NEW ORLEANS ? The University of New Orleans baseball team capped off an offensive weekend with a 17-8 win over Grambling State on Sunday at Maestri Field.
Nick Schwaner went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs, and Blake Doty went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored as UNO (13-16) won its fourth straight.
The top three hitters in the UNO lineup (Ryan Eden, Rodarrick Jones and Jay Morris) combined for six hits, six RBIs and nine runs scored. The Privateers tallied 14 hits overall and scored in all but one inning.
It finished a torrid weekend for the UNO bats, as the Privateers outscored GSU (5-24) 49-26, hit 10 home runs and had a .404 average in the three-game series.
Right-hander Cory Myers (2-3) was the beneficiary of the offense, though he gave up nine hits and six runs (four earned) in five innings.
“We've been swinging the bats pretty well since the first game of the South Alabama series,” said UNO head coach Tom Walter. “Having Nick Schwaner and Ryan Eden scoring runs and driving in runs is so important for us.
“It takes the pressure off some of the other guys, and it gives us a really balanced lineup."
Manny Kumar (2-3) got the loss for GSU, surrendering 14 runs (12 earned) in 6 1/3 innings. The senior right-hander threw 153 pitches and was hampered by seven walks.
The Tigers took a quick 1-0 lead with a run in the first, but UNO scored three runs in both the first and second innings to take a 6-2 advantage. Each team scored in every at-bat until the sixth inning.
After GSU scored two in the seventh to cut the deficit to 10-8, the Privateers put it away with a six-run seventh ? highlighted by a three-run home run by Schwaner.
The junior infielder finished the weekend 8-for-10 with two home runs and 12 RBIs.
“He's been a lot more patient at the plate,” Walter said of the Slidell native. “That's what makes the difference for Nick. He's going up there with an approach.”
UNO did struggle with a season-high six errors and had 14 for the weekend.
“Obviously we're not very happy about that,” Walter said. “Today, there were tough conditions out there with the wind and a hard, dry field. But also a little bit of the problem is focus. With the schedule we have coming up, we're going to have to tighten it up.”
The Privateers will kick off a nine-game road trip on Tuesday at nationally-ranked Ole Miss.
