Nacogdoches ---- Stephen F. Austin State used a successful suicide squeeze play in the bottom of the ninth to get past HBU 9-8 at Jaycees Field on Tuesday afternoon. The Huskies had scored three in the top of the inning to tie the game before the heroics by the Jacks salvaged their home opener.
The Lumberjacks used a consistent offense, scoring in every inning but the fifth and seventh. The Huskies conversely used three big innings to hang around until the final at-bat.
SFA took a three-run lead after two innings, but three straight doubles after a lead-off walk provided a three-run third for the Huskies to knot the score. Ryan Majewski led off with a walk and stole second before Chad Hebert, Andrew Taccolini and Richard Orange followed with two-base knocks. Taccolini brought home two and scored the third.
The Jacks scored single runs in their next two trips to the dish to retake the lead at 5-3. HBU scored two in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Josh Jackson and a RBI single by Bo Cipra.
The lead was short-lived as Stephen F. Austin got those runs back in the bottom half. The Jacks got one more in the eight to grab a seemingly safe 8-5 lead heading to the ninth.
In the ninth, Majewski led off with a walk. Brian Franze pinch-hit for Chad Hebert, and promptly deposited a two-run jack to left field to pull HBU to within one. After SFA went to its closer, Richard Folmer, Andrew Taccolini greeted him with a first-pitch blast to the same spot to tie the game.
The bottom half saw a one-out single by Adam Bosley, who was lifted for Kai Kirby, who stole second and then moved to third on an error. Kirby would score when Gabriel Garcia-Serrano dropped a bunt just to the third-base side of the mound and out of the reach of reliever Jordan Hook for the game-winner.
Taccolini went 3-4 with the homer and three RBI. Franze went 1-1 with the homer and two RBI and Josh Jackson, Eric Schiro and Bo Cipra each drove in one run apiece.
Neither starter fared particularly well, nor did either last past the fourth. Matthew Headley went just 3.2 innings, allowing eight hits and five runs while walking two with one strikeout.
Keith Brunson went 4.2 innings and allowed seven hits and four runs. He was strapped with the loss after giving up the single to Bosley in the ninth before being lifted. He fanned seven while falling to 1-1 on the year.
HBU is now 6-5 on the year. The two teams will finish up the two-game series on Wednesday in a game that has been moved up a half hour to a 2:30 pm start.
