SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – For the first time this year the University of the Incarnate Word baseball team won a weekend series. They took 2-of-3 from visiting University of New Orleans after splitting a pair of games on Saturday winning 6-1 and losing 10-6 at Sullivan Field.

For the Cardinals (9-20, 3-3) it was their first series win over an NCAA Division I and Southland Conference opponent. The pitching of Dylan Boss (Boerne/Boerne HS) and Alex Shaffer (Seattle/Nathan Hale HS) was the key to the win in the first game.

Boss scattered six hits and two walks over 6.0 innings. He gave up a lone unearned run in the fourth inning and finished with seven strikeouts. Shaffer slammed the door on the Privateers (9-20, 2-9) with 3.0 scoreless innings of relief. He allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two to pick up his second save of the season. For Boss, it was his first win of the year.

A pair of freshmen, Bryce Shepherd and Mark Whitehead (San Antonio/Johnson HS), came up with the big hits for the Cardinals in the first game. Shepherd had a two-out, two-run single in the second and Whitehead did the same thing in the fifth inning. Dustin Cole had a single and two walks and scored all three times he was on base while Jonathan Armijo (San Antonio/Marion Military HS) scored twice.

Nick Halliday was tagged with the loss for New Orleans despite allowing only five hits and one walk in 6.0 innings. He was on the hook for five runs, including four earned.

In the second game it looked like the Cardinals were going to run away with a series sweep. They scored six times in the bottom of the second inning and chased UNO starting pitcher Hunter Medine from the mound. Slade Brown (Keller/Keller HS) capped off the inning with a three-run double off relief pitcher Darron McKigney.

McKigney would not all allow another base hit until the eighth inning as he completely stymied the Cardinals. He wound up pitching the final 7.1 innings allowing two hits and three walks while striking out eight without giving up a run to earn the win.

The New Orleans offense also came alive in the game. They cut the UIW lead in half in the third inning on Hezekiah Randolph's three-run homer. The added lone runs in the fifth and sixth innings and then exploded for five runs in the eighth inning.

The Privateers pounded out 14 hits including six extra-base hits. Randolph finished the game 4-for-5 with three RBI's and two runs while Samuel Capielano and Jonathan Coco each had three hits and combined for three runs and three RBI's.

The Cardinals finished with seven hits in the game with five of them coming in the second inning. Jesse Hoover (Marion/Marion HS) stroked a pair of singles while Brown had the lone extra-base hit. Kris Looper (Wharton/Wharton HS) took the loss in relief.

The Cardinals are back in action on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. when they travel to UT-Pan American for one game.

####

pr14213smm