SUNO rallies past Dillard 3-1 despite Blue Devils’ steady pressure and late shutdown relief

NEW ORLEANS — Dillard University made Southern University at New Orleans work for every out Saturday, collecting five hits and putting runners on throughout the afternoon, but SUNO used a decisive third inning to escape with a 3-1 win at Wesley Barrow.

Dillard struck first and looked poised to control the game early. In the bottom of the first, Tae Boze reached and later scored on Noah Riley's RBI flyout to right, giving the Bleu Devils a 1-0 lead. Dillard continued to generate traffic—drawing four walks, adding two stolen bases (Boze and Mike Lewis), and turning a key double play defensively—yet couldn't add on.

The difference came in the top of the third, when SUNO manufactured three runs with limited contact. The Knights managed just one hit all game, but capitalized on free passes and miscues: a Jhemmal Geraldo single set the table, and a sequence of wild pitches allowed runs to score and runners to move into scoring position. SUNO then pushed across two more on a groundout, flipping the score to 3-1.

Dillard's lineup kept battling, led by hits from Boze, Riley, Eddie Velazquez, Gustavo Torrealba, and Delvyn Williams, but SUNO's pitching and timely containment stranded opportunities. Dillard left 13 runners on base, including multiple innings where rallies stalled after reaching base.

On the mound, Dillard received a strong stabilizing effort after the early damage. Malcolm McKay delivered 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing no hits while striking out five, helping keep the Bleu Devils within striking distance into the late innings. Dillard's staff finished with eight strikeouts against SUNO.

SUNO's pitchers bent often but held firm, limiting Dillard to the single first-inning run despite the five hits and four walks.

Final: SUNO 3, Dillard 1

-Bleu Devils-