Eagles hang tough, win
A quality win feels like multiple wins.
Texas A&M University-Texarkana defeated Louisiana State University-Alexandria, 7-4, in a Red River conference college baseball game at George Dobson Field on Friday.
“We needed to come out and swing the bats and we did,” Eagles’ head coach Steve Jones said. “Nate (McGhee) wasn’t as good as he has been, but he made big pitches at big times. I would like to play better defense toward the end.”
Nate McGhee threw 8 1/3 innings, earned the win, gave up four runs and scattered nine hits.
The Eagles improved to257 and 12-1 in conference play, while the Generals slipped to 16-16 and 10-3.
A&M-Texarkana never trailed, and will take on LSU-A in a doubleheader today at 1 p.m. on George Dobson Field.
Keone McKee was 2 for 2 with 2 RBI for the Eagles, while teammate Bronson Butcher was 2 for 5 with 2 RBI.
A&M-Texarkana’s Kolton Perfect was 2 for 3 with a double, a single, a walk, and a sacrifice bunt.
The Eagles’ McKee was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on a Wyatt Miller
single to right field. Miller moved up to second on the throw to third.
Butcher hit a shot to right center and McKee scored to make it 1-0 in the first. Bobby Kramer followed with a single up the middle to score Miller.
Zach Boehler reached on a fielder’s choice, and Cade Thomason smoked a single into right field to juice the bases with one out. But the next two batters popped up in the infield to end A&MTexarkana’s threat.
The Eagles tacked on another run in the second. With runners on the corners, Butcher laid down a sacrifice bunt to score McKee, who had singled on a perfect bunt. Kolton Perfect smacked a double in frame.
LSU-A scored two runs in the third on three hits to make it 3-2.
Chase Beebe led off the sixth with a single through the hole at short for the Eagles, and George Gugino walked. Beebe and Gugino each moved up a base on Perfect’s sacrifice bunt. McKee drove in Beebe and Gugino on a single through the hole at short to make it 5-2.
The Generals added two runs on a pair of singles and a double in the seventh but still trailed, 5-4. With one out, the Eagles’ catcher Butcher caught a short pop-up off a bunt with his bare hand and fired down to second base for a double play to end the threat.
“That was an awesome play,” Jones said. “But Bronson (Butcher) has been playing big for us all year, so it didn’t surprise me.”
George Gugino doubled to right field and the next batter, Perfect, singled to left. McKee was intentionally walked to load the bases and Gugino scored when Wyatt Miller walked.
Kramer hit a sacrifice fly as Perfect scored to make it 7-4 going into the final stanza.
Mike Herrera came in to pitch for A&M-Texarkana and got the final outs of the game to help secure the win.