Marsh Goes 4-for-4, Privateers Beat Louisiana Tech

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NEW ORLEANS – Preston Marsh collected four hits and Kyle Bracey and Dakota Dean each homered as the University of New Orleans baseball team (3-0) finished off the opening weekend with a 9-6 win over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (2-1) on Sunday at Maestri Field at First NBC Ballpark.
 
Daniel Martinez also picked up his second save in as many games. After recording the last two outs against Grambling to preserve the win, Martinez recorded the final seven outs on the mound. Martinez entered the game with the tying run at the plate, but was able to finish off the frame. The eighth and ninth went by in routine fashion.
 
"Daniel can close, and he can give us three or four innings if we need," said Coach Blake Dean. "We've got to have a guy like Daniel who can come in and shut the game down and if we can continue to do that, we'll win a lot of ball games."
 
The game got tight in the seventh inning. With the Privateers ahead 8-2, Louisiana Tech stormed back with four runs to cut the lead to two. Jordan Washam and Chase Lunceford both drove in runs on a ground out and a sac fly respectively. Raphael Gladu followed with an RBI triple and Marshall Boggs drove in a run with a single. The inning eventually ended when Taylor Love grounded out.
 
Each time Louisiana Tech scored, the Privateers had a response of their own in the ensuing frame. That held true in the seventh when Dean led off the inning with his first home run of the season, an opposite field shot that accounted for the final run of the game.
 
The Privateers fell to an early 1-0 deficit in the second, but it didn't last long. New Orleans came back with three runs in the bottom of the frame. Back-to-back triples by Preston Marsh and Chaz Boyer accounted for the first two runs and Jay Robinson drove in the first of his three on the day with an RBI ground-out.
 
UNO added two more to the lead in the fourth when Bracey went yard for his first homer on the season. Bracey capped a three-day total in which he went 8-for-11 with four RBIs and a team-leading six runs.
 
On the mound, Jordan Priddle was in command having allowed just two hits through the first five innings. Priddle wound up lasting six innings and pitched to two batters in the seventh and threw 48 strikes in 74 pitches while only issuing one walk.
 
"The pitchers are throwing well, but what stems off of them saving pitch counts is the defense making the plays they need to make so if we can continue to do that, our pitchers are going to be alright," said Dean.
 
Marsh was one of the big stand-outs at the plate on the day. After being moved to the seven spot in the lineup, Marsh responded with a 4-for-4 day at the plate and had a triple, an RBI and two runs scored on the afternoon.
 
"We had to get him out of the four hole just to let him be at ease a little more and let him get up there and do what he does," said Dean. "All it took was a little shift in the lineup and the bottom of the order is producing with runners in scoring position. The biggest thing is we give up a four spot and we come back in and punch them right back with a home run, and that's what championship teams have to do."
 
The Privateers six through nine hitters pulled most of the offense on the day. Bracey, Marsh, Robinson, and Chaz Boyer combined to account for eight of the Privateers' nine hits, eight of nine RBIs, and seven of nine runs. Bracey went 2-for-3 on the day and drew a walk while adding two RBIs and three runs.
 
Louisiana Tech was led by lead-off hitter, Bryce Stark who went 2-for-5 with two runs. Boggs drove in two runs and Cody Daigle went 2-for-4 with a run. Braden Bristo took the loss as he got hit for five runs (all earned) in three innings.
 
New Orleans will face their first road test of the season on Wednesday when they travel to Southern Miss. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
Season tickets for the 2016 campaign are available for as low as $125 and single-game tickets start at $5. For additional information, contact the UNO Atheltics Ticket Office at (504) 280-GAME (4263) or log on to the internet at http://www.unoprivateers.com.
 
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