Friday, February 13
Freshmen Shine as Troy Blanks Northwestern State
TROY, Alabama – Freshmen Corey Childress and Matt Sanders stole the show in Troy's 6-0 season opening victory over Northwestern State on Friday at Riddle-Pace Field.
Childress (1-0) became the first freshman in recorded history to start a season opener for the Trojans and made the most of his debut tossing seven innings of two-hit baseball. The Fairhope, Ala., native walked just one batter while striking out five en route to his first career victory. Prior to surrendering consecutive hits in with one out in the fifth, Childress had retired 12 consecutive batters.
Sanders kicked off his Troy career in style as well collecting three hits including an RBI single in the fifth to opening the scoring.
Tripp Calhoun singled to left with one out and Clay Holcomb followed with a double, the first of two to extend his reached base streak to 17 games. Sanders would line a 2-1 pitch to center to plate the first run of the contest.
Following a Nick Masonia walk, David Hall singled home a pair of runs before Jo-El Bennett drove home another on an infield single to give the Trojans a 4-0 lead.
Troy (1-0) tacked on runs in the sixth and seventh, first on a fielder's choice from Masonia then on a two-out double from Trevin Hall.
Northwestern State (0-1) starter and 2014 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year Adam Oller was solid through four innings striking out six before Troy's bats heated up in the fifth.
The Demons biggest threat came in the top of the fifth. After the back-to-back base hits off Childress put runners on second and third, catcher Garrett Logan bunted a ball down the third base line. Childress gloved the ball and flipped it home where Tripp Calhoun applied the tag for the out. Three pitches later, a groundout ended the inning.
Jeremy McGowan and Robert Harris each pitched an inning in relief to shut the door on Northwestern State.
The Trojans have now won 11 of their last 13 season openers, including seven straight, and are now 24-3 on opening weekend since 2008.
Troy and Northwestern State will kick off a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. The series finale is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Eagles Shut Out Wildcats on Friday Night
STATESBORO, Ga. – Evan Challenger combined with three Georgia Southern pitchers to shut out the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats on opening day at J.I. Clements Stadium.
Challenger struck out six batters, allowed no walks and two hits in his first appearance since May 25, 2013. Making his sixth career start for Georgia Southern (1-0), he earned his second career win and first of the season after tossing 5.1 innings.
The Eagles bullpen followed with 2.2 scoreless innings to preserve the seventh season opening victory in the Hennon era. Jason Richman was the first out of the pen and struck out four batters over 1.2 innings. Chris Brown pitched the ninth and struck out Austin Garcia for his first save of the season.
Preseason MEAC Pitcher of the Year, Keith Zuniga kept the game close for Bethune-Cookman (0-1) and delivered a quality start in his first outing of the season. Zuniga (0-1) allowed three runs on six hits and struck out six batters over seven innings.
The Eagles got out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning after freshman Will Hudgins plated a lead off walk in Ryan Cleveland with a double down the right field line. Dalton Busby drove in Hudgins with a two-out single to left field.
Hunter Thomas added his second career home run to lead off the fifth inning and put GS up 3-0.
Challenger tossed 4.1 perfect frames before an error by third baseman Hudgins allowed the Wildcats their first base runner. Brandon Wilkes recorded the first hit of the game for BCU with a two-out single in the fifth inning.
The Eagles continue the three-game series tomorrow. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. Sophomore Adam Kelly will take the mound for GS, and BCU will counter with Alex Seibold.
Curry Earns First Division I Victory in UALR's Season Debut
LITTLE ROCK – UALR baseball earned its first win under the helm of new coach Chris Curry, beating Evansville by a score of 6-3 in Friday's season opener.
Coach Curry earned his first victory as a Division I coach with Friday afternoon’s win.
Senior Cameron Allen picked up his first win of the season and ninth of his career after pitching five innings and giving up three runs with two being earned. Allen struck out three on 82 pitches.
Designated hitter Ryan Scott was a perfect 3 for 3, with two runs, one RBI, and one stolen base while walking twice.
Sophomore Cory Malcom picked up his second career save in four scoreless innings of relief. Malcom struck out three and only gave up three hits.
In the first inning, Evansville got off to a fast start by singling in the first at-bat of the season. After a fly out, the Purple Aces got another single to put runners on the corners. A ground out to first scored the first run of the game, putting Evansville up 1-0.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Trojans showed what they could do. Senior Petr Sila singled in the Trojans’ first at-bat of the season and was followed up with an RBI double by Scott down the right field line. Senior Justin Steelmon grounded out to second, allowing Scott to move within 90 feet of home. With Scott on third, senior Tanner Rockwell was put on first after being hit by a pitch. Junior Kyle Kirk hit a sacrifice fly to center in first at-bat as a Trojan, gaining an RBI as Scott scored.
Down 2-1, Evansville would come back to life in the top of the third as a Trojan error put on a runner to start the inning. The Purple Aces then got another hit, putting runners on the corners. Evansville’s Synek then hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring the runner from third. An Evansville double down the left field line scored another run, putting the Aces up 3-2.
UALR’s bats exploded in the bottom half of the inning as Sila, Scott and Steelmon each singled to begin the frame. Steelmon’s single scored Sila from second to tie the game at 3. After a pop fly by Rockwell, Kirk singled up the middle and scored Scott as Steelmon advanced to second. Kirk was thrown out at second after senior Sam Vogel reached on a fielder’s choice. With runners on the corners and two outs, junior James Gillean hit an RBI single to left to give UALR a 5-3 lead. Senior Drew Merten was hit by a pitch and loaded the bases for the Trojans. Senior Mitchell Scheuler then drew a walk to score Vogel, giving UALR a 6-3 lead.
Both squads kept additional runs off the board for the rest of the contest, lining the Trojans up for a 6-3 win.
Kirk went 2 for 4 and led the team with two RBIs in his debut as a Trojan.
Steelmon also went 2 for 4 and ended the game with one run, one RBI and a walk.
Sila ended the game with a 2-for-5 performance, scoring twice.
Rockwell went 1 for 3 with one walk and one hit by pitch.
Gillean ended up 1 for 4 and earned one RBI in his UALR debut.
The Trojans as a whole hit .333 for the game, drawing 11 hits and seven total walks.
UALR will return to Gary Hogan Field for a doubleheader against Evansville on Saturday beginning at 12 p.m. with the second game occurring immediately after.
Bates, Rose Lead Panthers to 11-3 Win over Fordham on Opening Day
ATLANTA -- Nathan Bates carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and allowed just one hit in seven scoreless frames, and Matt Rose smacked two home runs to lead Georgia State to an 11-3 Opening Day victory over Fordham at the GSU Baseball Complex.
Bates (1-0), the junior right-hander, was in complete control, striking out eight and walking just one. He faced the minimum through 6-2/3 innings before allowing a solid single to center field by Charles Galliano. Then he struck out Luke Stamfl to end the inning before giving way to the bullpen.
"I couldn't have asked for a better way to start the season," GSU head coach Greg Frady said. "Nathan Bates gave us exactly what we needed, and I'm very proud of Nate. He pitched with great command. I want to also credit Joey Roach for catching a great game, and pitching coach Adam Scott for calling a great game."
Bates added, "I was able to throw more than one pitch for strikes, my defense played great behind me, and the offense gave me some runs, so my job was easy."
Rose, the Panthers' Preseason All-America third baseman, hit a solo home run in the third inning and then added a three-run blast in the eighth.
"If we're going to be the team we want to be, Nathan Bates and Matt Rose need to do what they did today, and they certainly delivered," Frady said.
Georgia State (1-0) got on the scoreboard with three runs in the third inning as Joey Roach led off with a double, and then Sam Few, Trae Sweeting and Ryan Blanton delivered run-scoring singles.
Leading 4-0, the Panthers added three in the sixth, two of them on James Clements' pinch-hit, two-run triple over the center fielder's head.
Fordham (0-1) got on the board with an unearned run in the eighth. After Georgia State extended its lead to 11-1 on Rose's second homer, Luke Stampfl hit a two-run homer in the ninth.
Rams' starter Brett Kennedy (0-1) allowed four runs on six hits and struck out six over five innings.
The Atlanta Challenge continues Saturday as the Panthers host Liberty in a doubleheader beginning at 12 noon. Left-hander Kenny Anderson and righty Cole Uvila will take the mound for Georgia State.
App State Squanders Lead Late
RALEIGH, N.C. — Appalachian State University baseball took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning, but squandered the advantage and allowed Davidson to escape with a 5-3 victory in the season opener for both teams at NC State’s Doak Field.
Four Appalachian State pitchers combined to issue five walks, hit a batter and throw a wild pitch in the fateful eighth inning, allowing Davidson to plate five runs despite recording just two hits in the frame (both singles).
After mowing down Davidson in the sixth and seventh innings, App State reliever Matt Brill walked the first batter and hit the second to open the bottom of the eighth. With the tying run at the plate and nobody out, freshman southpaw Ryan Ross took over for Brill and did a fine job in recording two outs while allowing only one run to score on a groundout to shortstop.
With right-handed hitter Ben Arkin coming to the plate for Davidson with two outs and runners on second and third, right-handed pitcher Brian Bauk was called upon to preserve the Mountaineers’ 3-1 lead. However, on Bauk’s third pitch, Arkin hit a seeing-eye single through the left side of the infield and both Wildcat runners scored to knot the game at 3-3. Bauk then surrendered an infield single and issued a five-pitch walk to load the bases before giving way to sophomore Sean Mason.
Mason’s first 10 pitches of the season all missed the strike zone, allowing Alec Acosta and Jake Sidwell to both draw bases-loaded walks that gave Davidson a 5-3 lead.
In the top of the ninth, Appalachian State’s Bradley Morton legged out an infield single to bring the tying run to the plate with one out. However, Michael Pierson flew out to left and Jaylin Davis grounded out to second to end the ballgame.
The Mountaineers’ eighth-inning struggles on the mound overshadowed what was a sterling pitching performance to that point by senior starter Jeffrey Springs and Brill. Springs limited Davidson to just three hits over five scoreless innings before giving way to Brill, who worked two hitless frames out of the bullpen before putting the first two runners on in the eighth.
Bauk (0-1) was saddled with the first loss of his career.
Offensively, Appalachian State banged out six hits over the first four innings but managed only three runs while stranding six baserunners. The missed opportunities at the plate proved costly when Davidson’s pitchers settled in and limited the Mountaineers to just two hits over the final five frames.
Morton led Appalachian with two hits while Pierson drove in two of the Mountaineers’ three runs with a two-out, two-run double down the right-field line in the fourth. Despite collecting eight hits (compared to just five for Davidson), App State was hampered by striking out 13 times.
The Mountaineers look to bounce back from the heartbreaking loss when it plays Villanova on Saturday. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. at Doak Field.
Red Wolves Drop Season Opener
JONESBORO, Ark. (2/13/15) – The Arkansas State baseball team couldn’t overcome the Illinois State pitching staff as the Red Wolves only managed to earn two base hits in a 3-0 loss to open the 2015 season Friday night at Tomlinson Stadium.
A-State’s pitching staff only allowed three hits to the Redbirds (1-0), but six walks proved to be costly as the visitors scored two runs on a hit-by-pitch and RBI groundout in the top of the sixth inning to take a 3-0 lead after the Red Wolves (0-1) walked the bases loaded.
Arkansas State advanced a runner to scoring position in each of the next three innings with the best scoring chance proving to come in the bottom of the eighth. After a quick two outs, Zach George was hit by a pitch to extend his on-base streak to 20 games and Stuart Levy followed with a bunt single down the third base line to give A-State runners at first and second. However, Matt Burgess grounded out to second to end the threat.
The Red Wolves went in order in the bottom of the ninth as Illinois State’s Steve Heilenbach earned the save after pitching three scoreless innings and only allowing one hit to close the game. Will Headean secured the win for the Redbirds after throwing six strong innings as he allowed one hit with three walks and six strikeouts.
David Owen pitched five innings and only gave up three hits, but walked five to go along with a game-high eight strikeouts. Coulton Lee finished the game with four strong innings after he allowed no hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Tanner Ring registered A-State’s only other hit of the evening with a leadoff double in the bottom of the fifth inning, but was left stranded.
The Red Wolves and Redbirds continue the season-opening series with a doubleheader Saturday, Feb. 14. The first game is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. with the second game set to begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.
Barnes, Van Aken Lead Jags in Season Opening Win
MOBILE, Ala. – Freshman catcher Jared Barnes collected four hits in his collegiate debut, and right-hander Cody Van Aken tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings to lead the University of South Alabama baseball team to a 7-3 win over New Orleans Friday night at Stanky Field.
Barnes finished 4-for-5 in the contest with four singles to lead all Jaguar hitters at the plate. Cole Gleason added two hits, including a double, and two RBI. Cole Billingsley had one hit and one RBI in his first game since 2013.
Van Aken (1-0) earned the win in his USA debut after allowing just one hit while striking out four and issuing one walk 4 2/3 relief innings. He retired the first eight batters he faced in order, including a strikeout to the first hitter he faced out of the bullpen.
UNO left-hander Hunter Medine (0-1) took the loss in 1 1/3 innings pitched, allowing five runs on two hits with three walks.
The Privateers loaded the bases with one out in the top of the second after Sam Carierre reached on an error by Bud Collura to lead off the inning, followed by a pair of singles from Jonathan Coco and Jonathan Santana that were sandwiched between a strikeout by Jaguar starter Austin Stephens. UNO took a 1-0 lead later in the inning on an RBI fielder's choice by Ray Veit.
The Privateers doubled their lead to 2-0 in the top of the third when Samuel Capielano doubled to lead off the inning, and later scored on a sacrifice fly to left field by Preston Marsh.
Matt Bolger led off the USA bottom of the third with a walk, and Drew LaBounty followed to reach base on a hit by pitch. A sacrifice bunt by Collura moved both runners into scoring position before Gleason delivered a two-out, two-run double to right field to tie the game 2-2.
UNO (0-1) answered to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the fourth when Santana reached on a hit by pitch from Stephens with one out then stole second before advancing to third on a flyout to right field by Veit. He scored one batter later on an RBI infield single to first base by Chaz Boyer.
USA (1-0) tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when LaBounty reached on a two-out walk, and scored on an RBI single to right field by Billingsley. The Jags then took a 4-3 lead one batter later when Collura scored on a fielding error by UNO second baseman Veit. Medine then balked with the bases loaded to force home Billingsley and push the Jag lead to 5-3.
South Alabama pushed the game's final runs across in the bottom of the fifth. Garrett DeGallier and Connor Hawthorne reached on consecutive walks to lead off the inning, and moved up one base each following a sacrifice bunt by Bolger. LaBounty walked with one out to load the bases before DeGallier scored on a wild pitch to double the USA lead to 6-3. Ryan Raspino, who pinch-ran for Hawthorne earlier in the inning, then scored on fielding error by UNO first baseman Marsh for the game's final run.
USA will attempt to clinch the series in game two of the three-game set at noon Saturday at Stanky Field.
Mavs Fall 7-2 on Opening Day
ARLINGTON, Texas - UT Arlington held the lead for the first seven innings of its season opener against Missouri State on Friday afternoon, but was unable to hold on as the Bears scored seven unanswered runs on their way to a 7-2 victory.
Freshman Daniel James was credited with the loss while Zach Merciez came away with the win for Missouri State.
"I felt like we had some opportunities early to have a bigger lead, but give their pitcher credit," UT Arlington coach Darin Thomas said. "He's good and pitched out of it. He struck out two with the bases loaded in one inning and in another inning we don't get a bunt down when we had a chance."
After three scoreless innings, the Mavericks got on the board first in the fourth inning when an error coupled with a pair of walks loaded the bases with two outs. Brady Cox then came up to bat and hit a sac fly that made way for Darien McLemore to score and give UTA its first run of the season and a one-run lead over the Bears.
Christian Hollie made some noise in his first outing in a Maverick uniform as he led off the fifth inning with a double to left field. Hollie then was pushed to third when Matt McLean recorded a single off of a bunt. Senior Travis Sibley then picked up a RBI when he brought home Hollie with a hit up the middle to give UTA a two-run advantage. The Mavs nearly added to that lead as they had the bases loaded with one out, but Missouri State got out of the jam with a strikeout and a ground out to end the inning. Hollie and Sibley both ended the day 2-of-4 at the plate.
The Bears made their push in the top of the seventh, putting runners on first and second with one out. The Mavericks then made their second pitching change of the day when they brought in freshman RHP Daniel James with the bases loaded to replace Zach Hobbs. After Missouri State hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to bring in one run, James forced a ground out to McLemore who flipped the ball to first, just beating out the runner and ending the inning with UTA on top 2-1.
The Bears then knotted the game up at two runs apiece when Dylan Becker sent Daniel James' first pitch of the inning out of the park. A walk later in the inning loaded the bases before a Missouri State single brought in two runs to put UT Arlington behind 4-2 in the eighth inning.
The Mavericks looked to close the gap in the bottom of the eighth as Hollie hit a single down the left field line with two outs to load the bases. However, Missouri State was able to end the inning with a clean slate as they forced a Matt McLean ground out to the shortstop.
The Bears extended their lead with a three-run ninth inning. A deep double to centerfield brought in one run while a two-run homer later in the inning gave Missouri State their final margin of victory at five runs.
Senior Chad Nack tossed a six-inning gem to start the season as he came away with one strikeout and no walks or earned runs while allowing six hits. Nack's 74-pitch debut came in his first start since May 14, 2013 when the Sanger native got the start against TCU during his sophomore season.
"He pitched six innings and didn't walk a guy," Thomas said. "He's not a strike out guy because he doesn't have a big time slider, but he'll compete in the strike zone. He did that today and definitely gave us a chance to win against a very good team, but then the bullpen gave up seven in three innings and you're not going to beat anybody when that happens."
The Mavericks recorded their two runs off of eight hits with zero errors while the Bears registered seven runs off 14 hits with two errors.
UT Arlington will return to the field in Nacogdoches on Saturday when it takes on Washington State at 3 p.m.
Cajuns Fall 8-5 to UTSA
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – A three-run fifth inning for UTSA turned out to be the difference on Friday night as the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team dropped an 8-5 decision to the Roadrunners in the 2015 season opener at Roadrunner Park.
The Cajuns (0-1) outhit UTSA (1-0) 12-11 in the contest led by senior Greg Davis who was 3-for-5 with an RBI and scored two runs. Blake Trahan and Nick Thurman each had a pair of hits as eight of the 10 Cajuns who stepped to the plate registered at least one hit.
John Bormann led the way for the Roadrunners offensively going 3-for-4 with a home run, four RBI and scored a run.
"We have to get rid of the three run inning," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "That's something we focus on as a pitching staff and tonight we gave one away. The bottom line is that we need to get a little better and keep weathering our arms. We had 12 hits as a team and that's usually enough to win a ball game, we just need to pitch better."
Starter Chris Charpentier was tabbed with the loss giving up five runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 4.0 innings of work.
Reliever Chance Kirby picked up the victory for the Roadrunners giving up one run on one hit in 1.0 inning, while starter Brock Harston was touched for four runs (three earned) in a no decision.
UTSA grabbed a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the first at Kevin Markham sent a 0-2 pitch over the fence in right center for a leadoff solo home run.
Davis evened the contest in the top of the third on an RBI single to right scoring Brenn Conrad from first. Later in the inning, Davis came in to score on an error by UTSA first baseman Ben Brookover to give the Ragin' Cajuns a 2-1 advantage.
The Roadrunners went back in front 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run home run to left by Bormann.
Louisiana answered in the top half of the fifth plating two runs on a RBI ground out by Tyler Giourard and a RBI single to left to make the score 4-3 Cajuns.
In the bottom half of the fifth, the Roadrunners plated three runs on three hits to regain the lead 6-4. An RBI groundout by Horacio Correa gave UTSA a 5-4 advantage. In the next at bat, Bormann added to the lead as he singled to left scoring Logan Kinder from second.
Kennon Fontenot cut the UTSA advantage to 6-5 in the top of the sixth as he sent a pinch-hit RBI single through the left side of the infield scoring Thurman from third with two outs.
The Roadrunners added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh on another RBI single to left by Bormann.
Trent Bolwes plated the final run of the game in the bottom of the eighth on a sacrifice fly to deep center to make the final 8-5.
Late Rally Too Much for Bobcats to Overcome
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State started strong with a 3-1 lead after three innings and added two more runs in the fourth to grab control of the game Friday night. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, UC Davis scored seven runs in the final three innings of a 10-inning game to topple Texas State, 10-7, in the season opener.
David Paiz led the Bobcats in RBI with two on a 2-for-4 night for the senior. Cory Geisler also finished the night with multiple hits, going 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Five other Bobcats finished with a hit, including freshman Theodore Hoffman who hit the first home run of his young career. Both Hoffman and Zach Sullivan scored two runs.
2/13/2015 Baseball vs. UC Davis Feb. 13 Baseball vs. UC Davis Feb. 13
Lucas Humpal went 6.1 innings and left with a 5-3 lead. In his season debut, he only gave up two earned runs with four strikeouts, two walks and four hits. The Aggies did most of their damage late, scoring seven runs after Humpal took a seat.
After two scoreless innings to start, UC Davis was able to bring a run across for the early 1-0 lead, but the Bobcats bounced back in a big way. In the bottom of the third, Geisler sent a rocket down the left line for a double, moving Sullivan to third after a hit by pitch. After a Cedric Vallieres walk, Granger Studdard tied the game when he plated Sullivan with a sacrifice fly. Paiz followed with a huge double to right centerfield on an 0-2 pitch to score two more runs and put Texas State up 3-1.
In the fourth inning, Hoffman announced his arrival to the collegiate game with a solo home run over the left field fence. After that, UC Davis made the first pitching change of the game. It didn't immediately help.
Sullivan took his second free base of the night as Justin Mullins, the new UC Davis pitcher, walked him. After Sullivan advanced to second on a groundout, he scored on a shot to right center from Geisler to put the Bobcats up 5-1 after four innings.
Humpal hit two batters in the top of the sixth. After that, a single to right field scored one runner and another Aggie scored on a Texas State error to close the Bobcat lead to 5-3. Before UC Davis could score again in the sixth, Vallieres sniffed out a double steal and threw the ball to Tanner Hill in time to close out the top of the sixth.
The eighth-inning leadoff batter for UC Davis took a base on a hit by pitch and stole second. Tino Lipson pushed the runner to third with a single and designated hitter Tanner Bily knocked an RBI-single after that. Blake Whitter forced a fly out from the next batter, and freshman Braden Pearson let his defense close out the inning next. Vallieres, Luke Sherley and Ben McElroy combined for a double play to close out the inning and keep a 5-4 lead.
Texas State went on the offensive in the bottom of the inning, scoring two runs for some breathing room. Paiz earned a leadoff walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. A groundout pushed Paiz to third base and Hoffman followed with a walk. With runners at the corners, Tanner Hill legged out a slow moving infield single and plated Paiz. A Sullivan single through the right side scored Hoffman and gave the Bobcats a 7-4 lead headed to the ninth.
In the ninth, UC Davis led off with a double down the right line. A pinch hitter earned a walk and the next pinch hitter singled to load the bases. Another UC Davis double scored two runs and another run came in on an RBI single later in the inning to tie the game.
The Bobcats almost closed out the game in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs, Paiz singled and McElroy followed with a walk, but the Aggies did what was needed to push the game to extra innings.
After three UC Davis runs in the top of the 10th, Texas State went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning to conclude the first game of the season.
Texas State will look to bounce back against UC Davis at 1 p.m. Saturday with Scott Grist on the mound.
Warhawks Drop Season Opener to Indiana State
MONROE, La. -- ULM took a 3-2 lead after one inning, but a big second inning by Indiana State helped propel the Sycamores to an 11-6 win on Friday night at Warhawk Field in the Warhawk Classic Presented by Fieldhouse Bar and Grill.
Indiana State jumped on the scoreboard first as the Sycamores plated a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Andy Young drove in Derek Hannahs with a sac fly to center and Indiana State pushed the lead to 2-0 as Jacob Hayes scored on a RBI single by Cody Gardner.
The Warhawks answered right back with a trio of runs in the home half of the first. Cody Stone scored the first run of the frame for the Warhawks as he raced home as Keelin Rasch reached on an error by third baseman Andy Young. Jacob Stockton was able to tie the game at 2-2 as he reached on a fielder’s choice and tallied a RBI as Kodie Tidwell scored. Rasch scored the final run of the frame (unearned) as he was able to sneak home during a Stockton run down.
Indiana State regained the lead as it tallied six runs in the top of the second inning. The Sycamore second was highlighted by a pair of two-RBI hits to help take a five-run lead (8-3) after one-and-a-half innings of play.
The Warhawks scratched a single run across in the third and fourth innings to climb within three runs (8-5).
ULM was able to keep Indiana State off of the scoreboard from the third through the eighth innings, but the Sycamores were able to push across three runs in the top of the ninth to extend the lead to 11-5.
The Warhawks plated the final run of the game in the bottom of the ninth as Rasch connected on a solo homer to left center to set the final tally at 11-6.
ULM starter Brandon Bell (0-1) was tagged with the loss after allowing seven earned runs (eight total) on five hits with three walks and one punchout in two innings. Trey Setzer and Anthony Herrera combined for six scoreless frames and Cody Connally closed out the contest for ULM.
Sycamore reliever Jeremy McKinney (1-0) earned the win after tossing 3.1 innings of scoreless baseball. Indiana State closer Ryan Keaffaber earned the save after allowing one run in two innings.
Rasch led the Warhawks with two hits, three runs and two RBI, while Pugh tallied two hits and one run.
Hannahs and Hayes led the Sycamores as they tallied five hits, five runs and four RBI.