Friday, February 20
Arkansas State Knocks Off No. 7 Louisville
EMERSON, Ga. (2/20/15) – The Arkansas State baseball team used a six-run third inning to help knock off the seventh-ranked team in the country, Louisville, by a score of 8-2 Friday afternoon in frigid conditions that featured some snow at the Perfect Game Park South Complex in Emerson, Ga.
A-State (3-1) was able to jump on Louisville (2-2) starter Kyle Funkhouser in the top of the third inning after he hit two batters and walked another to load the bases with one out and the Red Wolves already on top 1-0. Joe Schrimpf extended the lead to 3-0 with a line drive single to center field and Jeremy Brown reached on a fielder’s choice that the Cardinals did not get an out on due to a bad throw from shortstop to second base to load the bases again.
Ty White stepped up to the plate and ripped a 1-0 pitch down the first base line that Louisville first baseman Danny Rosenbaum was able to dive and keep on the infield, but couldn’t glove that allowed Tanner Ring scored for a 4-0 advantage. Tim Seldomridge lined out to shortstop for the second out of the inning to bring up Austin Baker. Baker hit a hard ground ball back up the middle to plate two more A-State runs and White scored on an error to set the score at 7-0.
Louisville was able to get on the board in the fifth inning when Sutton Whiting drove home Rosenbaum with a one-out single, but A-State starter David Owen was able to limit the damage to just one run. Owen worked himself into trouble again in the sixth inning and walked one run home with two outs. Coulton Lee relieved Owen and struck out Louisville’s Corey Ray on a 3-2 pitch to preserve A-State’s 7-2 edge.
The Red Wolves added another run in the top of the eighth when Seldomridge scored on a Stuart Levy sacrifice fly to put the score at 8-2. Lee pitched a scoreless bottom half of the eighth and was relieved by Colton Kibler in the ninth. Kibler walked the first guy he faced, but induced a 6-4-3 double play and fly out to center field to end the game.
Arkansas State jumped on Funkhouser early with Baker hitting the first pitch of the game into right field for a hit. Levy singled to left field and Matt Burgess walked to load the bases with one out. Ring smoked a 0-1 pitch into right field to plate Baker for the 1-0 lead, but Funkhouser struck out the next two Red Wolves to limit the damage.
Owen earned the win for A-State on the mound after pitching 5.2 innings and allowing only two runs on eight hits with five walks and four strikeouts. Lee pitched well out of the bullpen for the second straight outing as he threw 2.1 innings and only allowed one hit with three strikeouts and one walk.
Ring led the Red Wolves with three hits, while Baker and Zach George each had two apiece. Baker and Schrimpf drove in two runs each and every A-State player in the lineup scored one run except for George. Baker, Ring, and White each stole their second base of the season.
Arkansas State concludes its three-game series with the Cardinals with a doubleheader Saturday in Emerson, Ga. First pitch is set for 10 a.m. (CT) with the second game slated to begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.
Georgia State earns 5-3 Win over UMass-Lowell
ATLANTA -- Nathan Bates allowed just two hits and one run in six innings to win his second straight start as Georgia State defeated UMass Lowell 5-3 on a brutally cold day at the GSU Baseball Complex.
Ryan Blanton's RBI-single in the fourth inning put the Panthers (3-2) ahead for good, and Joey Roach and freshmen Will Johnson and Justin Jones provided key RBIs late in the game, in which the temperature hovered around the freezing mark.
In its season opener, UMass Lowell (0-1) manufactured a run in the second inning that is the only run allowed by Bates in his first two starts. A single off Bates glove, a hit batter and a sacrifice gave the River Hawks runners at second and third with one out before Luke Reynolds' sacrifice fly gave UMass Lowell the early 1-0 lead. The fly ball to medium-deep right field was the only ball that UMass Lowell hit out of the infield off Bates in six-plus innings. The other hit surrendured by the 6-7 junior right-hander was a ground ball in the hole at short.
For the season, Bates (2-0) has allowed just three hits and one run in 13 innings.
The Panthers took the lead for good in the fourth. James Clements doubled to left field to bring home Roach, who drew a leadoff walk. Then Blanton put Georgia State ahead with a one-out single to center, scoring Clements.
Still leading 2-1, Georgia State added two runs in the seventh. Jones reached on an error to lead off the frame and then moved into scoring position on a sacrifice to bring up the Panthers' top hitter, Matt Rose. Left-handed reliever Thulani Denaro intentionally walked the right-handed Rose to face the left-handed hitting Roach, who ripped a double down the first base line to score Jones.
After Clements drew a walk to load the bases, Johnson came on to pinch hit and delivered a sacrifice fly to center field that gave the Panthers a 4-1 lead.
Johnson stayed in the game in left field and made a key defensive play in the top of the eighth, tracking down a fly ball down the line to help the Panthers get out of the inning still leading by one. But the River Hawks scored two runs off reliever Jerry Stuckey to pull within 4-3.
Then Jones, the rookie shortstop, produced an insurance run with a sacrifice fly that plated Blanton, who led off the eighth with a single and moved to third on a sacrifice and a wild pitch.
Senior right-hander Kevin Burgee recorded the final four outs for his first save and the ninth of his career.
"Every victory has a value, and this value is really high because the conditions were so tough today," GSU head coach Greg Frady said. "It was tough on everybody, but our men figured out a way to win.
"Nathan Bates pitched a great game, and then Jerry Stuckey and Kevin Burgee came on and closed the game out for us. It was a tough day to pitch, but what's been coming to the park every day is our team defense. We played great team defense again today, and a lot of people made contributions," added Frady, whose squad has committed just two errors in five games.
"We had a very important inning centered around Joey Roach and then the insurance run that Justin Jones provided was huge. A great team win, and now we've got to get ready for a long day tomorrow."
UT Arlington Blanks Southeastern Louisiana
ARLINGTON, Texas - UT Arlington opened with its first game at Clay Gould Ballpark this season on Friday afternoon, taking down Southeastern Louisiana 7-0 due in large part to a seven-inning gem thrown by senior pitcher Chad Nack.
The win pushes the Mavericks to 2-3 on the season while Southeastern Louisiana falls to 4-2 overall.
Nack (1-0), who made his season debut last weekend with no earned runs in six innings pitched, continued the scoreless streak at the UTA Hilton Invitational, allowing only one hit in his time on the mound. In addition to allowing only one hit, Nack also struck out four batters while holding opposing batters to .053 at the plate.
"He's always going to give us a chance to win when he goes out there," UT Arlington coach Darin Thomas said."I thought he really competed with his fastball and threw the ball in and out. I'm very proud of him."
While Nack's performance on the mound played a key role in the victory, infielder Levi Scott also played a key role, registering 18 put outs while playing first base. Scott was able to show his efficiency at the plate as well, going 2-of-4 with two runs and three RBI.
"He's a guy we're counting on," Thomas said of Scott. "In both of our wins he's played a big part offensively and he's a good first baseman. He's a guy that we need at bat in the middle of the order."
The Mavericks were able to get on the board first as Scott registered his first home run of the season on a two-run shot over the right field wall, also bringing in RJ Williams.
UT Arlington extended its lead in the top of the third inning when Scott grounded out to the shortstop to bring Matt McLean in to score and push Williams to third. With Darien McLemore at the plate and two outs on the board, the Mavs pushed their lead to four runs with a single to right field that brought in Williams. McLemore finished the day going 3-of-4 at the plate with one run and two RBI.
Looking to gain a firm grasp on the game in the third, UTA was able to bring in a pair of runs when Travis Sibley hit a deep triple to centerfield that brought in Farrell and McLemore. The Mavs ended the inning with a 7-0 lead that they would fail to relinquish.
"It takes a lot of pressure off of me, but you still have to go out there and perform," Nack said of the support he receives from the Mavericks offense. "You have to bulldog through it more or less because we have two runs and if you take a pitch off that could be a two-run homer."
With Nack leaving the game after seven innings, the Mavs turned to sophomore pitcher Joel Kuhnel who allowed no earned runs and only one hit in his two innings on the mound.
UT Arlington recorded its seven runs on 12 hits with zero errors while Southeastern Louisiana was shut out with their two hits while committing no errors.
The Mavericks will wrap up action in the UTA Hilton Invitational on Saturday when they face Michigan State at 3 p.m. and Houston Baptist at 6:30 p.m.
Warhawks Take Two from SFA
MONROE, La. -- ULM received a pair of quality starts from its starting pitchers as they won both games of a twinbill against Stephen F. Austin on Friday at Warhawk Field.
ULM 5, Stephen F. Austin 0 (DH Game 1)
The Warhawks gave starter Alex Hermeling (1-1) all the run support he needed with three runs in the home half of the first inning. Kodie Tidwell scored the first run of the game as he was able to score on Nathan Pugh’s sacrifice fly to center.
Jacob Stockton followed with a RBI single to left and move to second on an error by left fielder, Garrett McMullen. Stockton’s base knock plated Keelin Rasch. Stockton plated the frame’s final run as he raced home on a single to left by Justin Stawychy. In all the Warhawks plated three runs on five hits with one Lumberjack error in the first inning.
Hermeling continued to shine on the mound as he tossed eight scoreless frames for ULM including a pair of perfect innings (sixth and eighth). The right-hander earned his first win of the season after tossing eight innings, scattering four hits and one walk while striking out seven. He lowered his season ERA to 2.70 behind is 106-pitch performance.
The Warhawks gave Hermeling more run support in the seventh as Spencer Hemphill scored on a sacrifice fly by Josh Faciane and Keelin Rasch drove in Cody Stone to set the final tally at 5-0.
Reliever Anthony Herrera closed out the game on the hill, allowing one hit with one strikeout during his 10-pitch outing.
Rasch and Pugh led the Warhawks with identical 2-for-4 performances with one run and one RBI.
Stephen F. Austin starter Cameron Gann was tagged with the loss and fell to 1-1 on the season. He allowed four earned runs (five total) on eight hits with three punch outs in 6.2 innings of work.
ULM 10, Stephen F. Austin 3 (DH Game 2)
The Warhawks continued their strong play in the night cap of Friday’s double header. After Stephen F. Austin plated one run in the first, the Warhawks responded with a pair of runs in the home half of the third.
Dalton Todd tied the game at 1-1 as he was able to race home on a Kodie Tidwell RBI double down the right field line. ULM took its first lead in the contest when Josh Faciane scored on a high chopper to third by Keelin Rasch.
The Lumberjacks answered with two runs of their own in the top of the fourth to take a 3-2 lead. Both runs scored by Stephen F. Austin were unearned runs.
ULM continued the theme of two-run frames as it took the lead for good with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth. Nathan Pugh drove in Rasch with a RBI single to right to even the game at 3-3. One batter later, Jacob Stockton drove in Pugh with a single to right field, putting the Warhawks ahead, 4-3.
An inning later, the Warhawks broke the game open with a five-run sixth inning. Cody Stone highlighted the big inning for ULM with a two-RBI single through the left side. The home squad added a single run in the eighth to set the final tally at 10-3.
Brandon Bell (1-1) surrendered just one earned run (three total) on five hits and two walks. During his six innings of work he fanned six total batters en route to his first win as a Warhawk. Bell’s quality start was the second of the day for the Warhawks.
Tidwell led the Warhawks at the plate in the night cap as he logged four hits, three RBI and one run. Pugh added two hits and two RBI, while Faciane added two hits and two runs.
Lumberjack starter Dillon Mangham (0-2) was tagged with the loss after allowing eight runs (six earned) on nine hits and two walks with four strike outs in five innings on the hill.
Cajuns Win Second Consecutive, Defeat Stony Brook, 7-3
LAFAYTETTE, La. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team used a four-run sixth inning to defeat Stony Brook 7-3 on Friday night in the opening game of a three-game series at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field. With the victory, head coach Tony Robichaux moves two games back of reaching the 1000-career win plateau.
The Ragin' Cajuns (3-2) outhit the Seawolves (1-3) 7-5 in the contest led by junior Stefan Trosclair who was 2-for-3 with a double, walk, two RBI and scored a run.
Sophomore Riley Cooper notched his first career victory throwing 1.1 scoreless innings in relief. Starter Evan Guillory registered a no-decision after leaving the game in the fifth having given up three runs on three hits with two walks.
"I thought it was a good night for us to hold serve and not let the game get away from us," Robichaux said. "The difference maker was Riley Cooper. We were very fortunate to break their starter. That's the sign of a good ball club. To hang in there - not panic - and not to get frustrated because of a good arm."
Chad Lee was roughed up for four runs on four hits in 1.1 innings of work to fall to 0-1 on the year, while starter Tyler Honahan was also chased in the fifth having given up three runs on three hits. Honahan fanned three and walked three in the outing.
Stony Brook jumped out to a 1-0 edge in the top of the first plating a run on a triple to deep center by Casey Baker.
In the top of the second, junior centerfielder Joe Robbins cut down Stony Brook's Toby Handley at the plate to end the inning and keep the score 1-0. Handley had reached on an error and was looking to score from second on a single up the middle by Jeremy Giles.
The Seawolves would extend the lead to 3-0 in the top of the fifth on a RBI ground out by Jack Parenty and a single to right by Robert Chavarria.
The Cajuns would answer though in the bottom half of the fifth scoring three runs on three hits to even the contest at 3-all. Trosclair pushed across the first two runs of the inning as he sent a double down the left field line on the first pitch he saw. In the next at bat, Greg Davis drove a line drive single into left to score Trosclair to tie the game.
Louisiana exploded for four runs on three hits in the bottom of the sixth to complete the comeback. Robbins scored the first run of the inning coming home on a ground ball hit to second by Tyler Girouard with the infield in. In the next at bat, Nick Thurman roped a pinch-hit triple into the gap in left center to bring home two more runs to give the Cajuns a 6-3 edge. Blake Trahan capped the scoring in the inning as he plated Thurman on a sac fly to deep right center.
Junior Colton Lee came on in the seventh and was phenomenal in relief allowing just one hit while striking out three in three innings to earn his second consecutive save of the year.
The Cajuns and Seawolves will close out the series tomorrow with a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. at the "Tigue". Sophomore right-hander Chris Chartpentier will take the mound in game one, while senior right-hander Greg Milhorn will start for Louisiana in the series finale.
Georgia Southern Rallies to Defeat West Virginia
STATESBORO, Ga. – Hunter Thomas tallied three hits including a home run as the Georgia Southern Eagles rallied from an early deficit to win the series opener 7-4.
West Virginia (2-2) jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the second inning, but Georgia Southern (4-1) clawed its way back into the game with two runs in the third inning and a run in the fifth before taking the lead in the sixth inning.
Thomas led off the sixth with a home run over the wall in right field, his second long ball of the season and third of his four-year career, to tie the game at 4-4. After a two-out intentional walk of Kody Adams loaded the bases, freshman Will Hudgins promptly hit a pitch right back up the middle to drive in the go ahead runs.
"We did a good job of playing one pitch at a time. I was proud of the way we responded after the four-run second inning," Head Coach Rodney Hennon said. "I thought our guys stayed poised and just kept battling."
Caleb Pressey entered in relief in the fifth inning and picked up the win after the four-run sixth inning. Pressey (1-0) combined with Jason Richman and Chris Brown to hold the Mountaineers hitless over the final 4.2 innings.
Brown (2) struck out two batters and tossed a perfect ninth inning to earn his second save of the season.
"The guys out of the bullpen did a great job. Caleb Pressey threw the ball well, and Chris Brown did a nice job closing it out," Hennon said.
Adam Keller took the loss after allowing four runs over 1.2 innings. Keller (0-1) walked two batters and allowed two hits.
Freshman B.J. Myers got the Friday start for WVU and allowed three runs over four innings. Evan Challenger made his second start of the season for GS and allowed two earned runs over 4.1 innings.
The Mountaineers opened the second inning with three-straight hits and scored the game's first run on a Kyle Davis single. WVU also scored runs in the frame on an error, a ground out and a sac fly.
Chase Griffin and Thomas both plated runs in the third inning. Griffin put the Eagles on the scoreboard with a sac fly, and Thomas scratched across a run with a single through the right side of the infield.
Wichita State Sweeps Texas State
WICHITA, Kan. – Texas State fell to Wichita State in both games of a doubleheader Friday in the first action on the road for the Bobcats. The Shockers prevailed, 14-1, in the opener and won the second game, 6-1. Texas State did see three hitters impress with .500 days for Ben McElroy and Tanner Hill while David Paiz finished 3-for-9 for a .333 day with all three hits in the second game.
McElroy paced the Bobcats with four hits, finishing 4-for-8 with an RBI while Hill went 3-for-6 with a run scored. Paiz added the other RBI for Texas State and knocked the only extra-base hit for the Bobcats with a double in the fifth inning of game two.
No Bobcat pitcher went long for Texas State, but Montana Parsons looked the best for the second game in a row. In 3.1 innings, he did not give up an earned run and struck out three batters while walking one. Braden Pearson also looked good, allowing just one hit in two innings and allowing Wichita State just a .143 batting average in those two innings.
Pasquale Mazzoccoli went four innings and gave up three runs but was on first in his first three innings of work. He sat down Wichita State, 1-2-3, in the first inning and only gave up a walk in the second. He made short work of the Shockers in the third inning as well, but they did score on a hit and a sacrifice fly.
The Bobcats actually scored first in the opener with Cedric Vallieres scoring on an RBI-single from McElroy after reaching base on a hit by pitch in the first inning. Unfortunately, Wichita State answered with seven runs on six hits and an error in the bottom of the third to break the game open. The Shockers added six runs in the fourth and fifth innings and one more in the eighth to put the game out of reach, 14-1.
Texas State fell behind in the second game of the day when Wichita State scored five runs in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. The Bobcats scored in the top of the ninth when Paiz plated Hill with a single to centerfield on a 2-2 pitch.
Texas State and Wichita State will face off in the final game of the series at 1 p.m. Saturday. After that, the Bobcats will return home to host No. 3 Houston on Tuesday at Bobcat Ballpark. It will be "Goldy Night", as Texas State honors Paul Goldschmidt with a formal jersey retirement ceremony.
Troy Falls to St. Louis in Final Frame
Pensacola, Florida – With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Saint Louis catcher Jake Henson singled to the gap in left-center field to score the winning run, lifting the Billikens to a 2-1 decision over the Trojans on Friday in the Cox Diamond Invitational in Pensacola, Florida.
Sophomore Marc Skinner (0-1) retired the first batter in the ninth before surrendering a single. The 2014 Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year then picked the runner off of first for the second out. Just as the momentum looked to shift into the Trojans favor, the game again shifted. Skinner hit a batter and walked another before allowing the walk-off single.
Corey Childress got the start on the mound and was fantastic through seven innings. The freshman didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning. He allowed one run on three hits for the game.
Saint Louis starter Josh Moore was equally as good, allowing one run on five hits through eight innings of work. Zach Girrens (1-0) tossed a scoreless ninth in relief to earn the win.
The Billikens (2-3) struck first in the seventh inning on a two-out double from Henson, scoring the runner from first. Before that point, Childress hadn't allowed a runner to advance past first base.
The Trojans (3-2) tied the game in the eighth. Trevin Hall singled with two outs then quickly stole second. Tripp Calhoun then rolled a single through the right side of the infield to score the run.
Troy had a chance to take the lead in the top of the ninth. Nick Masonia walked to start the frame and Shaw Pinnell came on to pinch run. Pinnell advanced to second on a wild pitch, then, with two outs, stole third. A fly out, however, ended the inning and the threat.
The Trojans will return to action on Saturday as they take on North Florida at 3 p.m.
Iowa Defeats UALR
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – The UALR baseball team fell to Iowa by 3-1 score on Friday at QuikTrip Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.
Cory Malcom had another great outing for the Trojans with six innings on the mound, striking out five and allowing just two earned runs, but the Trojans’ bats couldn’t come alive.
“We faced a very good Iowa club who ran out four good arms, two of whom will be pitchers on the professional side and will receive a lot of interest," UALR coach Chris Curry said. "Our guys battled. They had really, really good at-bats against some really good arms that threw in the low to mid 90s. We had a few long at-bats and some big hits. One was with two strikes, and we just weren’t able to get the big hit to put us over the hump. We had a couple of runners on, and we took fastballs with runners in scoring position. We had runners at second and third with one out, and we weren’t able to get the situational at-bat that we needed. Iowa, to their credit, did.”
Iowa started the game with a single through the right side and a groundout to Justin Steelmon. The Iowa runner advanced to second and eventually scored after another Hawkeyes single.
Iowa got on the board again in the sixth inning with a solo homer to left.
The Trojans finally put up a run in the bottom of the sixth after Ryan Scott got on base with a double to left center. Scott advanced to third on a wild pitch with Tanner Rockwell at the plate. Rockwell eventually walked, putting runners on the corners with no outs. Steelmon came to the plate and knocked one up the middle, scoring Scott from third. The Trojans ended the inning with Rockwell and Steelmon still on base.
Down 2-1, UALR allowed another run in the top of the ninth after a double to left center and a single up the middle.
Going into the bottom of the ninth down 3-1 with one out, the Trojans were able to get Drew Merten on base after he was hit by a pitch. Ryan McSwain came in to pinch run with pinch hitter Jason Prevatt up to bat. After taking a called first strike, Prevatt hit into a 1-6-3 double play to end the game.
Cameron Allen was UALR’s only reliever as he took the mound in the seventh and pitched the rest of the way. Allen struck out one and gave up three hits and a run.
“Cory Malcom and Cameron Allen gave us a chance to win on the mound with Cory going six innings and Cameron going three,” Curry said. “We just made a couple of tough pitches that Iowa capitalized on, and that was the difference in the game. They capitalized in situational hitting and we didn’t.”
As a team, the Trojans had four hits, but it was wasn’t enough to overcome seven strikeouts and leaving seven runners on base.
“I told the team on Friday afternoon that when you’re facing the No. 1 pitcher, the game comes down to two opportunities to get it done. If you don’t get it done when they’re on the hook, that’s why they’re the No. 1. They find a way to work out of it.
“I encouraged our team. We don’t believe in moral victories, but our preparation and plan today was there. That was a step in the right direction against a very good team. We look forward to tomorrow and getting back out there and playing hard.”
The Trojans will try to avoid a four-game skid when they return to QuikTrip Park to face the Missouri State Bears on Saturday at 6 p.m.
No. 13 Maryland Keeps USA at Bay
MOBILE, Ala. – Maryland right-hander Mike Shawaryn combined with two Terrapin relievers to shut out University of South Alabama baseball 8-0 Friday at Stanky Field.
Shawaryn (2-0) allowed just three hits while striking out six in seven innings of work. He retired the first 10 batters he faced in order, and 18 of the first 19 with a single by Cole Billingsley in the fourth inning as the only blemish through his first six frames.
"I thought Shawaryn was very good," head coach Mark Calvi said. "He was as good as advertised. He locates his fastball at 90-92 with some late sink. There's a reason why he did as well as he did in the ACC. We knew he was going to be tough to deal with; he blanked South Carolina in a regional last year. He has good stuff, and those are the kind of kids you need to beat. He pitched really well, and on a cold night they pitched, hit and played better defense than us tonight."
Maryland (4-0) spotted Shawaryn a four-run lead before he even took the mound after a four-run first inning off of USA southpaw Austin Stephens (0-1). The Terrapins put runners at the corners with no outs after a hit by pitch to Brandon Lowe and a single to right field by LaMonte Wade, and took a 1-0 lead one batter later on an RBI single through the right side of the infield by Nick Cieri. Kevin Martir followed with an RBI single to left field to double the Terrapin lead to 2-0. A hit by pitch from Stephens to Tim Lewis loaded the bases with one out later in the inning. Andrew Bechtold then delivered a two-run single to right-center field to push the UM lead to 4-0.
Wade increased the Maryland lead to 5-0 with an RBI single in the top of the second inning, and added a run in the fifth on an RBI single Lewis. Maryland added the game's final two runs in the sixth inning.
Wade finished 4-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored to lead Maryland at the plate. Billingsley went 2-for-4 to lead the USA offense.
Jaguar right-hander Luke Morgan tossed 2 2/3 scoreless relief innings in his Jaguar debut, and allowed just one hit. Matt Sharp pitched one scoreless inning and struck out one in his 2015 debut.
"It's good to play the best competition you can and see what your guys have," Calvi said. "Good competition shows you where you have strengths and weaknesses. I have learned a lot of good things about this team the last couple of games. There are a lot of things I like, and there are a few things I don't like but playing a tough schedule will do that. The tougher the schedule, the better for us.
"At the end of the year if we want to play for championships in the postseason, these are the types of teams we'll face and the type of teams we will have to beat to advance. Hopefully I will see a response tomorrow. We play as good a team, or better, in Arkansas Saturday. The bottom line is we need a better start to the game."
South Alabama will return to action Saturday when it hosts Arkansas (3-1) at 6:30 p.m. at Stanky Field. The Razorbacks fell to Central Florida 9-5 Friday afternoon at Stanky Field.