Friday, March 27
Nacogdoches, TX
6:00 P.M.
Stephen F. Austin
14-13, 6-4
8
vs
5
Houston Christian
11-15, 11-15
1st innning1
2nd innning2
3rd innning3
4th innning4
5th innning5
6th innning6
7th innning7
8th innning8
9th innning9
RunsR
HitsH
ErrorsE
Houston Christian
0
1
2
1
1
0
0
0
0
5
11
1
Stephen F. Austin
3
1
0
0
0
4
0
0
X
8
8
1
Photo by: Jordan Segelken
Black’s Blast, James’ Relief Stint Sends Jacks Past HCU in Opener
3/27/2026 10:57:00 PM | Baseball
SFA uses two-run homer in four-run sixth to grab lead, James fires five innings in relief as Jacks move to 6-4 in SLC play
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Rodric Black cranked a go-ahead, two-run blast out to left centerfield as part of a four-run sixth inning and Jack James handled five innings of relief to give Stephen F. Austin an 8-5 win over Houston Christian in Friday night's Southland Conference series opener from Pilgrim's Park. The victory moves SFA's league record to 6-4, while the Huskies fall to 4-6 in conference action.
Black's homer was his first of the season and the Jacks' eighth at Pilgrim's Park in 2026. It pushed SFA out front 6-5 and would have been all the run support James needed as the left-hander allowed only four hits and walked two, while fanning four and benefitting from a 5-4-3 double play to strand the bases loaded in his first inning of relief.
A second 5-4-3 double play hit the infield dirt in support of James in the eighth as he needed just six pitches to dispatch the Huskies in their second-to-last plate trip of the night. The inning prior, James received another outstanding defensive play, this time in right centerfield as Cooper Schnieder tracked down an out in a tough effort near the warning track. In the ninth, James shut down the Huskies who sent the tying run to the plate.
Friday night's starter Cody Templeton tossed around a two-out walk and steal of third by inducing a bouncing groundout to Mark Henning at first to strand runners at the corners in the visiting half of the first. Templeton struck out three over four innings and allowed seven hit and three walks with three of his five runs earned.
That game-changing sixth inning, which was jumpstarted by a Juan Cantua triple, also saw a Julian Swift RBI single and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Henning to cushion James' outing. SFA struck first on Friday as Jhett Creel singled into center field as the game's first run scored on a misplay, Hening followed with a base knock through the right side for an RBI and Cermodrick Bland lifted a pitch deep enough to plate a third first-inning run.
Creel pushed across a run on a hit through the left side of the infield in response to a two-out run from the Huskies in the second. Two runs in the third and a single tally in the fourth tied the game at four for the visitors before a bases loaded walk in the fifth gave HCU a brief advantage.
POSTGAME NOTES
Game two between the Jacks and the Huskies is scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch on Saturday. Live coverage links will be available at www.SFAjacks.com.
SECURE YOUR SEATS TODAY
Single game tickets for all SFA baseball home games are available now. Fans interested in purchasing season ticket packages can secure their seats here. Don't miss out on all the exciting action from Pilgrim's Park this season!
THE 'JACKS HAVE GONE MOBILE
SFA Athletics' newest mobile phone application is designed to bring Lumberjack fans closer to the action than ever before. Available now on both the App Store and Google Play, the new SFA Athletics app delivers schedules, scores, rosters, news, ticket access, and exclusive content right to your phone. Fans can also receive push notifications, so they never miss a moment of the action. Download now: Official SFA Athletics App.
FOLLOW THE JACKS
For all the latest information on SFA baseball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Jacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Black's homer was his first of the season and the Jacks' eighth at Pilgrim's Park in 2026. It pushed SFA out front 6-5 and would have been all the run support James needed as the left-hander allowed only four hits and walked two, while fanning four and benefitting from a 5-4-3 double play to strand the bases loaded in his first inning of relief.
A second 5-4-3 double play hit the infield dirt in support of James in the eighth as he needed just six pitches to dispatch the Huskies in their second-to-last plate trip of the night. The inning prior, James received another outstanding defensive play, this time in right centerfield as Cooper Schnieder tracked down an out in a tough effort near the warning track. In the ninth, James shut down the Huskies who sent the tying run to the plate.
Friday night's starter Cody Templeton tossed around a two-out walk and steal of third by inducing a bouncing groundout to Mark Henning at first to strand runners at the corners in the visiting half of the first. Templeton struck out three over four innings and allowed seven hit and three walks with three of his five runs earned.
That game-changing sixth inning, which was jumpstarted by a Juan Cantua triple, also saw a Julian Swift RBI single and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Henning to cushion James' outing. SFA struck first on Friday as Jhett Creel singled into center field as the game's first run scored on a misplay, Hening followed with a base knock through the right side for an RBI and Cermodrick Bland lifted a pitch deep enough to plate a third first-inning run.
Creel pushed across a run on a hit through the left side of the infield in response to a two-out run from the Huskies in the second. Two runs in the third and a single tally in the fourth tied the game at four for the visitors before a bases loaded walk in the fifth gave HCU a brief advantage.
POSTGAME NOTES
- James won for the second time this season and lowered his ERA to 1.17
- The Jacks plated eight runs for the 16th time this season
- The Jacks drew seven walks including two in the sixth inning with both of those coming around to score in the frame
- Swift joined Peña as the lone Jacks with a dozen or more multi-hit games and Creel recorded his eighth multi-hit game this season
- Juan Cantua's team-leading hitting streak moved to eight games, and he has now reached safely in 16-straight contests
- Cantua became the fifth Jack to hit a Jack this season
- It is Black's first multi-RBI game as a Jack and Henning registered 2+ RBI for the fourth time this season
- SFA turned a pair of double plays for the second-straight to run its season total to 49
Game two between the Jacks and the Huskies is scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch on Saturday. Live coverage links will be available at www.SFAjacks.com.
SECURE YOUR SEATS TODAY
Single game tickets for all SFA baseball home games are available now. Fans interested in purchasing season ticket packages can secure their seats here. Don't miss out on all the exciting action from Pilgrim's Park this season!
THE 'JACKS HAVE GONE MOBILE
SFA Athletics' newest mobile phone application is designed to bring Lumberjack fans closer to the action than ever before. Available now on both the App Store and Google Play, the new SFA Athletics app delivers schedules, scores, rosters, news, ticket access, and exclusive content right to your phone. Fans can also receive push notifications, so they never miss a moment of the action. Download now: Official SFA Athletics App.
FOLLOW THE JACKS
For all the latest information on SFA baseball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Jacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
#LogByLog
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: James, Jack (2-0)
L: Castano, Louis (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Bard, Luke 1 ; DeFazio, Nico 1 ; Halligan, Katcher 1
RBI: Castilleja, Levi 1 ; Walker, Jack 2 ; Rader, Jeremy 1 ; Jackson, Tyree 1
SF: Rader, Jeremy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bard, Luke 1 ; Rader, Jeremy 1 ; DeFazio, Nico 2 ; Halligan, Katcher 1
SB: Bard, Luke 1 ; Avalos, Anthony 1 ; DeFazio, Nico 1 ; Jackson, Tyree 1
CS: Jackson, Tyree 1
HBP: Jackson, Tyree 1
Batting:
2B: Schneider, Cooper 1
3B: Cantua, Juan 1
HR: Black, Rodric 1
RBI: Bland, Cermodrick 1 ; Swift, Julian 1 ; Creel, Jhett 1 ; Black, Rodric 2 ; Henning, Mark 2
SH: Swift, Julian 1
SF: Bland, Cermodrick 1 ; Henning, Mark 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Schneider, Cooper 2 ; Swift, Julian 1 ; DeJesus, Coby 2 ; Creel, Jhett 1 ; Black, Rodric 1 ; Cantua, Juan 1
SB: Swift, Julian 1 ; Henning, Mark 1
CS: Swift, Julian 1
HBP: Creel, Jhett 1
PO: Swift, Julian 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballC
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
LHP
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