Dillard rides six-run second inning, late Lewis's homer to 8-4 win over SUNO
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
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0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | X | 8 | 9 | 1 |
NEW ORLEANS — Dillard University's offense delivered early and again late Saturday, using a six-run second inning and a two-run home run from Mike Lewis in the sixth to secure an 8-4 victory over Southern University at New Orleans at Wesley Barrow.
After a scoreless first, the Bleu Devils broke the game open in the bottom of the second with five straight scoring plays. RayJ Rose started the surge with an RBI double to bring home Noah Riley, then Delvyn Williams followed with an RBI single. Dillard added a run on a sacrifice pop by K'Wality Williams, before Christopher Owens Jr. ripped a two-run triple to extend the lead to 5-0. Eddie Velazquez capped the outburst with an RBI single, pushing the advantage to 6-0.
SUNO answered immediately in the third, cutting into the deficit with three runs. Miles Bowens lined an RBI single, and Chandler Guillory brought home another run on a sacrifice pop. The third run scored unearned after a wild pitch allowed Bowens to come across, making it 6-3.
Dillard's pitching and defense held the momentum from there, keeping SUNO off the scoreboard in the fourth. The Knights pulled within two in the fifth when Enrique Herazo Jr. singled in a run to make it 6-4, but that was as close as it would get.
Mike Lewis provided the finishing blow in the sixth, launching a two-run homer that scored Tae Boze and restored breathing room at 8-4. Lewis finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored, powering a Dillard lineup that totaled nine hits and struck out only twice.
Owens Jr. delivered a key swing in the second-inning rally, going 1-for-1 with a triple and two RBIs. Rose added an RBI double, while Velazquez and Williams each drove in a run.
On the mound, Brandon Dickerson II worked five innings for Dillard, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits while issuing five walks and striking out two. Carey Simon Jr. closed the door over the final two innings, giving up one hit and no runs while striking out three.
SUNO starter Christopher Nunez struck out 10 in six innings but was tagged for eight runs on nine hits as Dillard's second-inning barrage proved decisive. Bowens paced the Knights offensively, going 1-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base, while Kyler Shepherd went 2-for-3 at the top of the order.
-Bleu Devils-