Playing its first-ever game as the HBCU baseball’s top-ranked team, Xavier University of Louisiana scored the games first six runs in the bottom of the first inning in route to a 15-0 win over Mississippi University For Women baseball team in game one of the teams’ three-game weekend series.
Xavier is now 17-4 on the season while The W drops to 15-6.
Xavier opened the scoring in the bottom of 1st inning. Lead off hitter Co Co Simoneaux flew out to center field, then the next batter Antonio Rodriguez reached on a walk, advanced to second on a stolen base and move to third on MUW starting pitcher Brady Jones’ throwing error. Blair Frederick singled to right scoring Rodriguez for the first run in the ball game with what proved to be the game-winning run. After the next two batters reached base, Courtland Posey doubled to left and plated two more runs in the inning. The Gold Rush would add three more runs for a 6-0 lead.
Xavier would add three more runs in the second inning. The big blow was a Antonio Rodriguez homerun to left to go up 9-0.
The Gold Rush scored again in the fourth inning adding two more and plating another four in the bottom of the sixth for the 15-0 win.
Xavier’s Juwan Fitch scattered three hits and allowed no runs. Fitch struck out five over seven-plus innings.
Two different players had two hits each for Xavier – Dillon Cousin and Tristan Rodriguez were 2-for-4.
Cousin led the Gold Rush by going 2-for-2 with a double and three runs batted in. Antonio Rodriguez was 2-for-4, 1 home run with an RBI. Courtland Posey’s double plated two runs and Jonathan Santos also had a double with two runs batted in.
It was the eighth time this season that Xavier produced 10-or-more runs. Xavier averages 7.5 runs per game and won by nine-or-more runs for the sixth time this season, all in the last 11 games. The team is ranked 7th in the nation with a total of 87 stolen bases including the four swiped in the ball game and leads the nation (NAIA) in stolen bases per game with a 4.35 average.
The game featured two ranked teams. Xavier debuted this week as the nation’s No. 1 ranked team in Black College Nines (BCN) small-school HBCU poll announced this past Thursday. Mississippi University For Women is ranked No. 2 in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Coaches Poll.