Privateers Baseball Comes Back From Early Deficit, Tops Jackson State

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JACKSON, Mississippi – Hezekiah Randolph went 5-for-5 with two home runs and the University of New Orleans baseball team (21-15) rallied from a six-run deficit for an 11-9 win over the Jackson State Tigers (23-18) on Tuesday at Braddy Field.
 
The Privateers entered the ninth inning tied at 9-9 when Ray Veit, who came in as a defensive replacement, doubled to lead off the frame. Randolph then collected his fifth hit of the evening, a single up the middle that went through and scored Veit. After Randolph moved to third on a passed ball, he was driven in by Kyle Bracey on a sac fly.
 
"We went out on our heels and not locked in," said Coach Blake Dean. "It almost bit us, but we battled back. Daniel gave us clutch innings and Hodge closed it down for us. It's not the way we would have liked to do it but we'll obviously take it."
 
UNO came back from a 6-0 deficit after three innings to tie the game in the seventh. The Privateers grabbed their first lead when Scott Crabtree hit an RBI double to the gap. UNO added another run on an RBI sac fly from Aaron Palmer.
 
Riley Hodge nailed down the save in his first relief appearance. Hodge got a strikeout to start the frame and induced two ground balls to second to finish the deal for his first save of the season. Jarred Taylor (4-0) picked up the victory.
 
"That's typically what you want in a closer role," said Dean. "Riley pounded the zone and got off the field quickly. We might have to start using our weekend guys in bullpen roles to maybe throw an inning. We had to tonight and Riley did a great job."
 
Daniel Martinez calmed matters down after a rocky start for the Privateers. Jackson State put up a five-spot in the second and added one in the third. Martinez came on and allowed just one hit over 2.2 innings while striking out four in 10 batters faced.
 
The Privateers got on the board first in the fourth inning. Facing a 6-0 deficit, UNO loaded the bases and Chaz Boyer doubled into deep right to plate two runs. After the bases were re-loaded, a ground ball to third turned into an errant throw to first, which scored three runs and cut the Tigers lead to 6-5.
 
UNO had 11 runs on 11 hits and overcame two errors. On the mound, the Privateers had nine strikeouts to two walks. Jay Robinson was forced to leave the game after crashing into the wall while running for a fly ball. Crabtree went 1-for-2 and Veit also went 1-for-2. Ryan Calloway scored twice.
 
Jackson State was led by Cornelius Copeland who went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Jesus Santana also homered, which tied the game at 9-9 at the time. It was Santana's 12^th home run of the season. Sam Campbell went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
 
The Privateers will face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi this weekend in a three-game series starting on Friday.
 
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 Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 280-GAME (4263) or click HERE.
 
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