Baseball downs SUNO, holds on to first in GCAC
NEW ORLEANS - After falling 15-4 in Game 1, the Wiley University baseball team bounced back with 10-0 and 7-6 victories to claim the series against Southern University at New Orleans on Saturday and Sunday at Wesley Barrow Stadium.
The Wildcats (21-17, 15-3 GCAC) remain in first in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference with a half-game lead over Talladega College. They improve to 10-9 on the road.
GAME 1
Brendan Mendoza went 2-for-3 with a triple and drove in three runs. Ivan Del Villar went 1-for-2 with two runs. Abel Rodriguez Jr. hit an RBI double. The Wildcats were unable to figure out Southern-New Orleans' pitcher Noah Ramirez as they struck out 10 times.
Isaac Burciaga started and only lasted an inning. He gave up four runs on four walks, three hits and hit a batter. The Knights scored the first six runs. Wiley got on the board in the fourth. Del Villar led off with a single and scored on Mendoza's triple. Smauri Abram courtesy ran for Mendoza and scored on Rodriguez's double. Southern-New Orleans answered with five runs, pushing the margin to nine.
The game was called in the sixth inning after the Knights increased their lead to 11, even though there is no run rule in seven-inning games. It was the first time, the Wildcats have lost the opener in a conference series since last season.
GAME 2
Keyon Guillory dominated on the mound, picking up his sixth victory and second career shutout. He only allowed four runners to reach base with two hits and two walks. Guillory struck out eight batters.
Del Villar went 3-for-4 with two runs and hit his eighth home run of the season with a two-run blast in the sixth inning. Jhan Carlos Javier hit an RBI single and scored two runs. Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a double and a run. Six of Wiley's runs were scored on SUNO errors.
Two errors put Wiley on the board in the fourth inning. Ryan Ready reached on an error by the third baseman. Del Villar moved him into scoring position with a single. An error by the left fielder scored Ready and Del Villar. The Wildcats doubled their lead with Del Villar's home run in the sixth inning.
Rodriguez led off the seventh with a double, which sparked a six-run inning. Javier hit an RBI single. Two errors brought home three runs. Eddie Garza brought home a run when he was hit by the pitch with the bases loaded.
GAME 3
Del Villar homered for the second consecutive game, which put Wiley in front for good in the eighth inning. He also singled in the fifth and scored two runs. Amir Mason went 3-for-5 with three stolen bases and scored three runs. Mendoza went 2-for-5 and drove in two runs. Eddie Garza went 2-for-4 with a run and two stolen bases.
Jaylen Cream started and went five innings and struck out five batters. He dealt with heavy traffic on the basepaths, only retiring the side in order in the third. In the first inning, the bases were loaded with no outs. Cream got a strikeout and got the next batter to ground into an inning-ending double play. Guillory relieved Cream in the sixth inning. He struck out nine batters in four innings, picking up his second victory in the series. Guillory is the first Wildcat since before 2007 to accomplish the feat.
The Wildcats took the lead in the second after Cream escaped the first unscathed. Mason led off with a single and stole second. Mendoza brought him in with a single. Wiley extended its lead in the fourth. Rodriguez was hit by the pitch and advanced to third on Garza's base hit. Ready brought home Rodriguez with a fly ball to center field.
Wiley's lead held up until the sixth inning. Southern-New Orleans' first batter walked. Miles Bowens tied the game at four with a two-run home run. The Wildcats reclaimed the lead in the seventh. Mason led off with a single and stole second. He scored on a groundball to third by Jacob Perez. The Knights would tie the game with a hit, stolen base and a wild pitch.
With one out in the eighth, Del Villar hit the ball over the left field wall for his ninth home run of the season. Mason followed with a single, stole second and advanced to third on a scoring error. Mendoza brought him home to put the Wildcats up by two. SUNO scored a run in the ninth on two hits and two wild pitches. Guillory struck out the last two batters to seal the game and series.
Wiley will travel to Texas College for a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday. It will conclude the regular season with its final GCAC series at Philander Smith University on April 20 and 21. The Panthers were swept by Talladega College.
For more coverage on the Wildcats visit Baseball - Wiley University (wileyathletics.com)
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