Stephen F. Austin
Southeastern Louisiana
Southeastern Takes Second Game From SFA
5/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 15, 2010
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Lumberjacks got the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but could not complete the comeback as walks and hit batters plagued SFA all afternoon and helped the Southeastern Louisiana Lions take its second straight win, 10-6, over SFA and clinch the series on Saturday at Jaycees Field.
SFA (32-16, 18-10 Southland) out-hit the Lions (38-14, 20-9 Southland) on the afternoon, 12-10, but issued seven walks and hit another five batters and Southeastern was able to cash in with seven of its 10 runs in the middle three innings of the game to build a lead that SFA could not come back from.
The loss gives SFA its first three-game losing streak of the season and puts the `Jacks in a tie with Northwestern State for third place in the league standings.
Brad Oates made his first start of the season for SFA and was cruising before allowing tow runs apiece in both the fourth and fifth innings. He finished with four strikeouts and just two walks, but was saddled with his second loss of the season
All-American Chris Franklin earned his eighth win of the year for Southeastern, allowing six runs in seven innings, but was not able to throw a complete game for the first time in four weeks. Josh Janway came in to throw the final two innings for his sixth save of the year.
Garrett Smith and Bo Coffman each finished with three hits apiece for SFA, but the `Jacks were just 3-for-12 on the afternoon when hitting with two outs, compared to 7-for-15 for the Lions.
Consecutive two-out doubles for Jeff Harkensee and Cody Gougler got the Lions on the board first in the top of the first inning off of Oates, but in the third it was the `Jacks coming through for three runs to take a 3-1 lead. Jordan Lewis started it with a leadoff double and Michael Haynes brought him in with a single one batter later. Smith followed with a single of his own and with two outs Bobby Loveless delivered a two-run single off of Franklin that put SFA out in front.
But the Lions responded one inning later when Brock Hebert delivered a two-run single to right field with the bases loaded to tie the score, and one inning later Joe Sparacinio and Josh Cryer delivered two-out RBI singles to give the Lions a 5-3 lead.
Justin Boudreaux pushed in two more runs for Southeastern in the sixth with a single off of reliever Zack Taylor, and after an error on Lewis allowed another run to score with two outs, the Lions were enjoying a comfortable 8-3 lead.
A sacrifice fly from Trey Martin gave Southeastern a 9-3 lead after the top of the seventh, before SFA was finally able to start chipping away at the lead. The `Jacks got three across in the seventh on an RBI double from Justin Long and a pair of RBI grounders from both Haynes and Smith, trimming the lead to 9-6.
That forced Southeastern head coach Jay Artigues to summon stopper Josh Janway from the pen in the eighth and after a single by Coffman and an error on Boudreaux, Janway had the tying run at the plate in the person of pinch hitter Jarid Scarafiotti. But Janway coaxed a check-swing grounder from Scarafiotti, and managed to get the first two outs of the ninth as well after the Lions gave him an insurance run to work with in the top half of the frame.
But a bloop single from Smith kept SFA alive, as did another error on Boudreaux, and after Bobby Loveless drew a two-out walk, Darren Crabtree strode to the plate as the tying run. However, all Crabtree could muster was a grounder to second to end the inning and clinch the series for the Lions.
SFA will try to avoid its first sweep of the season on Sunday when it closes out its series with the Lions at 1:00 p.m. Justin Braddock is slated to get the start for SFA, while Jordan Hymel is expected to get the start for the Lions.
The `Jacks will also honor its three seniors in a ceremony before the game - Bo Coffman, Tanner Hines and Ryan Priest.
-SFA-
