Stephen F. Austin
Mcneese State
SFA Blows Late Lead In Doubleheader Sweep
4/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 19, 2009
LAKE CHARLES, La. - The Lumberjacks held a 6-2 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning against McNeese State on Sunday in the series finale, but gave up six runs in the inning to fall for the second time on the day, 8-7, after the Cowboys had taken a 14-6 win in the initial game of the day.
The `Jacks (15-23, 7-13 SLC) were up four runs in the nightcap when Richard Folmer entered in the ninth, but the SFA closer who had been lights out for the majority of the season was lacking his best stuff on the afternoon and allowed six runs on only a pair of hits to an explosive Cowboys (19-17, 8-13 SLC) offense in allowing McNeese to escape with a series win.
McNeese erupted for 14 runs and four home runs in the first game of the day, taking the lead in the fifth and not giving it back.
The loss leaves SFA a half game behind the Cowboys for the eighth and final spot in the SLC Tournament to be held in just over a month in Corpus Christi.
Brian Ferguson hit his second home run of the season in Game 1 to give SFA a 6-3 lead at the time, and followed that up with a 3-for-4 outing in Game 2 that included a pair of RBI, two triples, a double and three runs scored.
Ferguson gave the `Jacks the early lead in the second game as well, lining his first triple into the right-field corner for two runs and came in to score on a sacrifice fly from Ryan Priest to give SFA a 3-0 lead.
Brett Rogers then kept the `Jacks out in front with six strong innings, allowing only two runs on nine hits for the quality start. Back-to-back doubles by Ferguson and Priest in the fifth added a pair of runs for the `Jacks, making it 5-2 before Zach Gardner sent his third home run of the year out to right field to make it 6-2 and put Rogers in line for what looked like his third win of the year.
However, after Chris Court held the lead down in the seventh, the rest of the SFA pen was not able to do the same. The Cowboys only had two singles in their six-run eighth inning, aided by four SFA walks and a pair of hit batters. The only time in the inning McNeese made contact with the baseball and plated a run was on a sacrifice fly by Shon Landry.
Jordan LeGros was solid for McNeese, going 3.0 innings for his third win of the year and leaving SFA runners in scoring position in both the seventh and eighth innings.
In the first game it was all Cowboys starting in the fifth. SFA held a 6-3 lead after Ferguson's home run, but the Cowboys ended up scoring 13 of their 14 runs in their final five at-bats on 16 hits overall. Four Cowboys went deep, including Lee Orr's league-leading 13th home run of the season.
Jared West got the start and only lasted 4.1 innings, but it was Alex Moshier taking the loss to fall to 3-2 on the year. Gardner, Priest and Justin Long all ended up with a pair of this apiece while seven Cowboys recorded at least two hits in the game.
SFA gets little time off before they face Houston on the road on Tuesday.
-SFA-
