LSUS PILOTS A Publication of the LSUS Athletics Department

Pilots Win RRAC Men’s Basketball Title!

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You may be aware of controversies which have been brewing on the LSU Shreveport campus over the past several weeks, one which involves our school colors and another concerning the name used to refer to our athletes and to our students in general—Pilots. As a part of the One LSU concept, the LSU System office has promoted the idea that all LSU campuses—Alexandria, Eunice, Shreveport and the Health Sciences Centers—adopt the colors of purple and gold. The idea is to promote unity throughout the System which, in and of itself, is certainly debatable. This does, however, appear to be a done deal. While all of the details have yet to be worked out—the least of which is the cost of making such a change in terms of everything from basketball uni-forms to stationery—this writer can live with that idea. While I view staying with our navy and gold as highly preferable to changing, I guess I can wear purple and gold if I have to do so. I’m not sure faculty and staff who attended other SEC schools would say the same but, as I said, I can live with it.

The other issue is much stickier and one in which I am not at all wishy-washy. We have been the Pilots for the better part of twenty-five years and we should remain the Pilots. There are those who think that, given the color change, we should also change our mascot to something having to do with a tiger. The most prominent suggestion has been “SaberCats,” a play on the now-extinct saber-toothed tiger. Some of our more creative faculty and staff have suggested such mascots as “CopyCats” to truly imitate Baton Rouge and “FraidyCats” for our lack of willingness to stand up for ourselves. While this has been fun, it’s time to take a stand: We Are the PILOTS!”

“Pilots” was a nickname voted upon (admittedly with our usual low-voter turnout) by the students as our athletic teams were emerging. I can recall talk of honoring the riverboats pilots who plied the Red River along with the pilots of the U. S. Air Force

serving at Barksdale. Over time, the river boat pilots became the campus symbol as pilots’ wheels and steamboats adorned every-thing from business cards to the basketball floor. I see no reason to change. We have few traditions. Why tamper with this one unnecessarily?

To add to the confusion, there is discussion over the personification (avifi-cation?) of our mascot in the form of a pelican, Pete the Pilot. Pete came about ten years ago or so and was the creation of a small group who thought we needed a mascot to attend ballgames, festivals, recruiting activities, etc., which was certainly justifiable. The creation of this cartoonish figure, in my opinion, was not. If we’re going to make changes, let’s exchange Pete for a riverboat pilot clad in a blue pilot’s uniform and clear up some of the confusion. That would be (again, one man’s opinion) a huge improvement.

Whether you agree with me or not, it is important for students, faculty, alumni, retirees and, yes, the northwest Louisiana community at-large, to let us know your thoughts. If you wish to express an opinion, you may forward your thoughts to Ms. Brooke Rinaudo, Director of Media Relations, at LSU Shreveport, One University Place, Shreveport 71115 or e-mail her at brooke.rinaudo@lsus.edu. Or if you just want to send your comments to me, I will see that Brooke gets them.

Dave Gustavson, Editor

First season as Head Coach of tennis for Dragana Colic Morgan Page 2

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Under the leadership of Head Coach Dragana Colic Moran and Assistant Coach Adna Curukovic, the LSUS Women’s Tennis season is under way.

Dragana Colic Morgan is in her first season as Head Coach al-though she has worked with the team for the two previous seasons. Dra-gana is a native of Bosnia- Herzegovina, having graduated from Economic High School. Recruited to play tennis by Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, she compiled a four-year singles record of 21-15 while also putting up an impressive record of 28-7 in doubles. She was a key player for the Lady Demons as they won the Southland Conference Champion-ship in 2010. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from NSU (2011) and will complete her Master of Business Administration degree at LSUS in May.

Assistant Coach Adna Curukovic, also hailing from Bosnia-Her-zogovina, is a graduate student working with the team for her first season. She is pursuing a Master of Science degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics, working in cancer research and also assisting with science labo-ratory classes. Adna was ranked as the number one junior tennis player in her homeland and was a member of the Bosnian National Team at the European Championships. Playing the top position in singles and doubles for four years, she compiled a doubles record of 57-26. Adna also attend-ed NSU, becoming the team captain and leading NSU to the Southland Conference Championship as well as receiving a bid to the NCAA Division I Tournament. She was named NSU’s Student Athlete of the Year in 2010, received the Sportsmanship Award in 2011, made All-SLC First Team in Singles and Doubles and was recognized as a First Team All-Conference Academic award winner. She received her B. S. degree in Biomedical Sci-ences.

Pilots TennisLSUS Women’s Tennis Season Is Underway

Representing LSUS as members of the Women’s Tennis Team in Spring 2014 are:

Morgan Clark, a sophomore from Davison, MI who attended Airline High School;

Kelsey Ellender, a sophomore from Lake Charles and St. Louis Catholic High School;

Morgan Hendriks, a sophomore from Kingswood, TX and Kingswood High School;

Hannah Hough, a sophomore from Shreveport who was home-schooled;

Hannah Ingerson, a junior from Shreveport who transferred from Louisiana College;

Heather McCutchen, a junior from Canyon Lake, TX and Smithson Valley High School;

Katie Porciau, a junior from Woodville, MS who transferred from Louisiana College;

Jaynie Steward, a sophomore from Geismar and Dutchtown High School; and

Savannah Sweatt, a freshman from Shreveport and Southwood High School.

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Schedule/Results:

February 1 @Centenary College L 2-7

In its opening match, the Lady Pilots fell to the Centenary Ladies by a score of 7-2. Savannah Sweatt won her singles match v. Ashley McHoug by 6-4, 4-6, 10-5. Jaynie Stewart and Kelsey Ellender teamed to win their doubles match by 8-3.

February 15 @Mississippi College, L 0-9

February 15 @Belhaven College, L 0-9

Feburary 16 @ Millsaps College, L 0-9

March 1 Belhaven College at Shreveport

March 7 @Louisiana College, Pineville

March 21 @Centenary College, Shreveport

March 25 Mississippi College at Shreveport

March 29 Louisiana College at Shreveport

Although the young team has struggled in early matches, the athletic talent and enthusiasm exhibited by these young women bodes well for the future.

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LSUS 90, University of the Southwest 87

With what was likely the largest crowd of the season in attendance at The Dock, the Pilots (14-5, 10-0 RRAC) extended their winning streak to eleven games on February 1 in defeating the USW Mustangs. USW’s record coming in was 1-17 overall and 0-10 in the RRAC but they certainly didn’t play like it. The #17Pilots spurted out to an early lead of 18 points in the first half, putting up a lead of 17 at the half. Rather than going to the barn, the Mustangs came out determined in the second half, hitting at a rate of 63% for the second stanza.

Each time the Mustangs made a run, the Pilots were able to push back although the visitors from New Mexico were one of the few teams to outscore the Pilots in the paint this season, ringing up 50 points from close in while LSUS had thirty-six.

The Pilots were in scoring, as usual, by Brandon Davis’ 26 points and 19 from Will Nelson. Davis put up another double-double with 16 rebounds. Other double figure scorers for LSUS included Tevin Hall with 16 as well as two Pilots off the bench—Joseph James with 15 and Josh Walker with eleven.

James’ three three-pointers came when truly needed. Mark Politte pitched in with seven assists for the Pilots.

For USW, five players scored in double-figures, led by Brandon McK-night with 19, Daniel Bolar who tallied 18, Darius Revels with 17 and Clar-ence Rivas who came off the bench to score twelve.

University of St. Thomas 75, LSUS 69

After watching their female counterparts lose in overtime to St. Thomas in the first game on February 7, the 15th-ranked Pilots took to the floor in Houston only to suffer the same fate as UST snapped LSUS’ 11-game win-ning streak, handing the Pilots their first conference loss of the season. As the Ladies had done, the Pilots fell behind in the first half, trailing by a 39-25 score at the half and leaving themselves too much ground to make up in the second stanza. Coach Kyle Blankenship commented that although he was “very proud of the way we competed in the second half . . . we just failed to show up in the first 20 minutes.”

Will Nelson and Brandon Davis were a sort of two-man show in the game, garnering little help from their teammates. Nelson scored 21 points while pulling down 14 rebounds and Davis joined him with a double-double of 17 points and 14 boards. The Pilots actually outscored their hosts 44-36 in half number two but couldn’t overcome their 21-14 lead in turnovers for the game. For the Celts, Derrick Dudley led all scorers with 29 points while Sean Edwards and Kevin Williams each added eleven.

LSUS 85, Paul Quinn College 67

The 15th-ranked Pilots took a break in conference action, travelling to Dallas to meet non-league foe Paul Quinn College on February 8, resulting in their 12th win in their last 13 tries. The win ran the men’s overall record to 15-6.

As is becoming a habit, the Pilots were led by Will Nelson and Brandon Davis, each of whom scored a double-double. Nelson led LSUS in scor-ing with 25 points while Davis took rebounding honors with fourteen. Will achieved his double-double by pulling down 14 caroms with Brandon adding 16 points to the Pilots’ total. Dundrecous Nelson tossed in 16 points off the Pilots’ bench while Tevin Hall contributed nine.

Pilots BasketballMen’s February

LSUS 102, Texas College 96

After dropping three spots to #18 in the NAIA poll as a result of their loss to the University of St. Thomas, the Pilots won a high-scoring contest over the host Texas College Steers on February 13. Leading by 14 at the half after scoring 64 points in the opening period, LSUS was able to hold off the Steers in the second half to record their 16th victory against 6 losses while hanging on to the top spot in the RRAC with a conference record of 11-1. Coach Kyle Blankenship opined that “ . . . our guys were ready to play tonight (as was) evident in the first 20 minutes.” He went on to state that, “We did a great job of attacking the rim early (leading to) some easy baskets and a lot of free-throw attempts.”

Brandon Davis had his customary double-double as he led all scor-ers with 25 points while pulling down 11 caroms. Not to be outcome, Will Nelson posted another double-double with 10 points and a game-high 13 boards. Joseph James came off the bench in his role as a long-range bomb-er, hitting four shots from behind the arc and totaling 18 points. Dundrecous Nelson added 13 points off the bench while starting guard Tevin Hall hit for eleven.

Commenting on the Steers’ comeback, Coach Blankenship noted that, “In the second half, we started to coast a little bit . . . They played much harder than we did . . . Fortunately we got some big stops . . . and J.J. (James) knocked down three jumpers that were huge at the time.”

Five of the Steers reached double figures for the game. Roy Shelton and Percy Evans each tossed in 22 points, Blake Turner scored 11, and Glenn Williams and Demarcus Bowie each contributed ten. The free throw line pro-vided a big boost for the Pilots as they hit 30 of 45 charity shots compared with 18 of 29 for TC.

LSUS 84, Jarvis Christian College 77

The Pilots continued their stint as road warriors on February 15 when they made the trip to Hawkins, TX to meet their RRAC foes, the Jarvis Chris-tian Bulldogs, coming back from an eight-point halftime deficit to win the contest while improving to 17-6 overall and 12-1 in the conference. “What a great road win for our team,” exclaimed Coach Kyle Blankenship. “We

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battled back . . . to play what was arguably our best half of basketball in the final 20 minutes.”

Hitting only 29% of their field goals and converting only seven of 13 from the charity stripe and three of 16 from behind the arc in the opening half, the Pilots had few positives to talk about in the locker room at halftime. Some-one must have said something right during the intermission as the Pilots came out in half number two to shoot at a 55% clip from the field while hitting 17 of 21 free throws.

Freshman Josh Walker, who has been playing very well of late, hit a jumper at the 16:37 mark of the second half to give LSUS their first lead of the second half and they never looked back. Said Blankenship, “Josh Walker had a big second half and we rode the coattails of B. D. (Brandon Davis) and Will (Nelson) down the stretch. Nelson and Davis tied for leading-scorer hon-ors for the Pilots with 21 points each while Dundrecous Nelson and Walker came off the bench to score 19 and 16 points respectively. Davis added 12 rebounds for yet another double-double.

JCC dropped to 7-13 overall and 4-10 in the RRAC as Andrew Jones scored a game-high 22 points. He was joined in double-figures by Ernest Freeman (20) and Roman Walker (11) with Freeman pulling down a game-high 14 caroms to complete his double-double.

LSUS 99, Langston University 71

Despite competition from the first Mardi Gras parade of the season, a large and supportive crowd filled The Dock on the evening of February 21 to watch the Pilots dismantle the Langston Lions. The Pilots Brandon Davis hit a three less than a minute into the game to give the home team a lead it would never relinquish. A pair of free throws near the end of the first half by Dundrecous Nelson stretched the halftime lead to double digits as the Pilots would go on to lead by as many as 28 points in the second half. Accord-ing to Coach Kyle Blankenship, “. . .tonight was our best overall game of the year. We finally put a full 40 minutes together.”

The NAIA’s 13th-ranked team, LSUS improved to 18-6 overall and 13-1 in the RRAC, maintaining a one-game lead over Our Lady of the Lady Univer-sity.

OLLU and LSUS will meet in San Antonio on March 1 in the last regular-season game of the year. With the loss, LU dropped to 9-14 overall and 8-8 in the RRAC.

There were plenty of stars on the night for LSUS, led by Brandon Davis’ monster double-double of 21 points and 20 rebounds. Scoring honors actu-ally went to Joseph James who came off the bench for another great game as he tossed in 26 points, including 5-of-8 shooting from behind the arc, and providing a highlight reel block of an LU player who was at least a head taller.

Will Nelson played his usual outstanding offensive game, scoring 18 points, while Tevin Hall and Dundrecous Nelson (both coming off the bench) added 13 and 12 points respectively. Josh Walker chipped in six assists. The Pilots won the rebounding battle convincingly, pulling down 45 boards to 35 by the visitors. LSUS also outshot the Lions by 83% (30-35) to 65% (13-20) from the free throw line.

The Lions were led in scoring by Joey Atkinson with 19 off the bench while three starters also scored in double-figures: Bobby Ward with 11 and 10 points each for Travis Scott and Joel Clarke.

LSUS 89, Bacone College 86

In a game which led this observer to wonder how the Bacone Warriors could possibly have lost 16 games overall and 8 in the RRAC, the Pilots per-sisted for a well-earned win on February 22 at The Dock. With Brandon Da-vis becoming just the 12th Pilot hoopster to rack up 1,000 points in his LSUS career (of only 50 games), the Pilots improved their “mini” win streak to five while winning for the 16th time in their last 17 games. Coach Kyle Blanken- ship praised his team for “battling the entire 40 minutes. It took every ounce of energy and effort we had . . . to come away with the victory.”

This evening also saw the Pilots’ seniors being formally recognized with their Senior Night and, from the looks of the players we’re losing, Coach Blank will have a busy off-season as well. Recognition went to five seniors who started the game for LSUS: forward Will Nelson and guards Mark Politte, Dundrecous Nelson, Brandon Davis and Tevin Hall. These five, incidentally, accounted for 69 of the team’s 89 points along with34 of the 38 rebounds in this game.

LSUS was down one point at the half but started the second period with a 14-2 run in the first five minutes. Just as the Pilot fans were beginning to feel comfortable, the tenacious Warriors came back with a vengeance, taking a one-point lead late in the contest. Aided by foul trouble for Tevin Hall and Will Nelson—Nelson fouled out on a call which was, to say the least, ques-tionable—the Pilots turned repeatedly to Davis who kept answering the call. To put it bluntly, Bacone just didn’t have anyone who could handle Brandon one-on-one. Clinging to a one-point lead, LSUS got two clutch free throws from Duncrecous Nelson to stretch the lead to three with only 4 seconds left. A desperation heave by Bacone missed and LSUS had sealed the win.

For the Pilots, Davis followed on the heels of the previous night’s double-double with a ridiculous line of 33 points (12 of 23 from the field) and 20 rebounds, along with four steals. Dundrecous Nelson tallied 20 points (5 for 9, including two of three from beyond the arc), and Will Nelson added his own double-double of 13 points and 10 boards. In commenting on Davis’ performance, Blankenship said, “Brandon had a special night. To score over 1,000 career points in less than 50 career games is an incredible feat. He re-ally carried us down the stretch when Will fouled out.” The Pilots shot 51% from the field and 76% (23 for 30) from the free-throw line.

Matt Qualls scored 23 points and pulled down 14 boards for the visitors on a night when the Warriors shot 42 percent for the game. He was joined in double-figures by Geo Brewer with 18, Christian Smith with 13 and Creed Flowers with 10 points.

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Wiley College 102, LSUS 95

On the evening of February 25, the #20 Wiley Wildcats (speaking of re-branding: How about the Wiley “Coyotes”? Now that’s marketable!) trav-eled from Marshal, TX to face the 12th-ranked Pilots. In front of the largest and loudest crowd at The Dock this year, LSUS closed out the home portion of its regular-season schedule with a tough loss, dropping just their second conference game and tying the Pilots with Our Lady of the Lake University at 14-2 in the RRAC and making Saturday’s game at OLLU even more signifi-cant. Overall, the Pilots are 19-7.

In beating LSUS on its home floor, the Wildcats returned the “favor” as LSUS had handed Wiley a loss in January in Marshall. The win by Wiley raised their season record to 20-6 overall and 11-5 RRAC.

With the game tied on six occasions during the second half alone, the game was competitive almost until the end when Wiley managed to pull away from the Pilots. Stated Coach Kyle Blankenship, “We had our oppor-tunities late but we turned the ball over on two back-to-back crucial posses-sions,” allowing the Wildcats to take a 95-93 lead with 1:10 remaining with an ensuing LSUS miscue giving the ball back to Wiley. Marquis Green then hit his 10th (Yes, 10th!) three-pointer of the contest to run the lead to five. Will Nelson countered with a two-point shot with 17 seconds left but the Pilots were forced to foul, leading to four made free-throws by the visitors.

Green led Wiley with 30 points—all from downtown, as he hit on 10 of 12 three-point attempts. He was aided in double-figure scoring by Phillip Miller (18), George Page (14), Corey Blake (10) and Cortavious Vaughn (10) while DeAndre Smith led the team with 11 rebounds. Wiley outrebounded LSUS by 42-39 while shooting 50% from the floor and hitting 20 of 24 from the charity stripe.

For the Pilots, Will Nelson scored 38 points on 13 of 18 two pointers, one bucket from beyond the arc and 11 of 15 free-throws. Brandon Davis scored yet another double-double with 27 points and 17 rebounds while Joseph James came off the bench to do his thing, hitting five of seven three-pointers and scoring 21 points. The Pilots shot .458 for the contest. Eight missed free-throws in 31 attempts proved quite costly for the Pilots.

LSUS 97, Huston-Tillotson University 76

Hitting the road for their last two regular-season games, the 12th-ranked Pilots traveled first to Austin, TX on February 28 to meet the Rams of Huston-Tillotson University. When the dust had cleared, LSUS had clinched at least a tie for the RRAC regular-season title, with a showdown the next day for the outright title with #22 Our Lady of the Lady University in San Antonio, whom the Pilots lead by one game following Wiley’s defeat of OLLU tonight. Coach Blankenship’s task is now to re-focus his team’s efforts on the OLLU game, which shouldn’t be too difficult since it would mean a conference champion-ship. “We are excited about clinching at least a share of the . . . title, but we aren’t satisfied yet . . . as we have the opportunity to win (it) outright tomor-row,” Coach Blank stated.

This game was a family affair as five Pilots scored in double figures, led by 25 points off the bench by the reliable Joseph James who is mak-ing a habit of big numbers as a sub. J. J. hit eight of 10 field goal attempts, including three of five from beyond the arc, as well as eight of 10 free throws. Will Nelson added 21 points and 10 boards for double-double while reign-ing NAIA Player of the Week Brandon Davis nabbed his 20th double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Tevin Hall added 17 points while Josh Walker scored 16.

The win raised the Pilots’ overall record to 20-7 and their RRAC record to 15-2 while HTU fell to 8-20 overall and 6-11 in the conference.

Brandon Davis Named National NAIA D-I Player of the Week!

LSUS’ Brandon Davis has been named the NAIA National Divi-sion I Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for February 17-23. Davis is a 6’3” senior forward/guard from Pomona, CA who transferred to LSUS for his final two seasons from San Jacinto (TX) Junior College.

During the week for which he was honored, Brandon recorded his 18th and 19th double-doubles of the season with 21 points and 20 rebounds versus Langston University, followed by a duplication of his career-high 20 rebounds along with 33 points against Bacone Col-lege, leading the Pilots to wins in both contests. For the week, Davis shot .450 from the field (18 of 40) while averaging 27 points and 20 rebounds.

On the season, Brandon has scored double-digits in 24 of 25 games, leading the Pilots in rebounds (12.84 per game) and steals (42) while ranking second on the team in scoring (18.80 points per game), blocks (9) and assists (76). Nationally, he is second in NAIA D-I in double-doubles (19), defensive rebounds per game (8.52), and total re-bounds per game (12.84) while ranking third nationally in total rebounds (321) and offensive rebounds per game (4.32).

Of the eight winners of the season’s weekly award, two are from LSUS as senior forward Will Nelson was recognized for the week of January 28.

Congratulations, Brandon! A great accomplishment!

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Pilots Jump Five Spots in Weekly NAIA Top 25 Poll to #13! When the NAIA released its weekly poll on February 14, the Pilots were rec-ognized for a 2-0 week with a leap from #18 to #13. LSUS continued their win-ning ways following the poll’s release with two more victories, defeating both Langston University and Bacone College at home to run their record to 19-6 over-all and 14-1 in the Red River Athletic Contest.

Pilots Win RRAC Men’s Basketball Title! When the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference disbanded in 2010, LSU Shreveport became a member of the Red River Athletic Conference. The Pilots continued the success the men’s basketball team had had in the GCAC, extending their participation in the NAIA National Tournament to nine consecutive years. They tied for the regular-season RRAC title in 2011 and 2012; won the RRAC post-season tournament in 2011 and 2012; and they went to the National Tournament in 2011, 2012 and 2013, making it to the Elite Eight in 2011 and 2012 as well as to the Fab Four in 2013. Never during their membership in the RRAC, however, had the Pilots won the outright regular-season championship. Until now!!!

The Pilots traveled to San Antonio on March 1 to face the Saints of Our Lady of the Lake University—under some difficult circumstances. Fortunately for LSUS, Wiley College had knocked off the Saints the night before while also knocking OLLU out of a first-place tie with the Pilots. LSUS had defeated Huston-Tillotson University that same night, giving the Pilots a one-game lead over OLLU and guaranteeing at least a tie for the conference title. In addition to playing on the road in a hostile environment, though, LSUS was missing two key players—starting guard Mark Politte, who was ill and remained in Shreveport, along with guard Dundrecous Nelson, who had come off the bench to score consistently over the past several games. Nelson had suffered a severely sprained ankle at The Dock in a contest least week versus Wiley College and could be lost for the post-season as well.

The Pilots were not interested in sharing another conference title, how-ever, and against those odds, LSUS prevailed with a HUGE win over OLLU by the score of 88-84, thereby winning the RRAC regular-season championship and guaranteeing themselves an invitation to the NAIA National Tournament later this month in Kansas City. Great job Coach Blankenship, assistant coaches and, most of all, the Pilots players who righted the ship after a rocky start to the season and came out champions! Good luck in the RRAC Tournament and in the NAIA Tournament, gentlemen!!

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LSUS 82, University of the Southwest 59

LSUS’ #25 Lady Pilots had little difficulty handling the Lady Mustangs in their February meeting at The Dock. The Lady Pilots (15-5, 8-2) ran out to a double-digit lead with only two minutes gone in the first half, leading 11-0 with 17:37 to play in the stanza. LSUS stretched the first–half lead out to 36 points before USW (3-13, 1-10) made a bit of a run at the beginning of half number two.

The Lady Pilots were led by 26 points from Byroneshia Santiago while Kiara Taylor made 5 of 8 from beyond the arc to total twenty-four. Jenna Dia-kos contributed 15 points and Dionecia Warr came off the bench to register a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards. The Ladies out-rebounded their guests by 52-31 while hitting 17 of 24 from the charity stripe.

Cassandra Smith and Anika Hostos each scored 14 points for the Lady Mustangs who also got 13 points from Anitria Flowers.

University of St. Thomas 79, LSUS 76 (OT)

The #24 Lady Pilots hit the road on February 7, travelling to Houston to face the UST Celts in the first of several away contests, only to suffer an overtime loss at the hands of their hosts. The LSUS women had several opportunities near the end of regulation to win the contest but were unable to convert any of them, allowing the Lady Celts to take them into overtime where the home team prevailed. According to Lady Pilots Head Coach Ronnie Howell, LSUS “did not deserve to win . . . (as St. Thomas) simply outplayed us tonight.”

Mediocre shooting by the Lady Pilots and a 54% accuracy rate for St. Thomas led to a half-time lead of 45-29 in favor of the Lady Celts. LSUS came out ready to play in the second half, hitting 41% of their shots while holding St. Thomas to 29% from the floor but they were unable to score when it would have counted the most.

For the Lady Pilots, two players led with double-doubles on the night with Byroneshia Santiago putting up 19 points while pulling down 11 boards plus a line of 15 points and 11 rebounds from Jenna Diakos. Shanovia Gam-blin led LSUS in scoring with 21 while Kiara Taylor added ten. St. Thomas’

Chelsea Davis countered with a double-double of her own as the game’s high scorer with 26 points, adding 12 rebounds. The Celts received 24 points from Gaby Guzman with Emily Sebo tossing in thirteen.

LSUS 63, Paul Quinn College 39

Continuing their tour of Texas, the #24 Lady Pilots came back from their loss to the University of St. Thomas with a vengeance, crushing the Lady Tigers in Dallas on February 8 in a non-conference laugher. PQC was held to 24% shooting for the game, including just 18% in the second half, while also being forced into 19 turnovers by the Lady Pilots who raised their season record to 16-6. Coach Ronnie Howell commented that “(LSUS) did a good job defensively . . . We shot the ball well both halves and were able to keep the lead . . . comfortable.”

Shooting 43% from the field for the game, the Lady Pilots were led by 19 points from Jenna Diakos and 11 points off the bench from Dionecia Warr.

The Lady Tigers got 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds from Dominque

Mitchell.

Pilots BasketballWomen’s February

Texas College 82, LSUS 78

After taking a 13-point lead into the locker room at halftime, the #25 Lady Pilots let a conference game slip away on February 13 in Tyler. Ex-pressing his displeasure with his team’s second half implosion, Coach Ronnie Howell stated, “. . .we came out in the second half and did not play well. We did not take care of the ball and did not defend well. You can’t do that and expect to win in this league.” After shooting 45% from the field and hitting 17 of 18 free throws in the opening period, the Lady Pilots (16-7, 8-4) shot only 32% in the second half while the Lady Steers hit at a 51% clip to win for only the second time this season.

Five Lady Pilots hit for double figures on the night, led by a double-dou-ble of 18 points and 11 rebounds from Jenna Diakos; a team-high 19 points, including 15 of 15 from the charity stripe, by Shanovia Gamblin; 12 points from Kiara Taylor; 11 from Victoria Smith; and 10 points from Ariel Harrell.

The Lady Steers’ Shirley McGowen led all scorers with 21 points while pulling down 13 boards. Teammate Tarneisha Burns chipped in with 12 points while Janee Stevenson and Cristen Simmons each added eleven.

Langston University 84, LSUS 59

The Langston Lionesses rolled into The Dock on February 21 and rolled over the Lady Pilots, giving LSUS their third loss in four games, including three straight conference defeats. While the visitors from Oklahoma got off to a fast start, the Lady Pilots certainly did not, shooting a mere 17% from the field in the opening period to trail by 45-21 at halftime. To quote Coach Ron-nie Howell, “Again, we didn’t come ready to play. . .We have to have some pride individually and play hard to get this turned around. If we don’t, the season will be over quicker than it has in the past.” The loss drops the Lady Pilots (16-8, 8-5) to fifth place in the RRAC, meaning that LSUS would prob-ably have to win the RRAC Post-Season Tournament to qualify for the NAIA National Tournament should things not improve quickly and dramatically.

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For LU, three players scored in double-figures as Lynette Holmes led all scorers with 22 points while teammates Kashlya Fields added 21, followed by Alex Adekunie who scored 17 while pulling down 13 rebounds.

Jenna Diakos scored a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Lady Pilots while Kiara Taylor scored 14 points. Victoria Smith added 11 boards as the home team won the rebounding battle 43-38.

LSUS 85, Bacone College 50

The Lady Pilots bounced back on February 22 from the previous night’s loss to crush the Lady Warriors by 35 points on Senior Night. In improving to 17-9 overall and 9-6 in the RRAC, LSUS gave seniors Jenna Diakos and Victoria Smith the formal send-off they deserved as they dropped BC (8-16, 4-12).

Coach Ronnie Howell commented that he “thought our effort was good tonight. In the second half, we really clamped down defensively,” forcing 12 turnovers in that period and totaling 20 for the game while holding Bacone to 28% shooting for the game. The second half completed the total rout as LSUS outscored their opponents by 44-18.

Fittingly, Diakos led the Pilots with 21 points and 11 rebounds while Smith scored 9 with 6 boards. Kiara Taylor contributed 17 points and Sha-novia Gamblin added 14 while Dionecia Warr snatched 13 caroms, along with providing 7 assists, and Ariel Harrell had a double-double of her own with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Bacone had two players score in double figures with Demetria Dawson tossing in 17 and Gabriela Canell adding ten. Dawson led the Lady Warriors with 9 boards.

Wiley College 69, LSUS 56

With the largest crowd to witness a Lady Pilots’ home game this season in attendance, the home team played with energy and enthusiasm in drop-ping their final home contest to the 9th-ranked Lady Wildcats. Coach Ronnie Howell indicated that his team “. . . played with great effort and energy. We got down big and cut it to five . . . We just didn’t make shots and we turned it over too much in the second half.”

In the first half, the Lady Pilots (17-10, 9-7) hit on just 26% of their shots, scratching to trail by seven at the half after being down by 18 at one point in the opening stanza before going on an 18-2 run to cut the deficit back to single-digits. Wiley countered in the second half by playing a ball-control game, which led 20 of 26 free-throw shooting.

In running their record to 26-2 overall and 15-1 in the RRAC, Wiley was led in scoring by Kynnidia Purdy with 19 points. Alexis Bernstein pitched in a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds while Kayla Brown added 13 points. Center Kirbi Clark was a force in the middle with six blocked shots.

Jenna Diakos finished her home career in style as she scored a double-double with 17 points and 12 boards. Kiara Taylor was the only other Lady Pilot in double-figures with a team-leading 18 points. LSUS turned the ball over 22 times to 15 for Wiley while shooting field goals at a .317 pace.

Huston-Tillotson University 73, LSUS 68

The Lady Pilots embarked on their final road trip of the season with only six players available. The trip to Austin to face the Lady Rams saw short-handed LSUS battle before running out of steam to lose to HTU (12-13, 10-7

RRAC). The loss dropped the Lady Pilots’ record to 17-11 overall and to 9-8 and into sixth place in the conference, meaning that LSUS will probably have a road game at Langston University in the first round of the RRAC Tourna-ment.

LSUS actually led by as many as 13 points early in the first half but a lack of fresh legs to insert into the contest pretty much doomed the Ladies. Jenna Diakos led LSUS with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds. Shanovia Gamblin hit 10 of 12 from the free-throw line, finishing with a total of 18 points, while Kiara Taylor added 15 points.

HTU was led by Jasmine Duke’s 21 points with Trazhazia Webb and Janequa Moore adding 18 and 11 respectively.

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Pilots BaseballPilots’ Baseball February

Game 1: LSUS 4, Northwood University 2

In the first game on Saturday, February 1 the Pilots were still in scoring mode as they plated two runs in the bottom of the first on a wild pitch and a fielder’s choice after holding the Knights scoreless in the top of the in-ning. They followed that up with single runs in the next two innings as Ridge Gonsoulin lashed a double in the second to score Parker Hebert who had a two-bagger earlier in the inning, followed in the third by an rbi single from Jared Vial to close out the Pilots’ (3-0) scoring. The Knights scored single runs in second and fourth stanzas, including a solo home run by Angel Ortiz in inning number four.

LSUS put up a total of eight hits, as did NU, with centerfielder Ridge Gonsoulin and rightfield mate David Diaz each going two-for-three for the Pilots. LSUS starter Jake Hansen (1-0) was credited with the win while work-ing four innings and giving up three hits. Hansen allowed both of the Knights’ runs while striking out two and walking one. Trent Cormier put in 2 1/3 innings of work, giving up three hits and no runs. Cam Ellis came in to shut the door with 2/3 of an inning’s work, earning his first save while recording a game-ending ground out with the bases loaded. NU was led offensively by three players who recorded two hits in three at-bats each—Austin Fox and Robert Burns, who each stroked a double, and Jessue Alvarado.

Game 2: LSUS 12, Northwood University 5

In the second game of Saturday’s twin bill, the LSUS bats came alive for 11 hits and twelve runs in a decisive completion of the four-game sweep. Once again, the Pilots drew first blood in the bottom of the first, this time on a throwing error by the Knights’ catcher. After giving up two runs to North-wood in the third, LSUS (4-0) answered with a five-run third and a six-run fifth to effectively put the contest out of reach. Northwood, which stroked seven hits on the day while putting three errors on the scoreboard, tallied three meaningless runs in the sixth.

The Pilots spread the offense around with nine players recording hits for the game. Two-for-three lines were achieved by Connor McMullin and Jared Vial with McMullin scoring twice while knocking in a run and Vial crossing the plate twice while batting in three. Extra-base hits were at a premium with only two doubles, including one each by Ridge Gonsoulin and David Diaz. As would be expected at the conclusion of a four-game series, this game was “pitching by committee” as four Pilots toed the rubber in the contest. Starter Jonathan Burnett went three innings while giving up two earned runs on five hits, walking none and striking out four. Jacob Rodrigue (1-0) was next up, receiving credit for the win while working two hitless and scoreless innings, walking one and striking out four. Paul Barton came on in the sixth, giving up three earned runs on two hits and two walks. Brock Blanchard mopped up, pitching the seventh and final inning, giving up only a walk.

The Pilots’ came out roaring (yes, I realize that’s a mixed metaphor) to start the 2014 baseball season. After handling the #13 Knights by scores of 9-3 and 9-1 in the season-opening double-header on the last day of January, LSUS started February the same way by sweeping a double-header from Northwood University the next day by scores of 4-2 and 12-5.

McMullin Recognized as Season’s First RRAC Player of the Week Connor McMullin, an LSUS sophomore infielder from Dripping Springs, TX, has received the Red River Athletic Conference’s Player of the Week award for January 29 through February 2—the first week of the 2014 baseball season.

In his first season as a Pilot after transferring from Tyler (TX) Junior College, McMullin got his season off to a great start by going 8 for 13 at the plate in the first four games. In the season opener, Connor went three for three at the plate with three rbis. He followed that up with multi-hit contests in games two and four, all part of the #21Pilots’ four-game sweep of 13th-ranked Northwood University (TX). Included within his totals for the week were a pair of doubles and a walk, as well as another rbi in the finale, as he batted .615 for period.

Great job, Connor!

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Seven Northwood hitters recorded safeties, including a double from four different hitters. Colt Weiner (0-1) took the loss, giving up six earned runs on six hits and a walk in three innings pitched.

LSUS Travels to Alexandria to Face LSUA

After starting the season 4-0, the Pilots travelled south to face their fellow-LSU System team—the LSU Alexandria Generals. The three-game series began with a double-header on February 8. Unlike in their opening series versus Nothwood University, the Pilots found themselves in a couple of pitcher’s duels with LSUA.

Game 1: LSUA 3, LSUS 0

The Generals’ starting hurler, Kirk Savoy, was in control start to finish as he held the Pilots scoreless on just four hits and two bases on balls. In run-ning his season record to 2-0, Savoy struck out seven LSUS batters, includ-ing five who looked at strike three. Pilots’ starter Dustin Doucette’s strong performance was overshadowed by Savoy, as Doucette fell to 1-1 on the season in a three-inning performance in which he gave up just two hits and a walk. The Pilots’ defense gave up the first run in the first inning with two infield errors. The Generals then added two on a double by Dylan Edmiston to extend their lead to the final score of 3-0. Michael Wilson came in to hold LSUA scoreless over the final three innings, working himself out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth. He followed that up by retiring six of the final seven batters her faced.

Offensively, the Pilots were led by Ridge Gonsoulin and Reed Lavallee who each stroked a double. The other two LSUS hits were singles from David Diaz and Parker Hebert.

Game 2: LSUA 2, LSUS 1 (10 innings)

The hurt continued in the second game of the twin bill as the home team came out on top in a classic pitchers’ duel. Jason Mouton for LSUS and Pierce Liberta for LSUA were both masterful into the eighth inning, although LSUS had managed to scratch out a run in the fourth inning when David Dor-ton singled home Connor McMullin who had slashed a two-out double deep to left field. LSUA countered in the 8th when LSUS reliever Jake Hansen picked off a General at second base. A run-down ensued, resulting in the runner reaching third base safely and a runner who had been on third scoring to knot the game at 1-1. Coach Al Cantwell argued to no avail that the LSUA runner who advanced to third had run out of the baseline to avoid the tag.

LSUS had a chance in inning #9 when Diaz smashed a single but an inning-ending double-play put an end to the possible rally. The Pilots’ run of bad luck continued into the 10th when LSUS had runners on first and second with no outs. Pilot Jared Vial popped up an attempted sacrifice bunt which was nabbed by Generals catcher Brandon Samson who then whipped the ball to second for a double play. The Generals had the momentum going into their half of the 10th, putting runners on base via a hit batsman and a walk. Samson ran the count to 3-2 before stroking the game-winning single.

Pitching lines showed Mouton with seven innings of work, yielding one run on four hits, no walks and seven strike-outs while throwing just 74 pitches. Liberta pitched eight innings with a nearly identical line of one run on four hits, no walks and one strike-out, also on a pitch count of seventy-four.

Game 3: LSUS 9, LSUA 6

The Pilots and the Generals returned to the field on February 9, a day after LSUA had swept a double-header from LSUS. The Generals scored first, plating a single run in the second inning which the Pilots immediately matched in the top of the third. Following a scoreless fourth, the Generals scored three more in the fifth, putting the Pilots into a four-one hole. After a scoreless sixth, LSUS put one run on the board in the seventh, followed by another in the top of the eighth as Connor McMullin hit a solo home run for the Pilots. McMullin’s blast may have shaken LSUS out of its brief two game hitting slump as the Pilots’ bats came alive in the ninth. Coach Al Cantwell commented that “Baseball is a humbling game! Sometimes the ball just doesn’t drop. We were frustrated on offense yesterday and it carried over for six innings today.”

Leading off the top of the ninth, Blair Landry scorched a double down the line in left, standing on second as the potential tying run. Landry ad-vanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Ridge Gonsoulin, scoring on Reed Lavallee’s game-tying single. McMullin then hit a hard groundball between the legs of the LSUA first sacker to put runners at the corners. Caleb Killian followed with a base-loading walk with David Dorton then singling to plate two runs which staked the Pilots to a 6-4 lead. Wild pitches led to three more runs to extend the lead to 9-4. The Generals added two scores in the bottom of the ninth to bring the final tally to 9-6.

LSUS starter Jonathan Burnett had been on the hook for the loss but managed to wriggle free with the aid of some timely hitting by his mates. Following Burnett’s departure in the fifth, a trio of LSUS relievers combined to hold LSUA to two runs over the final four frames. Jason Rodrigue came on in the fifth, and then pitched a scoreless sixth inning, giving up two hits and a walk. Riley Spencer entered in the seventh and pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth. Coming out to start the ninth, Spencer gave up a single and hit a batter before coming out in favor of JayDon Day. Day gave up a single and a two-run double—those runs being charged to Spencer—before striking out the final General to end the game.

Spencer was credited with the win while LSUA’s Stefan Porche took the loss in relief. For the Pilots, David Diaz was three-for-three at the dish with a double and a stolen base, and Blair Landry went three-for-four with a double while scoring two runs.

The win raised the Pilots’ season record to 5-2.

LSUS & Northwood Are at It Again!

After playing the #13-ranked Northwood University Knights at home in the first four games of the season, #20-ranked LSUS traveled to Cedar Hill, TX to face the Knights once again in a double-header on February 14. This pair of games was much tighter than the first series, with each team picking up a one-run win.

Game 1: LSUS 1, NU 0

The pitchers were the story in this one for the Pilots as reliever Riley Spencer (2-0) picked up the win following starter Dustin Doucette and sand-wiched between two of his bullpen mates, Jake Hansen and Brandon Rus-sell. After Doucette tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings, yielding three hits while striking out two and walking three, the bullpen trio came on to record 10 straight outs, allowing a single base runner. Hansen entered first, recording

LSUS is “Two-for-Two” as David Diaz Is Named RRAC Player of the Week Following on the heels of teammate Connor McMullin, Pilot David Diaz was recognized as the second RRAC player of the week for the 2014 season and the second Pilot in a row to receive the honor.

Diaz is a junior right-fielder/pitcher from Ft. Worth who has over-come a major personal issue to get back on the field. In August 2011, David was diagnosed with Stage-2 Lymphoma and Hodgkin’s cancer, certainly a frightening experience for anyone. Following a course of therapy, David was declared cancer-free in January 2012 and has remained so since that time.

In earning the RRAC honor, Diaz went six-for-nine from the plate during the week of February 3 through 9 in three contests versus LSU Alexandria. In game two, David was two-for-three and he followed that up in game three with three hits in three at-bats, including a double and a run scored. Diaz also stole two bases during the series.

Congratulations, David!

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five outs, including a strike-out of the first batter he faced on three consecu-tive change-ups. Spencer came in to retire the final two batters in the sixth, followed by Russell who retired all three batters he faced in the seventh to close out the game while earning his first save of the season.

All of the offense needed by the Pilots (6-2) came in the top of the sev-enth inning when David Dorton stroked a single with one out. Blair Landry then entered to pinch run for Dorton, immediately stealing second. Landry was legging it to third on another steal attempt when Brandon Bufton ripped a single to left, allowing Landry to score.

For the game, the Pilots registered four hits while the Knights had three.

No hitter for either team registered more than one hit as the two teams played errorless baseball. Knights’ reliever Andres Caraveo took the loss with a line of one and one-third innings pitched and one earned run on two hits while walking none and striking out three.

Game 2: NU 3, LSUS 2

Pilots’ Coach Al Cantwell was thrilled with the effort and win in game one but lamented what could have been in game two. “We missed a chance to pull off a really big day on the road against a great opponent,” Cantwell stated. “Despite the lack of offense, we showed up in the seventh and got the job done to take the lead . . . but the small things we can control (walks and a wild pitch) got us again.”

Pitching again dominated, as NU’s Jason Gareri pitched into the seventh inning, holding LSUS scoreless through the sixth. Pilots starter Jason Mou-ton turned in another good outing, getting the first six Knights’ hitters of the game and then wriggling off the hook with two on and one out in the third.

NU managed to score an unearned run in the fourth on an error by Pilots SS Kym Barthel. After neither team could score in either the 5th or 6th in-nings, the Pilots’ bats came alive in the seventh as David Dorton led off with a single, Kade Billeaudeaux sacrificed pinch runner Brendan Meade to second, and LF Blair Landry slashed a single to left which was hit too hard for Meade to score from second. A groundout moved Landry to second while Meade was held at third. Pinch-hitter David Diaz then came through with a two-run single to move the Pilots ahead by a score of two to one. In the bottom of the seventh and last inning, LSUS relievers Brandon Texeira and Michael Wil-son were unable to hold the lead as they walked a total of three batters and yielded a hit and a wild pitch in two-thirds of an inning while permitting two earned runs to score, bringing the final tally to three to two.

Pilots Reed Lavallee, Brandon Bufton and Blair Landry each registered two hits in three at bats. For the Knights, Angel Ortiz and Carlos Contreras each had two hits as LSUS outhit NU by a count of eight to five. Andres Car-aveo, the loser of game one, picked up the win in relief for the Knights while Michael Wilson was credited with the loss, after which LSUS’ record stood at six wins and three losses.

Game 1: LSUS 6, Northwood University 3

LSUS’ All-RRAC CF Ridge Gonsoulin got the game off to a good start as he slashed the first pitch of the contest to left-center for a single. He was, however, left stranded. Not to be deterred, he ripped a double to right-center in the third as if to say, “OK, guys, see if you can drive me home from here!” Brandon Bufton obliged by stroking a double of his own to drive in Gonsoulin and tie the game at one-one after NU had plated at unearned run in the bottom of the first.

The Pilots’ bats kept things going in the fourth, scoring three more runs and putting the Knights in a hole from which they would not escape. Reed Lavallee led off the inning with yet another double, Caleb Killian walker and Parker Hebert drove in two runs as the Pilots took their first lead. Gonsoulin then scored Hebert as he put his third consecutive hit, a triple, in the score-

book. The Pilots closed out their scoring in the fifth when David Dorton drove in a run with a single, then scored himself on a passed ball, giving LSUS a 6-2 lead.

On the mound, LSUS starter David Diaz (1-0) picked up his first win of the season by tossing three-and-two-thirds innings, giving up two hits, one

walk and no earned runs while ringing up five K’s. The bullpen continued to provide stellar support as three relievers combined to allow just one base-runner over the final three-and-one-third innings. Riley Spencer was first out of the pen, getting the final batter in the fourth on just one pitch, then return-ing to retire three straight in the fifth. Jake Hansen was next, working his change-up to perfection in the sixth while striking out two of the three batters he faced. Brandon Russell came in to clean up in the seventh to earn his second save of the season.

Although less than an artistic success with three Pilots errors, there was enough timely hitting for LSUS to earn the win. In raising their record to 7-3, the Pilots got three hits in four at-bats along with an rbi and a run-scored from Gonsoulin, who was a home run short of the cycle; two-for-four from Blufton, who also had an rbi and a run-scored in his line; and one-for-three with two rbis and a run-scored from Hebert. NU was held to four hits with no Knights’ batter recording more than one hit.

Game 2: LSUS 11, Northwood University 3

In the second game of the double-header and the final game of the series with NU, both the Pilots and the Knights trotted out freshman hurlers to start the game. LSUS’ Jay Don Day clearly had the upper hand in the meeting, pitching three solid innings in which he allowed no runs on two hits and one walk. While Day did a great job, he was certainly aided by his team-mates’ offensive explosion as the Pilots put up four runs in the first, three in the second and four in the fourth to pretty much put the game out of reach at 11-0.

Gonsoulin picked up where he had left off in game one when he led off the top of the first with his first home run of the year. (Is there such a thing as a doubleheader cycle?) David Diaz and Brandon Bufton followed with dou-bles with Bufton’s hit scoring Diaz. Not to be outdone, Reed Lavallee blasted one over the right-center wall for this first homer of the season, knocking in two and giving the visitors a 4-0 lead. It could have been worse as the Pilots’ final out of the inning came with the bases jammed.

LSUS added three runs in the second with an hbp and a walk before Lavallee stroked his second extra-base hit of the game—a double—to bring in another run. A sacrifice fly by Caleb Killian and an rbi-single from pinch-hit-ter Mikey Ford ran the lead to 7-0 at the end of the second inning. The Pilots tallied four more runs in the fourth as pinch-hitter Brandon Meade delivered the big blow, a two-run single.

Pilots relievers finished out the game with Trent Cormier giving up just one run in the fourth, George Bliss working a perfect fifth, and Paul Barton

Pilots Sweep a Double-Header from Northwood University-AgainContinuing (and finally completing) their home-and-home series with Northwood University, the LSUS Pilots put an exclamation point on the eight games by winning the final two in a double-header on February, thereby giving the preseason #21 Pilots wins in seven of the eight games versus the preseason #13 Knights.

LSUS PILOTS Page 13

and Reno Dupuis combing to split the sixth, with Dupuis giving up one run. Brandon Texiera pitched the seventh, allowing one run but pitching out of a jam to preserve the win.

In all, the Pilots put up 11 runs on 11 hits and two errors while holding NU to a line of 3-6-1. Gonsoulin had two hits in four trips to the plate with two runs scored and one batted in, Meade was one-for-three with a pair of rbis, and Lavallee had a two-for-two day while scoring two and knocking in three as the Pilots improved to 8-3.

Southern Arkansas University 17, LSUS 8

The #21 LSUS Pilots took a temporary leave of absence from the NAIA on February 18 as they hosted the SAU Muleriders, the 4th-ranked team in NCAA Division II. Coach Al Cantwell bemoaned the overall job done by his pitching staff in stating, “Our pitchers did not get the job done tonight. Ten walks and hit-by-pitches in addition to the fact that SAU can flat-out hit is not a recipe for success.

The Muleriders were able to score in each of the first five innings, includ-ing a grand-slam homer in the fourth and a three-run long-ball in the fifth, followed soon thereafter by a six-run seventh inning. While LSUS main-

tained the pace through three innings by putting up four runs of their own to keep the game tied, 13 runs over four innings was too much to overcome. LSUS’s team e.r.a. of 2.92 entering the contest took a pretty good beat-ing with 14 of the ‘Riders runs being earned. Cantwell did see some bright spots, however, as his Pilots were able to put up eight runs on 11 hits versus the talented Arkansans.

In totaling 15 hits, there were stars galore for SAU (9-2). Carver Radem-acher did the most individual damage as he went two-for-five at the plate, including the aforementioned grand slam, knocking in five runs and scoring one. Diminutive shortstop Tyler Cameron proved that size isn’t everything as he went three-for-four with a three-run dinger, a walk, four runs scored, four rbis and a stolen base. Jackson McCurdy chipped in with a two-for-four night that included a double, three rbis and a run scored.

For the Pilots (8-4), Ridge Gonsoulin continued his reliable hitting with a two-for-four night which included a double, a triple, and two runs scored. David Diaz chipped in with two-for-three, a double, an rbi and two runs scored, while Connor McMullin connected for three hits in five trips to the plate including a double, knocked in a run and scored two. Brandon Bufton went one-for-one with three rbis.

The Muleriders used four pitchers with starter Blake Sullivan (2-0) getting the win while LSUS marched out eight hurlers trying to find a stopper. Of the eight, only three managed to pitch a scoreless inning including Jake Han-sen, Cam Challand and George Bliss. The loss went to Michael Wilson who dropped to 0-2 on the season.

LSUS 12, Texas Wesleyan University 5

On Friday, February 21, LSUS welcomed former RRAC foe TWU to Shreveport for the first of a three-game series. NAIA #21 LSUS started fast, scoring a total of four runs with tallies in each of the first three innings while holding the 20th-ranked Rams scoreless during the same period. Not to be outdone, TWU turned the tables on the Pilots by scoring one in the fourth and three in the fifth while holding LSUS scoreless in innings four through six to knot the score at four. A pitching battle broke out in innings six and seven as both squads were held scoreless while LSUS also kept the Rams off the score-board in the top of the eighth. Just as it looked as though extra innings might be looming, the roof fell in on reliever and losing pitcher Connor Zamora in the eighth as the Pilots scored eight runs (four earned). In an error-filled contest (4 by LSUS, 5 by TWU), the Pilots outhit the Rams by 11-8.

Coach Al Cantwell stated that “tonight was a big step forward for our pitching staff. We challenged them after the SAU game,” in which the staff had walked seven and hit three batters in a 17-8 loss. He went on to say that he was “proud of our guys (in) that they competed through nine innings and did not walk a batter.”

Offensively, the Pilots were led by Blair Landry who went three-for-five at the dish, including a double, while scoring two runs and stealing a base; David Diaz who was two-for-four with a double and a run scored; and Reed “Wheels” Lavallee who set an all-time Pilots single-game record with five sto-len bases while also registering a hit, walking once, scoring twice and knock-ing in two runs. Stand-outs for the Rams were Jonathan Bravo with three hits and two runs scored in four trips as well as Jose Martinez who collected two hits—both doubles—in five at-bats.

LSUS starter Jonathan Burnett pitched four-and-one-third innings, yield-ing five hits and three earned runs while striking out three and walking none. Riley Spencer relieved Burnett in the fifth, pitching an inning and two-thirds with only one hit registered against him. Michael Wilson came on in the sev-enth to log two innings with three strike-outs while holding the Rams hitless, “run-less,” and “walk-less” during his stint and earning his first win for the sea-son in running his record to 1-2. JayDon Day closed the game out, pitching the ninth inning while giving up an earned run and striking out one batter.

Pilot’s Split Saturday Doubleheader with Texas Wesleyan, Take Series 2-1

Game 1: Texas Wesleyan University 7, LSUS 1

The first game on Saturday, February 22 was largely dominated by TWU starter Mitch McLeod (2-0) who kept the Pilots off-balance in pitching a com-plete game win. Throwing a total of only 90 pitches, McLeod scattered seven hits over seven innings, stranding eight Pilots runners while walking three bat-ters and striking out seven. Coach Al Cantwell acknowledged the lanky lefty, saying that “we faced a great competitor on the mound. He shut us down. We tipped our cap(s) and got ready for game two.”

After TWU (6-6) tallied two runs in the top of the second, the Pilots countered with a run in the bottom of the inning. From that point on, it was goose-eggs on the Pilots’ line on the scoreboard while the Rams put up five more runs. LSUS dropped to 9-5 with the loss.

Notable offensive performers for the Rams were Dakota Lee with three hits (one double), three runs scored and an rbi in four at-bats and Jonathan Bravo who knocked in three runs while going two-for-four at the plate, includ-ing one double. The Pilots were held to seven singles in the game with Parker Hebert getting the only rbi.

LSUS starter David Diaz was saddled with the loss as he pitched four innings, giving up seven hits, allowing two runs (only one of which was earned) while walking three and striking out two. Three relievers followed Diaz, each pitching one inning. Trent Cormier yielded one earned run on two hits, Reno Dupuis gave up four hits and three runs (one earned), and Ian Ham gave up two hits, an unearned run and stuck out two batters.

Brandon Bufton Named RRAC Player of the Week for February 10-16 Having a Pilot named RRAC Player of the Week has become a habit for LSUS as junior outfielder Brandon Bufton was the third different Pilot in three weeks to receive the recognition.

The Ladner, British Columbia native had at least one hit in each of the four games played by the Pilots during the period as LSUS had three wins and one loss during the week. Bufton drove in the only run of the game in the Pilots’ 1-0 win over Northwood (TX) University. For the week he went 6-for-11 at the plate, including two doubles, while batting in three runs and scoring three.

Congratulations, Brandon!

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Game 2: LSUS 7, Texas Wesleyan University 6

In the final game of the series, LSUS jumped out to lead of 5-0 (all runs unearned) in the bottom of the first, then hung on over the next eight innings to register the win. Brendan Meade had a two-run single in the first, followed by William Breland who knocked in another Pilots’ run, with Kym Barthel stroking a double down the left-field line to drive in another. TWU starter Alex Lopez, victimized by the misplays of his teammates, threw a total of 41 pitches in the first inning and then went through the next four innings throw-ing only fifty pitches while giving up only one more hit. Nonetheless he was credited with the loss in dropping his record to 0-2. Coach Al Cantwell saw the game as one of mixed blessings, stating that “We came out firing which was very good to see but we left some runs on the field and some huge defensive miscues opened the door for them and they capitalized like good teams do.”

The Rams scored one run in the fifth, two in the sixth and three in the seventh to cause lots of nervousness in the home dugout but Pilots pitch-ers were able to hold TWU scoreless when it counted in the eighth and ninth innings. The Rams outhit the Pilots for the game, 10-6, with each team mak-ing the “E” on the scoreboard flash three times.

LSUS’ six hits were spread out among six players with Kym Barthel re- cording the only extra-base hit, a double. Parker Hebert registered two stolen bases while Ridge Gonsoulin was able to coax two walks out of Rams’ pitchers. For TWU, Jonathan Bravo had his third multi-hit game in the three-game series, going three-for-four with a double and three rbis. Jose Martinez and Ryan Adams each hit safely twice.

Texas Wesleyan used two pitchers, with Lopez going five innings and Avery Sullivan pitching the final three. Losing pitcher Lopez gave up 6 hits, 6 runs (only one of which was earned), walked four and struck out three. LSUS marched out five pitchers to hang on for the victory. Starter Dustin Doucette (2-1) got the win, being credited with five innings pitched and giving up two earned runs on three hits and one base-on-balls with seven strike-outs. Jacob Rodrigue relieved, pitching one inning with a line of two earned runs on three hits. Miguel Garcia followed, tossing two-thirds of an innings while yielding three runs (none earned) on one hit. Next was Jake Hansen who toed the slab for one-and-one-third innings, giving up three hits and no runs while striking out two Rams. Brandon Russell pitched the final inning, earning his third save of the season while walking one batter and striking out one.

LSUS 7, Centenary College 6

With the weather turning cold once again and rain threatening, LSUS and Centenary were determined to play their scheduled game in the evening of February 25. After deciding that the playing surface at Pilots Field was too soggy to be safe, LSUS’ scheduled home game was moved to Centenary’s Shehee Stadium where the field had dried out a bit more. The crosstown rivalry between the NAIA’s 21st-ranked Pilots and the NCAA D-III Gents was won by LSUS who now have picked up three wins in the last four contests with Centenary.

Following the game, Coach Al Cantwell had praise for both teams in say-ing, “Hats off to Centenary for a great competition tonight. Despite mistakes made on both sides, there were some very competitive performances . . . (Centenary) Coach Diaz and his staff have a very good program and are do-ing it with five to six freshmen on the field. Tonight . . . our best game didn’t show up but we still found a way to win.”

On a night when both teams left lots of runners on base (eight for LSUS and 12 for the Gents), the Pilots (11-5) were able to strike first with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning. A walk to David Diaz, followed by a single from Reed Lavallee, started the rally, which was aided by a throwing error by the Gents’ catcher to score Diaz. Lavallee came in on a David Dorton ground-out for a 2-0 Pilots’ lead.

In the bottom of the inning, Centenary answered with a run of their own followed in the top of the fifth by a Pilot response when William Breland led off with a single and eventually scored on Lavallee’s ground-out to make the score 3-2 in LSUS’ favor. The gutsy Gents then countered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, followed by a three-run sixth for the Pilots as they took advantage of two Centenary errors.

There was some baseball yet to be played as the Gents countered with two in the bottom of the eighth, followed by a ninth inning in which Cente-nary put the potential tying and winning runners in scoring position before Brandon Russell retired the last batter on a liner caught by a diving Brandon Bufton in right field.

LSUS scored six runs on four hits while making one error. The Gents line read five runs, nine hits and five errors. Ridge Gonsoulin led LSUS in hits, going two-for-four at the plate with a walk and an rbi. Only three of the Pilots’ six runs were earned, with Lavallee and Dorton each earning one run-batted-in. The Pilots also received six free passes from Gent’s hurlers. Cen-tenary was led offensively by Michael Shrimpf who had three hits in five trips, including a double for the game’s only extra-base knock, while being credited with two rbis. Teammate Aaron Quintanilla stroked two singles in five at-bats, also knocking in two runs.

As is often the case in mid-week games, this was a pitching-by-commit-tee affair for both teams as LSUS used six pitchers and the Gents countered with eight. Brock Blanchard (1-1) tossed one complete inning for LSUS and was credited with the win while Brandon Russell worked the final stanza to pick up his fourth save. For Centenary, Matt Posey (0-1) took a hard-luck loss as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up no hits and one walk, along with three unearned runs.

LSUS 6, William Carey College 3

Swapping their home-and-home series sites due to expected rain in Shreveport for the weekend, the #21 Pilots traveled to Hattiesburg, MS on February 28 for the opening game of a three-game series with the #24 Crusaders. In a game which featured good pitching and shaky fielding from both teams, LSUS starter Jason Mouton (2-0) tossed seven innings for the win with the only negative being the fourth inning when he walked two, gave up three hits and allowed three runs for a 3-1 Crusaders lead. Jason then sucked it up and pitched three more shutout innings, retiring eight of the last nine batters he faced. The Pilots’ Trent Cormier came in to work the last three innings, shutting out WCC during that stretch by retiring six of the seven batters he faced and striking out a pinch hitter to end the contest while earning the first save of his collegiate career.

LSUS (12-5) drew first blood as David Diaz lifted a sac fly to score Reed Lavallee for the early lead before WCC (7-9) retaliated in the fourth. The Pilots then countered the 3-1 deficit by scoring three in the top of the fifth.

Two Pilots scored when Lavallee slapped a hard grounder to short which went between the shortstop’s legs. The Pilots picked up two more runs in the top of the ninth when Brendan Meade led off with a pinch-hit single, tak-ing WCC starter Josh Wood out of the game. Meade then went to third on a base hit by Blair Landry off Wood’s replacement while Landry advanced to second on the failed attempt to get Meade at third. Meade scored on a sac fly by Parker Hebert, followed by Landry who came in on Kade Billeaudeaux’s double to right.

The Pilots outhit the Crusaders 7-4 while each nine committed four er-rors.

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