Our Lady of the Lake eliminates Xavier from RRAC Baseball Championship in one-run game

STERLINGTON, La. — Xavier University of Louisiana baseball stranded 11 baserunners Saturday in a 5-4 loss to Our Lady of the Lake in the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament.

The defeat eliminated XULA from the tournament and ended its season. The Gold Rush finished 19-25 overall and 0-2 in the tournament as the seventh seed.

OLLU, 31-23 and seeded third, never trailed and led 5-1 through two innings after Jacob Mitchell’s three-run home in first inning and Jacob Montejano’s two-run single in the second.

XULA scored three times in the fifth on Courtland Posey’s RBI grounder and Deionte Norris’ two-run single, but the Gold Rush stranded one runner in each of the final three innings.

XULA freshman left-hander Joseph Semien pitched five scoreless innings in relief of starter Nigel Mayfield.

XULA had eight hits, three by Norris and two apiece by Matt Muhleisen and Blair Frederick. Muhleisen doubled home Frederick in the first inning.

This was XULA’s second consecutive season of baseball after no competition from 1961-2020.