NEW ORLEANS ? It has taken some time, but University of New Orleans head baseball coach Tom Walter is starting to see his team take shape. And the results are proving it.
The Privateers rallied from multi-run deficits on three different occasions and got another good effort from the bullpen, as UNO took an 11-10 win over Western Kentucky on Friday night at Maestri Field.
Michael Knipper's fly ball in the seventh inning fell safely into right field, allowing Jeff Lanning to score the go-ahead from first base, to help UNO (21-10, 6-6 Sun Belt Conference) win its fifth league game in its last seven outings.
The hit capped a four-run inning that was started on a three-run home run by Joey Butler. The duo of Jake Henderson and Ryan O'Shea combined for 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to cinch it.
Butler finished the game 2-for-3 with a career-high six RBIs.
“This is a huge win for us in a lot of ways,” said Walter. “It is really big for us to get a come-from-behind win. We did that a lot in 2007, but this is one of the first times we have done that this year. It is good to see that kind of resiliency.”
Henderson (2-0) gave UNO a chance thanks to 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. The effort followed a tough start for senior right-hander Justin Garcia, who gave up 13 hits and 10 runs (nine earned) in 5 1/3 innings.
O'Shea, a product of Mandeville High School, worked the final two innings for his sixth save. He escaped a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the ninth inning by striking out WKU leadoff hitter Scott Kaskie.
It was another solid day of relief work for a UNO bullpen that struggled through much of the early conference season.
“I really think it is due to guys being in the right roles,” Walter said. “We have a few freshmen who are not throwing like freshmen anymore, and they are pitching with some confidence.”
UNO won despite being out-hit 18-10. Terrence Dayleg went 4-for-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored. The shorstop was one of seven different players with multiple hits for WKU (18-14, 6-7).
Ben Paxton (0-1) got the loss in relief of starter Bart Carter, who surrendered eight hits and eight runs (six earned) in six innings.
It seemed like WKU would cruise early. The first five hitters reached safely in the first inning, and the Hilltoppers jumped out to a 4-0 lead. UNO fought back with three runs in the second and two in the third to take a 5-4 advantage.
But the Hilltoppers answered with a three-spot of its own in the fourth to make it 7-5. UNO came back with two runs to tie it in the fifth before WKU chased Garcia in the sixth with three more runs.
Henderson, though, stopped the bleeding by getting Wade Gaynor to ground into an inning-ending double play ? setting up UNO's rally in the seventh.
Knipper, batting out of the nine-hole, had three hits for the Privateers.
The two teams will continue the three-game series at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
