HOUSTON – The HCU Husky baseball team defeated Alcorn State, 10-4, on Sunday afternoon at Husky Field to earn a series sweep despite getting out-hit, 8-5, by the visitors.
The Huskies (3-5) jumped out to a first inning lead for the third time in the series, taking advantage of three Braves (1-6) errors and a balk to score five runs.
Katcher Halligan and
Preston Curtis both had RBI in the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth,
Jeremy Rader reached on an error to lead things off, moving up to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Tyree Jackson. Another error put runners on the corners with Curtis drawing a walk to load the bases with one out.
Jack Walker then doubled to left center to score a pair and leave two runners in scoring position. After a walk to
Anthony Avalos loaded the bases again,
Zach Munton lofted a sacrifice fly to center to score Curtis and stake the Huskies to an 8-0 lead through four.
HCU starter
Ben Smith threw five innings of shutout ball before ceding the ball to reliever
Ryan Prettol. Prettol ran into trouble in the top of the sixth, however. After hitting the leadoff batter, Cooper Harris singled to right but a pair of HCU errors on the play allowed a run to score with Harris moving up to third. Keaten Hawk then followed with an RBI double. Prettol retired the next two batters with a fly out and a strikeout. With two outs, however, Gavin Caston came up with an RBI double down the right field line and scored after the next batter, Nico Garcia, lined a single to right center to cut the HCU lead down to just 8-4.
Curtis and
Coby Hatcher were hit by pitches in consecutive at bats to begin the bottom of the eighth, moving up to second and third on an Avalos sacrifice bunt. Munton then lofted a pop-up into no-man's land in shallow right center field where it fell in for an RBI single, plating Curtis. Hatcher then came home on another Alcorn State error, the team's sixth of the game.
Curtis finished the day 0-for-2 at the plate but scored a team-high three runs after reaching base four times on a pair of walks, an HBP and a fielder's choice. Munton, meanwhile, went 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, driving in two runs. Walker had a 1-for-3 day with two RBI, registering the team's only extra-base hit of the day.
Smith picked up his first win of the year on the mound, striking out six with two walks and zero earned runs allowed while giving up three singles.
Trent Barnes,
Jackson Kendall and
Ben Norton all threw scoreless innings in relief.
The Huskies will head across town to face the Rice Owls at Reckling Park this Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 6:35 p.m. before returning home next weekend for a three-game Southland Conference series against UIW.
