AUSTIN, TX. – It came down to the last at-bats twice with Lincoln ahead, but the Blue Tigers couldn’t close the door in either game, as St. Edward’s rallied to win game one, 4-3, in their last trip to the dish and did the same thing in game two, rallying for the 11-10 victory with five in the seventh to complete the four-game weekend sweep Sunday afternoon at Lucian-Hamilton Field.
In the first game, sophomore left-hander Chris Pfau baffled the Hilltoppers, cruising through the first six innings, allowing just one run. The game remained tied into the fifth when Lincoln (0-7, 0-7 HC) broke open a 1-1 game with a pair of runs in the frame. Senior Kyle Lasley started the inning with a single to third and after a sacrifice moved to second. Junior James Johndrow then roped a single off the pitcher that caromed into the outfield allowing Lasley to score and Johndrow moved up to second on the throw home. Pfau then flew out allowing Johndrow to move up to third where junior Adam Rush came through with a clutch single to center scoring Johndrow and giving Lincoln the 3-1 advantage.
Pfau kept St. Edward’s (5-2, 5-2 HC) contained in the fifth and sixth before everything came unraveled in the seventh.
An error helped get the inning started for the Hilltoppers, as Drew Kimball followed with a single to right-center, allowing Chandler Mosser, who reached on an error to start the inning, raced to third setting up runners at the corners with no outs. A sacrifice bunt advanced Paul McCoy to second, who pinch-ran for Mosser, into scoring position. Pfau remained in the game to face Dexter Moren and Moreno promptly doubled to bring home the tying runs. Senior Justin Forsythe then came on in relief, but he couldn’t stop the bleeding either, as after getting a groundout for the second out, Dylan Schuch shot a single to right field plating Moreno with the winning run.
Pfau finished with a solid line, lasting 6.1 innings, allowing four runs, three earned, walked three and struck out eight.
Game two had a similar feel, as the bats finally came to life for Lincoln and early.
The Blue Tigers rattled off four runs in the first inning, as junior Gus Durst delivered an RBI single, a failed pickoff attempt allowed junior Brian Patrick to score all the way from second and Lasley reached on a fielding error by the left fielder, but on the play both freshman Greg Lawson and Durst scored to cap the four-run frame.
After the teams traded some runs over the next four innings, Lincoln padded what was a 6-3 lead with four in the six. Lasley delivered the big hit in the inning, as he hit a double, clearing the bases, as Durst, Patrick and junior Adam Burcham scored on the bases-loaded hit. Lasley later came home with the fourth run of the inning on a single by Pfau to jump the lead to seven, 10-3.
St. Edward’s then quickly chipped away, coming across with three in the sixth before making the big jump in the seventh. The first three Hilltoppers reached in the inning without a hit, as the first two reached via hit-by-pitches, and then a walk loaded the bases all against junior Keegan Graves, who stopped the bleeding in the sixth inning, as St. Edward’s left the bases loaded. Graves countered the rocky start in the seventh with a strikeout for the first out, but then hit yet another batter to bring across the first run in the inning. Junior Dustin Bess then came on in relief of Graves and started with a wild pitch to bring home the eighth run of the game. That followed a passed ball allowing another run to score leaving Lincoln with just a slim one-run lead, 10-9. Moreno then eventually walked and with runners at the corners, Daniel Rufini hit a chopper to first, as Lasley beat Rufini to first to record the second out, but his throw to second wasn’t in time, allowing the tying run to score. Schuch then delivered just like he did in the first game, singling home the game-winning run giving St. Edward’s two walk-off victories.
Around Lasley’s three RBI effort in game two, Rush tallied three hits and an RBI, while Pfau and senior Zane Walker added two hits and an RBI apiece.
Lincoln will remain on the road with three more Heartland Conference games beginning this Saturday, Feb. 13 at Newman with the first pitch of the doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
St. Edward's 4, Lincoln 3 (Feb 07, 2010 at Austin, Texas) (Game 1)
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Lincoln............. 001 020 0 - 3 6 2 (0-6, 0-6 HC)
St. Edward's........ 100 000 3 - 4 7 1 (4-2, 4-2 HC)
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Pitchers: Lincoln - Pfau, Chris; Forsythe, Justin(7) and Garza, Steve. St. Edward's -
S. Johnson; J. Burns(5) and A. Wolotira.
Win-J. Burns(1-0) Loss-Forsythe, Justin(0-1) T-2:00 A-0
Weather: 40's, overcast
St. Edward's 11, Lincoln 10 (Feb 07, 2010 at Austin, Texas)
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Lincoln............. 400 114 0 - 10 13 2 (0-7, 0-7 HC)
St. Edward's........ 100 113 5 - 11 6 3 (5-2, 5-2 HC)
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Pitchers: Lincoln - Johndrow, James; Forsythe, Justin(6); Graves, Keegan(6); Bess, Dustin(7)
and Garza, Steve. St. Edward's - L. Patterson; B. Nasis(2); M. Anderson(4); D. Johnson(6);
J. Burns(7) and A. Wolotira; D. Kimball.
Win-J. Burns(2-0) Loss-Bess, Dustin(0-3) T-2:56 A-124
Weather: 40's, overcast