Privateers Baseball Outlasts Valparaiso to Complete Series Sweep

BOX SCORE (XML) | BOX SCORE (PDF)

NEW ORLEANS – Preston Marsh had another big Sunday at the plate and the University of New Orleans baseball team (6-1) held on for a 9-8 win over the Valparaiso Crusaders (1-5) to finish off a weekend sweep on Sunday at Maestri Field at First NBC Ballpark.
 
Marsh drove in four runs on three hits after going 4-for-4 last Sunday against Louisiana Tech. The win marks the first time a Privateers squad went 3-0 in back-to-back weekends since 2008 and the first 6-1 start since 1996.
 
UNO was ahead 9-6 in the eighth, but Valparaiso tightened the game up with solo runs in the eighth and ninth. Shea Molitor doubled to lead off the seventh and came around to score. In the ninth, Nate Palace hit his second home run of the day to cut the lead to 9-8. However, Daniel Martinez came back and got a pop out off the bat of Daniel Delaney to preserve the victory and earn his fourth save.


"Pitching did an okay job," said Coach Blake Dean. "We still don't have a killer instinct and we're giving the other team too many opportunities after we score, but we're hitting the ball well.  I'm happy for the win and excited for the guys."
 
The Privateers had to dig out of an early hole as Valparaiso scored three in the first on a Molitor triple and added another run in the third on a Palace homer to move ahead 4-0. Keaton Brewer came on in relief and held the Crusaders scoreless while allowing just one hit over the next three innings as the Privateers commenced their rally.
 
UNO posted two runs in the third as Jay Robinson led off with a single and got to third on a sac bunt and a subsequent wild pitch. Samuel Capielano drove Robinson in on an RBI ground-out to put the Privateers on the board. Later in the inning, Aaron Palmer brought in a run with an RBI base hit.
 
In the fourth, the Privateers sent eight batters to the plate and score four runs. The big hit of the frame was off the bat of Marsh who ripped a two-run double to tie the game. Back-to-back run producing at-bats by Ryan Calloway and Capielano followed to put the Privateers ahead. UNO grew their lead to 7-4 after adding another run in the fifth.
 
The teams traded two runs each in the seventh. The back half of the order was responsible for the two-run frame for the Crusaders after the six through nine hitters went 0-for-8 combined through the first six innings. Jake Hanson blasted a solo homer to lead off the frame. Chase Dawson followed with a triple and came around to score. UNO responded when Marsh drove in his third and fourth runs of the game on a two-run single to right.
 
"We're jacked up about the start," said Dean. "We give the guys goals every week as we go along and as long as we keep meeting our goals the sky is the limit for this team. We're playing good baseball, but we've got to get even better."
 
Brewer picked up the win for the Privateers after throwing 3.1 innings and striking out four batters. Five Privateers had two hits to go along with Marsh's 3-for-4 outing. Palmer, Robinson, and Hezekiah Randolph each scored twice. Jarred Taylor appeared in all three games for the weekend and threw 1.2 innings with two strikeouts. Privateer pitchers collectively did not issue a walk on the day.
 
The Privateers will play a road mid-week game at Louisiana-Lafayette on Tuesday. 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.
 
For more information, follow the Privateers on Twitter @UNOPrivateers and @Privateers_BSB or like us on Facebook.