SHREVEPORT, La. – No. 4 Hope International baseball concluded its visit to top-ranked LSU Shreveport on Sunday with 19-8 and 2-1 losses, dropping to 4-4 on the season.

The Pilots improved to 6-0.

Colby Moran went 4-for-9 in the doubleheader to lead the Royals offense. David Allen, David Shackelford, Evan Jaquez and Henry Borjas each produced two hits in game one.

The Royals held a 1-0 lead entering the bottom of the eighth in game two, but the Pilots notched a pair of runs to steal the victory.

Game 1 – No. 1 LSU Shreveport 19, No. 4 Hope International 8

The Royals pounded out 14 hits but the Pilot offense churned out 19 hits of their own en route to the 19-8 victory.

HIU took a 2-0 lead with a run in the second and third innings. Jaquez had an RBI single in the second and Matthew Pinal drove in Allen on a sacrifice fly in the third.

The Pilots erupted for six runs in the third, with the big blow a two-run Nazir Mendez home run. LSUS increased their lead to 11-2 in the fifth as Makana Olaso and Bronson Neave blasted two-run homers.

The Royals rallied for six runs in the seventh to cut the deficit to 11-8. Shackelford drove in a run on an opposite field single, and Pinal had a two-RBI double. Moran followed with another RBI double, while Jaquez and Borjas completed the scoring with back-to-back run scoring singles.

But the Pilots tallied seven runs in the bottom half to put the game out of reach.

Franky Lopez took the loss for HIU after lasting 2.2 innings, allowing six hits and six runs. David Hankins earned the win for the Pilots after surrendering four runs in 3.2 innings of work.

Game 2 – No. 1 LSU Shreveport 2, No. 4 Hope International 1

The Royals were hampered by a couple of tough calls in the eighth inning, squandering a superb pitching performance from starting pitcher Jake Thrift. 

Thrift tossed six scoreless innings, yielding just four hits and striking out five. He helped his own cause by picking off an LSUS runner in the second. After Spencer Sullivan led off the fourth with a double, the Royals erased Sullivan as he attempted to take third on Carlos Sanchez's fielder's choice grounder.

Sanchez stole second to get into scoring position, but Thrift buckled down and got the next two Pilot hitters via strikeout and ground out.

HIU produced just one hit against LSUS starter Virot Sihirath through five innings, but took full advantage when reliever Camden Stephens entered in the sixth.

Royce Clayton notched a one-out triple and came around on Shackelford's sacrifice fly for the 1-0 lead.

Luke Wallin threw a scoreless seventh for the Royals.

But in the eighth, Neave drew a leadoff walk off HIU reliever Cooper Bagby. Quaterrion Walton flew out to center for the first out, and Neave tagged up for second. Clayton's throw to second was on time and Neave appeared to be out, but he was called safe. Sullivan drew a walk to put two runners aboard, and HIU called upon Tyler Tilton out of the bullpen.

Tilton's pitch to Sanchez bounced away from the catcher as both runners attempted to move up 90 feet. Matias Nolasco's throw to third beat the runner, but Neave was called safe once again.

Sanchez hit a towering shot over the center fielder's head for a two-run double as LSU took the 2-1 lead.

Pinal walked with two outs in the ninth and Moran followed with a single to put runners at the corners. But Robert Lastra, who logged three scoreless innings of one-hit ball, got a fly out to right to end the game.

Bagby took the loss and Lastra earned the win.

HIU continues its roadtrip on Tuesday with a 9:00 a.m. game at Texas A&M-Texarkana.