JACKSON, Miss. – The Southwestern University Pirates baseball team recorded just one hit and left seven runners stranded in a 3-1 loss to the Adrian College Bulldogs on the second day of the Millsaps College Classic.
Austin Smith made his second start for the Pirates, throwing two complete innings with three strikeouts, two walks, one hit and an unearned run surrendered.
Smith opened the bottom of the first by hitting Ty Peck, then struck out Thomas Miller and induced a line out from Gunner Rainey. With two outs, a throwing error cost the Pirates, scoring Peck to give Adrian a 1-0 lead after one.
Adrian loaded the bases in the bottom of the second, taking advantage of another hit batter and two walks, but Smith was able to get out of the jam, inducing a fly out to second and striking out two to leave three stranded.
Bulldogs' starting pitcher Pierce Banks controlled the game for Adrian, retiring the Pirates in order in the top of the first and striking out the side in the second. After striking out the first two Pirates in the third, he walked the next three to load the bases before racking up another strikeout to get out of the inning unscathed.
Trey Schwarz took the mound for the Pirates to start the third and retired the side, opening up with two strikeouts. Both teams went down in order in the fourth and scoreless in the fifth. Schwarz pitched three complete innings, giving up just one hit and striking out five with one walk before giving way to J.J. Slack to start the sixth.
After retiring two of the first three hitters he faced, Slack surrendered a Kevin Cardentey RBI-single through the right side, scoring Brandon Cooper, who reached on a double to center.
After the Pirates went down in order again in the seventh, Cole Johnson replaced Slack on the mound, giving the Southwestern defense a three-up, three-down inning.
Jordan Williams replaced Pierce in the eighth and promptly struck out the first two batters he faced. The Pirates got new life when a Hayden Craig strikeout turned into a free base on a passed ball. Williams walked the next two and hit Byron Dowdell II with bases loaded to give the Pirates their only run of the game.
Adrian answered immediately in the bottom of the inning after Johnson walked two, ending his day, and Blake Grider surrendered an RBI-single to center field by Tristin Richardson.
With the loss, the Pirates drop to 4-3 on the season. Southwestern will conclude its participation in the Millsaps College Classic tomorrow against Millsaps at 2:00 p.m.