Tuesday, April 12
Robbins and Mills Power Cajuns Baseball Past Tulane, 9-2
LAFAYETTE, La. – Junior Joe Robbins and senior Brian Mills combined for seven RBI as the 22nd-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team defeated No.22/24 Tulane Tuesday night at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field.
Robbins went 3-for-4 in the game with a home run, four RBI and scored twice, while Mills was 2-for-3 with two doubles, three RBI, a walk and scored a run.
The win evens the season series for the Cajuns (22-11, 10-5 Sun Belt) against the Green Wave (21-11, 3-2 American). Louisiana has now won 10 of its last 12 contests including the last five games at The Tigue.
"Our hitters did an exceptional job tonight," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "Evan (Guillory) did a good job of keeping the ball down with a strong wind blowing out and pitched well. Hopefully we can ride this momentum when we get back out on the road tomorrow.
"We dropped Joe a little bit to maybe get him going, and he got on one early in the game and was swinging hard. We won one going away this past weekend, and then we were able to do that again today. Hopefully we can do that again tomorrow."
Guillory had another strong outing on the mound limiting Tulane to two runs on six hits in seven innings to improve to 3-3 on the year. Guillory struck out six in his fourth quality start of the year and did not allow a free pass.
Senior Eric Carter threw two scoreless innings to close out the contest in relief. Carter posted five strikeouts in the contest and has 10 in his last two outings.
Green Wave starter J.P. France (2-1) suffered his first loss of the season giving up seven runs (six earned) on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 3.1 innings.
Robbins gave the Cajuns a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first as he crushed a 0-2 pitch from France off of the scoreboard in left field for a two-run homer. The home run is the eighth of the season for Robbins.
Louisiana extended its advantage to 5-0 in the bottom of the third. Mills doubled home the first run of the inning driving a ball down the left field line off of France. After the Cajuns loaded the bases with one out, Robbins roped a two-run single into left field to give the Ragin' Cajuns a five-run edge.
Mills tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth with another double down the left field line to make the score 7-0.
Tulane got on the board in the top of the fifth on a two-out RBI double by Jake Willsey to cut the Louisiana lead to 7-1.
The Ragin' Cajuns put the game out of reach in the bottom half of the fifth adding two runs on a sacrifice fly to left by Nick Thurman and a wild pitch by Green Wave reliever Patrick Duester to go ahead 9-1.
Hunter Hope capped the scoring in the contest with a solo home run to right center in the top of the seventh to make the final 9-2.
Louisiana returns to action tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. as the Cajuns head to New Orleans, La. to face the Privateers at Maestri Field. Fans can listen to the game live on ESPN 1420-AM with Jay Walker and Jeff Schneider making the call.
Following the matchup with New Orleans, the Ragin' Cajuns will face Southeastern Louisiana in a three-game series starting Friday at 6 p.m. at The Tigue. The two teams will play Saturday and Sunday at Pat Kennedy Diamond at Alumni Field.
BELL PITCHES COMPLETE GAME, LEADS NO. 21 JAGS PAST SLU
MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama right-hander Randy Bell tossed a complete game to lead the No. 21 University of South Alabama baseball team to a 2-1 win over Southeastern Louisiana Tuesday at Stanky Field.
Bell (2-1) allowed one run on four hits, and tied a career-high with seven strikeouts against three walks in a career-high nine innings pitched.
"The defense really stepped up tonight," Bell said. "They (Southeastern Louisiana) hit some balls hard, and the defense really shined and made some plays for me. I had command of the fastball. The breaking ball wasn't there early, but it settled in a little bit and started getting there toward the end."
SLU right-hander Pat Cashman (3-1) allowed two runs on four hits with five strikeouts and a pair of walks in 5 2/3 innings in the loss.
"Randy Bell did a great job tonight," USA head coach Mark Calvi said. "Southeastern Louisiana is one of the better teams in the southeast; they are well-coached and have good players. We needed Randy Bell's best effort, and he gave us a great effort. I am super proud of him. He has been outstanding all year, and he was super tonight."
SLU (25-9) jumped out to a one-run lead in the top of the first on a two-out RBI double to left field by Carson Crites.
South Alabama (26-8) answered with the game's decisive runs in the bottom of the third to take a one-run lead. Adam Wolfe doubled down the left field line with one out in the inning, and Travis Swaggerty followed with a walk. Cole Billingsley then delivered a one-out, two-run double down the left line to score Wolfe and Swaggerty for a 2-1 lead.
Billingsley went 1-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a stolen base to lead the Jaguars at the plate. Swaggerty added a hit and a run scored, and Jared Barnes added a double. Crites finished 1-for-3 with a double and one RBI to lead the Lions offensively.
South Alabama extended its home winning streak to 14 games with the win. USA will return to action this weekend when it travels to Boone, N.C., for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series with Appalachian State.
Mavs pitch midweek shutout over Houston Baptist
ARLINGTON, Texas - Matt Michalski only allowed two hits in five shutout innings to silence Houston Baptist, 10-0, in a midweek run-rule win for UT Arlington on Tuesday night at Clay Gould Ballpark.
UTA (19-15) evened the all-time series with Houston Baptist (16-16) at seven games each. The Mavericks now control meetings in Arlington with a 6-5 record.
"That's two straight Tuesdays we've pitched it well and any time you can get a shutout on a Tuesday, it's a big deal," UT Arlington coach Darin Thomas said. "Jacob [Moreland] has done it all year and we need Matt [Michalski] to be good for us and he was tonight."
Michalski earned his first win as a Maverick, retiring 11 in a row at one point with one punch out for the game, evening his record at 1-1. Jacob Moreland earned his second save of the season in three innings, allowing four hits with a walk and two strikeouts. He lowered his league-leading ERA to 1.64 with his outing.
Matt McLean stayed hot at the plate with two leadoff knocks, two walks, three runs and an RBI to push his hit streak to a career-high 16 games. The Mavericks capitalized on seven hits and two Husky errors, including a six-run eighth inning on one hit to force an early ending.
"They've been pitching it well against me with a lot of changeups, hard sliders, but I'm just making adjustments," McLean said. "I'm not the flashiest player in the world, but I just try to do my job and get on base."
The Mavericks scratched the scoreboard in the first inning and sent two across on a pair of singles and a stand-up triple by Quintin Rohrbaugh. McLean led the action off with a single pounded up the middle. McLemore then singled through to the right side before McLean scored UTA's first run on a throwing error. McLemore scored two batters later on Colton Turner's groundout.
McLean's second leadoff hit of the night came in the third inning and paved the way for another pair of UTA runs to double its lead 4-0. McLean and McLemore were both plated quickly by Turner's single to center field with no outs.
Houston Baptist threatened in the top of the sixth with its first base runners since the second inning. With Moreland taking over on the mound, HBU pinch hitters Brandon Morones and Zane Otten singled and Austin Zillweger walked to load up the bases; however, Moreland coaxed a fielder's choice to silence Houston Baptist once more.
UTA then erupted for six runs in the eighth inning with minimal effort, running through three HBU arms with one hit, a hit-by-pitch and five walks.
Jerame Littell laced a single to right with bases loaded to score two runs before McLean and McLemore walked in another pair of runs. Pinch hitter Aaron Funk reached on a fielder's choice and a throwing error sent two more runs across to put the run-rule into effect.
The Mavericks return to Sun Belt Conference play against Georgia Southern this weekend at Clay Gould Ballpark. The first pitch for the series opener is set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
Mountaineers Ninth-Inning Rally Falls Short in 7-5 Loss at UT
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — After facing a five-run deficit going into the final inning, Appalachian State University baseball brought the tying run to the plate in the top of the ninth but the Mountaineers’ rally fell short in a 7-5 loss to Tennessee on Tuesday evening at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The loss was Appalachian State’s fourth-straight by two runs or less. The Mountaineers’ last four defeats have come by a total of just six runs.
App State outhit Tennessee, 11-7, on Tuesday night but was doomed by its pitchers issuing nine walks. Four of the seven UT runners that scored reached base on free passes.
The walks proved to be especially costly in the bottom of the seventh inning. With the Mountaineers trailing just 4-2, relief pitcher Dallas DeVrieze retired Tennessee’s first two batters of the stanza but walked Nick Senzel and surrendered an infield single to cleanup hitter Vincent Jackson. DeVrieze was lifted in favor of Travis Holden, who walked the first batter he faced to load the bases. Two pitches later, UT’s second designated hitter of the evening, Matt Waldren, slapped a hit just inside the first base bag, down the right field line and into the corner. The two-out, bases-clearing triple gave the Vols a commanding 7-2 lead.
The score remained 7-2 until the top of the ninth when Appalachian State (8-25) loaded the bases on singles by Tyler Stroup, Colin Schmid and pinch-hitter Grayson Atwood. Freshman Tanner Mann-Fix came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs and lined a double into the left-center field gap, bringing home all three baserunners and cutting the deficit to 7-5.
However, representing the tying run at the plate, Matt Vernon popped up to second base to end the ballgame.
Schmid went 3-for-4 and Mann-Fix and Stroup both finished 2-for-4 to pace Appalachian State’s 11-hit attack. Mann-Fix’s three RBI matched a career high while Stroup’s sixth-inning run-scoring single gave him 12 RBI in the last eight games.
Starting pitcher Seth Hardin surrendered only four hits in five innings of work but walked five and allowed four runs to suffer the loss and fall to 1-5.
Jackson, Waldren and Benito Santiago had two hits apiece for Tennessee (19-14).
Appalachian State returns to Sun Belt Conference action and begins a four-game homestand this weekend with a three-game series versus nationally ranked South Alabama (26-8, 15-0 Sun Belt). Game times are set for 6 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at App State’s Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
Razorbacks Make Late Push to Edge Warhawks
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas pushed two late runs across to edge ULM, 3-1, in a Tuesday night neutral-site contest at Dickey-Stephens Park.
Arkansas (21-12) stranded seven runners in the first four innings before taking a 1-0 lead in the fifth. Carson Shaddy reached on a hit-by-pitch and then scored on Luke Bonfield’s double to the left-center wall.
ULM (13-20) tied it right back in the ensuing frame. Brian Barefoot led things off with a single to center before moving to second on a passed ball. Cody Stone’s perfectly-placed sacrifice bunt down the third-base line ended up a single. His brother, Cade, then lifted a fly ball to center field that was deep enough to plate Barefoot.
Shaddy also scored the go-ahead run in the seventh, leading off with a double just inside the third-base line and scoring on Cullen Gassaway’s sacrifice fly to right field.
A one-out single in the eighth made it a 3-1 game and brought in Keegan Curtis, who eventually got out of a bases-loaded jam with a 1-2-3 double play.
Anthony Herrera was charged with the loss, allowing two hits and one earned run in 3 1/3 innings. Chris Hunt went the first four and struck out five.
The Razorbacks stranded seven runners in the first four innings and 11 for the game.
Troy Homestand Ends With Tough Loss in 16 Innings Against Jacksonville State
TROY, Alabama – The Troy baseball team concluded its homestand with a tough 8-7 loss to Jacksonville State in 16 innings on Tuesday night at Riddle-Pace Field.
"I'm really proud of our team," head coach Mark Smartt said. "I thought they fought to the last pitch, and there's a lot of great things we can build on. I hate that our team came up a run short, but give Jacksonville State credit. That was a great college baseball game, a lot of things going on and I'm really proud of our effort all the way around."
Troy (20-14) fell victim to a solo home run hit to right field in the top of the 16th inning that gave Jacksonville State (22-10) the game-winning run.
The Trojans fell behind 4-0 until Joey Denison scored the first run on a solo home run down the left field line in the fourth inning.
After Jacksonville State tacked on another two more runs and took a 6-1 lead, Troy answered with four in the bottom of the seventh as Denison plated two more with a single up the middle with the bases loaded for his third RBI of the game. Back-to-back RBI singles from TJ Binder and Brody Binder cut the Gamecock lead to 6-5.
Brandon Lockridge singled home pinch runner Windham Jackson, the game-tying run with a single up the middle in the eighth.
Jacksonville State took the lead in the 11th inning on a sacrifice fly to center field. Troy answered in the bottom half and extended the game also with a sacrifice fly to center field.
Six different Trojans made an appearance on the mound and had a combined 15 strikeouts. Corey Childress lead the way with five, followed by Robert Harris with four.
Brody Binder led the way offensively with a 4-for-7 night and one RBI, while Denison had three RBIs, three hits and scored two runs. Lockridge had three hits, scored two runs and drove in one. He was the only Trojan that had an extra-base hit with a double in the 15th inning.
The Trojans will head to Jonesboro, Ark., for a three-game series with Arkansas State, beginning Friday at 6 p.m.
No. 19 Rice Outlasts Bobcats, 3-1
SAN MARCOS – Texas State received a solo home run from Tanner Hill on his birthday Tuesday night, but it wasn't enough to take down No. 19 Rice. The Owls prevailed in a defensive battle, 3-1, behind impressive pitching.
Rice took the lead with a run in the third inning, but Hill knocked his 12th home run of the season in the bottom of the fourth to tie it up. The Owls answered back in the seventh with two unearned runs coming with two outs in the inning.
Both teams combined for six hits with Texas State leaving six runners stranded. The Bobcats will look to bounce back this weekend against Sun Belt Conference opponent Little Rock.
WHO STOOD OUT
Tanner Hill / C/1B / Senior / San Marcos, Texas
With a home run in the fourth inning, Hill tied the game, 1-1. It was his Sun Belt Conference-leading 12th home run of the season, tying him for seventh in the nation in home runs.
Jonathan Hennigan / LHP / Junior / Center, Texas
Hennigan made an impressive outing, only giving up one earned run in 6.2 innings. He tallied five strikeouts while keeping Rice to just three hits into the seventh inning, throwing 94 pitches.
Quinn Atwood / RHP / Junior / Katy, Texas
Atwood came on in relief in the seventh inning and retired seven consecutive batters with the help of the Bobcat defense. In six consecutive outings for Atwood, he has lowered his ERA in every one.
SCORING RECAP
Top 3rd – A leadoff walk and sacrifice bunt put a Rice runner at second base. A base hit to left field plated him for a 1-0 Rice lead. (1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on base)
Bottom 4th – Tanner Hill hit a solo home run to tie the game, 1-1. (1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on base)
Top 7th – Second Rice batter of the inning drew a one-out walk and stole second. With two outs, a throwing error by Texas State kept the inning alive and allowed the runner to score to put the Owls up 2-1. A double after that plated the man who reached on the error, pushing the lead to 3-1. (2 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 left on base).
SEMO Outscores A-State Baseball in Midweek Tilt
JONESBORO, Ark. (4/12/16) — Joe Schrimpf drove in a game-high four runs, Southeast Missouri State plated 13 runs and scattered 16 hits in a 13-8 win over Arkansas State Tuesday night at Tomlinson Stadium.
A-State (13-19) fell behind early but pulled within in the fifth and again in the seventh inning, but could not find a way to push across the tying run.
The Red Wolves pulled within 5-4 in the fifth inning when Schrimpf drove in the second of his three runs on the night. Matt Burgess followed with a 2-run home run to get within in a run, but A-State failed to continue the inning.
Burgess went 3-for-4 on the night with two RBIs.
The Redhawks (23-10) added a run in the sixth inning and then added two more runs in the seventh to push the lead to 8-4, but A-State rallied again when Schrimpf drove in a pair of runs on a single to left. Jake Bakamus followed with a single to right that plated Schrimpf to get within 8-7.
SEMO’s Garrett Gandolfo added a solo home run in the eighth inning to push the lead to two runs and then pushed across four runs in the ninth inning to put the game out of reach.
Tanner Ring blasted his fifth home run of the season in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Red Wolves had runners on first and second when the Neil Lambert struck out to end the game.
Ring went 2-for-5 with a home run and two runs scored.
Bo Ritter struggled in his start, giving up four runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings of work. He gave way to Zack Haake in the fourth inning and had the most effective outing of any A-State reliever. Haake tossed an 1 1/3 innings and gave up just one run on hit. Collin Nord entered in the sixth inning and gave up two runs on two hits, while Tanner Kirby issued a run on two hits in the seventh.
A-State returns to action for a Sun Belt Conference series with Troy starting Friday night at 6 p.m. All three games of the series can be seen on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.