Stephen F. Austin
17-32, 0
Lamar
16-36, 0
SFA Mounts Eighth-Inning Rally to Get By Lamar, 4-2
5/13/2018 5:26:00 PM | Baseball
Campbell and Minor post two hits each as 'Jacks win second SLC series of 2018
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - It wasn't the hitting of the Stephen F. Austin baseball team that delivered a Mother's Day win over Lamar.
Instead, by keeping their bats still at the right times, the 'Jacks were able to walk on to victory.
Jared Martin's bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth pushed the go-ahead run across and senior Eric DeJesus padded his squad's lead with a sacrifice fly before the frame came to an end to help lift the 'Jacks to a 4-2 come-from-behind victory over Lamar at Jaycees Field Sunday afternoon.
Clad in special pink Mother's Day edition uniforms, the 'Jacks posted just their second Southland Conference series win of the 2018 campaign despite notching just six hits in a game that was a pitcher's duel for most of the afternoon.
It was the eighth inning, however, where the home team was finally able to break through the Cardinals' pitching staff. Lamar relief arm Ryan Erickson tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings before coming undone in the eighth. Erickson issued four walks in the frame and the 'Jacks laid off a number of enticing offerings from the right-hander to earn the win without the swing of a bat.
"The approach in the eighth was for us going to go up there and look for something that was elevated so we could get a good swing on it," stated SFA head coach Johnny Cardenas. "We never told our guys to take pitches. They just did a good job of laying off tough pitches and had enough discipline at the plate to not swing at pitches that were out of the zone."
For the 'Jacks' part, they did an excellent job of making sure the Lamar batters who did get on base stayed there. SFA issued 10 free passes by way of six walks and four hit batters, but just a few of them turned into runs for the visitors.
Making the final home start of his career, senior Trevor Kiminski started the game by Lamar leadoff man Avery George with the opening pitch. After George stole second and was pushed to third on a long fly ball out by Cole Girouard, the speedy leadoff man scampered home on a wild pitch from Kiminski that staked the visitors to an early 1-0 lead.
Until the bottom of the third, the 'Jacks were unable to get anything going against Cardinals' starter Jason Blanchard. Lamar's starter sat down the first eight 'Jacks he faced before Josh Campbell began a two-out rally in the third by slapping a single to center for the game's first hit.
After another single off the bat of Nic Minor, Jake Georgiades pulled the 'Jacks even with Lamar by ripping an RBI double down the left field line.
The score remain tied at 1-1 until the top of the eighth, but neither team went without scoring chances in that span. Kiminski worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth by getting Chad McKinney to bounce into an inning-ending double play before the 'Jacks got another friendly hop in the sixth.
With runners on the corners and two outs, SFA relief arm Jordan Powell issued a six-pitch walk to Grant DeVore but the final pitch was high and got beyond the glove of Jarrod Huber. Cole Coker broke for home, but the ball bounced off the back betting and right back to Huber who ended the top of the sixth by tagging Coker out at the dish.
Josh Evans lined into a double play in the 'Jacks' sixth to kill another go-ahead opportunity. In the top of the eighth, Lamar busted up the 1-1 deadlock when a one-out wild pitch by Powell got by Huber and let Philip Ingram score from third to give the visitors a 2-1 advantage.
At that point, junior left-hander took over for Powell and ended the Cardinals' eighth with a strikeout and a lineout to keep SFA's deficit at one.
Again it was Campbell who started the 'Jacks rally in the bottom of the eighth by getting on base with a one-out single. From there, Minor and Georgiades each drew walks to load the bases before Evans took a four-pitch walk to tie thing at two. From there, Martin's walk and DeJesus' sacrifice fly finished the 'Jacks' eighth-inning rally and Adams put the finishing touches on the win by tossing a one, two, three ninth.
It was Adams (2-1) who picked up the win on the hill for the 'Jacks while Campbell and Minor powered SFA's offense with two hits apiece. Kiminski gave up just a single hit though his five-inning start with Powell giving up the Cardinals' other three base knocks in his 2 1/3 innings of work.
Robin Adames finished with a pair of hits for the Cardinals.
Despite the win, SFA was eliminated from the Southland Conference Tournament picture as it sits four games back of eighth place with just three league games remaining.
Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m., the 'Jacks play their final home game of the 2018 campaign when they host Big 12 adversary TCU at Jaycees Field.
-SFA-
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Adams, Cody (2-1)
L: ERICKSON, Ryan (2-1)
Batting:
SH: COKER, Cole 1
Base Running:
RUNS: GEORGE, Avery 1 ; INGRAM, Philip 1
SB: GEORGE, Avery 1 ; DEVORE, Grant 1
HBP: GEORGE, Avery 1 ; KEMP, Chase 2 ; DEVORE, Grant 1
PO: GEORGE, Avery 1
Batting:
2B: Georgiades, Jake 1
RBI: Georgiades, Jake 1 ; Evans, Josh 1 ; Martin, Jared 1 ; DeJesus, Eric 1
SF: DeJesus, Eric 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Minor, Nic 1 ; Georgiades, Jake 1 ; Campbell, Josh 2
SB: Minor, Nic 2
CS: Minor, Nic 1
