HOUSTON – HBU junior lefthander
Ivan Smith had the longest outing of his career, tossing 5.1 solid innings, and picking up his first career victory as the Huskies edged Texas Southern, 7-6, in the final non-conference game of the season Tuesday night at MacGregor Park.
Smith (1-0) allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits with two strikeouts and four walks for the Huskies (23-24). Junior righthander
Julian Griego recorded his first save, allowing one run on three hits over the final 1.2 innings.
Senior shortstop
Louie Payetta went 3-for-4, scored three runs and stole a base, while senior third baseman
Andrew Alvarez went 2-for-4 and drove in a pair for HBU. Junior catcher
Jacob Martinez went 2-for-3, junior designated hitter
Christian Thames homered and drove in two, while senior leftfielder
Josh Leonhardt and junior outfielder
Joe Van Marter each doubled and drove in a run.
Gabriel Gomez (0-2) took the loss for TSU (21-25), allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits with one strikeout and five walks in 3.1 innings. Five Tiger pitchers combined to allow three runs on six hits over the final 5.2 innings.
Ryan Lazo went 2-for-4 with a home run, an RBI and scored twice, while Gerreck Jimenez wnet 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Tigers. Javier Valdez went 2-for-4 and Richard Alamo drove in a pair.
Payetta led off the game with a single to right and later scored when Thames beat out a potential inning-ending double play grounder. Junior centerfielder
Zane Otten led off the third with a single, stole second and scored on Leonhardt's double to put the Huskies ahead, 2-0.
Senior second baseman
David Bloodworth walked with one out in the fourth, then Payetta singled up the middle. Bloodworth stole third and scored on an RBI single by Alvarez and Payetta scored on a throwing error for a 4-0 lead.
TSU got on the board in the fourth when Chris Scroggins singled and went to third on a throwing error. Alamo delivered an RBI single to left to make the score 4-1.
Thames led off the fifth with a solo home run to left, his team-leading fourth of the season, then Payetta led off the sixth with a single, stole second and scored on another RBI single by Alvarez to put the Huskies up, 6-1.
Lazo answered with a solo home run to lead off the sixth for the Tigers. Olajide Oloruntimilehen struck out but reached on a passed ball in the eighth, then Alamo walked. After a double steal, Christian Sanchez came through with an RBI single and Blake Hicks grounded out to plate another run. Jimenez single to left to cap the three-run inning and cut HBU's lead to 6-5.
Sophomore first baseman
Carey Jones singled to lead off the ninth and was lifted for pinch runner
Justin Monsour. Junior
Austin Zillweger drew a walk and senior
Brandon Morones pinch ran, but Monsour was caught stealing at third. Van Marter blasted a double to the gap in leftcenter to add what proved to be an important insurance run for a 7-5 lead.
Lazo and Valdez singled to lead off the bottom of the ninth, but Scoggins struck out for the first out. Oloruntimilehen walked to load the bases and Alamo lifted a sacrifice fly to center to make it a one-run game with two outs. Oloruntimilehen stole second to put runners at second and third, but Joel Rosario grounded out to first to end the game.
The Huskies will finish the regular season with six Southland Conference games, beginning with a three-game series at home this weekend against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Friday's game begins at 2 p.m., followed by a 1 p.m. start Saturday and a 2 p.m. first pitch Sunday. The HBUTV and Legacy Sports Network broadcasts with
Russ Reneau begin with the pregame show 15 minutes prior to each first pitch and can be accessed on HBUHuskies.com.
Saturday is Senior Day and this weekend will be the final three home games for the Huskies' 12 seniors. Senior Day festivities will begin at 12:40 p.m.
