EL DORADO, Ark. – LSU Eunice Baseball used a late 16-run onslaught to cruise to a 20-7 run-rule win at South Arkansas College on Tuesday. The Bengals (20-4) scored 20-plus runs for the third time this season and secured their 13th mercy rule win of the season.
LSUE found itself in a 4-3 hole in the fifth inning when the Bengals used an avalanche of offense to push past the Stars.
Aidan Mouton (Rayne, LA, Notre Dame HS) kicked off the surge with a two-run homer, one of four long balls hit by the Bengals in the game.
Milan Obradovich (Tuscaloosa, AL, Northridge HS) followed later in the inning with a three-run bomb to give LSUE an 8-4 edge after five innings.
The Bengals pushed across four more runs an inning later, using a two-run
Jake Smith (Rosepine, LA, Rosepine HS) double, a run scoring double by Mouton, and sacrifice grounder from
Caleb Hastings (Lutcher, LA, Lutcher HS) to increase the lead to 12-4. LSUE tacked on eight more runs in the seventh, highlighted by a three-run double off the bat of
Andrew Clapinski (Baton Rouge, LA, Catholic-Baton Rouge HS) and a three-run homer by Obadovich.
It was Obradovich's first multi-home run game of his LSUE career, piling up six RBIs in the game. Clapinski added a four RBI afternoon in addition to scoring three times. Mouton, Smith, Hastings, and
Jacob Froehlich (Broussard, LA, St. Thomas More HS) added multi-hit games as part of LSUE's 15-hit game. The Bengals had 11 extra base hits against the Stars.
The LSUE pitching staff piled up 10 strikeouts against South Arkansas, led by
McCray Jacobs (Johnson City, TX, Johnson City HS) punching out five batters. Jacobs snagged the win with 2.2 perfect innings of relief work.
Hunter Gambel (Hammond, LA, St. Thomas Aquinas HS),
Mekai Gallien (Rosenberg, TX, Lamar Consolidated HS),
David Goldapper (Parkland, FL, Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS), and
Dayton Hicks (Sulphur, LA, Sulphur HS) all saw time on the mound for LSU Eunice.
LSUE plays its final non-conference series of the year this weekend with a road trip to Panola College. The Bengals and Ponies start the three-game set from Carthage, Texas on Friday, March 20 at 6:00PM. LSUE returns home next weekend for the start of LCCAC play against Baton Rouge CC.