Box Score

FORT WORTH, TX: The Texas Wesleyan University baseball team (30-20, 19-9 RRAC) rode a terrific performance from sophomore right-hander Derek Vaughn to a 5-1 win over fifth ranked LSU-Shreveport (37-12, 25-3) in the opener of a three-game Red River Athletic Conference series.

 

Vaughn (5-3) scattered six hits across 7.2 innings, while allowing just one run and striking out six.

 

The Rams scored first with a two-out base hit from Justin Snider in the bottom of the first. In the fifth, Jason Holmes smashed a double off the wall in left and scored on a two-out single from Taylor Jockers, pushing the score to 2-0.

 

In the sixth, Eric Epperson led off with a double, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly from Snider. Stephen Niedwiecki followed with a single. Joseph Lassiter doubled, and Hunter Robinson brought two more runs in with a two-out single.

 

Meanwhile, Vaughn kept the Pilots off the scoreboard until a double from Justin Brodnax scored Curtis Beaudoin all the way from first base in the top of the seventh.

 

Vaughn was not chased from the game until Kevin Smith doubled with two outs in the eighth on the righty’s 104^th pitch of the day. Head coach Mike Jeffcoat called Nolan Barbee out of the pen and the sidearmer got out of the inning with a ground ball to short.

 

With two on and two out in the ninth, Patrick Stanley came on to record his twelfth save of the season.

 

Jared Mata (5-4) was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs on ten hits in 5.2 innings of work.

 

Epperson went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored in the win. Jockers (2-for-3) and Robinson (2-for-4) each had a pair of hits as well.

 

The two teams will complete the series with a doubleheader on Saturday. Game one is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start at LaGrave Field.