Evans' Three-Run Shot Helps 'Jacks Claim 5-4 Comeback Win over Texas Southern

Tuesday, March 27

Nacogdoches, Texas

1:00 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

9-15

Texas Southern

9-16

Texas Southern

Stephen F. Austin

Photo by: Hardy Meredith | SFA Photography

Evans' Three-Run Shot Helps 'Jacks Claim 5-4 Comeback Win over Texas Southern

3/27/2018 5:48:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

'Jacks push win streak to five, score all five runs in the eighth

By: Charlie Hurley | Director of Athletic Media Relations

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - In danger of seeing their four-game winning streak come to a screeching halt after producing just two hits through seven innings at Jaycees Field Tuesday afternoon, the Stephen F. Austin baseball team received all the offense it needed in the eighth inning to keep that win streak alive and well.

Trailing 3-1, the 'Jacks watched senior Josh Evans launch a go-ahead three-run homer in SFA's five-run eighth before Luis Santiago pushed the eventual game-winning run across with his RBI single to cap his squad's 5-4 come-from-behind victory over Texas Southern.

Called on in the save situation, junior Jesus Gamez gave up three-straight hits to start the ninth - the second of which was an RBI double off the bat of Kamren Dukes that trimmed SFA's lead to one. After a passed ball allowed Dukes to get to third with no outs, Jake Georgiades came up with the defensive play of the game by fielding a two-hopper at third, holding Dukes at third and starting a double play.

From there, Gaudencio Lucca sent a weak comebacker to Gamez who ended the game and posted his first save in an SFA uniform by tossing it to Evans at first which allowed the 'Jacks' dugout to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

"You could tell that there was a little bit of a hangover from last weekend," commented SFA head coach Johnny Cardenas who made sure the 'Jacks had little trouble scoring runs in their recent three-game sweep of Abilene Christian.

"The toughest thing about success is that when you have it, you have to do certain things to maintain it," Cardenas continued. "You can't fall prey to the mindset of just showing up and thinking you're going to win. That was one of the problems we had early on today was that we thought we played so good this weekend there's no way we're not going to play good today. Because of that, we didn't play up to our potential for seven innings."

During the first seven frames - as Cardenas pointed out - the 'Jacks found it nearly impossible to get anything going against Texas Southern starter Chris Suarez. Through the first six innings, Jake Georgiades' two-out single in the sixth represented SFA's lone hit and through that span the 'Jacks had just two runners advance past second.

Because of their midweek starter's dominant outing, the Tigers had good reason to believe their three runs through the first seven innings would be more than enough to hold off the 'Jacks. SFA starter Trayson Kubo fanned two of the three Texas Southern batters he faced in the first but was charged with an unearned run in the second that handed the Tigers the lead.

With two down in the frame, Horace LeBlanc sent a routine ground ball to Josh Campbell at second who made a late toss to Manny Vasquez who was covering second. The ball was mishandled, allowing the inning to continue and from there Blake Hicks' RBI single up the middle handed the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Texas Southern appeared primed to pad its lead in the fourth after Kubo hit the second batter he faced in the inning and issued back-to-back two-out walks to load the bags, but lefty reliever Cody Adams made sure the Tigers' lead remained at just one. The junior induced an inning-ending flyout to center off the bat of Kamren Dukes before completing his 1.1 innings of work in the fifth with a pair of strikeouts coupled with an inning-ending toss to Georgiades at third that gunned down would-be base third Jose Camacho.

Before Georgiades' single in the sixth, Texas Southern doubled its lead with Hicks' RBI double that landed just inches inside fair ground in left. That two-bagger plated Keanu Van Kuren who started the inning with a double of his own off of Austin Hearn.

Dukes scored the Tigers' final run of the game after starting the seventh with a single off of Cole Ridgely. An RBI single off the bat of Christian Sanchez pushed Dukes home before the 'Jacks started their comeback.

Jordan Powell (1-0) - who went on to receive credit for the win - fired a one, two, three eighth which set up the 'Jacks' hitters. Nick Daley began his squad's rally by punching a sharp one-out single through the right side. Following a walk by Georgiades, freshman Jared Martin laced a ball to the gap in left-center to score Daley and cut the Tigers' lead to two.

That double - Martin's Southland Conference-leading 12th of the season - set the stage for Evans' heroics. Texas Southern pulled relief arm Peyton Schneider in favor of Jacob Gilbreath, but that decision proved ill-advised as the 'Jacks' senior turned on Gilbreath's 3-2 offering and punched it out of Jaycees Field.

Suarez struck out six for Texas Southern in 6.1 innings of work in a performance that yielded a no decision. Dukes finished with a game-high three of the Tigers' 13 hits while DeJesus posted two of the 'Jacks' seven base knocks.

Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m., the 'Jacks reengage in Southland Conference action and put their five-game winning streak on the line against Incarnate Word at Jaycees Field. That tilt represents the opening game of a three-game set between the 'Jacks and Cardinals.

-SFA-