Nunez celebrates Fan Day with sweep of Triton

CHALMETTE, LA –  Nunez Community College got great pitching efforts in each game in taking both ends of Tuesday evening’s doubleheader against Triton (IL) College at Noel Suarez Stadium in the annual Fan Night outing.

In the opener, freshman Landon Cortez went 5 innings in holding Triton to just 3 hits and 2 runs, while striking out 6 with 5 walks to pick up the 5-2 win.

In Game 2, Noah Detillier launched a 3-run homer, and sophomore Payton Cooper, after going 2-for-2 with a double and RBI in the first game, spun a brilliant 1-hitter into the 7th inning as the Pels completed the sweep with a 7-2 victory. Cooper recorded 9 strikeouts and yielded no earned runs with 5 walks, with the only hit allowed being Antoine Harris’ 2-run homer in the third inning that also scored Camden Karczewski who had reached on an infield error right before.

GAME 1 – NUNEZ 5 TRITON 2 (7 innings)

The Pelicans scored all single runs in 5 of its 6 at-bats, starting in the bottom of the first as Detillier led off with a bunt single to third, and then came around on Cooper’s hard-ground single to left, a walk, and Alex Crews’ 2-out line single to left.

Nunez then added another in the second after 2 were-out, as Detillier and Cooper were both hit by pitches and Collin Zeringue followed with a hard-smash just inside the bag at first for an RBI-double to chase Detillier home to put the home team up 2-0.

But the Trojans were able to tie it in the top of the third on 2 singles following a hit-by-pitch and walk.

Nunez then took the lead for good in the fourth as James Bendeck led off with a single to left and Ashtyn Ellis followed with a line double to the same place. One-out later, Bendeck tagged and scored on Cooper’s long sacrifice fly to right. The Pels then got its fourth run in the next inning as Crews doubled on a fly ball that dropped into centerfield, move to third on Davison Stokes’ line-single to center, and scored on Bendeck’s sac fly to left to make it 4-2.

The Pelicans got their final run in the sixth as Detillier, who scored 3 of the 5 Nunez runs in the game, opened with a walk and eventually scored after hard-ground singles to left from both Cooper and Zeringue.

Freshman Ira Austin (2IP, 1H, 1K, 1W) relieved Cortez in the top of the sixth and closed out the game to pick up the save. Tanner Johnson started the game for Triton by recording 8 of his first 9 outs on strikeouts.

                      Triton –  002 000 0 –   2   4  0                      

                      Nunez –  110 111 x  –  5  10  1

              W – Cortez.  L – Johnson.  S – Austin.

                 Johnson, Quintana (5) and Holmes.

                     Cortez, Austin (6) and Manson. 

                     2B – Zeringue, Ellis, Crews. 

                         SF – Cooper, Bendeck.  

GAME 2 – NUNEZ 7 TRITON 2 (7 innings)

Nunez again opened the scoring in the first as Detillier opened by drawing a walk, was sacrificed to 2nd by Crews, and then scored on Zeringue’s carbon-copy of his double down the right-field line in Game 1. Zeringue then later scored after infield singles by Landon Manson and Aidan Lambert.

After Harris’ 2-run dinger in the third tied the game at 2-2, the Pels stretched the lead to 3 in the fourth after 2 were out as both Bendeck and Ellis kept the inning alive with hard singles to center, after which Detillier gave the Pelicans a 5-2 lead with his long blast over the left-field wall.

The Pelicans plated their final 2 runs in the fifth as they loaded the bases with none out on walks to Zeringue and Manson followed by a hit-by-pitch to Evan Rohlfs. Lambert then drew another walk to force in Zeringue, with Manson next tagging and scoring on Bendeck’s second sacrifice fly of the night to center.

Closer Willy Flynn pitched a scoreless 7th for the Pels, yielding no hits with one strikeout in a non-save situation.

                     Triton –  002 000 0 –   2   1  1                     

                      Nunez – 200 320 x –   7   7  1

                        W – Cooper.   L – Mora.

               Mora, Norkus (5), West (6) and Barrera.

                       Cooper, Flynn (7) and Rohlfs. 

                         2B – Zeringue, Ellis, Crews.

                    HR – A Harris, Detillier. SF – Bendeck. 

GAME NOTES:

The Pels were led at the plate on the evening by Zeringue (3-for-7, 2 doubles, 3 RBI) and Crews (3-for-6, double, RBI).

Detillier reached base 5 of 8 times, scoring 5 of the 12 Nunez runs. Manson had 4 walks and a single in 8 plate appearances.

The Trojans head back to Chicago after a grueling 9-game stretch in 5 days, finishing the spring-break road trip with a record of 1-8 but with competitive outings in all but one game.

NEXT UP:

The Pelicans with host a return match-up with John Melvin University this Saturday, March 18 in a doubleheader starting at 1 PM at Suarez Stadium. Nunez students, faculty, and staff admitted free with Nunez ID.