Itta Bena, Miss. – Louis Lipthratt shined yet again as the Wildcats took down Mississippi Valley State, 3-1, in their first conference road contest of the season, Friday night at Magnolia Field.
 
How It Happened
 
The Wildcats (12,14, 6-1 SWAC) stranded the bases loaded in the first inning, but still broke onto the scoreboard first an inning later as Malik Stephens sent an RBI single through the left side, scoring Franki Febles to make it 1-0, B-CU, early on.
 
Things got quiet well through the middle innings. Mississippi Valley State (8-10-1, 2-5 SWAC) did not notch its first hit of the game until the fourth inning as Louis Lipthratt spun yet another gem of an outing for the Wildcats.
 
"Louis threw the ball really well again tonight," Wildcats head coach Jonathan Hernandez said. "He continues to set the tone for us on Friday nights and he kept us in the ballgame when we couldn't take advantage of some situations on offense."
 
B-CU was not without its chances Friday night, stranding at least one runner in all but one regulation inning.
 
Lipthratt cruised all night long. He opened the ninth by forcing a popup, but an MVSU runner then reached second base on an error. Closer Brenton Fisher relieved Lipthratt after 105 pitches. After a three-pitch strikeout, MVSU sent a single up the middle that scored the runner from second to tie things at 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth.
 
A quiet tenth saw no baserunners from either side. The Wildcats took a 3-1 lead in the tenth as Febles walked, Colton Olasin singled, and both came around to score on separate wild pitches.
 
"Not the prettiest win tonight," Hernandez said. "I always tell our guys that the only stat I'm concerned with at the end of the day is the number in the W column. We did what we had to do tonight, and we'll be ready to go again tomorrow."
 
Fisher pitched the final 2.2 innings in relief of Lipthratt, allowing only the single hit and no waks with four strikeouts on the way to his second win in two weekends.
 
"Fisher continues to be great for us out of the pen to pick up another win," Hernandez said. "It's great to have a guy like that in the back of the pen, especially as he shows he can give us some length at the end of these games."
 
Notes

• The Wildcats improve to 4-0 in extra-innings affairs this season.
• The Wildcats allowed only three Mississippi Valley State baserunners on the night.
• Two hits allowed to MVSU was the Wildcats pitching staff's lowest mark of the season.
• Five hits ties the Wildcats' lowest mark of hits in a win this season.  
• Franki Febles finished the night 1-2 with two runs and three walks.
• Malik Stephens finished 1-4 with an RBI, two walks, and two stolen bases

 
Up Next

The Wildcats and Delta Devils will get back at it tomorrow as B-CU looks to secure the series win. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
 

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