LITTLE ROCK, Ark. ? The University of New Orleans baseball team tallied 18 hits and used an eight-run fourth inning to take a 16-6 win at Arkansas-Little Rock on Friday at Gary Hogan Field.
Nick Schwaner went 3-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored, and Joey Butler had three hits and three RBIs, as UNO (36-13, 16-8 Sun Belt Conference) won its 11th straight game.
Jeff Lanning also had two hits and three RBIs, part of a UNO offense that saw six different players recorded at least two hits. The Privateers also took advantage of four UALR errors, including two in the first inning that helped the visitors grab a quick 3-0 lead.
Stephen Whalen (5-3) got the win after tossing six innings, allowing four runs (one earned) and eight hits. The senior right-hander has given up just two earned runs in his last 19 2/3 innings pitched.
After UNO jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first keyed by back-to-back UALR errors to start the game, the Trojans (13-30, 7-16) fought back with two unearned runs of their own in the third.
But the Privateers took the momentum right back in the fourth with five straight hits that put UNO ahead 6-2. Schwaner, Butler and Lanning started the frame with three straight doubles, and the visitors also got back-to-back singles by Mark McGonigle and Tyrone Wethers.
UALR starter Levi Laughlin (5-4) nearly escaped further damage after working into a bases-loaded, one-out jam. But Josh Vander Hey (1-for-2, three RBIs) got a two-out, two-run single to make it 8-2.
Schwaner followed with a two-run double to chase Laughlin, and Butler greeted UALR reliever Mike Rogers with an RBI double to left to give the Privateers an 11-2 lead.
“We definitely did a good job of answering after they got two runs,” said UNO head coach Tom Walter. “The key at-bat of the game was Vander Hey. Laughlin got ahead 0-2, and then he comes up with a clutch hit just like he has done all year.
“If he doesn't come through there, we're still only up 6-2, and they feel like they still have some momentum. But Josh came through, and we got some good at-bats after him. It could have been a totally different game if Vander Hey doesn't get that hit.”
The win streak is the longest since 1985.
Robert Taylor went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, and Brad Swiderski had two hits for UALR. The Trojans had 11 hits overall.
The two teams will continue the three-game series at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
