PINEVILLE, La. - The Austin College baseball team fell to Louisiana College in both halves of its season-opening doubleheader on Saturday, dropping game one 17-12 before falling 14-8 in game two.
In game one, the 'Roos got on the board first with a homer by Brett Taff, but Louisiana College exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the first to go on top 7-1. Two more runs came across in the second to make it 9-1. Austin College got four runs back in the third, with James Wyche and Justin Alphonse each driving in a run while Cody Goggins plated two with a double. In the fourth inning, the Wildcats pushed five more runs across to extend the lead to 14-5, and after Nick Flynn drove in two runs and Harrison Baldwin added an RBI single in the fifth, Louisiana answered with three runs of their own to make it a 17-8 game.
Oscar Gonzalez homered in the sixth and Goggins and Alphonse combined to bring home three more runs to cut it to a 17-12 game but that's how things would end. Collin Maynard took the loss for Austin College, surrendering nine runs - eight earned - on eight hits in 3.0 innings of work. Goggins finished 3-for-4 with four RBI, and Taff and Alphonse each went 3-for-4 as Austin College racked up 15 hits in the loss.
Game two saw Louisiana College take a 3-0 lead after two innings before the 'Roos got two back in the third. However, the Wildcats scored two in the third and tacked on five more in the fourth to go on top 10-2, and after Wyche homered in the fifth, Louisiana College pushed four more runs across to make it 14-3 heading into the sixth. Austin College would get five runs back in the top of the sixth to make it 14-8 but that's where the rally would finish.
Kyle Lemke absorbed the loss, giving up nine runs on 10 hits in 3.1 innings of work, while Wyche finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBI to pace the 'Roos at the dish. Austin College and Louisiana College will play another doubleheader on Sunday to wrap up the weekend series.