NEW ORLEANS ? University of New Orleans right-hander Jake Henderson had another stellar start, and it could not have come at a better time.
The sophomore tossed eight strong innings to help UNO snap a three-game losing streak following a 4-2 win over Marist on a cold and windy Saturday afternoon at Maestri Field.
Henderson (2-0) struck out five and gave up just six hits and one run as the Privateers (4-3) evened the three-game series at 1-1.
The Beaumont, Texas native picked up a UNO offense that tallied 13 hits but struggled with 12 runners left on base.
Alan Harris went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for the Privateers, and Nick Mitchell added two hits and an RBI.
Freshman reliever Donnie White gave up two hits and a run in the ninth but still picked up his first collegiate save.
“Jake was the story of the game,” said UNO head coach Tom Walter. “He was pitching ahead, and he kept the ball down. He had good sink on his fastball, and he was throwing enough off-speed pitches to keep them honest.”
Henderson, who threw seven scoreless innings in a win over Towson last Saturday, cruised through the first three innings. Marist's only run came in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by Brian McDonough.
With the game tied at 1-1, UNO finally raced ahead in the fifth with three runs ? highlighted by a two-run single by Harris and a sacrifice fly from Justin Edwards.
Marist (3-2) got a two-out rally going in the ninth and cut the deficit to 4-2 on an RBI double by Jon Schwind. But White managed to strand the potential tying run on second base by striking out John Prano.
Michael Gallic went 3-for-4 for Marist, and Schwind and Ricky Pacione had two hits each.
Richard Cary (1-1) got the loss after giving up 11 hits and four runs in 4.1 innings.
“This was an important win for us,” Walter said. “This is a series we need to win. (Cary) is a very good pitcher with a good slider. With these conditions, we knew runs would be tough to come by, and fortunately we put together enough good at-bats to score a few runs.”
The two teams will wrap up the series at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
