HBU's Walk-Off Single in 10th Spoils SFA's Comeback Bid in 10-9 Loss

Thursday, May 17

Houston, Texas

2:00 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

17-34, 9-19

Houston Baptist University

24-28, 16-12

Stephen F. Austin

HBU

Photo by: Hardy Meredith | SFA Photography

HBU's Walk-Off Single in 10th Spoils SFA's Comeback Bid in 10-9 Loss

5/17/2018 6:31:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Georgiades and Campbell combine for eight hits and seven RBI

By: Charlie Hurley | Director of Athletic Media Relations

HOUSTON - By plating three runs each in the seventh and eighth innings the Stephen F. Austin baseball team erased a five-run Houston Baptist lead and took a 9-7 lead, but the Huskies forced extras by plating two in the eighth and won the game with a two-out, walk-off single by Jake Pulcheon in the 10th as the 'Jacks dropped a 10-9 decision Thursday afternoon at Husky Field.

In a game which featured offense over lights-out pitching, the 'Jacks pounded out 17 hits compared to 10 by the hosts, but plating the necessary runs at the right time proved difficult for the visitors. Through the 10-inning bout, the 'Jacks stranded 16 men on the base paths which negated a pair of spectacular efforts at the plate by Jake Georgiades and Josh Campbell.

That SFA duo combined for eight of the squad's 17 hits with each one racking up four. Georgiades drove in a career and game-high four runs while Campbell plated three more and touched home twice in the Southland Conference setback.

Wasting no time in giving starter Jake Norton some run support, the 'Jacks jumped on the Huskies on the game's third pitch. Nic Minor, who finished 3-for-5 with a walk and a run scored, began his great day at the plate by drilling a triple - the first of his SFA career - to the gap in right center. On the very next pitch, Georgiades handed the visitors the lead when his RBI single up the middle brought Minor home.

Backing up SFA's early does of offense, Norton fired a pair of hitless innings before the Huskies unloaded in the junior in their high-scoring third. Sending 10 batters to the plate in the frame, Houston Baptist struck for five runs on five hits, a walk and a hit by pitch to open up a four-run lead on SFA. Four of the Huskies' five runs in the frame came with two outs and Matt Heck's two-run double put the home team ahead for good by making matters 3-1.

Houston Baptist added another run in the fifth off of a Jake Pulcheon sacrifice fly to open up a 6-1 lead on SFA. From there, however, the 'Jacks got right to work on chipping away at the Huskies' five-run lead.

Continuing to tag Houston Baptist starter Zach Carter, SFA racked up four hits in the sixth including an RBI single from Georgiades to slice further into HBU's advantage. Another SFA run scored when Josh Evans grounded into a double play to make matters 6-3.

Shane Halloran helped the home team respond in the sixth with a two-out RBI double but SFA continued to strike against the Huskies' bullpen once Carter's start ended after six innings of 11-hit, three-run ball.

Campball laced a two-run double down the left field line off of Taylor Franzman in the seventh and Georgiades made it a one-run game with his third RBI single of the afternoon later in SFA's three-run frame. Cole Ridgely got the Huskies to ground into a double play in the seventh and Jared Martin's team-leading 18th double got the 'Jacks started again in the eighth.

A walk and a hit by pitch loaded the bases for SFA who pulled even on Luis Santiago's one-out RBI single to left. With the bases still juiced, Campbell got drilled with a pitch to put the 'Jacks back on top and Georgiades wrapped up SFA's three-run frame with a bases-loaded walk that helped the visitors go up 9-7.

The Huskies were not finished, however, as a one-out sacrifice fly followed up with a two-out infield single in the eighth tied matters at 9-9 and forced extras.

Tyler Starks struck out a pair in a scoreless ninth and got the first two outs of the home 10th on seven pitches before issuing back-to-back walks. From there, Pulcheon played the role of hero by sending a chopper back up the middle to win it for Houston Baptist.

Hit with the loss was Starks (2-5) while Marshall Herron (2-3) received credit for the win. Sophomore Josh Ponder fired three innings of two-run relief ball for the 'Jacks and struck out four while six of SFA's nine runs came off of HBU's stable or relievers.

Halloran, Heck and Pulcheon each drove in a pair of runs and combined for seven of the Huskies' 10 hits.

Friday afternoon, the 'Jacks will try to even their final Southland Conference series at one game apiece when they send freshman righty Sean Beasley to the mound to toss to Houston Baptist. First pitch at Husky Field is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

-SFA-