Grand Slam Lifts Baseball Over Islanders 10-3

BOX SCORE (PDF)

NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans baseball team began its three-game Southland Conference series against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday evening, hitting a pair of home runs in the first three innings to set the pace in a 10-3 victory.

Junior catcher John Cable paced the offense with three hits, including a grand slam in the third frame which gave New Orleans (15-12, 5-5 Southland) the 5-1 lead. Junior infielder Owen Magee also recorded three hits and a home run, with his being a solo bomb in the second frame.

"We came out energized today," assistant coach Brett Stewart said. "From the start of the game until the end we were motivated. We had great at bats and did an excellent job of getting hits when runners were on base."

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (9-18, 2-5 Southland) scored first in the top of the second, but UNO responded with nine-unanswered runs over the following five frames. Cable's grand slam scored senior Aaron Palmer who got on base with a double, senior infielder Samuel Capielano who reached on an error and junior outfielder Tristan Clarke who loaded the bases with a walk.

The Privateers added to their lead in the sixth stanza with four more runs. Cable opened the frame with a single, followed by a Magee hit and a walk for senior outfielder Hezekiah Randolph to load the bases. Junior outfielder Jay Robinson began the scoring with a single to score Cable, with a walk for sophomore outfielder Orynn Veillon scoring Magee and a wild pitch sent Randolph home. Capielano ended the scoring with a sacrifice fly to right field which scored Robinson. In the following frame, UNO loaded the bases again with singles from Cable and Magee plus a walk for Robinson, with a walk to junior outfielder Jared McKay sending Cable home.

Junior right handed pitcher Shawn Semple got the start for the Privateers on the mound, striking out seven Islanders in 6.2 innings while allowing three unearned runs off six hits. Freshman right handed pitcher Reeves Martin and junior right handed pitcher William Griffin made relief appearances with each recording one strikeout.

"I thought Semple competed well today," Stewart added. "He had a lot of quick innings and threw strikes which gave us a chance."

For Corpus Christi, Devin Skapura got the start and struck out seven batters in five innings, but allowed nine runs off eight hits with three walks. On offense, Luke Marbach and Dalton Stark both got two hits.               

The conference series wraps up tomorrow, as the two sides will play in a doubleheader with the first game starting at 2 p.m. and the second game starting 45 minutes after the first. For tickets to future Privateers athletic events, contact the UNO Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 280-GAME (4263) and season tickets can be purchased over the Internet by clicking HERE.