. WCU began their day with a two-out rally. With two outs, there was a hit by pitch and a walk before RJ Stinson collected an RBI single to left-center to score Dieter from second.
After another run in the second, the Crusaders broke it open in the third, as the first six batters reached base, with five scoring. Stinson was a thorn in the side of the Generals in the first game, as he started the inning with triple to deep left-center. Stinson went 2-for-5 in the game with an RBI.
When all was said and done, the Crusaders scored five times on five hits, benefitting from a walk, a hit by pitch and an error.
While the visitors were bringing runs across, Adams (6-1, 3.55 ERA) was silencing the LSUA bats.
After scoring 60 runs in the four games against Jarvis Christian in their four-game sweep, the starting pitcher shut the Generals down. LSUA didn’t record a hit until the fourth inning, but those were both with two outs and Adams got out of the inning unscathed by causing a groundout to end the inning.
In the complete game shutout, Adams allowed just five hits and one walk, striking out six.
The Crusaders put the finishing touches on the win with two more in the seventh inning, scoring them on one hit and benefitting from two Generals errors.
Six different players had the hits for the Generals, while four players had multiple hits for WCU.
The combination of Bryson Broussard, Kyler Carson and Gage Colligan pitched well for LSUA, allowing just one hit in four scoreless innings, striking out one.
“It’s tough playing midweek games coming off a late weekend series,” LSUA Baseball Coach Steven Adams, Jr. said. “That’s six games in three days. We didn’t pitch well to start the first game. William Carey came in and pitched really well. We didn’t compete in the first game.”
Game 2: WCU 6, LSUA 2
The Generals were unable to hold a late lead, as the Crusaders scored five runs in the final two innings to come back for a 6-2 win. Four of those runs came in the final inning for WCU, as LSUA unraveled a bit.
LSUA took the lead in the bottom of the fourth on a one-out base hit through the left side by Kobe Baker, scoring Jordan Ardoin and Alex Orenczuk, who both reached on walks to lead off inning.
WCU starting pitcher Caleb Laird escaped further damage by retiring the final two batters to keep it at a one-run deficit.
A Blake Freeman RBI single in the sixth for the visitors set the table for the final inning. Dieter homered on the first pitch he saw in the inning over the left field fence to give WCU the lead. The Crusaders followed with two singles and a double and the game got away from the Generals. They scored four runs on five hits and getting the benefit of two LSUA errors to score the runs.
WCU had big time pitching performances in both games. In the second contest, Dario Herrera came in and dominated the LSUA hitters. In his three innings, he did not allow a run and allowed just one hit and one walk, striking out four, to earn his fourth win of the season.
Like game one, the Crusaders drew first blood before the Generals even came up to the plate. Dieter plated Freeman, who started the game with a single.
Ardoin had two of the three Generals hits, while four Crusaders had multiple hits, led by three each from Freeman and Jordan Szush.
Brant Leslie provided a terrific start for LSUA. He allowed just one earned run in five innings, striking out two.
“Brant Leslie did a fabulous job on the mound in game two,” Adams said. “He gave us a chance and competed. That’s the longest outing for him since his surgery a couple years ago. I’m really proud of him. He can be a big part of our staff down the stretch.”
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