SFA's Relief Pitching Comes Through in 10-7 Win over Louisiana-Monroe

Saturday, March 10

Nacogdoches, Texas

2:00 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

2-11

Louisiana-Monroe

10-4

Louisiana-Monroe

Stephen F. Austin

Photo by: Cedrique Flemming | Texas State Athletics

SFA's Relief Pitching Comes Through in 10-7 Win over Louisiana-Monroe

3/10/2018 9:28:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Daley drills a three-run homer, SFA's bullpen fires 6.1 innings of one-run baseball

By: Charlie Hurley | Director of Athletic Media Relations

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - For the first three innings of Saturday's non-conference baseball game, the Stephen F. Austin pitching staff had a devil of a time trying to cool off the bats of visiting Louisiana-Monroe. Fortunately for the 'Jacks' their offense was able to keep up with the hot-hitting ways of the Warhawks early on and SFA's bullpen turned in its most complete performance of the season to help the home team hold on for a 10-7 win at Jaycees Field.

Down 6-5 entering the bottom half of the fourth, Jared Martin and Skylar ripped consecutive RBI doubles before Luis Santiago followed with an RBI single that capped the 'Jacks' three-run frame and ensured they wouldn't trail again.

The vast majority of the damage the Warhawks did came when going up against SFA starter Trevor Kiminski. The senior right-hander gave up two hits and a pair of walks to start the game with the last base on balls giving Louisiana-Monroe a 1-0 lead. After a sacrifice fly in foul ground plated the Warhawks' second run of the game before the first was finished.

Sophomore Skylar Black started his three-hit day with an RBI single in the second that cut the Warhawks' lead in half, but Louisiana-Monroe got that run back in the second after Johnny DeLaCruz laced a two-out RBI single to center field.

Down 3-1 headed to the third, SFA turned to Nick Daley who handed his squad its first lead of the game by blasting a three-run, line drive home run to left. Black's second hit of the day - an RBI infield single - put the finishing touches on the 'Jacks' four run second and put the hosts up 5-3.

Unfazed by Daley's long ball, the Warhawks responded with a three-run frame of their own, getting an RBI single a sacrifice fly and a final run on a passed ball to go up 6-5. After that passed ball, freshman Sean Beasley came in to relieve Kiminski and the first-year man was more than up to the challenge of stopping the Warhawks' offense.

For the next 2.1 frames, Beasley let up just three hits and one run - a stark contract to the six runs Kiminski gave up through his 2.2-inning start.

Once Beasley reached the end of his rope, the ball was turned over to junior Austin Hearn who fired two more scoreless frames. The Warhawks did manage to get a trio of hits off of Hearn, but no damage was done.

In the home half of the seventh, senior Eric DeJesus accounted for a huge insurance run when his two-out RBI single up the middle scored Josh Evans who drilled a one-out single to left in the 'Jacks' two-hit inning.

Tyler Starks took over in the eighth and ninth innings, but did not get out of the woods without a little difficulty in the final frame. The junior gave up two hits and a walk to load the bases, but worked his way out of trouble with a strikeout and a groundout to end the game and earn his first save of the year.

Beasley (1-0) received credit for the win while ULM relief pitcher Cole Hendrix (0-1) was hit with the loss after giving up three runs through four innings.

With the series up for grabs, the two teams return to Jaycees Field Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. to close out the three-game set. Neither team has named a starting pitcher yet.

-SFA-