LSU Eunice takes two Thursday at Delgado

NEW ORLEANS – LSU Eunice used a pair of offensive runs to score a doubleheader sweep of Delgado CC on Thursday at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium.

The Bengals (30-3) used 9 unanswered runs in a 12-3 opening win, followed by an early five run spurt in Game 2 to take a 9-1 decision.

Jarrett McDonald (Sterlington, LA, Sterlington HS) paced the Bengals’ offense producing five hits, four RBIs and scoring four times.

It was the first contests between LSUE and Delgado since 2017, the 78th and 79th all-time meetings. The two teams will head back to Eunice on Saturday for a 2PM doubleheader.

Game 1 vs. Delgado CC – W, 12-3
LSU Eunice took advantage of five Delgado CC errors to help cruise past the Dolphins, 12-3. The Bengals scored nine unanswered runs after giving up two Dolphin runs in the first inning.

The Bengals struck for five runs in the third inning to take the lead for good, highlighted by a three-run double from Jarrett McDonald. The sophomore led LSUE with a 3-for-5 game, driving in four runs and scoring three times.

LSUE would add two more in the fourth off RBIs from Jack Merrifield (Prairieville, LA, Dutchtown HS) and Hunter Tabb (Scott, LA, Acadiana HS). Beau Kirsch (Lafayette, LA, Acadiana HS) extended the lead on a two-run suicide squeeze. After the Dolphins added a run in the eighth inning, the Bengals added three more runs in the ninth as McDonald drove in Merrifield on a RBI single followed by a two-run single from Thomas Stevens (Crowley, LA, Notre Dame HS).

McDonald and Stevens were the lone Bengals to have a multi-hit game.

Jerry Couch (Bossier City, LA, Airline HS) (8-1) enjoyed his longest outing of the season going eight innings. Couch scattered three runs, one earned, off seven hits and a walk while striking out three batters. Brock Barthelemy (Gonzales, LA, Dutchtown HS) slammed the door shut with a scoreless ninth.

Game 2 vs. Delgado CC – W, 9-1
Jackson Rodriguez (Kingwood, TX) had a breakout performance, keeping Delgado at bay as LSUE scored a 9-1 victory to complete the Thursday sweep.

Rodriguez (5-0) struck out nine batters in four innings, yielding a run off four hits and four walks. The freshman worked out of a bases loaded jam in the first with a strike out, and struck out another batter in a two-out bases loaded situation in the fourth. Delgado left 10 runners stranded in Rodriguez’s four innings.

The Bengals scored the first run of the game with a Hunter Tabb sacrifice fly in the first inning before Carter Quinn (Lake Charles, LA, Barbe HS) broke the game opener with a fourth inning grand slam. It was Quinn’s second home run of the season.

The Dolphins scored their lone run of the game with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth.

LSUE responded with another four-run inning, extending its lead to 9-1 in the sixth. The Bengals’ used four consecutive run producing at-bats from the top of the lineup.

Peyton LeJeune (Church Point, LA, Teurlings Catholic HS), Jack Merrifield and Jarrett McDonald all enjoyed multi-hit games in the Bengals’ 10-hit output.

Austin Andrishok (Baton Rouge, LA, Catholic-Baton Rouge HS) and Jase McDonald (Denham Springs, LA, Denham Springs HS) tossed the final three innings in relief, combining to give up just one hit while striking out five batters.