Samuel Capielano Etches Name In Baseball's Record Book in 8-1 Victory Over Northwestern State

BOX SCORE (PDF)

NATCHITOCHES, Louisiana – Entering the game needing just one hit to get his name in the University of New Orleans baseball team's program record book for career hits, senior second baseman Samuel Capielano placed a ball through the left side in the ninth inning to crack the top-10 on Thursday afternoon against Northwestern State an 8-1 victory.

With the hit, the River Ridge, La., native now has 228 in his four-year career with New Orleans (26-26-1, 14-14 Southland Conference) and sits 10^th with two games remaining in the regular season.

"He's been consistent," head coach Blake Dean said of his senior second baseman. "He got injured during his sophomore season and had an up-and-down season last year but he has come back strong and is playing his best baseball this year."

The Privateers got on the scoreboard in the third inning, capitalizing on two errors by Northwestern State (20-32, 10-18 Southland Conference) to score four runs. UNO added two in the seventh off a two-run blast from junior right fielder Tristan Clarke and two more in the eighth off back-to-back RBI singles from senior first baseman Dakota Dean and senior designated hitter Hezekiah Randolph.

Randolph, Clarke and Dean all had two hits for the Privateers, with senior shortstop Aaron Palmer, Capielano and junior catcher John Cable all contributing one.

On the mound, junior righty Shawn Semple tossed six strikeouts in the 7.0 innings, needing only three to become the first Privateer since 2008 to eclipse triple digits strikeouts. He now has 103, one away from tying Bryan Cryer for the 10^th-most in a single season.

"I thought Semple had a good game today," Dean said. "He was throwing strikes and kept Northwestern off the scoreboard when they got runners on."

Freshman right-handed pitcher Reeves Martin and southpaw Christopher DeMayo both logged scoreless innings in the victory.

For Northwestern State, Kelsey Richard hit a home run for the Demons' lone score of the game, while Spencer Goodwin added a team-high two hits. On the mound, Nathan Jones got the start and allowed six runs, three earned, off five hits in 7.0 innings with six strikeouts.

The Privateers wrap up the 2017 regular season tomorrow with a doubleheader, starting a 2 p.m. with their postseason hopes still alive. 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.