PINEVILLE, LA - The Louisiana College baseball team was dominant in all three phases of the game in Friday's doubleheader against UT-Dallas, as the Wildcats swept the Comets to continue their recent streak of hot play in American Southwest Conference action.
The Wildcats used a sixth run second inning and a complete game shutout from senior right-hander Madison Lachney to take an 8-0 win in game one.
LC started the scoring in the bottom of the second with a two RBI single to left center field off the bat of junior left fielder Kade Van Norman that drove in shortstop Taylor Beavers and center fielder Jermaine Liggins.
Will Cox followed with an RBI fielder's choice and was driven in one batter later when junior right fielder Mark Riendeau hit a triple off the wall in deep center field to put the Wildcats up 4-0.
Senior catcher Kyle Feazell would then provide the big blow of the inning, as he sent a pitch off the scoreboard in left field for as two-run home run to give LC a 6-0 advantage, which was all Lachney would need from there.
The senior right hander went all seven innings, giving up seven hits and striking out six without a walk to pick up his ninth complete game of the season, which leads the nation, as well as his third complete game shutout of the season.
LC added their other two runs on a Matt Scott RBI sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and a Riendeau solo home run in the sixth.
The Wildcats would once again play great baseball in all three phases of game two, as they collected 11 hits, committed just one error, and got another outstanding effort from junior right-hander Brand Bignar to propel themselves to a series clinching 5-1 win in game two of the doubleheader.
LC would yet again ride the momentum of a big second inning, as they took a 3-0 with an RBI single from Liggins, an RBI walk by second baseman Cary Myers, and an RBI hit by pitch by Van Norman.
The Cats collected two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on an RBI single from Scott that drove in Riendeau and another RBI single from Liggins that brought Scott home to give LC a 5-0 cushion.
That was all Bignar would need, as the tall right-hander would go 7.1 innings while giving up just six hits, one walk, and one run, which was unearned, to pick up his fourth win of the season.
Sophomore relief pitcher Luke Pinkard tossed the final 1.2 innings of the game to earn his third save of the season.
The doubleheader sweep brought LC's overall season record to 14-19 overall and 13-14 in ASC play. The Wildcats will travel to Abilene, TX next Friday to take on Hardin-Simmons in an ASC weekend series set to begin Friday at 7:00 p.m.