Privateers Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader, Series Against Islanders

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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The University of New Orleans baseball team (24-15, 9-9 Southland) put the finishing touches on their first conference sweep of the season with wins of 4-2 and 9-6 over the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (13-26, 4-14) on Saturday at Chapman Field.
 
GAME ONE- UNO-4 TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI-2
 
Riley Hodge threw 7.0 innings and allowed just one run to set the early tone as UNO clinched the series victory. Fresh off a save on Wednesday night, Hodge held the Islanders off the scoreboard until the fifth and struck out five batters.
 
"Riley didn't have his best outing and he didn't have the control he's had throughout the year, but he competed and gave us a chance to win," said Coach Blake Dean. "We scored a few runs and he held them at bay until the later inning when Taylor and Martinez were able to close it down."
 
Meanwhile, the Privateers offense pounced early against Devin Skapura for three first inning runs. Aaron Palmer singled and then advanced to second on an errant pick-off throw. A sacrifice bunt moved Palmer up to third and he was brought in by an RBI single to center from Dakota Dean.
 
The Privateers added two more runs in the opening frame. Kyle Bracey took a close 3-2 pitch for a walk to extend the frame. Chaz Boyer then doubled in a run and Preston Marsh came up next with an RBI single, his lone hit of the game and one of three hits between the doubleheader. UNO led 3-0 after an inning and was able to keep the Islanders bats in check.
 
Jarred Taylor struck out the side in the eighth inning to hold the lead at 4-1 and set up Daniel Martinez with his second save opportunity of the weekend. Martinez allowed a lead-off single to Brian Deaver. A throwing error off the bat of Cullen Jozwiak put runners on the corners with no outs, but Martinez bounced back to get a ground-out, a strikeout, and a fly-out to preserve his ninth save of the year.
 
UNO out-hit the Islanders 12-6 on the game. Dean went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run. Palmer and Boyer added two hits each. Hodge surrendered five hits and one run while walking three batters. The Privateers clinched their second consecutive conference series victory.
 
 
GAME TWO- UNO-9 TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI-6
 
A back-and-forth affair early ended with Taylor coming up big again by pitching the final 2.1 innings to move to 5-0 on the year. Taylor allowed two hits and no runs and kept the ball on the ground, including three ground ball outs in the eighth inning.
 
In the ninth, the Privateers allowed a one-out single to Casey Thomas but came back with a ground out to third. The last out was recorded when Zacarias Hardy popped out in foul territory to Marsh to give UNO their first conference sweep as a member of the Southland.
 
"Game one, Jarred came in and closed the door in. He took the wind out of their sails and in the second game, we were out of arms so we had to extend him when we typically don't. He showed the sign of a competitor  and he stepped up."
 
The Privateers broke a 6-6 tie in a wild contest with five walks after a one-out double by Ryan Calloway. Jay Robinson, Palmer, Samuel Capielano, Hezekiah Randolph, and Marsh each drew free passes off of three different Islanders pitchers in the frame.
 
"I tell these guys all the time that with bases loaded, the pressure isn't on you. It's on the pitcher because there's nowhere to put you," said Dean. "They missed the zone and we were able to take advantage of it."
 
The Privateers grabbed the lead first with a third inning run. A lead-off double by Palmer turned into a run when Dean drove him in on a sacrifice fly. From there, the lead changed hands four different times. UNO led 6-5 in the sixth, but Justin Perales leveled matters with a solo home run to dead center. Bryan Warzek was the third call out of the pen and got the Privateers through 1.2 innings in his first relief appearance.
 
In the second game, the Privateers again posted 12 hits. Capielano had two doubles and two RBIs while Palmer scored three runs and collected two hits. Robinson was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs. Randolph drove in a pair of runs and Chase Caldarera was 2-for-4 with a run.
 
The Privateers will next face Southern in Baton Rouge on April 26. 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 Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 280-GAME (4263) or click HERE.
 
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