NEW ORLEANS – Chris Turpin went the distance in the first game of a doubleheader for his eighth win of the season to lift the New Orleans Privateers to an 11-0 win against Central Arkansas. The Bears came back for an 8-0 win in the second game of the doubleheader.
BOOKEND
Turpin bookended his first and last conference home start. After going the distance in his Southland home opener this season against HBU, Turpin repeated the feat with seven strong innings and only two hits allowed.
He threw 88 pitches and 54 of those were strikes. He struck out seven batters on the afternoon and only allowed one runner into scoring position. It was the fifth complete game for Turpin on the season.
PULLING AWAY
The Privateers got on the board with two runs in the third and kept piling on the pressure from there. Four base hits got the first two across to get the day started. Two more runs were added in the fourth including one on an error.
Luther Woullard cranked his seventh home run of the season in the fifth inning to extend the lead to 5-0. Then in the sixth with one out, the Bears decided to intentionally walk Gaige Howard with first base open.
With the bases loaded, Pearce Howard cranked a line drive double to right, scoring three runs. It was all part of a six-run frame that put the game well out of reach.
Howard had four RBI on the day to help lead the Privateers who cranked out 11 hits. Kasten Furr and KC Simonich also contributed two hits and an RBI each. Darren Willis scored three runs and went 1-for-2.
BEARS TAKE GAME TWO
Central Arkansas broke open a close game late and took an 8-0 decision to finish off the day.
The Bears punched a first inning run across on a two-out single by Kolby Johnson. From there, Brandon Mitchell held the Central Arkansas bats without a hit until a three-run sixth. All of the runs came with two outs on four hits.
The Bears added four runs in the ninth inning including a home run by Connor Emmet. In relief, Conner Williams and Tyler Cleveland combined for 5.2 scoreless innings. Cleveland collected his eighth save of the season. Williams entered in a bases loaded jam with one out and got out of it with two strikeouts to keep UCA in front 1-0 at the time.
NEXT UP
The series closes with a Sunday afternoon first pitch of 1 p.m. Senior Day festivities will precede the contest and will start at 12:40 p.m.
{Press release courtesy of UNO Athletics}