The New Orleans Privateers lost 2-1 to the Houston Christian University Huskies on Apr. 18 in a closely contested baseball game at Husky Field. The result secured the series for the Huskies.
The matchup was marked by strong pitching and defensive plays from both teams. The game was tied at one run each going into the seventh inning, when Katcher Halligan singled and later scored on a double by Levi Castilleja, giving HCU the lead.
Lane Alack came in as relief for New Orleans with runners on first and third base and no outs but managed to limit further damage with a strikeout followed by a lineout double play started by Evan Rogers’ diving catch. That proved crucial, as HCU’s Louis Castano then pitched the final four-plus innings without allowing any baserunners, retiring all 13 batters he faced with just 35 pitches.
HCU initially took the lead in the third inning after Preston Curtis tripled to bring home Nico DeFazio. Curtis also made an important defensive play earlier that inning, catching a line drive on a dive. New Orleans tied it up in the fifth when Adrian Dominguez walked and later scored on an RBI ground out from Rogers after Dylan Biddick doubled.
Riley Marcotte started for New Orleans and allowed two runs over six-plus innings without issuing any walks, throwing nearly seventy percent of his pitches for strikes but ultimately took the loss. Kruise Newman contributed defensively with a sliding catch in foul territory late in the game, while Alack threw two scoreless innings of relief.
The series is set to conclude Sunday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.
