BOX SCORE (XML) | BOX SCORE (PDF) NEW ORLEANS, La. - The New Orleans Privateers baseball team (3-3) got early offense including their first home run of the season in a 4-1 win over the Southern Jaguars (0-2) on Saturday evening at Maestri Field at First NBC Ballpark.
Jonathan Santana got the scoring started in the third inning for the Privateers. After
Jonathan Coco coaxed a lead-off walk, Santana came up and hit a towering shot to deep right to clear the bases for New Orleans' first home run of the season and a 2-0 lead.
The Privateers added another run in the third as Coco came up and provided a key two-out hit, lacing a single past the left side of the infield.
Ryan Calloway scored on the play and the Privateers quickly jumped to a 3-0 lead after three innings.
Starter,
Alex Smith coasted through the early going and got out of some tough situations in his time on the hill, delivering five innings and allowing just one unearned run. The Privateers went to the pen, which had to get out of a tough spot in the seventh. The Jaguars got their only run on a two-out opposite field single from Marcus Tomlin.
"Alex has pitched well for us. He's a senior, he's been here and he's provided some leadership for us. He gave up that one and should have had a shutout, but we got some key hits and that's big when you're not moving the ball," said Head Coach
Ron Maestri.
With the tying run aboard and runners on the corners,
Seth Laigast entered with one out. An unsuccessful bunt attempt kept the lead runner at third and Laigast followed by getting a line out off the bat of Jose De La Torre to get out of the jam.
The Privateers added a little more insurance in the eighth inning. After Coco reached on a fielder's choice, Santana lined a double to the gap in left-center that scored Coco making it 4-1. Laigast allowed a two-out base runner, but finished it off by inducing a fly out and recording a 2.2 inning save.
"Jonathan has got some power. His real strength was when he came up in the eighth and hit that double to left-center, but he got that high fastball and really jumped it. I'm really happy for him because he's a senior and it just gave us a spark. We had to get out ahead particularly when you're not hitting well. We got on top and the pitching shut them down," said Maestri on Santana's performance in which he went 2-for-3 with three RBIs to account for the majority of the Privateers offense.
Smith picked up his first win of the season, going five innings and striking out five batters. The bullpen, which used three pitchers on the night, combined to hold Southern to three hits in the last four innings to preserve the victory.
Next up for the Privateers is the final game of the weekend against Grambling. First pitch is for 1 p.m.
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