April 19, 2008

Game 1 Stats | Game 2 Stats

MEMPHIS--The Christian Brothers University Bucs salvaged a split in their Gulf South Conference West Division doubleheader with Henderson State Saturday afternoon with a 5-3 win in the second game after dropping the first 6-5 on Senior Day.

Senior right-fielder Bobby Lawrence (Germantown, Tenn./St. Benedict HS) celebrated his senior day with a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth, breaking a 3-3 tie and lifting the Bucs (16-25, 7-9 GSC West) to victory in the seven-inning game of the doubleheader. The homer is the fourth on the year for Lawrence, including the second-game-winner. He hit a ninth-inning game-winner at Arkansas Tech last month.

Junior centerfielder Rocky Escajadillo (Cordova, Tenn./Cordova HS) finished the win with a spectacular diving catch on a liner into the gap in right-center for the third out to seal the win.

Escajadillo helped the Bucs' cause at the plate earlier in the game as his RBI single to left scored Will Britt (Oxford, Miss./Oxford HS) and moved Ryan McCabe (Richmond, Texas/Terry HS) to third base. McCabe scored on a throwing error a batter later, tying the game at 2 in the fourth.

Mark Foster (Cordova, Tenn./Cordova HS) scored the go-ahead run in the fifth as he singled and scored on a Josh Shelton (Rosemark, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS) sacrifice fly.

The lead was short-lived, however, as the Reddies (20-27, 4-12) tied it back up in the top of the sixth as Jeremy Sauceda doubled and scored on a Cody Duncan single, setting up Lawrence's heroics in the bottom of the inning.

Dave Delugach (Hernando, Miss./Memphis University School) picked up the win, allowing three runs on four hits over six innings as he improved to 3-5. McCabe earned the save with a scoreless seventh to go with his 2-for-3 day at the plate.

The Bucs' three senior position players excelled at the plate in the win. Foster went 3-for-4, while Andrew Griffy (Arlington, Tenn./Bolton HS) was 3-for-3. Lawrence went 2-for-3 as well.

The Reddies picked up the win in the first game thanks to a three-run sixth and a tw-run seventh.

The Bucs had jumped out to a 3-0 lead early as Foster scored on a Joseph Kaminski (Sherwood, Ark./Little Rock Catholic HS) single in the first inning. The Bucs tacked on two more in the third on two hits, three errors, and a passed ball, as Foster and Griffy both singled and scored.

Duncan put HSU on the board in the fourth with an RBI single, and his three-run homer in the sixth gave the Reddies a brief lead before Escajadillo tied it back up with a solo homer to left in the bottom of the sixth, his first career homer at CBU.

The Reddies took the lead for good in the top of the seventh as Sauceda homered to left-center, and a Tyler Sheppard RBI single three batters later gave them a critical insurance run.

The Bucs threatened in the bottom of the ninth. Alvino Ramirez (Las Vegas, Nev./Centennial HS) singled to center to start the inning, and Matt Trouy (Millington, Tenn./Millington HS) doubled to right, putting the tying run in scoring position. With one out, Foster hit an RBI single. He stole second, and the bases were loaded with two out when Shelton walked. But Kaminski's hard-hit fly ball to center carried just far enough for Sauceda to make the catch, giving HSU the win.

Foster, Escajadillo, and Trouy each went 2-for-4 in the first game.

Before the first game, CBU honored its six seniors: Foster, Griffy, Lawrence, and pitchers John Daush (Memphis, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS), Molly McKesson (St. Petersburg, Fla./Gibbs HS), and Steven Thomas (Bartlett, Tenn./Bartlett HS).

The Bucs and Reddies meet for the rubber game of the series tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m.