HCU uses three homers to power past UNO, 11-4

HOUSTON, Texas – The HCU Huskies jumped ahead early and used three home runs to vault their way to an 11-4 win over the New Orleans Privateers on Sunday afternoon at Husky Field.

It began with a three-run first inning. The first two men in the lineup got aboard on a single and a hit by pitch. After a fielder’s choice got the first out, Tyler LaRue hit a two-run double that put the Huskies on the board. A third run came across on one of two Privateer errors on the day.

The score held there until the fourth inning. Josh Prinner came up with two men on and hit a three-run homer to left field that extended the Huskies lead to 6-0. Another solo homer by LaRue made it 7-0.

New Orleans started to make progress in the top of the sixth inning. They loaded the bases with no outs but Christian Diaz was called upon out of the pen. The Privateers scored two runs on a sac fly and an infield hit but the Huskies got out of the inning without further damage.

HCU then added four runs on a grand slam. Samuel Benjamin hit his third home run of the weekend to right field, which extended the Huskies lead to 11-2.

New Orleans scored single runs in the seventh on a Diego Villescas homer and the ninth on an RBI ground out but could not progress any further. It was the first series victory for HCU over the Privateers since 2014.

INSIDE THE BOX
The homer by Villescas was his third of the year and part of a two-hit day. Mitchell Sanford went 2-for-4 with a run. Maika Niu was 1-for-2 with an RBI. Marco Mueses collected his first collegiate hit. Brooks Byers and Cade Mitchell each threw a scoreless inning in relief.

HCU had 11 hits on the day. LaRue added two doubles to his game line and was 3-for-5. William Jewell went 2-for-4 with a double and a run. Rye Gunter got the win to move to 2-0 on the season. He went five innings and struck out three while allowing two runs on four hits.

NEXT UP
The Privateers will host Tulane on Tuesday, Apr. 9 at 6:30 p.m.

WE ARE YOUR KREWE
For 54 seasons, Privateer student-athletes have had the unique experience of wearing New Orleans across their chests. Like the city itself, our sports teams have been fueled by resiliency, grit, and the unquenchable desire to win. Our city also houses the nation’s biggest celebration each year. And much like a Mardi Gras parade krewe, we are tethered to our community through pride, tradition, a culture of acceptance, and finally our commitment to show that New Orleans is a world-class city to live, learn, play and work. We invite you to become more involved with the only University that truly represents New Orleans all day, every day. Join #NOLAsTeam, We Are Your Krewe!
Visit UNOPrivateers.com/signup to stay connected and follow us @UNOPrivateers on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow @PrivateersBSB on Twitter/X, @PrivateersBSB on Instagram, like Privateers Baseball on Facebook and subscribe to the UNOPrivateers YouTube