Stephen F. Austin
Centenary College
Gents Stun `Jacks With Late Homer
3/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 4, 2011
SHREVEPORT, La. - Centenary's Kyle Morton hit a solo homer with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to help the Gents pull off a 4-3 win over Stephen F. Austin on Friday at Shehee Stadium.
The hit was the first for the Gents (2-1) since the third inning and was just the fourth hit of the night as SFA (5-5) starter Tyler Herriage had kept Centenary at bay after a rocky first inning. Herriage finished with the second straight complete game for the `Jacks, but still took the loss despite fanning eight.
Centenary's Justin Kraft picked up the win, going eight innings of his own, walking two and striking out just one before Seth Lugo came on and pitched the ninth to record his first save of the year.
The Lumberjacks outhit the Gents 7-4, but left seven runners on base, including the tying run in the top of the ninth. Justin McAninch finished with a pair of hits, while Max Lamantia and Michael Haynes delivered RBI hits in SFA's three-run second inning.
Herriage struggled out of the gate, allowing three Centenary runs in the first inning without a single hit from the Gents. But SFA immediately rallied in its next at-bat to even the deck, getting four straight two-out hits of their own to plate three runs. A double from Jackson Hood started it, followed by consecutive RBI hits from Lamantia, McAninch and Haynes.
But that was all the offense SFA would end up with, nearly taking the lead off of Kraft in the seventh inning as a single from McAninch and a Gent error put two runners on base for the top of SFA's lineup. But Bryson Myles lined out to left on a hard-hit ball, and one batter later the Gents threw out pinch runner Patrick Gratzke at the plate to end the inning after Garrett Smith had delivered a two-out hit.
Herriage had retired 15 hitters in a row from the third inning to the eighth before the Gents finally were able to do something. He hit Nic Parrott with one out, but Jarid Scarafiotti quickly erased that when he got him stealing with Morton at the plate. But after Herriage had run the count full, Morton delivered the go-ahead blow, his only hit of the night and his first hit of the season.
The `Jacks will get another crack at Centenary on Saturday in Nacogdoches with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
Jason West is scheduled to start for SFA, opposite Cole Thompson for the Gents.
-SFA-
