Both teams hit the ball out of the park Tuesday night, but the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s baseball team couldn’t match Louisiana Tech’s slugging.
La Tech won 11-6 in the first of two games this week at J.C. Love Field in Ruston, La.
UAPB (13-30) attempted to rally in the final two innings. The Golden Lions trailed 10-1 before senior Ben VanMaanen hit an RBI single in the top of the eighth inning. Redshirt junior Dane Small later scored on a wild pitch to make it 10-3.
After Tech (27-17) added a run in the bottom of the eighth, UAPB sophomore Blake Coleman hit his first home run of the year, a 3-run blast which cut the Golden Lions’ deficit to 11-6 with no outs in the ninth. The Bulldogs changed pitchers two hitters later, and senior left-hander Ryan Harland shut down the comeback.
UAPB’s early deficit was largely thanks to Tech designated hitter Sebastian Mexico’s two home runs. His first was a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the second inning which gave the Bulldogs a 5-1 lead. It was the first of three consecutive home runs by Tech as second baseman Michael Ballard and first baseman Trey Hawsey followed with solo shots.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Mexico went on to hit a 3-run home run in the third. He finished 2 for 5 with 7 RBI.
Tech’s run of three straight homers was part of a 7-run second inning after the Golden Lions had led 1-0 following the first. UAPB centerfielder Eli Gries-Smith doubled, then moved to third as designated hitter Carlos Rodriguez-Velez reached base on a dropped fly ball in right field. Catcher Brant Voth then hit a sacrifice fly to score Gries-Smith and give UAPB its brief lead.
The Golden Lions hit Tech starting pitcher Grant Hubka hard in that first inning, with two of the inning’s outs coming on fly balls and the other coming on a line drive. Hubka, who hadn’t pitched since March 28 due to injury, left after the inning.
Junior right-hander Kade Parker (3-1) took over to begin the second. UAPB led off with two hits against him before he calmed things down. Parker went on to pitch 6 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits with 5 strikeouts.
Gries-Smith led the Golden Lions at the plate, hitting 2 for 4 with 2 runs. Both teams made numerous substitutions in the later innings while the score hovered at 10-1.
UAPB gave sophomore Darrius Brown (0-2) his second start of the season. He retired the Bulldogs in order in the first inning before the home run parade arrived in the second. All three homers came with two outs in an inning which included a one-out error.
Brown went on to pitch 2 1/3 innings and allowed 8 runs, 2 of them earned, on 4 hits and 3 walks with one strikeout. After a brief outing by Harish Balachandran, who allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, four relievers combined to hold Tech scoreless for the next four innings.
The only run the Bulldogs scored the rest of the game came against Gries-Smith, who struck out two batters in his first collegiate pitching appearance.
Rodriguez-Velez exited the game in the top of the fifth inning after fouling a pitch into his foot. He was helped to the dugout and could not finish the at-bat. He is UAPB’s third-leading hitter this season and would be a big loss to the Golden Lions if he misses future games.
UAPB and Tech will finish their two-game series on Wednesday at 5 p.m.