A Classic Sweep for Javelinas

CORPUS CHRISTI – Zachary Pettiford fanned nine batters thru six innings and Denver Diefenbach delivered three frames of stellar relief as Texas A&M-Kingsville blanked Loyola-New Orleans 4-0 in the Holiday Inn Emerald Beach South Texas Baseball Classic finale on Sunday at Whataburger Field.

Pettiford  (1-1) yielded just five hits and did not walk a batter.  Diefenbach faced the minimum and earned his second save of the season. 

With two away in the fifth, the Javelinas (6-1) broke a scoreless tie on back-to-back RBI singles by Taylor Taska and Chris Ballou.  Taska produced another run in the seventh with a double off the left-field wall. 

Wolf Pack starter Daniel Posway (1-2) was touched for three runs, two earned, on seven hits in 4.2 innings.  Loyola-New Orleans (3-8) had traffic on the base paths in each of the first five frames but recorded just one hit over the final four.   

In Sunday's opening game, Eric Loxtercamp and Sean Borman each plated a pair and eighth-place hitter Steve Rindelaub belted a three-run home run into the right-field bullpen as St. Cloud State dispatched Southeastern Oklahoma State 8-5.

Kyle Fischer worked eight innings for the Huskies (2-1), striking out seven without issuing a walk.  After yielding a grand slam to Chevis Springer in the fourth, Fischer (1-0), with the help of two double plays, retired the final 13 batters he faced.  Reese Gregory struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to earn his first save of the season. 

Levi Lewis (1-1) took the loss in relief for the Savage Storm (2-2), surrendering a two-out, two-run single to Borman in the sixth.  Starter Brandon Marris failed to record an out in the fifth and was tagged for five runs, three earned, on 10 hits and two walks.