NEW ORLEANS - The Xavier baseball team picked up its first two wins of the season here Saturday. A week after playing well against NCAA Division II competition in the Ron Washington Classic, the Gold Rush defeated Stillman 5-4 and 6-5 in a doubleheader. 

In the first game, the Gold Rush (2-3) used a three-man pitching committee to keep Stillman in check. Starter Jeremy Clark struck out three over three innings of work, with Charles Carter (1-0) getting the win and Chris Nelson finishing the game. 

Offensively, clean-up and designated hitter Jayden Smith was strong, going 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and 2 runs scored. 

Second baseman Bryce Thomas went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and left fielder Paul Ramseur went 1-for-2 with 2 RBI and a run scored. 

Game 2 played out similarly to the first, as XULA used a four-man pitching committee with Nate Babin allowing just one hit over three innings and Colby Guillory (1-0) picking up the win after working the game's last three frames. 

Smith was again strong at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. He was also responsible for the game-deciding runs on a 2-RBI single in the 4th inning. 

The biggest moment went to catcher Lawrence Steed, who crushed a solo homerun over the walls in the third inning and got the Gold Rush on the board for the first time. 

Xavier begins its 2026 Red River Athletics Conference schedule this weekend with a visit to defending national champion LSU-Shreveport. The teams will play a single game on Friday night at 7 at Pilot Field.