Louisiana Christian sweeps doubleheader from A&M–Texarkana

PINEVILLE – The Wildcats of Louisiana Christian University will finish no lower than third place in the final regular season Red River Athletic Conference baseball standings due to claiming two wild victories Saturday in a doubleheader sweep of Texas A&M–Texarkana.

LCU scored seven unanswered runs to claim a walkoff 13-12 victory in Saturday’s opener before an eighth-inning rally lifted the ‘Cats to a 5-3 victory in game two.

The Wildcats (30-12, 22-7 RRAC) can clinch second place and the No. 2 seed into the RRAC Tournament by completing the series sweep of the Eagles when the teams face off Sunday at LCU’s Billy Allgood Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.

GAME ONE: ‘Cats 13, A&M–Texarkana 12 (BOX SCORE)

The visiting Eagles took a 12-6 lead midway through a high-scoring, seven-inning game before the Wildcats rallied for one of their most exciting wins of the season.

In the bottom of the fourth, the ‘Cats cut A&M–Texarkana’s lead to four on Peyton Lamartiniere’s two-run double that scored Drake Angeron and Nicholas Brunet. Lamartiniere was one of five LCU players to tally at least two RBIs in the opening contest.

The ‘Cats quickly scratched out two more runs to open the fifth inning before the Eagles could record an out. Dylan David led off with a single, which was followed by a triple to right-centerfield off the bat of Nick Moreau. Noah Gaspard then laid down a bunt single that allowed Moreau to score from third base.

Two batters later, Adrian Aguilar tied the game with a homerun to right field, which also scored Nicklaus Stein, who was running the basepaths for Gaspard. It was Aguilar’s fifth homerun of the season and his fourth in six games.

LCU won the game in the seventh on Brunet’s single to score Angeron from third. With one out in the inning, Angeron singled, which was followed by a walk to Aguilar and a wild pitch that allowed both runners to move into scoring position.

While the ‘Cats were clawing their way back, Braxton Cooksey was keeping previously noisy Texarkana bats silent over the last half of the game. Cooksey tossed three and two-thirds innings of relief and allowed only two hits and a single unearned run while striking out three batters.

Aguilar finished the game with three RBIs, while Brunet, Moreau, and Gaspard collected two RBIs apiece. Angeron and David both knocked three hits in the game.

GAME TWO: ‘Cats 5, A&M–Texarkana 3 (BOX SCORE)

Pitching dominated the first seven innings of game two before the LCU’s pitching hero in the previous game provided the game-winning hit.

LCU pitcher Beau Hebert struck out seven batters and scattered two hits over seven shutout innings and left the game with a 2-0 lead. Hebert took the mound Saturday looking to improve his season record to 11-1.

Nick Lorio’s bat gave the ‘Cats and Hebert their two-run lead, as he hit solo homeruns in the second and seventh innings.

The visitors gave the game a sudden momentum change in the eighth inning. After his team could only manage two hits through seven frames, Hunter Reid, who already hit two homeruns in the opener for the Eagles, knocked a three-run blast and gave A&M–Texarkana a 3-2 lead.

In the bottom of the eighth, Angeron led off by getting hit by a pitch, and then reaching third base on pair of groundouts. Lamartiniere then tied the score with an RBI single on a 2-2 pitch.

Having already been a hero in game one, Cooksey again led the ‘Cats to victory in game two when he followed Lamartiniere’s hit with a two-run homerun to right field. The blast regained a two-run lead for LCU.

Colton Williams retired the side in order in the ninth to pick up the save for the ‘Cats, while Gavin Corzine earned the relief victory.