Privateers Carry Shutout Into Ninth, Defeat Jackson State

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NEW ORLEANS, La. – The New Orleans Privateers baseball team (13-26) got the scoring started early and carried a shutout to the ninth as they finished a 9-3 win over the Jackson State Tigers (25-16) on Wednesday  at Maestri Field at First NBC Ballpark.
 
The scoring got started early as the Privateers put together a two-out barrage in the second. Parker Jones started it off with a single to left. After a walk drawn, Ray Veit legged out a ground ball on the infield for a single to load up the bases. Chaz Boyer then lined a base hit to right, scoring two runs. A third came across on an error by Tigers right fielder, Lamar Briggs.
 
Kevin Kelleher got the starting call and looked solid from the jump. After two fly ball outs, Kelleher located down in the zone and also racked up five strikeouts through four innings. As a team, the Privateers struck out 11 Tigers batters.  In relief, Darron McKigney and Daniel Martinez each had three strikeouts.
 
New Orleans pounded away at Jackson State pitching in the middle innings. A two-run single in the fifth by Jonathan Coco made it 5-0. After a run was punched across in the sixth, New Orleans finished the scoring with a three-run seventh. That frame was capped off by Preston Marsh who hit his first home run of the season.
 
The Tigers broke through on the scoreboard in the ninth. Seth Laigast was called on to close it out, but a fielding error, a hit batter, and a walk loaded the bases. Dylan Parker then smacked a two-run single and Gary Thomas drove in the final run on a sacrifice fly.
 
On the night, Coco led the way in RBIs, driving in three while collecting two hits. Ryan Calloway went 2-for-4 with his first triple of the season and scored twice. Boyer also had two hits and drove in two runs. McKigney and Martinez each pitched two shutout innings of relief.
 
Alexander Juday took the loss, going six innings and giving up six runs (five earned) on nine hits. Jovany Felipe was the only Tigers batter to come up with a multi-hit night. Jordan Bolden finished out the game on the mound, firing 1.2 scoreless innings and allowing two base runners on a walk and a hit batter.
 
The Privateers will next travel to Central Arkansas. The series starts on Friday with a first pitch at 6 p.m.
 
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