SHREVEPORT, La. – Hope International and LSU Shreveport – the last two NAIA baseball national champions – played a doubleheader on Friday with the Pilots winning by scores of 9-8 and 5-2 at Pilot Field.
The fourth-ranked Royals dropped to 4-2, while the Pilots moved to 4-0.
LSU Shreveport 9, Hope International 8
The Royals got off to a solid start with a three-run first inning, capped off by run-scoring hits from Matthew Pinal and Colby Moran. Matias Nolasco drove in Pinal with a sacrifice fly for the 3-0 lead.
The Pilots scored a run in the bottom half on an RBI groundout, and cut the deficit to one with a sacrifice fly in the third.
The home took a 4-3 lead following a two-run fourth.
HIU rallied for three runs in the fifth to retake the lead at 6-4, as Pinal continued his torrid hitting with an RBI single. Moran also offered up an RBI single, and Spencer Davis laced a single through the right side to score Pinal.
But the lead was short-lived as the Pilot knotted the score at 6-6 in the bottom half. Both runs were unearned following a throwing error in the inning.
LSU Shreveport scored a run in six consecutive innings, posting a single run in the sixth, seventh and eighth. The Pilots led 8-6 entering the eighth, but the Royals tied the score with a pair of runs – getting an RBI groundout from Nic Cortez and a run-scoring double by David Allen.
But the Pilots scored the clinching run in the bottom half of the eighth as HIU was victimized by another fielding error – this one taking place with two outs.
Cooper Bagby took the hard luck loss, allowing the unearned run in the eighth. He did not allow a hit in the inning and struck out the side.
Pinal started on the mound for HIU, going 3.0 innings with three strikeouts.
Joan Roman earned the win for the Pilots as he pitched the final 1.2 innings, striking out two.
LSU Shreveport 5, Hope International 2
LSU Shreveport scored three runs in the third, one in the fourth and one in the fifth to provide all the scoring for the home team in the 5-2 triumph.
The Pilots used an RBI triple, bunt single and an HIU error to put up the three spot. The Royals committed their fourth error of the afternoon in the fourth on an LSUS double steal, allowing the fourth run to come around.
HIU trimmed the deficit to 4-1 in the fifth on an Evan Jaquez sacrifice fly that scored Royce Clayton, but the Pilots wrested the run right back on a passed ball in the bottom half.
LSU Shreveport got three scoreless innings each from two pitchers, although the Royals did strike for a run in the ninth off the fourth pitcher of the afternoon. Evan Bigani had an RBI groundout as HIU pulled within 5-2.
Luke Wallin pitched effectively in relief for the Royals, logging 5.1 innings and allowing just four hits and two unearned runs. He struck out four.
Josh Landry got the start and was pulled after 2.2 innings as the Pilots had seven hits. The left-hander struck out four.
The two teams will play another doubleheader on Sunday with first pitch taking place at noon (PT).
