On February 13, the Louisiana State University – Shreveport Pilots welcomed in a top-15 ranked opponent in the Arizona Christian Firestorm. LSUS looked to bounce back after losing two of their last three games.
Game one saw the Pilots dominate 15-1. David Hankins, one of head coach Brad Neffendorf’s go-to arms out of the bullpen last season, had never started at any point in his collegiate or even high school career. He was given the ball to open the series against ACU. He allowed no runs on just four hits allowed, and five strikeouts over six innings pitched.
Offensively, Landon Hunt, Spencer Sullivan, Carlos Vega, and Bula White all recorded multiple hits. Carlos Sanchez drove in four, all with a second inning grand slam. White drove in six with a single, two sacrifice flies, and a three-run homer.
Game two was a little more competitive. Jacobo Gallegos got the start and was near perfect until the very end. He ended up giving up three runs on two hits, while walking one striking out seven over four innings pitched. He also gave up a three-run homer in the fourth inning that led to his exit. A tough ending to a start that saw Gallegos retire the first ten batters he faced.
The Pilots looked great through the first three innings along with Gallegos, going into the fourth up 5-0. The previously mentioned homer given up made it 5-3. LSUS put up another in the fourth, but ACU responded again with a three-run fifth innings to tie things at six. It stayed this way into the bottom of the eighth, where Spencer Sullivan served as the hero again. His two-run triple highlighted a three-run inning followed by Evan Gant shutting down the ninth and earning the win.
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