Thursday, March 6, 2008

Texas Wesleyan baseball splits doubleheader with LSU-Shreveport

By Pegasus News wire

The Texas Wesleyan University baseball team (9-7) split a doubleheader at LSU-Shreveport (16-6) on Wednesday. After falling 10-6 in game one, the Rams topped the Pilots 12-11 in a 10-innning game-two thriller.

Game one featured plenty of offense early on. The Rams scored two in the first only to give up four in the bottom of the inning. Blake Walker homered in a two-run third inning for the Rams bringing the score to 6-5 LSUS, but the Pilots put the game away with three runs in the bottom of the third.

Jayson Rachuig (1-2) took the loss. Kody Thiebaud tossed 2.1 shutout innings in relief for the Rams.

Things got very interesting in game two, which was scheduled for seven innings. In the top of the seventh, Taylor Miller ripped a bases-clearing triple and then scored on a sacrifice fly from Butch Ballez to put the Rams on top 9-5. Once again the Pilots answered with four of their own in the bottom of the frame to keep the game alive.

The Rams scored two more in the ninth only to see the Pilots come right back with two more. In the tenth Ballez knocked in Zach Smith with a sac fly and Kody Thiebaud shut the door in the bottom of the inning to pick up the win.

Joey Evans pitched well, but received no decision. Evans started the game and went five innings, allowing two runs on five hits.

Thiebaud, a freshman from Dublin, TX, improved to 2-0 with the win. He allowed two runs in two innings of relief. Ballez went 3-for-4 with four RBI in game two.

The Rams will return to the field on Friday, when they host Wiley College. Game one of that doubleheader is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start at LaGrave Field.

Source: TWU

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