Saturday, February 14

Red Wolves Sweep Illinois State on Saturday
JONESBORO, Ark. (2/14/15) – The Arkansas State baseball squad swept the Illinois State Redbirds by scores of 13-4 and 11-5 Saturday at Tomlinson Stadium to earn a series victory on the opening weekend of the 2015 season.

The Red Wolves (2-1) opened the first game of the doubleheader with a three-run first inning featuring an RBI double from Matt Burgess and a two-run single by Tanner Ring, but Illinois State (1-2) plated a lone run in the second inning on an A-State error. The Redbirds’ Mason Snyder homered to trim the A-State lead to 3-2 in the top of the third inning, but Ty White tripled in two runs in the bottom half of the inning to give the Red Wolves a 5-2 lead.

Austin Baker led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run to left field and Ring added another RBI on a groundout to extend A-State’s lead to 7-2 before Paul DeJong homered in the top of the fifth to bring the visitors to within 7-3. Baker brought home White with an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth and later scored on a Stuart Levy single to set the score at 9-3.

Arkansas State scored four more runs in the bottom of the eighth starting with a sacrifice fly by Ring before Joe Schrimpf singled home Levy and Collin Massanelli for a 12-3 A-State lead. White added another RBI on a groundout to end A-State’s scoring for the game as the team took a 13-3 lead to the ninth. Illinois State added one run in the final frame to set the final at 13-4.

Chandler Hawkins earned the victory for the Red Wolves after pitching five innings and allowing three runs on nine hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Derek Birginske picked up his first career save as he pitched the final four frames of the game and only gave up one run on four hits with one walk and five strikeouts. White went 4-for-5 from the plate with three RBIs and a stolen base, while Ring knocked in four runs. Baker, Levy, and Schrimpf each had two hits apiece.

A-State began the second game strongly as well after Schrimpf knocked in a run after getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to open the scoring. Jeremy Brown stepped up to the plate next and knocked a 2-1 pitch over the left field fence for his first collegiate hit to give A-State a 5-0 lead. However, the Redbirds chipped away with runs in the second and third innings and added two runs in the fifth to cut A-State’s advantage to 5-4.

Illinois State pushed across the tying run in the top of the sixth inning after Jean Ramirez hit a two-out triple and later scored on a wild pitch by reliever Cody Jackson. The Red Wolves responded in a big way in the bottom half of the inning with White knocking in the first run of the inning on a bloop single to left. Brown and White later scored on an error to extend A-State’s lead to 8-5 with no outs in the inning.

Zach George singled home Baker and Tim Seldomridge and later scored on a sacrifice fly from second base after Illinois State’s centerfielder Daniel Dwyer made a diving catch in deep center to push A-State’s edge to 11-5. Levy was caught stealing and Ring flew out to center to end the inning for the Red Wolves.

Colton Kibler relieved Jackson and through three shutout innings to earn the save as he allowed three hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. Jackson earned his first career win after Tyler Zuber started the game by throwing five innings. Zuber allowed four runs; three earned, and walked two while striking out six in his first career start.

George led the A-State offense with two hits and knocked in two runs to go along with two runs scored. Brown’s four RBIs on the grand slam in the first inning led the squad in the second game, while White added another hit and RBI to give him a 5-for-8 day with four RBIs. The A-State bullpen combined to throw eight innings on the afternoon and allowed only two runs on nine hits with two walks and 13 strikeouts.

Troy Takes Two From Northwestern State on Saturday
TROY, Alabama – The Troy University baseball team used a walk-off single then a solid pitching performance to take both games of a doubleheader from Northwestern State at Riddle-Pace Field on Saturday.

TROY 8, NORTWESTERN STATE 7

Freshman shortstop Matt Sanders was 4-for-6 with five RBIs including a walk-off single with two outs in the ninth as the Trojans erased a 7-1 deficit to take game two of the series.

Trailing 7-3 in the eighth, Sanders launched a three-run home run to left-center field to pull the Trojans to within one. With two outs in the ninth, Clay Holcomb singled through the left side to score Nick Masonia and tie the game at 7-7. Holcomb then stole his 50th career base and advanced to third on a throwing error by the Northwestern State catcher. Sanders then laced a single over the outstretched glove of the Demons' shortstop to give Troy the victory.

Troy fell behind with two outs in the first inning after Cort Brinson lined a ball over the left field wall. The Demons added another run in the second on a Trojan throwing error.

Northwestern State's Garrett Logan singled off Troy starter Ben Tidwell with runners on second and third to build their lead to 4-0.

Matt Sanders scored on a Cameron Sanders ground ball to get Troy on the board in the third. The Demons responded quickly with a pair of run in the top of the fourth with take a 7-1 advantage.

In the sixth, the Trojans plated a run on a Holcomb triple and another on Matt Sanders' single to right.

Ben Tidwell got the start on the mound but left after surrendering four runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings. Levi Tate tossed two scoreless innings and Marc Skinner (1-0) pitched a perfect top of the ninth to give the Trojans the chance to take the game. Skinner would earn the victory on the mound.

Troy racked up 17 hits in the contest including three from both Masonia and Holcomb.

TROY 5, NORTHWESTERN STATE 0

The Troy pitching staff earned its second shutout in three games as Grant Bennett (1-0) tossed six inning allowing just four hits and striking out eight.

Jeremy McGowan struck out two in two innings of work while Robert Harris pitched the ninth.

Matt Sanders, David Hall and Reid Long each collected two hits. For Hall, it marked the 28th multi-hit game of his career. Clay Holcomb picked up a single in the eighth inning to extend his reached base streak to 19 games.

Troy struck in the first on an RBI single from Logan Hill to score Nick Masonia. In the third, Hall singled down the left field line plating Matt Sanders and doubling the Trojans' lead to 2-0.

Hill's second hit of the night came in the form of a towering solo blast over the wall in right-center. He finished the game 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. Hill walked twice in game two to up his season total to six free passes in the first three games of the season.

The Trojans (3-0) put the game away in the seventh with two runs courtesy of a solo shot from Reid Long and Hall's second RBI single of the night.

Troy collected 10 hits in the contest and has eclipsed double-digit hits in all three games.

The Trojans will look for their first four-game sweep since taking the full series from Florida A&Mt to kick off the 2013 season. First pitch for Sunday's finale is set for 1 p.m.

Bullpen, Bats Help Eagles Take Series from Bethune-Cookman
STATESBORO, Ga. – A five-run third and four-run sixth innings propelled the Georgia Southern Eagles to a 12-8 win and a series victory over the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats.

Neither starting pitcher lasted past the third inning and both staffs allowed a combined 19 walks, but the Georgia Southern (2-0) bullpen held firm, allowing only one earned run on four hits as seven pitchers tossed a combined 6.1 frames.

The Eagles were forced to rally after Bethune-Cookman (0-2) jumped out to a 4-0 lead and chased starter Adam Kelly from the game in the second inning. Kelly struck out the side in the first inning but struggled with command in his second frame.

"I was proud of the way our team responded. I liked the way our guys kept battling. Nobody panicked," Head Coach Rodney Hennon said. "It wasn't the way you would draw it up but the good thing is we can learn some things from today."

GS tallied nine hits and drew 10 walks while taking advantage of four Wildcat errors. Dalton Busby drove in three runs without a hit, plating runners with two sacrifice flies and a bases loaded walk. Ryan Cleveland doubled and scored three runs, while both Kody Adams and Chase Griffin tallied two singles each.

"We were able to put together some good at-bats and take advantage of some base on balls," said Hennon. "I thought we had some good at-bats and did some good things running the bases."

GS plated five runs on four hits and two Wildcat errors in the third inning to take their first lead of the contest, but BCU tied the game at 7-7 in the top of the sixth inning.

The Eagles broke the tie in the bottom half of the frame scoring four runs on three hits and an error. C.J. Brazil started the inning with a single and later scored on an Adams base hit. A passed ball plated Adams after Aaron Mizell and Chase Griffin both reached base. Busby drew a bases loaded walk for the final run of the inning.

The runs handed Jason Richman (1-0) his first win of the season. The junior recorded two outs in the sixth inning and allowed one hit. Anthony Paesano (1) picked up a save after tossing two perfect frames.

Sidney Duprey (0-1) was tagged with the loss after surrendering three runs on four hits and a walk. Duprey struck out two batters over 2.1 innings.

The three-game season opening series wraps up tomorrow with a 1 p.m. first pitch. Eagles will send freshman left hander Connor Simmons to the mound against the Wildcats' Kevin Griffey.

Robbins Propels Cajuns to 8-2 Victory over UTSA
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Junior Joe Robbins drove in a career-best four runs Saturday as the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team rolled to an 8-2 victory over UTSA in the second game of a three-game series at Roadrunner Field.

Robbins led the squad at the plate going 3-for-4 with a home run and scored twice as the Ragin' Cajuns (1-1) outhit the Roadrunners (1-1) for the second straight game, 11-7. The three hits for Robbins was also a career-high, while both Greg Davis and Derek Herrington had two hits in the contest.

"Our hitters did a good job again today and we pitched well, and when you do that you are going to win," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "We tell our guys that you aren't going to win every game, but our young arms came out and did a great job. We always talk about the ability to respond. Our guys bushed themselves off from last night and came out today and responded in a big way."

Freshman Evan Guillory was strong in his debut limiting the Roadrunners to one unearned run on five hits in 5.0 innings to pick up his first career win. The Jennings, La., native struck out seven and didn't surrender a free pass in the contest.

UTSA starter Nolan Trabanino was handed his first loss of the year after surrendering four runs on six hits with three strikeouts and a walk in 4.2 innings. Offensively, Kevin Markham had a 3-for-4 day for the Roadrunners scoring one of the two UTSA runs in the game.

The Roadrunners grabbed an early 1-0 lead for the second straight contest as Markham scored on a throwing error by second baseman Kennon Fontenot. Markham reached on a leadoff single and then moved to second on a single up the middle by Matt Hilston.

Brian Mills evened the game in the top of the third driving a triple into the gap in right center to score Robbins from second. Robbins singled to leadoff the inning and then moved to second on a throwing error by Trabanino. In the next at bat, Derek Herrington brought home Mills on a ground ball to short to put the Cajuns in front 2-1.

In the top of the fourth, Robbins extended the Ragin' Cajuns edge to 4-1 on a two-out, two-run single through the right side of the infield scoring Davis and Stefan Trosclair.

Robbins added two more runs in the top of the sixth as he crushed a two-run home run well over the fence in left to make the score 6-1 Louisiana.

John Bormann registered his second home run of the series in the bottom of the seventh sending a solo shot off of reliever Dylan Moore over the fence in left to cut the lead to 6-2.

In the top of the ninth, Brenn Conrad drove a two-run triple to left scoring Blake Trahan and Herrington to make the final 8-2.

Junior Colton Lee had a good outing in relief throwing 2.1 scoreless innings with one strikeout and limited UTSA to one hit.

The Cajuns and Roadrunners will meet in the rubber match tomorrow at 1 p.m. as senior Greg Milhorn will take the mound for his first start of the season. Fans can hear the game live on 96.5 KPEL-FM.

Jags Clinch Series with Win Over UNO on Saturday
MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team used a four-run sixth inning to defeat New Orleans 8-2 Saturday at Stanky Field.

USA (2-0) clinched the series with the win, and will go for the series sweep in Sunday's finale at 1 p.m.

South Alabama broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth inning when Garrett DeGallier tripled down the right field line to lead off the frame, and scored one batter later on Ryan Raspino's sacrifice fly to right field.

The Jags doubled their lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI double by Jared Barnes following a leadoff walk by Cole Gleason and fielder's choice by Daniel Martinez.

USA broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth with four runs. Barnes delivered a two-out, two-run single to score Collura and Gleason, who reached on a walk and fielder's choice, respectively. DeGallier then followed with a two-run home run – the first of his Jaguar career – into the Jaguar Alley decks in right field to push the USA lead to 6-0.

"He threw me a fastball down and in," DeGallier said. "It was my first collegiate home run, so it means something. Baseball is a really unforgiving game, and you have to earn everything you get in it. And as much as I want to sit on this game and feel good about it, we have to come out tomorrow and really get after it again. We want to sweep the series."

South Alabama added a single run in the seventh inning when Collura scored on a UNO wild pitch, and added its final run of the contest when Barnes scored on a wild pitch in the eighth.

UNO scored its first run of the game in the top of the eighth on a one-out RBI single by Hezekiah Randolph, and added its final run on an RBI single by Jonathan Coco in the top of the ninth.

DeGallier went 3-for-3 with a triple, a home run, two RBI and two runs scored to lead USA at the plate. Barnes finished 3-for-5 with two doubles, three RBI and two runs. Collura added two hits, including a double, and two runs while LaBounty finished with a pair of hits.

Jaguar right-hander Mike Dolloff (1-0) earned the win with five relief innings, allowing one run on five hits with one strikeout. Jaguar right-hander Ryne Long, who started the game, tossed four scoreless innings and allowed five hits with a pair of strikeouts and three walks but did not factor in the decision.

"Mike Dolloff was very sharp out of the bullpen," head coach Mark Calvi said. "He was very good in a long-relief stint, as was Cody Van Aken last night. It was good to see."

UNO right-hander Shawn Semple (0-1) took the loss in 3 2/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits with one strikeout and two walks. Randolph went 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead UNO offensively.

"Garrett DeGallier has been fantastic," Calvi said. "He had a big home run; it was great to see. We put up eight runs and we had some doubles with men on base. When you walk a few times and get some hits, you're going to leave some men on base like we have the first two games. But we won the ballgame and we swung the bats okay. Some guys are having some good at-bats early, and some aren't quite dialed in but we'll talk about it and keep swinging it."

Mountaineers Silence Villanova
RALEIGH, N.C. — Five Appalachian State University baseball pitchers combined to scatter eight hits and the Mountaineers collected their first win of 2015, a 5-2 triumph over Villanova on Saturday at NC State’s Doak Field.

Appalachian State’s first four pitchers did not surrender an earned run over eight innings. Sophomore starter Dallas DeVrieze set the tone with three shutout innings and Taylor Thurber, Travis Holden and Ryan Ross combined to turn in five frames of one-run (unearned), four-hit relief to send the Mountaineers to the ninth inning with a 5-1 advantage.

Villanova made it interesting in the top of the ninth by bringing the tying run to the plate after an RBI double by Max Beerman cut the Mountaineers’ lead to 5-2. However, App State’s Caleb McCann got Villanova’s Adam Goss to ground out harmlessly to second base to end the game.

Appalachian backed up its stellar pitching with timely hitting in the win. Dillon Dobson opened the scoring with a monstrous home run to right field in the second inning and the Mountaineers added a two-out RBI single by Jaylin Davis in the third, sacrifice flies by Bradley Morton and Davis in the fifth to take a commanding 4-0 lead.

Villanova made it 4-1 with an unearned run in the sixth but agressive baserunning by the Mountaineers led to an unearned run of their own in the eighth. With two outs and runners on first and second in the bottom of the eighth, App State head coach Billy Jones called for a double steal. Davis easily swiped third on the front end of the double steal and came home with an insurance run when there was no one on the receiving of Villanova catcher Eric Morris’ throw to second.

The heads-up baserunning capped a big day for Davis, who finished 2-for-3 with a sacrifice fly, two RBI, one run and three steals.

Due to a forecast for wintry weather in Raleigh, Sunday’s weekend finale versus host NC State has been cancelled. Appalachian State returns to action on Tuesday when they square off with Campbell in Asheboro, N.C. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.

Warhawks Drop Back-and-Forth Affair to UCA
MONROE, La. – ULM and Central Arkansas traded the lead multiple times on Saturday night, but it was the visiting Bears that came away with a 10-4 win at Warhawk Field in the Warhawk Classic Presented by Fieldhouse Bar and Grill.

The Warhawks, like they did on opening night, plated multiple runs in the home half of the first inning. Keelin Rasch delivered his second homer in as many nights as his two-run homer allowed Cody Stone to also score and give ULM a 2-0 lead.

Central Arkansas broke through with its first run of the game in the top of the third. Braxton Phillips was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and later came in to score on a RBI single through the left side by Nate Ferrell.

The Bears took their first lead of the game at 3-2 thanks to a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning. Tyler Langley collected a RBI on a double to left center and Phillips followed with a RBI single to give Central Arkansas a one-run lead.

ULM responded with a pair of runs in the home half of the fourth. With one out in the frame, Nathan Pugh delivered a solo homer down the right field line to tie the game at three-all. Danny Springer collected a two-out single and later crossed home plate on a Josh Faciane single to center field, giving ULM a 4-3 advantage.

Central Arkansas tied the game in the top of the sixth as Logan Preston led off the frame with a solo homer to left. The Bears were able to capitalize on Warhawk errors as they added three more runs in the frame to take a 7-4 lead after five and a half innings of play.

The Bears added a single run in the seventh and a pair of runs in the ninth to set the final score at 10-4.

Pugh and Stone paced the Warhawks at the plate. Pugh tallied a pair of hits to go along with one run and one RBI, while Stone recorded two hits and one run.

ULM starting pitcher Alex Hermeling logged 5.1 innings of work but was tagged with the loss after surrendering 10 hits and four earned runs (seven total) with two walks and one strikeout. Sophomore pitchers Anthony Herrera and Payton Coddou closed out the game as they combined to pitch the final 3.2 innings.

Braxton Phillips led the Bears with a 3-for-5 effort with three RBI and two runs. Reliever Bo Stitch earned the win after pitching 3.2 scoreless innings allowing one hit and one walk with six strikeouts.

UALR Drops Two on Saturday to Evansville
LITTLE ROCK – The UALR baseball team had a tough day on Saturday, dropping both games of a doubleheader to Evansville at Gary Hogan Field. The Purple Aces claimed the first game of the afternoon by a 7-2 score before defeating the Trojans 16-2 in the second game.

“Today was a day where our players needed to learn what it takes to show up to the park every day ready to go,” head coach Chris Curry said. “Our approach was not there on the mound or plate. We didn’t do what we believe in which is attack the strike zone and get ahead of the hitters on the mound. We didn’t execute the plan that we’ve been coached to do.”

Stephen Chandler was the UALR starting pitcher in the second game, and he gave up seven runs (six earned) and eight while making it through 2 2/3 innings. Chad Bradford replaced him in the top of the third and allowed two more runs, giving the Purple Aces a 9-0 lead through four innings.

UALR fought back in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three runs after the first three batters reached. Justin Steelmon reached on a single, Tanner Rockwell walked and Kyle Kirk reached on an error. James Gillean grounded out to second base to score Steelmon, and a Jason Prevatt double brought Rockwell and Kirk home to bring UALR within six runs at 9-3.

But the Purple Aces did not quiet down, scoring another run in the fifth inning and then getting six in the sixth inning including a grand slam by Josh Jyawook. Neither team scored in the seventh inning, and the game was called after seven innings because of the 10-run rule.

Prevatt was the Trojans’ top offensive player in the game, getting two hits and two RBIs. Preston Oberling, Duncan McNair and Adam Ness saw their first action as Trojans on the mound.

“A couple of mistakes on defense early cost us, and then give Evansville credit for hitting the ball well,” Curry said. “They’ve got a veteran team that knows what they’re doing by coming off a championship in their league. They made us pay for our mistakes, which good teams do. What we’ve got to learn is do the little things like run hard on a fly ball, even though we think we’re out. We have to get the bunt down. We’ve got to play solid defense and turn the double play. We have to pitch ahead in the count. Division I hitters will hurt you when they know what’s coming.”

In the day’s first game, UALR was behind from the very early going. The Purple Aces scored two runs in the first inning and then tallied three more in the second inning off starter Sam Thoele (0-1, 15.00 ERA) before he settled down. Thoele would pitch the next innings without giving up a run, finishing his day with five strikeouts and giving up five hits.

The Trojans’ offense got its two runs in the bottom half of the fifth, starting things off with a Drew Merten double to right-center field. Mitchell Scheuler moved him to third base with a single through the left side, and Merten scored an unearned run on the next at-bat when Petr Sila reached on an error by the Evansville second baseman. Steelmon singled two at-bats later, moving Scheuler to third. Scheuler then came home on a Rockwell sacrifice fly to center field to make it a 5-2 game.

But that would be all the UALR bats could muster. After Reed Willenborg completed three scoreless innings and Jarrid Garcia pitched a perfect seventh inning, the Purple Aces added a couple extra runs in the top of eighth off Dyllon Brownmiller to make it 7-2.

The Trojans loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth inning but could not bring a runner home.

Merten had the best offensive showing for UALR in Game 1, going 2 for 4 with a run scored.

“We’ll move on from this,” Curry said. “It was a tale of two days. With Friday, we did everything we try to do, which is walk two or less per game and eliminate our strikeouts as an offense. We didn’t do that today and as a result, we paid the price. This is going to be a learning process. It’s going to take some time to get everybody on the same page and used to playing the brand of baseball that Trojans baseball is going to play moving forward.”

UALR will look to get back in the win column on Tuesday when it travels to Central Arkansas for a 6 p.m. game.

Panthers Drop Doubleheader to No. 23 Liberty
ATLANTA -- Georgia State dropped a doubleheader to No. 23 Liberty 10-7 (11) and 9-1 Saturday at the GSU Baseball Complex.

The Panthers finished the Atlanta Challenge at 1-2, while Liberty improved to 2-1 on the season.

In Game 1, Matt Rose his his third home run of the season and freshman Rhett Harper smacked his first as Georgia State took a 6-3 lead into the ninth inning, but Liberty's Becker Sankey hit a pinch-hit, three-run homer to tie the game and force extra innings. The Flames scored four runs in the top of the 11th, including the go-ahead, two-run single by Clay Keranen.

Rose's two-run homer in the fourth put the Panthers ahead 4-2. After Liberty scored one run in the top of the fifth, Georgia State answered with Harper's solo homer and Justin Jones' run-scoring, infield single to take a 6-3 lead.

Georgia State starter Kenny Anderson allowed three runs on six hits with four strikeouts over five innings. Jerry Stuckey pitched two shutout innings, followed by Kevin Burgee with a scoreless eighth inning.

In the ninth, Wayne Wages surrendured a one-out double to Alex Close, then forced Andrew Yacyk to ground out for the second out. After Josh Close was hit by a pitch, Sankey tied the game with his pinch-hit blast.

In Game 2, Liberty jumped in front early, scoring five runs off starter Cole Uvila (0-1) in the second inning. Sankey hit another homer for the Flames, and Ashton Perritt and Yacyk also went deep.

Four Flames' pitchers held the Panthers to just one run on four hits. Shawn Clowers, who finished Game 1 with three innings in relief, then started the nightcap with two scoreless inning. Michael Stafford earned the victory with three scoreless frames.

Georgia State is scheduled to play at Mercer Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Texas State Falls to UC Davis on Saturday, 5-2
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Despite a strong outing from senior pitcher Scott Grist, Texas State fell to UC Davis in the second game of the series on Saturday by a score of 5-2.

Grist, in his first appearance since 2013, went deep into the game, pitching 7.2 innings. He struck out five, walked one and gave up five hits and three runs. He finished the day with 100 pitches.

The Aggies and Bobcats were in a defensive standoff the first four innings of the game before UC Davis scored the first run of the day in the fifth inning. Texas State answered in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single from Cedric Vallieres. Jared Huber led off the inning with a single and went to second on a sacrifice bunt from Luke Sherley. Vallieres followed with a two-out hit to left field. As Huber rounded third, the throw came in, but the freshman catcher used a nifty slide to score the run.

It was a strong debut for Huber behind the plate as he threw out three UC Davis runners attempting to steal. At the plate, he went 1-for-3 with his run scored in the fifth.

After two more scoreless innings, the Aggies put up three runs on two hits and an error in the eighth inning. Texas State countered with one run in the bottom of the inning but it wasn't enough. David Paiz knocked a hit straight up the middle to score Vallieres from second after he got on base with a seven-pitch walk. The Bobcats couldn't get anything going after that, and UC Davis added an insurance run in the ninth.

Vallieres and Paiz led Texas State at the plate, both finishing with two hits. Vallieres went 2-for-3 with a run, a walk and an RBI while Paiz was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Cory Geisler, Cody Lovejoy and Huber each added a hit Saturday.

Texas State will finish the series against UC Davis at 12 p.m. Sunday with Cory Geisler taking the mound.

UTA Drops 8-2 Decision to Washington State
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - UT Arlington dropped its second game of the season at the SFA Tipton Ford Baseball Classic, falling to Washington State 8-2 at Jaycees Field.

The Mavericks (0-2) recorded just five hits while allowing the Cougars (1-1) to put up 11 hits in the game that lasted just under three hours.

"Five hits isn't going to get it done," UT Arlington coach Darin Thomas said. "We have to get something out of our older guys offensively to give us a chance to win. We're going to have to drive some guys in eventually and the fact that it's early is no excuse because we've been outside a lot."

The Mavericks got out to a great start in the first inning when Jackson Morris hit a two-out single to right field that allowed Levi Scott to advance to third and then score of off an error by the Cougars right fielder. UTA came close to putting more runs on the board as the bases were loaded after Will Olson was walked, but a fly out by Cody Farrell in the next at bat ended the top half of the inning with UTA on top 1-0.

The bottom half of the first inning brought more scoring as Washington State used a single to left field to bring in a pair of runs. Freshman pitcher Brad Vassar then faced a jam with the bases loaded and two outs before he struck out Washington State's Jack Strunc to end the inning. Vassar ended the day with three strikeouts in 3.1 innings pitched while allowing six hits and three earned runs as he was charged with the loss.

The Cougars extended their lead again in the 4th when a single brought in one unearned run. The Mavericks then made their first pitching change of the day when they brought in freshman RHP Reid Petty for his first collegiate action with one out and runners on the corners. After nearly turning a double play while facing his first batter and having one run cross the plate, Petty got some help from catcher Will Olson who caught Washington State attempting to steal second base. UTA ended the 4th inning trailing 4-1.

Looking to cut down the lead in the top of the 5th, junior DH Jackson Morris hit a double to left field for his second hit of the day. Will Olson came up big while seeking his first career hit as the Sherman native registered a single that brought in Morris to cut Washington State's lead to two runs at 4-2.

Washington State grew its lead in the bottom of the eighth when Strunc sent the ball over the left field wall to push the score to 5-2. After making its second pitching change of the day in the 8th inning by bringing in Keenan Hall to replace Petty, the Cougars increased their lead to four runs at 6-2 due to a wild pitch by Hall. After substituting Jacob Moreland in at pitcher, Eric Tate committed an error that allowed one run while a WSU single extended the Cougars final margin of victory to six runs at 8-2. Petty ended his day with three strikeouts in 4.1 innings pitched while giving up four hits and two earned runs.

"We've got to play defense and swing the bat a little bit and throw it over the plate," Thomas added. "It's things we can control, but until we can do that we don't have a chance."

UT Arlington scored its two runs off of five hits with two errors while Washington State put up eight runs on 11 hits with one error.

The Mavericks will wrap up their opening weekend action in the SFA Tipton Ford Baseball Classic tomorrow when they take on host Stephen F. Austin at 3 p.m. in Nacogdoches.