May 21, 2011

Box Score

NACOGDOCHES. - Stephen Tromblee gritted out a complete-game pitching performance in a 3-2 Lamar University victory over Stephen F. Austin Saturday afternoon that punched the Cardinals a ticket to the 2011 Southland Conference Tournament by the narrowest of margins.

The victory, which came after back-to-back shutout losses to the Lumberjacks, put the Cardinals at 15-18 and in a tie for seventh place in the conference standings with Nicholls, a 4-3 winner over McNeese State in 10 innings Saturday afternoon and with UT Arlington, a 9-3 winner over Texas State. Nicholls and UTA also finished their conference seasons at 15-18, but coach Jim Gilligan's Cardinals swept both the Colonels and the Mavericks to give them the tiebreaker edge between the three. Nicholls won the tiebreaker over UTA for the No. 8 seed

With the No. 7 seed in the tournament, the Cardinals now have a rematch with second-place SFA, which finished 20-13 in the league, at noon Wednesday in Bobcat Baseball Stadium in San Marcos. The other first-round games have No. 6 UTSA playing No. 3 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 9 a.m., No. 5 Sam Houston State meeting No. 4 Southeastern Louisiana at 4 p.m., and Nicholls taking on regular-season champion and host Texas State at 7 p.m.

Tromblee, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound left-hander from Alleyton High School by way of Blinn College and Centenary College, went the distance for the first time to improve his record to 3-2. He allowed eight hits and struck out five batters while walking only two.

The Cardinals got all of their runs in the fifth inning when they ended a 23-inning scoreless drought dating back to last Sunday's 5-4 win over UT Arlington. Senior second baseman Andy Mena led off the inning with a double down the left-filed line, advanced to third base on Jude Vidrines sacrifice bunt and came home with the game's first run on senior shortstop Aaron Buchanan's single up the middle.

Junior designated hitter Andrew Dewey was then hit by a pitch; senior first baseman Wade Mathis followed with an RBI single to right field; junior outfielder Jeff Abt drew a base on balls to load the bases, and Dewey scored on an RBI fielder's choice by senior centerfielder Ted Zentek to make it 3-0 Cardinals.

The Lumberjacks threatened in the seventh inning when Jarid Scarafiotti singled through the left side, advanced to second on Jackson Hood's sacrifice bunt, and then after a base on balls to Hunter Dozier, both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch by Tromblee. The Cardinal left-hander rallied, however, by blowing a called third strike past Trey Hernandez to end the inning.

Tromblee had to survive a scary ninth inning to get the victory. Scarafiotti led off with a double own the leftfield line, and Hood followed with a single to right center. After pinch hitter Bryson Myles struck out, Dozier hit a double into the gap in left center to drive in Scarafiotti, but Hood was thrown out at the plate on a relay from Zentek to Buchanan to catcher Joey Latulippe.

Pinch hitter Max Lamanfia singled to right field to drive in Dozier to close the gap to 3-2, but Tromblee finished his complete game by getting pinch hitter Riley Huble to pop out to Mena at second base.

LAMAR