Stephen F. Austin
Nicholls State
SFA Baseball Takes 4-3 Loss
4/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 29, 2007
NACOGDOCHES - Nicholls State starter Michael Bartek held Stephen F. Austin to two runs off six hits through 8.0 innings to hand the Lumberjacks their second loss in four games. SFA was down 4-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, and Lumberjack catcher Kevin Croft hit a solo home run to bring SFA within one, 4-3. But the Colonels held off the Lumberjacks to take the win. The Lumberjacks fell to 25-21 on the year and now have a 12-9 Southland Conference record. Nicholls State is 6-39 overall and sit with a 2-19 SLC mark.
The Colonels struck first, taking a lead in the second inning. Anthony Marino singled to left center and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Anthony Wray. Devin Steib then singled to left center to move Marino to third. John Beauchamp drove Marino across the plate when he singled through the right side, sending Steib to second base. After Zac Bone singled to load the bases, Steib scored, giving Nicholls State a 2-0 advantage, when Keith Kulbeth hit a fielder's choice to shortstop.
SFA equaled the score in the bottom of the same inning, starting when Jared Pitts led off with a left side infield single. He was out on Kevin Crabtree's fielder's choice to shortstop. Chris Smith came up and hit a double to left center to send Crabtree across the plate and cut the Colonels' lead in half. Then, Smith scored after two wild pitches from Bartek to tie the score at two.
In the top of the third, Brett Hoeflich reached on a one-out single to center field and moved to third on Marino's center field double. Wray then gave Nicholls State the 3-2 lead when he grounded out to second base and Hoeflich scored.
Then, the Colonels added an insurance run in the top of the seventh as the Lumberjacks committed two infield errors.
Croft led off the ninth with his second home run in two days to put SFA back within one at 4-3. Zach Gardner followed with a ground out to third base and pinch hitter David Jeans struck out before Steven Hill grabbed his only hit of the day, a single through the left side. Noel Trevino then struck out to end the game.
SFA starter Lance Luetge suffered his third loss of the year, falling to 6-3, as he gave up three runs off nine hits through four innings.
The Lumberjacks collected eight hits, with Croft leading the way with two.
SFA will be back in action Friday at Texas State. The game is slated for a 6:30 p.m. start.
-SFA-
