YellowJackets drop pair to Wildcats

PINEVILLE, La. –The LeTourneau University baseball team dropped a pair of games Saturday afternoon to Louisiana College, losing the first game 18-2 and falling in the second game, 17-7, in an American Southwest Conference East Division doubleheader at Billy Allgood Field.

 

In the opener, the Wildcats (14-21 overall, 7-8 ASC East) jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

 

LeTourneau (11-25, 2-13) cut the margin in the second with a run.

 

Charles Johnson led off the frame with a walk and took second on a wild pitch. With two down, Daniel Francis singled up the middle to plate Johnson to cut the gap to 6-1.

 

Louisiana College plated three runs in the bottom of the third to take a 9-1 advantage.

 

The YellowJackets got a run in the sixth as Johnson doubled. Eric Wait reached on an error to move Johnson to third. Joey Ramos brought Johnson in on a sacrifice fly to right.

 

Louisiana College put the game way by scoring seven runs in the bottom of the frame to take the opener, 18-2.

 

Jeremy Burke (3-5) took the loss in pitching 2/3 of an inning. He surrendered six runs on five hits with a walk. Sean Wilson, Josh Peschell and Will Bunker pitched in relief.

 

In the second game, LeTourneau opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first.

 

Logan Smith walked and moved to second on a sacrifice by Travis Self. Nate Tomaszewski, who went 2-for-4, singled up the middle to score Smith to give the YellowJackets a 1-0 lead.

 

The Wildcats responded with five runs in the bottom of the frame and added two in the second and one in the third to grab an 8-1 advantage.

 

Louisiana College extended the margin to 14-1 with a six-run fourth.

 

The Wildcats pushed the lead to 15-1 with a run in the sixth.

 

LeTourneau rallied with two runs in the seventh to cut the deficit to 15-3.

 

Self began the inning with a double to center and scored on Tomaszewski's double down the line in right. The double set a single-season school record with his 20 ^th of the season. Josh Francis reached on an infield hit. With one down, Luke Sullivan walked to load the bases. Cam Hamilton was hit by a pitch to plate Tomaszewski.

 

The YellowJackets continued to chip away at the big Wildcat lead by plating four runs on two hits in the eighth.

 

Dustin Varnado singled up the middle to start the inning. Phillip Berzins walked and with one down, Mark Dees drew a base on balls to load the bases. Josh Francis was hit by a pitch to score Varnado. After a pitching change, Jordan Wilson doubled down the line in left to score Berzins and Dees. Sullivan followed with a ground out to second to score Francis to cut the gap to 15-7.

 

Louisiana College put the game away with two runs in the bottom of the inning.

 

Jay Lutz (3-5) started for the YellowJackets and took the loss. He gave up 13 runs (five earned) on 10 hits with a walk and two strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. Haydn Vaughan and Kody Smith pitched in relief.

 

LeTourneau returns home for a 3:00 p.m., game on Tuesday, April 20 at Conrad-Vernon Field for a non-conference single game against Louisiana College.