UNO baseball rallies, falls short in series finale at Lamar – NOLA.com

The University of New Orleans baseball team (16-8, 4-5 Southland) rallied back from a four-run deficit but fell short by a 7-5 score to the Lamar Cardinals (16-7, 7-2) in the series finale at Vincent-Beck Stadium.
 
UNO was trailing 5-1 when they entered the seventh. The combination of Scott Crabtree, Chaz Boyer, and Samuel Capielano each hit singles to load up the bases. Preston Marsh followed with an RBI single to make it 5-2. After an RBI fielder’s choice shaved another run off the deficit, Dakota Dean ripped a double to left.
 
With the score 5-4, Lamar went to the pen for Enrique Oquendo. The Privateers had runners on second and third with one out and Hezekiah Randolph hit an RBI ground out to second to tie the game. That was the extent of the damage done as Oquendo only allowed one base runner on an error in 2.2 innings of work.
 
“We tie the game back up, we had our best guy on the mound and we just had to go out and shut them down and we didn’t,” said Coach Blake Dean. “We didn’t play clean baseball. You go out and score five and turn around and give up a lead-off walk. They’re a good ball club and they competed and did a great job.”
 
The Cardinals meanwhile wrestled the lead back for good in the bottom of the seventh. A one-out walk by Chaneng Varelea and a single by Brendan Satran set up runners on the corners. Stijn van der Meer then came through with an RBI ground out and Jake Nash followed a batter later with an RBI single of his own to put Lamar ahead where they remained to cap off the sweep.
 
For the first time on the weekend, the Privateers were the ones who struck first on the scoreboard. In the fourth inning, the bases were loaded with one out for Crabtree who knocked in a run on an RBI sac fly. Crabtree went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in his first collegiate start.
 
The lead was short lived as Lamar posted three runs in the bottom of the inning, chasing starter, Jordan Priddle after 3.1 frames. An RBI sac fly by Varela tied the game and Satran and van der Meer each followed with RBIs. Lamar added two more runs in the sixth after an RBI triple by Jake Nash and an RBI single from Cutter McDowell.
 
“We just played bad baseball,” said Dean. “These guys faced a little adversity and didn’t respond very well to it. If we don’t stop the bleeding right now, then it’s going to spiral out of control.”
 
UNO was led offensively by Boyer and Capielano who each had two hits and a run scored. Dean added an RBI and a run. Daniel Martinez took his first loss of the season as he threw the final 2.2 innings and gave up two runs (one earned).
 
Lamar was led by Nash’s 3-for-5 day with two RBIs and a run. Van der Meer, McDowell, Satran, and Bryndan Arredondo each had two hits. Oquendo pitched the final 2.2 innings and picked up the win while striking out two. Jayson McKinley gave up three runs and struck out three in six innings.
 
The Privateers are back in action on March 29 against Jackson State. First pitch is for 6:30 p.m.