LAFAYETTE, La. ? When Ryan O'Shea laid his head down during a dreary Thursday night in Acadiana, he could have had a million thoughts running around.
At 9 a.m. on Friday morning, he was going to take the mound with the bases loaded and one out in a tie game against a Troy team fighting for its season.
It just so happened that he would be facing the nation's leader in hits -- arguably the top hitter in the league. Oh, and his team's season was hanging by a thread.
A strikeout, a pop out and a solo home run later, and the Privateers' stay in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament will continue for at least a few more hours.
Senior catcher Josh Vander Hey hit a solo home run in the top of the 10th inning, and O'Shea recorded five clutch outs as the No. 2 seed Privateers advanced following a 7-6 win over Troy.
The Privateers (39-18) will play South Alabama in a 5 p.m. Friday contest at “Tigue” Moore Field. The win snapped a five-game losing streak, and it may have kept UNO's season alive.
“We told the kids before the game that if you don't win this game, you're out,” said UNO head coach Tom Walter. “We were playing so tight since the LSU game, and we just had so many guys pressing. I really expect a win like this to loosen us up.”
The game, which was suspended in the bottom of the ninth on Thursday due to rain, endured a nearly 18-hour delay. The Privateers could not have been dealt a worse situation when the game was called.
Troy loaded the bases following a leadoff single by Charlie Williams, an error by UNO pitcher Jake Henderson ? the Privateers' fifth of the game ? and a one-out intentional walk.
Walter went to the closer O'Shea, who had just finished his warm-up pitches before lightning struck and delayed the game to Friday.
After a field crew worked into the late hours to pump out nearly six inches of rain, O'Shea took the mound and struck out Bryan Miller before getting Beau Brooks to pop out to third baseman T.J. Baxter to end the threat.
“I knew the season was on the line,” said O'Shea, a Mandeville native who is the school's all-time saves leader. “But we had a good plan with their hitter and after I got the first-pitch strike, I had him on the defensive.”
Troy closer Josh Storm (2-2) nearly got the momentum back on the Trojans side in the 10th after getting Baxter to strike out and Johnny Giavotella to pop out. But Vander Hey followed with a home run to right field to send the Privateer dugout into jubilation.
“They had been throwing fastballs away to us the entire game,” said Vander Hey, who recorded his 12th home run. “I knew he was going to do it again, and when I hit it, I knew I hit it pretty good. But this field is like a graveyard, so when it finally got over the wall, I just wanted to sprint to home plate and celebrate with those guys.”
The Trojans got a leadoff single from Michael Precise in the bottom of the 10th, but O'Shea got back-to-back flyouts before Williams hit a ground ball to shortstop Tyrone Wethers. The sophomore calmly flipped it to Giavotella at second ? putting UNO within one victory of the 40-win mark.
“Truthfully, the guys were in a pretty good mood considering the situation last night,” Walter said. “We did make five errors, which is never good, but overall we did play a little better. With what they accomplished today, they are now going to relax and that will make us a lot better.”
Steven Felix went 3-for-4 with a home run for the Trojans, while Miller and Brooks combined for four hits, four RBIs and three runs scored.
UNO starting pitcher Justin Garcia tossed six innings and allowed five runs, though only three were earned due to four errors in the first four frames.
The Privateers managed just seven hits and have just 15 in the two games. But they lived to fight another day ? or at least another few hours.
