Stephen F. Austin
Central Arkansas
Cloud Nearly Perfect In Blanking `Jacks
3/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 6, 2009
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Central Arkansas right-hander Jeremy Cloud only allowed a single Lumberjack hitter to reach base, tossing a complete-game, one-hit shutout as the Bears defeated SFA 9-0 in the Southland Conference opener for both teams Friday at Jaycees Field.
Cloud threw only 91 pitches on the day, 69 of which were strikes, in picking up his second win of the year in less than two hours. He finished with five strikeouts and only went to two-ball counts on four hitters on the day, the first not coming until the fifth inning.
The right-handed senior is now 2-0 against SFA (3-7, 0-1 SLC) in the last two seasons after tossing 8.2 innings in Conway a year ago as UCA (7-2, 1-0 SLC) earned a 5-2 win that day.It is the first time SFA has been shut out of a game since Kris Ruepke tossed a two-hit shutout for UTSA in San Antonio on April 20, 2008.
Erik Gregersen evened his season record at 1-1 after taking the loss, going 5.0 innings with three strikeouts and a walk. He allowed six runs, five earned, on nine hits.
The Bears scored a run apiece in the second, third and fourth innings before a three-run sixth opened it up. Dillon Smith led UCA with three RBI, while Josh Huffman led all hitters with a 3-for-5 day with a pair of runs scored.
Cloud retired the first 12 hitters he faced before Joe Staley managed the only hit for SFA, dropping in a single to right field to lead off the fifth; however, Brian Ferguson followed him by lining out into the glove of Smith in right field where he was playing shallow with Smith promptly doubling Staley off at first.
The `Jacks and Bears continue their series on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Erich Lehmann is scheduled for the start for SFA, opposed by Matt Humphrey for UCA.
-SFA-
