Friday, February 27
Mizell's Double Lifts Eagles to Come From Behind Win over Georgia
STATESBORO, Ga. – Aaron Mizell plated the go-ahead run with a double in the seventh inning as the Georgia Southern Eagles rallied to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs 4-3 in the series opener.
Georgia Southern (6-4) got solid pitching from starter Evan Challenger, who allowed two runs over five innings, and trailed 3-2 after the top of the seventh inning.
Freshman Logan Baldwin got the rally started for the Eagles after being hit by a pitch, and Kody Adams quickly followed with a single through the right side of the infield.
Drew Moody (0-1) struck out Will Hudgins for the second out of the inning but was lifted for lefthander Bo Tucker. Facing Tucker, Mizell laced a double into the right center field to score two runs and put the Eagles ahead for good.
"You have to focus on the next game. We had two tough ones earlier in the week," Head Coach Rodney Hennon said. "The guys did a good job of putting that behind them, and we were very fortunate to be on the other side of a one-run game tonight."
Mizell also tripled over the head of right fielder Skyler Weber and scored a run in the first inning on Chase Griffin's two-out single.
Jason Richman picked up the win after two innings of work. Richman (2-0) allowed one unearned run and struck out three batters.
"We got a good effort from all the guys that pitched and it was nice to see Mizell and Cleveland have some big at-bats tonight. Those guys had been struggling and hopefully this will get them going," Hennon said.
Chris Brown worked 1.2 innings to earn his third save of the season. Brown (3) struck out three batters and did not allow a hit.
The three-game series continues tomorrow at 2 p.m. The Eagles will send RHP Tripp Sheppard to the mound, and the Bulldogs will counter with Ryan Lawlor. The game will air on ESPN3.
Jags Knock Off Brown in Series Opener
MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team used a five-run fifth inning en route to a 9-7 series-opening win over Brown Friday at Stanky Field.
USA (6-3) faced a three-run deficit through the game's first four-and-a-half innings. Brown scored a run in the first and second innings, but the Jags answered with a pair of runs in the third to tie the game. But the Bears pushed three additional runs across in the next two innings before USA erupted for five.
Jaguar second baseman Matt Bolger led off the USA bottom of the fifth with a single to right field, and moved to third on a two-out single to right field by Cole Billingsley. Jared Barnes followed with a walk to load the bases. Daniel Martinez then delivered a two-run single that ricocheted off of Brown right-hander Dave St. Lawrence into shallow right field to score Bolger and Billingsley and cut the Brown lead to 5-4. Cole Gleason followed with an RBI single to left field to plate Barnes and tie the game 5-5. A hit by pitch from Brown reliever Chris Smith to Garrett DeGallier loaded the bases for Adam Ballew, who singled to right field to score Gleason and Martinez for a 7-5 Jaguar lead.
USA added two significant insurance runs one inning later. The Jags loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth on singles by Bud Collura and Barnes, and a walk by Billingsley. Martinez followed with a two-run single to center field to score Collura and Billingsley and extend the Jaguar lead to 9-5.
Brown scored the final runs of the game on a two-run single by Marc Sredojevic in the top of the ninth, and had the tying run on base but USA left-hander Shane McKinley recorded the final two outs of the game to earn his first career save.
Jaguar right-hander Mike Dolloff (2-0) allowed two runs on five hits with a pair of strikeouts and three walks in 3 1/3 relief innings to earn the win. St. Lawrence took the loss and allowed seven runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks in 4 2/3 innings.
"I thought Dolloff did a really good job," head coach Mark Calvi said. "He was aggressive and kept us in that game. Dolloff, Cody Van Aken and McKinley were outstanding for us tonight, and we needed them to be every bit as good as they were to win this one tonight. I'm impressed with the way Brown came out and swung the bat and played defense with it being their first game of the year. It says a lot about their kids and the way they're coached. I was thoroughly impressed with their team."
Every Jaguar starter recorded at least one hit in the game, led by Martinez went 2-for-4 with a career-high four RBI, one run scored and a stolen base. Ballew finished 2-for-4 with two RBI. Guthrie went 4-for-5 with a double, one home run, three RBI and two runs scored to lead the Bears at the plate.
Brown (0-1) jumped out to an early lead with a run in the first, followed by a run in the second inning.
The Bears loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the first on a pair of walks and a single from Noah Shulman. Josh Huntley followed with an RBI sacrifice fly to left-center field for a 1-0 lead. Guthrie led off the top of the second with a solo homer to left field to double the Brown lead to 2-0.
But the Jags answered to tie the game in the bottom of the third with a pair of runs. Drew LaBounty reached on a leadoff single to shortstop, and later scored on a wild pitch from St. Lawrence. Collura, who singled behind LaBounty, tied the game one batter later when he scored on an RBI groundout to first by Billingsley.
Brown responded with a run in the top of the fourth to take a 3-2 lead on an RBI single by Brian Ginsberg that scored Guthrie, who singled with one out earlier in the inning and advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt.
The Bears pushed their lead to 5-2 in the top of the fifth on a two-out, two-run double down the left-field line by Guthrie before USA took a lead it never relinquished in the bottom of the fifth.
"Daniel Martinez and Adam Ballew came through with some big hits when we need them tonight," Calvi said. "Their (Brown) pitcher did a good job of shutting us down early. I give him credit; we weren't getting good swings off of him. But we hung in there and kept battling. We haven't been very good with men in scoring position, but we were much better tonight. We need a couple more guys to get settled in and comfortable in their own skin in the box, but it was good to see tonight."
The series will continue with a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. at Stanky Field.
Bobcats Make it Three in a Row
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State won its third consecutive game with a 5-3 victory over Central Michigan Friday. The Bobcats braved the cold weather and persevered behind a timely hit from David Paiz and strong pitching from Lucas Humpal and Blake Whitter.
Humpal went seven innings and only gave up five hits. He struck out three and walked four, but only allowed two earned runs. Braden Pearson, Justin Dellinger and Blake Whitter combined for two innings and only allowed one hit. Whitter shut Central Michigan down in the ninth for his first save of the season and Texas State's second.
Central Michigan was the first to score with a run in the top of the second inning. Texas State, however, showed some resolve by limiting the Chippewas to just one run after they loaded the bases with no outs. First, Luke Sherley, Cedric Vallieres and Ben McElroy combined for a double play, and Vallieres followed with an easy 4-3 putout to finish the top of the inning. The Chippewas added two more runs in the third for an early 3-0 lead.
Texas State came storming back in the bottom of the third, though, behind the bat of Paiz. Sherley became the first Texas State base runner of the inning when he took a hit by pitch. Behind him, both Cody Lovejoy and Vallieres hit singles to load the bases for Paiz. Vallieres's hit came on a bunt.
Paiz cleared the bases with a well-placed triple to the right corner of the field to tie the game, 3-3, in a hurry. After that, McElroy put the ball in play to plate Paiz for a 4-3 Texas State lead after three. The Bobcats wouldn't relinquish the lead the rest of the way.
After two scoreless innings, the Bobcats spread the lead to two runs. Matt Sanchez, in a pinch hitting role, reached on a fielder's choice. He came in on a single from freshman Jared Huber for a 5-3 Texas State lead after six innings, and that's all it would take.
In addition to Paiz, McElroy and Huber picked up an RBI each. Lovejoy led the team with two hits while Vallieres, Paiz and Huber finished with a hit each.
Texas State and Central Michigan are scheduled to play a doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday. Continue to check www.txstatebobcats.com throughout the weekend for schedule changes in case of weather.
Troy Defeats Southern Miss to win Fourth Consecutive
TROY, Alabama – Behind another strong pitching performance and timely hitting, the Troy baseball team defeated Southern Mississippi 6-2 on Friday at Riddle-Pace Field.
Logan Hill blasted a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning and freshman Corey Childress picked up his third quality start in as many outings. Hill was 3-for-4 in the game and scored twice.
Childress (2-0) surrendered a pair of solo home runs – one in the fifth, the other in the sixth – and escaped a few jams but pitched well in six innings. The right-hander allowed six hits and two walks while striking out four to earn the win on the mound.
Tripp Calhoun drove in two runs in the contest, the first on a fielder's choice in the second inning and another on a bases loaded walk in the fourth.
The Trojans (7-2) took a 6-1 lead in the fifth courtesy of a Reid Long RBI single and a sacrifice fly from Trevin Hall. Hall was 3-for-3 in the game and has 11 hits in his last 16 at bats. Nick Masonia was 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs and has a hit in all but one game this season.
Jeremy McGowan struck out two batters in two innings of work in relief. It was the 58th career appearance for the senior, ninth most in school history. Marc Skinner made his sixth appearance of the season and tossed a scoreless ninth.
Troy finished with 11 hits; the fifth time the team has eclipsed double-digit hits this season. The last time the Trojans were 7-2 to start a season was 2011. The team also entered the weekend with a league-leading .303 average; that number jumped to .310 after Friday's game. Southern Miss' record falls to 3-4-1 on the year.
Troy and Southern Miss will play the middle game of the three-game series on Saturday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. Admission to Saturday's 'Hits for Heroes' contest will be FREE with donations being accepted throughout the game. Pregame ceremonies will begin at 12:45.
Hits for Heroes is an organization aimed at raising awareness and money for soldiers in need of support, encouragement and supplies. This year, Hits for Heroes partnered with the USO in order to send care packages at the highest efficiency.
The game in Troy will feature camouflage uniforms worn by both Troy and Southern Mississippi; fans will also have the opportunity to purchase T-shirts. Special presentations and acknowledgements will take place throughout the game.
Rose, Levy Lead as Panthers Deal Ohio First Loss, 10-8
ATLANTA -- David Levy drove in three runs, and Matt Rose collected two hits and his first save as Georgia State (5-4) won 10-8 to hand Ohio (6-1) its first loss Friday at the GSU Baseball Complex.
With the game tied at 7-7 in the sixth inning, freshman Will Johnson delivered a two-out, two-run double to center field to score Rose, who singled and moved to second on a groundout, and give Georgia State the lead for good. Johnson came around to score on an error for a 9-7 advantage. The rookie from Atlanta finished 2-for-2 with two RBI, three runs scored and three walks on the day.
After Ohio answered with Tyler Wells' solo homer in the seventh to pull within 9-8, Levy produced a key insurance run in the eighth. Johnson walked to lead off the frame and then moved to second on a wild pitch. After Justin Jones drew a one-out walk to put runners at first and second, Levy poked a single into right field on a hit-and-run to score Johnson.
"Any time you go into the ninth with more than a one-run lead, you eliminate a lot of options for the other team, so that was a huge run," Georgia State head coach Greg Frady said. "David did a good job today."
Then Rose, the talented right-hander, moved from first base to make his first mound appearance of the season and quickly recorded three outs for the save. The junior from Melbourne, Fla., who leads the nation with five home runs, had a single and a double today, along with two intentional walks and two runs scored. He also made two exceptional defensive plays at first base.
"Matt is a great player," Frady added. "Of course he got the save, and he had a good day offensively. He got pitched around, and that's just the way it's going to be, but he stayed patient. He's a great player - we're lucky to have Matt Rose."
Rose added, "It felt good to be on the mound and help my team get a win."
Georgia State jumped in front with a five-run second inning, keyed by Levy. Rose led off with a double, Johnson drew a one-out walk, and Sam Few singled to left to bring home Rose. After Jones, another freshman, beat out an infield single to load the bases, Levy hit a long single to left field to score two and put the Panthers ahead 3-0. Another run came home when James Clements was hit by a pitch with bases load, and then Joey Roach's sacrifice fly gave GSU the early 5-0 lead.
"We are really focusing on playing good defense, and we did that today," said Levy, the Panthers' second baseman. "I was just trying to get on base, and I'm glad I was able to come through with some big hits to help us win."
Caden Bailey homered to lead off the third inning, his first round-tripper of the season increasing the Panthers' lead to 6-1. In the fourth, Johnson worked a bases-loaded walk for a 7-1 advantage.
But Ohio struck for four runs in the fifth off starter Nathan Bates, who allowed five runs on eight hits and did not figure in the decision. The Bobcats tied the game in the sixth on Jake Madsen's two-run double.
GSU reliever Marc-Andre Habeck (2-0) earned the victory.
"I really want to credit to our guys for hanging in there and finding a way to win," Frady said. "Ohio came in here undefeated, and they're a really good team. So many guys did their jobs to give us a chance to win. It just feels good to win."
The series continues with games scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. at the GSU Baseball Complex. Tickets are priced at just $5 and are available on gameday.
Owen's Strong Outing Helps A-State Top HBU, 3-2
HOUSTON, Texas (2/27/15) – Junior starting pitcher David Owen tossed eight shutout innings as the Arkansas State baseball team held on to defeat Houston Baptist 3-2 Friday afternoon at Husky Field in Houston, Texas.
Owen scattered seven hits over the eight innings he threw and struck out five, while only walking one. The Huskies (5-4) had one major scoring chance against Owen after Curtis Jones singled with two outs and stole second base. Samm Wiggins hit a single through the right side and Jones tried to score, but was gunned down by A-State’s right fielder Ty White at the plate to keep the score 0-0.
A-State (5-3) got on the board first in the top of the fourth inning after Stuart Levy smacked a one-out double down the left field line and scored on a Joe Schrimpf RBI single a batter later. The Red Wolves added another run in the fifth to go ahead 2-0 after White laid down a bunt single with one out and later scored on a two-out double to left center by Austin Baker.
Arkansas State tacked on another run in the sixth inning with Levy leading the inning off with a single. Schrimpf bunted Levy over to second and Levy advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw. Matt Burgess lined a single to right field through a drawn-in infield to score Levy and extend A-State’s lead to 3-0.
The Red Wolves kept the 3-0 lead until the bottom of the ninth inning when Colton Kibler came in to try to close the game. Kibler got the first Houston Baptist batter to pop up to second base, but the next two hitters singled to put runners on first and second with one out. Austin Saenz doubled both runners home with a line drive down the left field line and represented the tying run on second base with one out. However a fly out to left field and a ground out to second base nailed down the save for Kibler, his second of the season, and the 3-2 victory for Arkansas State.
Offensively, A-State was led by Levy and White with two hits each, while Baker, Schrimpf, and Burgess all knocked in one run. Zach George extended his on-base streak to 27 games with a seventh-inning double off the right field wall.
The Red Wolves and Huskies will play a doubleheader Saturday at Husky Field due to the threat of inclement weather on Sunday. The first game will be played at 11 a.m. with the second game to follow approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of game one.
No. 12 Maryland Tops Mountaineers, 4-2
EMERSON, Ga. — After managing just two hits through eight innings, Appalachian State University baseball brought the tying run to the plate in the top of the ninth but its upset bid fell short in a 4-2 loss to No. 16 Maryland on Friday afternoon at the Perfect Game LakePoint Complex.
Appalachian State (3-4) only mustered two hits and stuck out 12 times in seven innings against Maryland ace Mike Shawaryn (3-0). One of the Mountaineers’ two hits off Shawaryn was a leadoff home run by sophomore catcher Zach Hummel in the top of the sixth that pulled App State within three at 4-1. The solo blast was the first homer of Hummel’s career.
The score remained 4-1 until the top of the ninth when Appalachian found some offensive success against the Terrapins’ bullpen. Senior Brandon Burris got the rally started with a one-out double down the left-field line. Burris moved to third on a groundout by Michael Pierson and came home on a two-out RBI single by Jaylin Davis to cut the Mountaineers’ deficit to 4-2.
With Davis on first base, cleanup hitter Dillon Dobson represented the tying run when he came to the plate with two outs but Maryland’s second pitcher of the ninth inning, Robert Galligan, got him to ground out to end the ballgame.
Maryland (6-1) scored all four of its runs in the third inning, highlighted by a three-run homer Jose Caus.
Appalachian State starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs did not surrender any runs outside of the third inning and struck out five over five frames but suffered his first loss of the season to fall to 0-1. Freshman Reed Howell continued to impress with three innings of one-hit relief to close the ballgame. In six innings this season, Howell has allowed only five hits and struck out seven, including four punch-outs on Friday.
Pierson collected one of Appalachian’s four hits to reach base for the 37th-consecutive game. He came into the weekend tied for the third-longest on-base streak in the nation.
The Mountaineers look to even the three-game weekend series when they face Maryland on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Cajuns Topped by No. 24 Alabama, 6-4
HOOVER, Ala. – Alabama's C.J. Wilhite provided the game-winning hit in the bottom of the eighth as the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team fell 6-4 in the series opener against the 25th-ranked Crimson Tide on Friday afternoon at the Hoover Met.
Junior Will Bacon was tabbed with his first loss of the season despite retiring six of the first seven batters he faced. Bacon held Alabama (7-2) to two runs (one earned) on two hits with four strikeouts in 2.2 innings of relief.
Freshman Evan Guillory went five innings for the Cajuns (4-5) in a no decision giving up four runs on four hits with four strikeouts and three walks.
"I thought we were in a good position to win this game, but we couldn't overcome a couple self inflicted wounds which was the difference in today's game," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "I really like the job our bullpen did today. We had our best pitchers come in and they did exactly what we wanted. Unfortunately they got a flare hit down the line to get the go ahead run."
Bama reliever Ray Castillo picked up the win to improve to 1-0 on the year throwing two perfect innings with three strikeouts.
Starter Taylor Guilbeau took a no-hitter into the fifth for Alabama, but was roughed up for four runs on six hits in seven innings and had eight strikeouts.
"I give a lot of credit to our hitters," Robichaux said. "They broke another really good arm and gave us a chance to win the game. We've got to find a way to not just find a way to win games, but to go out and win them."
The Crimson Tide had a 7-6 advantage in hits led by Georgia Salem who was 2-for-4 with a double, scored a run and drove in one.
Senior Tyler Girouard was the only Ragin' Cajuns player to post multiple hits in the contest going 2-for-4 and scored one of the Cajuns four runs.
Alabama broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the third exploding for four runs on three hits and a walk. Will Haynie walked to start the inning and moved to third via a single to center by Chance Vincent and a sac bunt by Chandler Avant. Haynie came home on a wild pitch by Guillory to make the score 1-0. Following a Salem RBI single, Mikey White drove a triple into the gap in right center to give Bama a three-run lead. Casey Hughston capped the scoring in the inning on a RBI groundout to Guillory scoring White from third.
The Ragin' Cajuns evened the contest in the top of the seventh putting a four-spot of their own on the board to tie the game at 4-all.
After back-to-back singles by Greg Davis and Girouard with one out, junior Joe Robbins lined a single to center to score Davis from second. In the next at bat, Brenn Conrad singled to the gap in left center to plate Girouard and cut the Alabama lead in half. Mills continued the scoring in the inning as he brought home Robbins on a ground ball back up the middle to make the score 4-3.
With Nick Thurman at the plate and two outs, Conrad got the benefit of a Guilbeau wild pitch to score the tying run.
In the bottom of the eighth, Alabama put runners on first and second with two outs following a single to left by Kyle Overstreet. Louisiana turned to reliever Colton Lee who got ahead of Wilhite 0-2, but Wilhite was able to flare the next pitch over the head of Davis at first base down the right field line to score the eventual game-winning run. The Crimson Tide plated the final run of the game on a fielding error by Davis later in the inning.
The Cajuns and Tide return to action tomorrow at 2 p.m. at the Hoover Met as senior Greg Milhorn will make his third start of the season, while Will Carter will get the start for Alabama.
Missed Opportunities Cost Mavericks in 12-9 Loss to Islanders
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - It was a back-and-forth affair between UT Arlington and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday afternoon, but it was missed opportunities that hurt the Mavericks as they fell 12-8.
"On a day like today where the conditions are like they are with the wind blowing like it is, you've got to score," UT Arlington coach Darin Thomas said. "We left guys on base what seemed like every inning, but when we need a really big hit we didn't get it and hopefully that changes soon."
The Mavericks (3-5) ended the day with 13 runners left on base, while the Islanders (6-2) only had five LOB in the game. UTA scored its nine runs on 16 hits with one error, while TAMU-CC scored 12runs on 19 hits with one error.
UT Arlington got on the board early in the game as Jackson Morris hit a single to right field that brought in Matt McLean, giving UTA a one-run lead. The Mavs extended their lead in the inning as a walk made room for Travis Sibley to cross the plate.
UTA was able to add to its lead in the second when Morris recorded his second hit of the day that made room for McLean to cross the plate and put the Mavs on top 3-0.
The Mavericks looked to be in trouble in the bottom of the second as the Islanders put runners on first and second with just one out. However, Eric Tate came up big defensively for UTA as the senior infielder caught a line ball to third base and then tossed it to Sibley at second for a double play to end the inning.
While UT Arlington was able to get out of a jam in the second inning, the third inning was a different story as the Islanders were able to put four runs on the board to take a one-run lead into the fourth inning. The runs marked the first of the season given up by Chad Nack, who entered the weekend with a 0.00 ERA in two outings this season.
The Mavericks regained control of the game in the fifth inning when Tate hit a deep double just out of reach of the center fielder that brought in RJ Williams to tie the game at four runs apiece. In the next at bat, Cody Farrell hit a single through the right side that returned the lead to UTA at 5-4.
AMCC used back to back triples in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the game at five runs. The Islanders looked to record their third straight triple with a hit to the right field wall, but Cody Farrell and RJ Williams were impressive on the relay to Tate, recording the second out of the inning. The Mavericks ended the fifth inning trailing 6-5.
The back and forth continued into the sixth inning as Levi Scott registered his second hit of the day with a deep double that bounced off the center field wall. Scott then relied on a Williams single to left field to cross the plate and tie the game up at six runs.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi took a one-run lead in the bottom of the sixth when it used a two-out single to left field to bring in one run. The run forced the Mavericks to make their first pitching change of the day, bringing in Jacob Moreland for Nack. Nack's day ended with four strikeouts and 12 hits in his 5.2 innings on the mound.
The Mavericks made one final push in the eighth inning when a walk paired with singles by Morris and Williams loaded the bases with no outs on the board. Olson then came to the plate and hit a high-flying single to shallow left field that pushed Scott past home plate. In the next at bat, Tate grounded into a double play, but was still able to bring in the tying run as Morris crossed the plate.
A&M-Corpus Christi then used a decisive four-run eighth inning to take a 12-8 lead into the game's final inning.
UTA looked to rally late in the game, scoring one run when a Scott single brought in Tanner Houston to cut the lead to three runs.Scott ended the day 3-of-4 at the plate with two runs scored and one RBI. However, it was too little too late as a strikeout ended the game with UT Arlington on the wrong end of a 12-9 decision.
The Mavs will return to action on Saturday when they take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the second game of the series with first pitch slated for 2 p.m. Weather postponed the second game of Friday's doubleheader, forcing the two teams to double up on Sunday starting at 10 a.m.