Texas State splits with Arkansas State on Friday
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team made history in a Sun Belt Conference split with Arkansas State Friday night at Bobcat Ballpark.
The Red Wolves (13-13, 3-5 SBC) won the first game 13-7, but the Bobcats (17-10, 6-2 SBC) were able to even the series with a 16-7 triumph in the nightcap. The victory for TXST was the first ever at home against A-State (1-5).
The triumph also helped the maroon and gold finish March with a 14-4 record. The .778 winning percentage is the highest for any month of March in school history. The 14 victories also tied the school record for most wins in the third month of the year (1992).
Junior Derek Scheible led the Bobcats at the plate with a 5-for-11 day that included his career-high sixth home run of the season. Sophomore Ryan Newman went 4-for-9 with his first triple of the season.
The Bobcats and Red Wolves are slated to wrap up the series at 1 p.m. April 1 at Bobcat Ballpark.
ARKANSAS STATE 13, TEXAS STATE 7
Texas State plated four runs in the first inning to take an early advantage, but Arkansas State slowly crept back into the game before taking the lead for good in the sixth.
The visitors scored twice in the fourth to cut the deficit to 4-2. They then added three in the sixth, four in the seventh, three in the eighth and a final insurance marker in the ninth to pull away in the opener.
Junior Luke Sherley went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Scheible scored twice and finished 2-for-5 at the dish. Junior Jared Huber was 2-for-4 with two RBIs as the Bobcats outhit the Red Wolves 10-9.
Sophomore Connor Reich (1-2) was tagged with the loss after allowing six runs on six hits in 6.1 frames. He fanned seven and walked three. Sophomore Brayden Theriot, senior Joe Powell and true freshman Shane Daughety also saw time on the hill.
A-State starting pitcher Bryan Ayers was pulled after just 2.0 frames and was on the hook for the loss. He conceded four unearned runs on four hits, while walking two. Bo Ritter (1-1) earned the come-from-behind win by not giving up a run on just two hits in 3.1 frames. Tanner Kirby tossed the last 3.2 frames and gave up three runs on four hits to collect the save.
Joe Schrimpf, Garret Rucker and Justin Felix all belted two hits. Felix drove in four and scored three times. Schrimpf scored four times.
TEXAS STATE 16, ARKANSAS STATE 7
The Bobcats again took a big lead early, but this time the home side was able to build on that advantage and earn a split on the day.
They scored three times in the first inning and plated four runs each in the third and fifth frames. Texas State led 15-2 after seven innings, but a five-spot in the top of the eighth from the Red Wolves managed to cut the deficit to single digits.
Scheible and Newman both finished 3-for-6. Scheible tied his career high with four RBIs. The SBC's leader in runs scored added three more to his tally and has now touched home safely 33 times. Newman drove in two runs and later scored. Sophomore Jonathan Ortega went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Sophomore Jacob Almendarez also finished 2-for-4 and scored a career-high three times.
Sophomore Wes Engle fell one out shy of the minimum required to earn the victory on the mound. He lasted 4.2 frames and allowed two runs on five hits. He struck out two and walked eight. Senior Brandon Courville (1-2) recorded his first victory for TXST after allowing five runs on seven hits across 3.1 innings of relief. He struck out three and walked one. True freshman Zachary Leigh pitched a clean ninth.
Peyton Culbertson (2-3) only lasted 3.0 innings and took the loss. He exited after giving up eight runs on nine this. Zachary Patterson tossed an inning of relief and gave up four runs on two hits. Chase Nix threw the final 4.0 frames and gave up four runs of his own on four hits while, walking five.
Jake Bakamus went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and one run. Jeremy Brown and Derek Birginske also recorded two hits.
TEXAS STATE COACH TY HARRINGTON
Opening statement…
"When you win games, you have to turn the page the next day. The same goes for win you lose. In doubleheaders, you really have to turn your focus quickly. You really only get about 15 minutes to move on and put the previous game behind you. (Arkansas State) did a great job in the first game of taking advantage of their runners in scoring position. They got some balls that landed and they hit some balls hard. Before you know it, the game got away from us. So we had to talk to the team about bouncing back and winning the second game."
On the difference between the first and second games…
"Bottom line in us winning the second game is we pitched better. We needed to bounce back and find a way to win the second game, and we did. It wasn't the prettiest game you're going to watch, but the key thing this time of year is to find ways to win."
On Derek Scheible's performance…
"Derek has moments where he sees the ball well and gets himself in the right position. He's an electric player. Hopefully he will take the confidence from today with him into tomorrow and continue having success. Oklahoma State couldn't get him out. There's moments like that where we need him to be that way, particularly in front of those other guys."
Grand Slam by Davis Powers Little Rock Past App State
LITTLE ROCK – A sixth-inning pinch-hit grand slam by Jonathan Davis helped Little Rock baseball (10-16, 3-4 Sun Belt) beat Appalachian State (10-16, 1-6) by a score of 6-2 on Friday night at Gary Hogan Field.
Davis' grand slam was the first by a Little Rock player since Bryson Thionnet in 2014, and it was the first pinch-hit home run by a Trojan since Niko Navarro in 2011. Davis finished the game 1 for 2.
Nik Gifford was a perfect 3 for 3 with a run and a walk, and Zach Baker went 2 for 5 with a run. Dalton Thomas was 1 for 3 with his eighth double of the season. Hunter Owens advanced his hitting streak to eight games with a hit and a run, and Bryce Dimitroff upped his reached-base streak to nine games with one hit, an RBI and a run.
Trojan reliever Dylan Slayton (2-0) earned the win in his conference-leading 17th appearance of the season. Slayton was phenomenal out of the bullpen as he allowed just one hit in 3.2 innings of work while recording one strikeout. Starter Cory Malcom (2-1) took the no-decision after striking out nine batters and allowing two runs on five hits and three walks in 5.1 innings on the bump. App State starter Travis Holden (1-4) took the loss as he threw six innings, struck out four and allowed four runs on six hits and three walks.
"I'm just so proud of these guys because they've been battling, and we've been going through a lot of tough games that haven't gone our way," head coach Chris Curry said. "These guys haven't blinked, and they haven't panicked. I thought Holden did an outstanding job of holding us down through five, and he really made it tough on us."
The Trojans got off to a rocky start in the very first inning as the Mountaineers scored two runs on two hits. With one out and runners on first and second, a wild pitch allowed Calev Grubbs to score from second while Jason Curtis advanced to third. An RBI ground out by Tyler Stroup plated Curtis and gave App State a 2-0 lead.
After four scoreless innings, it was Little Rock's time to shine. Gifford and Dimitroff earned a pair of two-out singles before Cale Ridling walked on a full count. Davis came on to pinch hit with bases loaded and delivered with his second home run of the season over the right field wall.
With a 4-2 lead entering the bottom of the seventh, the Trojans tacked on a couple of insurance runs. Baker welcomed new App State reliever Dallas DeVrieze to the game with a leadoff single through the left side before Owens singled through the right side. Still no outs, Thomas ripped an RBI double down the left field line to score Baker. After Gifford walked to put runners on the corners with one out, the Mountaineers brought on Sean Mason from the bullpen. Dimitroff hit into a ground out at short, but it brought home the Trojans' sixth and final run of the game.
"App State has a good club over there, and they play hard," Curry said. "I expect tomorrow to be a dog fight all day, but I'm just proud of these guys and how they're continuing to stick with it even when it doesn't go their way."
Little Rock and App State will conclude the three-game series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m., at Gary Hogan Field.
Salinas, Patterson Star In Series-Clinching Win
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Trae Patterson worked his fifth quality start and Omar Salinas cranked his third home run of the year, leading UTA to a 5-2 win over Troy in the nightcap of a doubleheader, with the Mavs clinching the series, on a Friday night at Clay Gould Ballpark.
UTA (14-14, 5-3 Sun Belt Conference) swept Troy (13-12, 3-5 Sun Belt) in a doubleheader on Friday to open the series. The Mavs jumped out to an early lead for the second straight game and rode the two-run homer of Salinas in the fifth and the strong start from Patterson to the win.
ON THE MOUND
A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Patterson (2-2) made his seventh career start. Patterson tossed his fifth quality start, working seven strong innings, allowing seven hits and two runs, not issuing a walk and striking out two.
With a three-run lead to start the eighth inning, UTA turned to senior right-hander Austin Gardner in relief. Gardner worked a perfect eighth inning before handing the ball to Daniel James in the ninth for his fifth save of the year - the eighth of his career - and his second of the day.
Troy starter Andrew Crane (0-1) worked 4.2 innings, allowing five hits and five runs - two earned - walking none and striking out two. The Trojans also used Ryan Fultz and Cory Gill in relief.
AT THE DISH
Salinas led the Mavs at the plate with a two-run homer, his third of the year. Easton Johnson added two hits, with Christian Hollie, Zac Cook, RJ Williams and Aaron Funk each adding a hit.
HOW THEY SCORED
The Mavs got on the board in the second inning with an unearned run. Rohrbaugh led off the inning by getting hit by the first pitch of the frame, taking second on a swinging bunt from Brady Cox and scoring after Williams fought off a long at-bat and chopped a ball under the legs of the second baseman with two outs.
In the bottom of the third inning, UTA took a 3-0 lead with a pair of runs. Johnson led off with an infield single, taking second on a single from Hollie, with the pair moving up a bag after a throwing error on the catcher in a back-pick attempt at second. Cook forced in Johnson after hitting into a throwing error and Salinas scored Hollie with a sacrifice fly.
Troy answered in the top of the fourth inning, getting Brandon Lockridge to second on an infield single and a wild pitch. Trevor Davis scored Lockridge with a double into the right-centerfield gap. After the second out, Chase Smartt singled up the middle on a full-count to score Davis from second.
NEXT
The series will conclude on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT at Clay Gould Ballpark. UTA will turn to junior southpaw Jakob Hernandez (2-0, 2.92 ERA) to start against Troy fourth-year junior righty Andrew Crane (0-0, 2.51 ERA).
Cajuns Pound South Alabama 11-1 In Series Opener
LAFAYETTE, La. – The 21st-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team pounded out a season-high 17 hits to defeat South Alabama 11-1 in the series opener Friday night at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field.
The win improves the Cajuns to 15-11 on the season and 5-2 in league play, while the Jaguars fall to 15-11 overall and 5-2 in the Sun Belt.
Junior left-hander Gunner Leger (5-1) picked up the win after notching his fifth quality start of the season limiting the Jags to one run on six hits in six innings with four walks and three strikeouts. Leger has allowed just two runs in 27.2 innings pitched at home this season.
Junior right-hander Wyatt Marks was impressive in relief retiring nine of the 10 batters he faced in three scoreless innings to earn his third save of the year. Marks struck out a season-high seven in the outing with one walk.
South Alabama starter Randy Bell (1-3) was tagged with the loss after surrendering seven runs on 12 hits in 4.1 innings.
Offensively, the Ragin' Cajuns saw all nine hitters in the starting lineup post at least one hit with junior designated hitter Steven Sensley going 3-for-5 with an RBI and scored two runs. Senior third baseman Joe Robbins also had a good showing at the plate going 2-for-3 with two walks, a home run, two RBI, and scored three times.
Louisiana jumped out to a 2-0 advantage in the bottom of the first when Robbins hammered a 1-1 pitch from Bell deep into the pine trees in left field for a two-run homer. The home run is the third of the season for Robbins, which leads the team.
The Jags got on the board in the top of the fourth with a leadoff solo home run to right field by left fielder Brendan Donovan to cut the lead to 2-1.
The Ragin' Cajuns broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth scoring five runs on six hits to extend the lead to 7-1. The Cajuns opened the inning with five straight singles to bring home two runs. After shortstop Hunter Kasuls was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and one out, centerfielder Ishmael Edwards delivered a two-run single through the left side of the infield to give Louisiana a six-run edge.
South Alabama threatened in the top of the seventh loading the bases with two outs, but Marks came up with his third strikeout of the inning to keep the Jags from getting any closer.
The Cajuns tacked on four more runs on five hits in the bottom of the eighth to put the game out of reach.
Louisiana will look to take its sixth straight series of the year tomorrow at 6 p.m. as they face South Alabama in game two of the series at Russo Park. Sophomore right-hander Nick Lee (4-2, 4.40 ERA) will take the mound for the Ragin' Cajuns, while the Jaguars will counter with senior left-hander Thomas Huston (2-1, 2.78 ERA).
Fans can listen to the game on New Talk 96.5 KPEL-FM with Jay Walker providing play-by-play. There will also be a free live video stream on RaginCajuns.com with Dan McDonald calling all of the action.
Eagles Soar Past Warhawks, 9-3, on Friday Night
STATESBORO, GA. - Georgia Southern Baseball got an outstanding performance from graduate student Jacob Condra-Bogan, going the distance on the mound to take the 9-3 win on Friday night on Jack Stallings Field at J.I. Clements Stadium. C.J. Brazil went 3-for-4 behind the plate with an RBI, while Mason McWhorter went 3-for-4 with two runs scored. The same teams are back at it on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m.
The Eagles improve to 16-10 on the season and 4-3 in Sun Belt play. Georgia Southern closes the month of March with a 13-6 mark in the month. The Eagles sit third in the Sun Belt East Division Standings, one game back of South Alabama and Coastal Carolina for first place in the division. ULM falls to 8-19 overall and 3-4 in league play.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Rodney Hennon
"It was a great team outing. I thought we got a great outing from Jacob Condra-Bogan and we played some good defense behind him. We made some nice plays in the outfield and (Steven) Curry made a nice play laying out to get the final out on the ball up the middle. We were able to jump out and get some runs early, Jordan Wren had a great double to get us on the board. It was a solid game, it's always good to get the first one, but we've got to continue to play good baseball tomorrow and in the rest of the series."
SCORING PLAYS
Bot 1st - ULM 0 - GS 1 - Mitchell Golden reached base with one out as the third pitch got away from the ULM catcher. A double from Jordan Wren sored Golden from first to give the Eagles an early 1-0 lead.
Bot 3rd - ULM 0 - GS 3 - Ryan Cleveland put the Eagles on top 3-0 with his sixth home run of the season. The senior first baseman drove the 3-2 pitch over the wall in center for the two-run job.
Bot 4th - ULM 0 - GS 4 - Mason McWhorter scored off a sacrifice fly by Logan Baldwin to make the score 4-0. McWhorter opened the inning with a leadoff double and made it to third on an infield ground out.
Bot 5th - ULM 0 - GS 7 - One scored in the fifth after Ryan Cleveland hit into a double play with the bases loaded. A third run came home on a wild pitch to push the lead to 6-0. Another run scored later in the frame on C.J. Brazil's single to left.
Top 7th - ULM 1 - GS 7 - ULM took advantage of a double down the left field line, to score their first run of the night.
Bot 7th - ULM 1 - GS 9 - The Eagles got three hits to load the bases, scoring a run off a throwing error that allowed Tyler Martin to score from third. A sacrifice fly with one out pushed the lead to 9-1.
Top 8th - ULM 3 - GS 9 - A two-run home run off the bat of Cade Stone cut the Eagle lead to six down the stretch. Stone's home run was the first hit in a game over the new Blue Monster at J.I. Clements Stadium.
GAME NOTES
- The Eagles got a complete game pitching performance on Friday night for the second-straight week as Jacob Condra-Bogan went the distance for the Eagles. The graduate student made his second start of the season and went the distance for the first time in his career. He scattered eight hits and three runs in his fifth career quality start. Condra-Bogan struck out seven batters on the night, his highest total in a Georgia Southern uniform, and one off his career-best performance of eight in 2016.
- Ryan Cleveland ended his home run drought on Friday night, hitting a towering blast to centerfield. The senior had gone 12 games without a long ball after hitting home runs in four-straight games to open the month. Cleveland has six on the year to lead the Eagles.
- Steven Curry extended his hit streak to 13-straight games with his double in the fifth inning. He is 19-for-54 in the last 13-games, posting a .351 average.
- C.J. Brazil's three hit game was his third such game this season, matching a season high. Mason McWhorter posted his first three-hit contest, one off a career-high four hits at Memphis.
NEXT UP
The Eagles and Warhawks continue the series on Saturday evening at 6:30 p.m. Saturday's game is Education Night with all elementary and middle school students from Bulloch County receiving free admission with the purchase of an adult ticket. Fans who bring a Flight game program from Saturday's softball doubleheader can purchase a ticket for just $5. Prior to the game, Georgia Southern Baseball will honor Head Coach Rodney Hennon on picking up his 700th career win.
Cunningham Leads Coastal to 4-0 Win at Georgia State
ATLANTA - For the second straight outing, Alex Cunningham threw a complete-game shutout to lead Coastal Carolina to a 4-0 win over Georgia State in the teams' series opener Friday at the GSU Baseball Complex. The Chanticleers improve to 17-10 overall, 5-2 in the Sun Belt, while the Panthers drop to 11-15, 1-6.
Cunningham (4-0) is just the Chanticleer on record (since 1999) to throw back-to-back, complete-game shutouts, joining Austin Kerr who accomplished the feat in 2014 versus Gardner-Webb and Presbyterian. Cunningham is also just the third Chant (since 1999) to throw back-to-back complete games along with Kerr and Ricky Shefka, who threw a pair of two-run CGs in 2005.
The senior allowed a two-out double in the first inning and retied nine in a row until allowing a two-out single in the fourth. Then, after allowing a leadoff single in the fifth, Cunningham retired his next 13 batters before allowing a one-out single in the ninth. GSU added a second hit before Cunningham got a fly out and a strikeout to end the contest. He finished with 11 strikeouts, did not walk a batter and allowed five hits.
Cunningham has not allowed a run in 18.2 innings and has allowed just six hits -- throwing a one-hitter in his last start -- with 21 strikeouts and just two walks.
While Cunningham was dealing on the mound, Jordan Gore paced the offense, going 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI. Wood Myers, Dalton Ewing and Cory Wood each contributed two hits.
Gore gave Coastal Carolina an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first as the number two batter lifted a home run down the left field line for his second round-tripper of the season.
In the top of the fifth -- and for the third consecutive inning, the Chants had a leadoff hit as Seth Lancaster lined a double down the right field line. Ewing followed with a bunt single to put runners on the corners. Wood then came through with an RBI single through the right side of the infield, scoring Lancaster. Later, with two outs, Gore drilled an RBI single to right field to plate Wood.
The Chants tacked on an insurance run in the eighth. Kevin Woodall Jr., and Myers had back-to-back, one-out singles. Ewing then sent a two-strike pitch back up the middle to drive in Woodall for the 4-0 lead.
Coastal and Georgia State will play game two of the series on Saturday with first pitch set for 2 pm.
NOTE: With a sharp line-out in the ninth, Billy Cooke did not reach base safely (hit/walk/hit by pitch) for the first time this season, ending at 25 games for the year and 28 games dating back to last season.