Nunez takes pair from John Melvin in Saturday rematch

PELICANS TAKE PAIR FROM MILLERS IN SATURDAY REMATCH

Chalmette, LA – Nunez Community College got dominant pitching from a quintet of hurlers, and the offense banged out 25 hits and swiped 10 bases on the day, as the Pelicans picked up a pair of victories over the John Melvin University Junior Varsity on a chilly Saturday afternoon at Suarez Stadium.

GAME 1 – NUNEZ  11   JOHN MELVIN  1   (6 innings)

Nunez opened the scoring in the bottom of the first as Noah Detillier bunt-singled to 3rd, stole second, advanced on a groundout, and scored on Collin Zeringue’s sharp single to right. But JMU tied it right back in the second inning on walk, single, walk, and throwing error from home to third.

The entire batting order then got into the act as the Pels moved ahead 7-1 with a 6-run third inning that started with consecutive doubles from Zeringue (2-for-3, 2B, SF, 2 RBI) and Caleb Webb to plate one, and then after Alex Crews was hit-by-pitch, Evan Rohlfs (1-for-1, sac, HBP) sacrificed the runners ahead and then reached himself on the wild throw to first with Webb scoring and Crews taking 3rd on the play. Rohlfs then stole second and Dylan Jimenez (1-for-3, 2 RBI) followed with a hard-ground single to left to plate both runners and put the Pels up 5-1. A walk to James Bendeck and bunt-single by Davison Stokes then loaded the bases, and after Jimenez was forced out at home on Detillier’s fielder’s choice grounder, Bendeck scored on Payton Cooper’s line single to center, with Zeringue next scoring Stokes with a sacrifice fly to deep left-center.

The home team then added 3 more in the fourth as a walk to Crews, a plunk of Rohlfs, and walks to Jimenez and Bendeck forced in one run, and then after a pair of strikeouts, Cooper plated 2 more with another line single to center.

Now ahead 10-1, the Pelicans invoked the 10-run rule in the bottom of the sixth as a Stokes double off the top of the centerfield screen just missed getting out, and after a Detillier single and intentional walk of Cooper loaded the sacks, Zeringue was hit-by-pitch to bring the game to a close.

Levi Brewster (1R, 4H, 8K, 2W) completed his designated 4-inning start to pick up his second mound victory over the Millers in eight days. Andre Roux pitched the fifth inning by striking out the side, and Alan Mason threw a scoreless sixth, recording all 3 outs on groundouts.

 John Melvin –  010 000 x  –    1   4  1 

                 Nunez –  106 301 x  –  11 14  3

    Game called in 6th inning, 10-run rule  

           W – Brewster   L – M Mason.

McGuire,  M Mason (3), Israel (3), Lawson (4),

        Ramos (4) and Guidry.     Brewster,

     Adr Roux (5), A Mason (6) and Rohlfs. 

  2B – Zeringue, Stokes, Webb.   SF – Zeringue. 

GAME 2 – NUNEZ  9   JOHN MELVIN  2   (7 innings)

Cole Bordes pitched a solid 6 innings and his offense scored in every inning except the first.

Melvin got on the board in the top of the second with an unearned run on an infield error, steal of second, single, and successful double steal of home for their only lead of the afternoon. But Nunez quickly turned that around in the bottom half as Crews reached on an infield error and Caleb Duhon and Reggie Bergeron each walked to load the bases.  Bendeck (2-for 2, 2 RBI) then lined a missile to right to plate Crews and Duhon.  But then after a walk to Stokes reloaded the sacks, JMU starter Gavyn Menard struck out the entire top third of the Pelican order to shut off the rally and leave the contest at 2-1.

The Pelicans managed to add one in the third as Crews walked, stole second and raced home on Bergeron’s line single to center.  The Millers then cut the lead back to one in the fourth on a pair of singles around a swipe of second, before the home team plated 2 more in the bottom half as Detillier and Cooper lined singles to left and right, and Zeringue next scored Detillier from third with his second sac fly of the day.  After Cooper stole second, Webb scored him with a hard-ground single to left to make it 5-2 Pels.

Nunez added one more in the fifth on consecutive hard singles from Bergeron (2-for 3, 2 RBI), Bendeck, and Stokes (2-for 3, RBI) before a plunk of Detillier forced in the run.

Now up 6-2, the Pels then completed the scoring with three in the sixth as a Webb line-double to left and Crews line-single to center plated one.  Crews then stole second, Duhon walked, and Crews took 3rd on a wild pitch.  Bergeron next reached on an infield error with Crews scoring, after which Duhon tagged at second and moved to third on Bendeck’s deep fly-out, and next scored on Stokes’ hard smash through the 65 hole into left to put the Nunez up 9-2.

Bordes notched the win, striking out 6 while yielding just 1 earned run and scattering 5 hits with a walk.  Ira Austin closed out the game in the 7th, striking out 2 with one walk in a non-save situation.

      John Melvin –   010 100 0  –  2   5  2

                 Nunez –   021 213 x  –  9  11 1

             W – Bordes  L – Menard 

           Menard, Oquinn (5), and Guidry.

             Bordes, Austin (7) and Webb.  

         2B – Bouillion, Bendeck, Webb.  SF – Zeringue.

GAME NOTES:

• The Pels were led at the plate for the afternoon by Stokes (4-for-6, double, 3 RBI), Crews (3-for-5, 5 runs, RBI), Webb (4-for-8, 2 doubles, 2 RBI), and Cooper (3-for-7, 3 RBI).
• • Crews (3H, 2BB, HBP) and Stokes (4H, 2BB), each reached base 6 of 8 times, with Cooper reaching in 5 of 9 plate appearances.
• The Pelican running game was led by Detillier with 3 steals in Game 1 and Crews with 3 in Game 2.
• Nunez now leads the season series with JMU 3 games to one, with 2 more games remaining to be played on Saturday, April 1 in Chalmette, which will be the Pelicans’ bye week in conference play.

NEXT UP:

Nunez will return to Mobile this Monday, March 20 to play the Spring Hill College JV in a doubleheader, which will be the Pels’ final tune-up before conference play begins next weekend.  Game 1 first pitch from historic Sims-Galle Field will be 4 PM.

For Pelican fans who cannot make the trip, live streams of Spring Hill College Junior Varsity baseball games are available through GoDog Sports at shc.godogsports.com.