Flames Go Up In Smoke In New Orleans Baseball's Comeback Victory

BOX SCORE (PDF)

NEW ORLEANS – Trailing 4-5 in the bottom of the eighth inning, junior outfielder Tristian Clarke hit a double to right field, sparking a four-run inning to propel the University of New Orleans baseball team to an 8-5 victory over the University of Illinois-Chicago on Saturday afternoon.

In the four-run stanza, New Orleans (2-0) took its first lead of the game off a single from junior infielder Dakota Philips, scoring Clarke and sophomore outfielder Orynn Veillon. Junior catcher John Cable and senior infielder Aaron Palmer also logged hits in the Privateers game-winning frame, while senior infielder Samuel Capielano brought a runner home on a sacrifice fly.

"Our hitting wasn't looking good at the start of the game," head coach Blake Dean said. "We were not having good at bats. Eventually we settled in and found our offense. Our pitchers did a good job of keeping the game within reach. Like our offense [Riley] Hodge didn't look his best at first but settled down and started throwing strikes."

The Privateers' (2-0) offense came alive in the later frames, recording nine hits in the final four innings to score all eight of their runs. Cable led the attack with three hits, two runs and one RBI. Veillon and Clarke both recorded two hits in the win, with Veillon and Phillips each having a pair of RBIs.

On the mound for UNO, junior right-handed pitcher Reeves Martin came in and threw three innings of relief, only allowing one run off one hit with three strikeouts to get the victory. Senior right-handed pitcher Riley Hodge got the starting nod for New Orleans, recovering from a four-run second inning to throw three scoreless frames before coming out. Junior right-handed pitcher Jarred Taylor took the mound for the final stanza, striking out two Illinois-Chicago (0-2) batters and allowing no runs to earn a save.

Illinois-Chicago got on the scoreboard first with four runs off three hits in the second frame, scoring their first run on a bases loaded walk. The Privateers got on the scoreboard in the fifth inning, but another score from UIC kept the deficit at four, 5-1.

UNO cut the separation to one with a three-run sixth inning, as Veillon smacked a ball down the left field line for a double and scoring senior outfielder Hezekiah Randolph and Clarke. Veillon crossed home plate three batters later off a single from Cable.
               
Jack Andersen started for Illinois-Chicago, allowing four runs off five hits in 5.2 innings with six strikeouts while Connor Ryan got the loss after allowing four runs off five hits in 2.1 innings. Brandon Gibis and Ricardo Ramirez both recorded two hits for the Flames.

New Orleans continues its season-opening homestand on Sunday, Feb. 19 when they host Prairie View A&M at 1:00 p.m. Following the weekend games, the Privateers return to action on Tuesday, Feb. 21 when they host nationally-ranked LSU in a televised game presented by the Allstate Sugar Bowl. First pitch for the game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. For ticket information for the upcoming campaign and future Privateer Athletics events, contact the UNO Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 280-GAME (4263) and season tickets can be purchased over the Internet by clicking HERE.