MENA, Ark. - The Bossier Parish Community College Cavaliers capitalized on an offensive explosion to defeat the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain Bucks 11-0 in seven innings Tuesday here at Union Bank Field.
BPCC pounded out 12 hits, including five home runs, two triples and two doubles, in the 11-0 run-rule victory. Collin Young, Dylan Watts, Elliot Hebert and Gavin Baird all had multi-hit days for BPCC. Young went 2-for-3 in the game with two home runs and five RBIs, while Watts was 3-for-3 with a triple and three runs scored. Hebert was 2-for-4 at the plate with his first home run of the season, while Baird was 2-for-3 with a double and a triple.
Five Cavalier pitchers combined to toss a shutout. Billy Decker was credited with the win as he came on in relief of starter Conor Gleeson. Gleeson, Decker, Landon Foster, Christian Huerta and Dylan Hill surrendered just six hits to the Bucks, while walking four and striking out five.
UARM starter Drake Fontenot was tagged with the loss despite giving up just one run on two hits over three innings. Fontenot did not walk a batter and struck out three.
BPCC took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning when Watts, who had led off the inning with a single, scored on Baird's double.
When Fontenot was replaced in the top of the fourth inning, the Cavaliers really took control of the game by scoring six runs off of two Bucks' relievers. With one run already across, Ketzner and Hebert hit back-to-back home runs to make it 5-0. After a Watts triple, Young belted another home run to make it 7-0 in favor of the Cavaliers.
Two innings later, Young would hit his second homer of the game, a three-run shot over the left field wall to up the BPCC lead to 10-0. Mills' solo shot in the top of the seventh would be the Cavaliers final run of the game.
With the win, BPCC improves to 18-20 overall, while the loss drops Rich Mountain to 22-22.
The Cavaliers return to action on April 29, when they play host to the Panola College Ponies in a crucial Region XIV series. The two teams will play one 9-inning game in Bossier City on Thursday, then a doubleheader in Carthage, Texas on Saturday. The outcome of this series will play a major factor in seeding for the upcoming Region XIV Sub-Regional Tournament.