On March 10, the LSU-Shreveport Pilots got back on track against the John Melvin Millers, a team out of Crowley, Louisiana. Going into this game, head coach Brad Neffendorf saw John Melvin as an “interesting” team. The Millers are not a well-known team. John Melvin University was established in 2021, and the baseball team was founded in 2024. Neffendorf pointed out they could hit well and of course would put their top guy on the mound since they are walking into the home of the No. 1 team in NAIA baseball.
The Pilots struck first in the first inning with a Makana Olaso single. They tacked on another in the second when Brett Justice scored on a wild pitch. John Melvin answered with a solo homer by Jonah Callais in the third. The Millers eventually tied the game and went up 4-2 in the fifth inning. LSUS immediately answered in the bottom of the fifth when Dorien Jackson homered, then Olaso tied the game with a single. JMU retook the lead in the sixth when Sammy Maddox knocked one in. LSUS once again answered the next half-inning when Jackson tied things with a double. Carlos Sanchez recorded the game winner with a bases loaded, two-run double to give Shreveport the 7-5 lead. LSUS eventually won 11-6.
JMU proved Neffendorf right; it was a very interesting game. They fought as hard as they could, but the national champs were too much at the end. This win extended the LSUS home win streak to 50 in a row, a remarkable achievement. One issue with the game, however, was the Pilot pitching early on.
Starter Evan Gant only managed to pitch two innings, and found it difficult to induce soft contact. Seven pitchers came out of the pen after Gant. A couple of guys had short leashes as they could not find the zone and were pulled after just a few pitches. John Melvin managed six earned runs on 15 hits and worked four walks. LSUS pitching did manage 11 strikeouts. Nonetheless, a solid win against a solid team. The Pilots are back in action on March 13 and 14 against Texas College.
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