HOUSTON – Less than 24 hours after sending folks home early with a seven-inning run-rule victory, the HCU baseball team earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory on Saturday afternoon at Husky Field.
The Huskies (18-20, 10-10 SLC) sent just six hitters to the plate through the first two innings before finding a run in the third.
Nico DeFazio singled with one out and then scored on the next pitch thanks to a triple crushed to right center by
Preston Curtis for a 1-0 HCU lead.
HCU starter
David Lopez, who struck out five batters in the first two innings alone, ran into a bit of trouble in the fifth with a leadoff walk. A one-out double off the bat of Dylan Biddick put runners on the corners with Evan Rogers bringing in the Privateers' (16-25, 6-13 SLC) lone run of the game across to tie things up.
Katcher Halligan led off the bottom of the seventh with a single through the left side on an 0-1 offering and on the next pitch
Levi Castilleja pulled one down the left field line for a double that brought Halligan all the way around to score.
Lopez went 4.2 innings on the mound for the Huskies, holding UNO to just one earned run on two hits while striking out seven and walking four.
Louis Castano was the model off efficiency in relief as he improved to 2-1 on the year. The senior right-hander faced the minimum, just 13 batters faced in 4.1 innings of work, and needed just 35 pitches to record 13 outs. He struck out two while walking none and did not allow a baserunner.
At the plate, both Halligan and DeFazio finished the day 2-for-3. Castilleja's double was his 10
th of the season while Curtis's triple was his first.
HCU takes aim at a sweep of the Privateers on Sunday, Apr. 19, afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
