Acadiana pulls away for 7

Jun 27, 2023

Late-afternoon thunderstorms cooled off the temperatures and Acadiana's pitchers chilled out the Brazos Valley Bombers’ batters as the Cane Cutters grabbed a 7-0 victory at Edible Field on Monday night.

Acadiana's Payton Havard and Brandon Carter combined on a two-hitter in leading the defending Texas Collegiate League champions to their fifth straight victory. Havard went six innings, allowing both hits. The 5-foot-11, 230-pound junior right-hander from Lamar got stronger as the game progressed, getting four strikeouts in his final four innings. Carter, a freshman right-hander at Bossier Parish Community College, threw three no-hit innings, walking one and striking out three.

"Their guys threw strikes and they got ahead of us," BV Bombers coach James Dillard said.

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The Cane Cutters (5-1) also played great defense. The Bombers’ Casey Sunseri, who came into the game as the TCL's leading hitter, was robbed of hits by corner outfielders Sawyer Duddleston and Logan Hamm, while shortstop Sam Stephenson and third baseman Grant Comeaux both made several tough plays look easy.

"The balls that we did hit hard, probably the hardest two balls we hit were right at people," Dillard said. "I told our guys [afterward], that's baseball. Tomorrow, we may score seven runs on those guys."

The game was a dandy pitchers’ duel for five innings as the Bombers’ Wyatt Wick allowed just one hit in three innings, facing only 10 batters as he struck out three. It was the second solid start for the right-hander from Galveston College who also allowed only one hit in three innings against Seguin in the opener of the Bombers’ four-game homestand. Ryan Pehrson relieved and the sophomore right-hander from Northern Kentucky threw two more scoreless innings, allowing only one hit.

But things fell apart for Pehrson and the Bombers in the sixth inning. The Cane Cutters’ Landon Manson, the No. 9 hitter, singled on an 0-2 pitch. Stephenson bunted for a single and Jesse Ponce walked to load the bases. Duddleston was hit by a pitch to score the first run. A fielder's choice plated the second run and Comeaux's RBI single made it 3-0.

Acadiana added four runs in the eighth on four hits, including an RBI double by Comeaux. The Bombers also walked two more batters and had two errors. Comeaux ended with three hits, while Hamm and Manson each had two.

BV's best scoring chance was in the second inning. Ben Columbus had a leadoff walk and Jordan Medellin had a two-out double, but Cameron Donely grounded out.

The Bombers (2-3), who haven't scored in 17 1/3 innings, will play at the Cane Cutters (5-1) on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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