Friday, April 11
St. John, Taylor Combine to Shut Out A-State in Series Opener
MOBILE, Ala. – Locke St. John and Ben Taylor combined for a four-hit shutout over Arkansas State to lead University of South Alabama baseball to a 5-0 win in Friday's series opener.
St. John (4-1) allowed just three hits and struck out a pair of batters in seven innings to earn his fourth win of the season. Taylor allowed one hit with four strikeouts and one walk in two innings to combine with St. John for just the second Jaguar shutout this season.
St. John allowed a leadoff single to ASU's Matt Burgess in the top of the second inning, but then settled in and didn't allow a hit until surrendering a one-out single to right-center field to Zach Maggio in the top of the sixth inning. The left-hander allowed a single to Zach Maggio on the final batter he faced in the game.
South Alabama (16-17, 6-6 SBC) gave St. John a 3-0 lead after the first inning. Consecutive singles from Cole Gleason and Cameron Cummings gave the Jaguars runners at the corners with two outs in the bottom of the first. Justin Cullifer followed with an RBI single to left field to score Gleason for a 1-0 USA lead. Matt Wojciechowski followed with a two-run single to center field to plate Cummings and Cullifer and push the Jag lead to 3-0.
USA extended its lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the second when Hayden Jones reached on a two-base throwing error by ASU third baseman Lucas Feddersen. Cummings followed with an RBI single back up the middle to score Jones from second.
Wojciechowski led off the bottom of the third with a double to the right-center gap, and moved to third on a groundout to shortstop by Davis Knapp before scoring on an RBI single down the right field line by Drew LaBounty in what resulted in the final run of the game.
ASU right-hander David Owen (4-2) took the loss in 2 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits with five strikeouts.
Four Jaguars recorded multiple hits in the game, led by Wojciechowski who went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. Cummings and Cullifer finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and one run apiece, and Gleason added two hits and one run. LaBounty finished with one hit and one RBI.
South Alabama will look to clinch the series in game two, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Stanky Field.
Bobcat Bats Pop in 12-6 Win over UL Monroe
MONROE, La. – Texas State used three home runs and 16 hits to fly past the UL Monroe Warhawks, 12-5, to improve to 19-14 on the season and 8-5 in Sun Belt Conference action. Granger Studdard knocked the team's second grand slam of the season while Ben McElroy and Colby Targun each sent homers out in the victory.
Texas State's 16 hits were the most this season, topping the 14 hits the Bobcats notched vs. Michigan on opening weekend. They came up just short of the most runs of the season, scoring one less than the 13 runs that crossed the plate at Western Kentucky on March 22. The Hilltoppers were also the last team the Bobcats hit multiple home runs against when Tanner Hill joined Studdard and McElroy for three homers in the Sunday game on March 23.
The Bobcats hit for average and power Friday night. In addition to the home runs from Studdard, McElroy and Targun, Cory Geisler led the squad with a career-high four hits in five at bats, scoring twice and knocking two RBI. Studdard knocked three hits for the second time in his young career while McElroy, Targun, Austin O'Neal and Trey Hicks each knocked two apiece with Hicks tallying three RBI. Matt Smith added one more hit for the Bobcats.
Texas State knocked eight hits with seven runs, six earned, and only three strikeouts in 5.1 innings against what might be ULM's best pitcher in Alex Hermeling. The Bobcats added five more runs, three of which were earned, and eight hits with just one strikeout on the Warhawk relief pitchers.
Austen Williams received the start coming off short rest after his Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week performance last weekend against South Alabama. He struck out five, walked two and gave up seven hits and two run in six innings for a solid night. He picked up the victory to improve to 5-1 on the season.
In the third inning, Smith knocked a single and went to third on a Targun single. With runners at the corners, Garrett Mattlage earned a walk to load the bases for Studdard. He knocked his team-leading fourth home run of the season to put the Bobcats up 4-0.
The Warhawks answered with two runs in the fourth. Jacob Stockton hit a two-RBI single on one of his three hits. He lead UL Monroe, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, a walk and a run. Keelin Rasch was the only other Warhawk with multiple hits, going 2-for-4.
After an O'Neal hit in McElroy reached on a fielder's choice followed by one of four Geisler singles. After that, Hill hit a ball to second baseman ULM Josh Faciane that he couldn't handle. After dropping it, Faciane rushed a throw to first and threw the ball into the home dugout. McElroy scored on the play.
Hicks, a freshman third baseman, followed with a hit to right center to plate Geisler and Hill and put the Bobcats up 7-2.
McElroy led off the eighth inning with a solo home run, his second of the season, and Geisler singled after that. After going to second on a sacrifice bunt from Hill, Geisler scored on another hit from Hicks to push the lead all the way to 9-2.
The Warhawks were able to answer with two runs in the eighth, but the Bobcats got them back with a three-spot on ULM in the top of the ninth. Targun started the Bobcats off with another leadoff home run. There was no doubting Targun's first homer of the season. It popped off the bat to go far over the right field fence.
After Targun's roundtrippper, Studdard and O'Neal both singled and McElroy walked. Studdard and O'Neal scored on Geisler's fourth hit of the night. He knocked his hit after ULM catcher Chet Simoneaux dropped a foul bacll for ULM's second error of the night.
The Warhawks scored one run in the ninth, but it wasn't nearly enough to overcome the 12-4 deficit ULM began the at facing.
Diedrick Homers Twice in 5-4 Win over Troy
TROY, Ala. – WKU junior designated hitter Philip Diedrick smacked two solo home runs and closer Ian Tompkins shut the door on Troy’s late comeback Friday night at Riddle-Pace Field as the Hilltoppers held on for a 5-4 league win.
Diedrick cranked leadoff bombs in the fourth and sixth innings to spark WKU’s 5-0 start and Tompkins picked up his ninth save of the year with a game-ending strikeout. The Sun Belt Conference road victory moves WKU to 7-6 in league play and 19-15 overall while the Trojans fell to 4-8 in conference play and 17-18 on the season.
The Hilltopper bats were rolling early, pounding out seven hits and four runs off of Trojan starter Tanner Hicks (2-6) in 3.2 innings. Sophomore outfielder Anderson Miller, this week’s Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week, put WKU on the board in the first inning with an RBI single to score senior second baseman Scott Wilcox.
Junior first baseman Ryan Church moved the Hilltoppers’ advantage to 2-0 in the third with a fielders’ choice RBI, plating senior outfielder Regan Flaherty, who doubled earlier in the inning. Flaherty drove in a run of his own in the fourth, plating shortstop Leiff Clarkson with a hot-shot up the middle following Diedrick’s leadoff home run. Diedrick made it 5-0 in the sixth inning with a towering shot to right field.
Diedrick finished the game 3-of-4 with two homers and two RBI. Wilcox also tallied three hits for the Hilltoppers, marking his 11th career three-hit game.
Senior right-hander Justin Hageman (4-1) won his fourth-straight game after working six innings and striking out six. WKU’s ace scattered nine hits and gave up three runs in the seventh after tossing six scoreless innings to start the game. He was solid in tight situations all night long, stranding nine Trojans on base and ending three innings with strikeouts.
The Trojan offense finally found life in the seventh as it plated three runs to trim WKU’s lead to 5-3. Second baseman Garrett Pitts brought home Troy’s first two runs with a two-run single and Matt Howard returned the favor to Pitts later in the inning with an RBI groundout.
Facing a jam with two runners aboard and no outs, WKU reliever Brennan Pearson came in during the seventh and got the Hilltoppers out of the hole with two groundouts and a strikeout. Pearson worked a perfect eighth before putting two Trojans on base during the ninth. He finished his night with two strikeouts, one hit and one run allowed.
Tompkins, a NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List member, came on for the save during the ninth and struck out two of the three batters he faced. He fanned David Hall before giving up a sac fly to Jo-El Bennett, which brought the Trojans within 5-4. With the tying run at second and the winning run at the plate, Tompkins struck out Howard swinging for his ninth save of the year. Tompkins’ nine saves this season are tied for the second most in a single season in WKU history.
Cajuns Shut Out UALR in Series Opener
LAFAYETTE, La. – The top-ranked UL Lafayette baseball team got a strong outing from its pitching staff on Friday night as the Cajuns posted their eighth shutout of the season defeating UALR 7-0 in the series opener at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field.
The win moves the Ragin' Cajuns to 32-4 overall and 12-1 in conference play, while the Trojans fall to 13-18 on the year and 3-10 in the Sun Belt.
"Carson (Baranik) did a great job of coming in and doing what he normally does," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "He never let the game get away from him. I thought we did a good job of playing a solid baseball game, and just learning how to win in different ways."
Baranik picked up his eighth win of the year scattering five hits in six innings with six strikeouts and two walks. The junior combined with Chris Griffitt and Matt Plitt to complete the shutout, and did not allow a Trojans runner to reach third base until the ninth inning.
Plitt was strong in relief limiting the Trojans to two hits in 2.1 innings while striking out four.
Travis McDonald was handed the loss for UALR to drop to 2-4 after giving up five runs on eight hits with four walks and three strikeouts.
The Cajuns outhit the Trojans 9-8 on the night as Dylan Butler, Ryan Leonards, Evan Powell and Seth Harrison each had two hits. Harrison's double in the third increased his hit streak to 11 games as he has reached base in 22 straight.
Both Caleb Adams and Jace Conrad saw their hit streaks come to an end in the game, though the pair did increase their streaks of reaching base safely to 30 games and 26 games respectively.
First baseman Chase Compton come off of the bench in the fifth inning to record a game-high three RBI for the Ragin' Cajuns.
Butler got the Cajuns on the board in the bottom of the first on a single up the middle that scored Leonards from second with two outs. Leonards reached on a bunt single and then moved to second on a walk by Harrison.
Evan Powell increased the advantage to 2-0 in the bottom of the second as he crushed a solo home run deep into the pine trees in left. The home run was fourth of the year for Powell.
In the bottom of the third, Butler came through with another two-out RBI as he brought home Harrison to make the score 3-0.
UL Lafayette added a run in the bottom of the fourth on a Blake Trahan RBI single to right center.
Compton picked up his first RBI of the game in the fifth as he brought in Adams on a bases-loaded groundout to third extend the Ragin; Cajuns lead to 5-0. The senior brought home two more runs on a perfectly executed suicide squeeze with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh.
"That's something that we practice," Robichaux added. "When it works to perfection, it's a beautiful thing."
The Cajuns and Trojans return to action tomorrow at 6 p.m. at the Tigue. UL Lafayette will look to win its 10th straight series as left-hander Ryan Wilson will take the mound.
Clements, Raffield Lead Panthers to Win over UTA, 11-10
ATLANTA -- Chase Raffield homered and drove in three runs and James Clements knocked in four, including the go-ahead, two-run double in the eighth inning as Georgia State defeated UT Arlington 11-10 Friday at the GSU Baseball Complex in the opening game of their Sun Belt Conference series.
Georgia State (17-18, 5-8 Sun Belt) trailed 9-7 in the seventh when Matt Rose's solo homer, his eighth of the season, cut the Panthers' deficit to one.
In the eighth, pinch hitter Ryan Blanton delivered a one-out single up the middle, the second consecutive game in which the freshman from Parkview High School has started a late rally with a pinch hit. Another pinch hitter, Chad Prain, was hit by a 2-2 pitch to put runners at first and second with two outs for Clements. The sophomore third baseman smashed a double to the wall in the left field corner, scoring both runners and putting the Panthers ahead 10-9.
"James' two-out RBIs were exactly what our team needed," GSU head coach Greg Frady said. "We fought hard the whole way, and earning the win here on Friday night does wonders for our team.
Raffield followed with a single to left center to score Clements with a key insurance run.
"Chase is very hot right now, and he had clutch RBIs tonight," Frady said. "The two-run home run he had was so huge, and the two-out RBI he had in the eighth that gave us a two-run lead turned out to be so important."
Senior left-hander Ben Burns (4-1) came on in the seventh and pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless relief to earn his team-leading fourth victory. Kevin Burgee allowed a solo homer by Ryan Bottger in the ninth but struck out Greg McCall for the final out to earn his sixth save.
"Ben came in and stabilized the game when we really needed it," Frady said. "He came in and did a heckuva job."
Nic Wilson gave the Panthers an early lead with a two-run double in the third inning. He moved to third on an error and then scored when Rose's ground ball to third base was misplayed, giving GSU a 3-1 lead.
After McCall led off the fourth for UTA (14-20, 6-7) with a homer off the foul pole in right field, the Panthers added four runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 7-2 lead.
With runners at first and second and two outs, Clements placed a single through the left side to score both runners. Raffield followed with a two-run homer to right center, his eighth of the season for the five-run lead.
UT Arlington moved ahead with a six-run sixth and then added another run in the seventh for 9-7 advantage.
The series continues with a 2 p.m. game Saturday, which is part of the All Blue All In Day at Panthersville, which begins with a football scrimmage at 11 a.m. at the GSU Soccer Complex and also includes a softball doubleheader (1 p.m.) and men's soccer exhibition games (1 and 4 p.m.).
Georgia State's 2009 championship team will honored before Saturday's baseball game.