Back On Track With a Win

A red-hot Jaguar baseball team entered this past week on a seven game win streak. They swept in conference foes Grambling State and Prairie View, and in state opponent McNeese State. Subsequently, the went on a three game losing streak this week, dropping matches to Jackson State and Louisiana Lafayette; who mercy-ruled the Jags 14-1. After three consecutive loses, SU was set to take on New Orleans based Loyola. The Jags and the Wolfpack faced each other in a double header Saturday afternoon.
SU would drop the first of the double header in a 7-3 loss. Starting pitcher James Fontenot pitched a decent outing in the first matchup. He went five innings and allowed three earned runs before giving up the lead in the 6. The Wolfpack’s Jordan Wilson would break a three all tie with a two run single. Loyola would add to its lead with two RBI singles, one in the eighth inning and the second one coming in the ninth inning.
Loyola’s Daniel Posway would pitch four shutout innings and pick up his first save of the season to finalize the win in the first half of the double header, Fontenot would give up seven two out hits, which undoubtedly kept Loyola in the match.
“That’s a lot of two-out hits, with two outs you’ve got to be able to put people away,” said head coach Roger Cador.
The second game would be much different. A pitching change lit a bit of a fire under struggling SU ball club, who lost its last three previous contests. Tyler Robinson, who regularly pitches on Sundays got the start on Saturday. Santos Saldivar, who sits atop the pitching rotation came out of the bullpen in the second duel of the double header. Saldivar would capture a save and the last six outs to close out the game 7-2. SU kicked off the scoring when infielder Marcus Tomlin drove in a run on an RBI single in the third inning. The lead would accumulate to 2, when outfielder Lance Jones tripled and scored on a throwing error in the bottom of the fourth.
Tomlin would single again and drive in another run in the bottom of the fifth. Robinson made his first presence back on the mound since straining his groin a week earlier against Prairie View. Loyola would place a runner on base in each inning, however, Robinson would keep them from manufacturing a single run until the sixth inning. Robinson said he began to feel fatigued. The strained groin kept him from running earlier on throughout the week.
The Wolfpack would score its first run thanks to three wild pitches by Robinson. Saldivar would come in for relief duty for Robinson. He did allow one run, but the offense came alive in the bottom of the eighth; as the Jags scored four runs. Jose de la Torre had an RBI single, Robinson Mateo drove in two runs with an RBI single of his own, and Tyler Lee brought home two Jaguars with an RBI double. Robinson pitched five scoreless innings, and seven impressive innings altogether.
“I just said we’re not losing this game, I walked out there with intensity. I wanted to pitch,” said starting pitcher Tyler Robinson.