Louisiana Christian opens RRAC Tournament with 2-0 win over Jarvis Christian
STERLINGTON, La. – Louisiana Christian University’s baseball team began postseason play Friday with a 2-0 victory over Jarvis Christian (Texas) in the opening round of the 2023 Red River Athletic Conference tournament.
Nicholas Brunet’s claimed the game-winning RBI with his first-inning single that scored Nick Moreau from second base. Jett Aubé gave the Wildcats an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning with an RBI single that scored Adrian Aguilar.
With the win, the No. 2-seeded Wildcats (35-13) advanced to winners’ bracket semifinal round of the tournament and will face Houston–Victoria at 5 p.m. Saturday.
LCU pitcher Braxton Cooksey picked up his fourth victory in as many appearances to improve his season record to 6-2. Cooksey started and struck out five batters and scattered three hits over five and one-third innings.
Chase Gardner pitched the final three innings and allowed just two baserunners – a walk and a hit – to earn his second save of the season. He struck out to Jarvis Christian batters.
Jarvis Christian was not without scoring opportunities in Friday’s game. The Bulldogs stranded 13 baserunners in the game, 12 of them between the second and seventh innings of the contest. JCU put runners on second and third base with one out in the sixth, only to have LCU’s Dylan Beier induce two groundouts third baseman Dylan David and first baseman Brunet to end the rally.
The win over Jarvis Christian was the 11th consecutive triumph for the Wildcats in the series, and seventh consecutive win since LCU rejoined the NAIA.
ON DECK:
The Wildcats face the No. 6-seeded team in the tournament, the Jaguars of Houston–Victoria. LCU won two out of three highly contested games in Victoria, Texas, last month. UHV scored the only victory by a lower seed on the tournament’s first day after rallying from behind to defeat Our Lady of the Lake 3-2 in 10 innings.
Live video for all games at the tournament can be found on the Sterlington Sports Complex Facebook page. Live stats for Saturday’s game will be displayed here.
