Sunday, March 15
Blanton, Bullpen Power Doubleheader Sweep at Arkansas State
Jonesboro, Ark -- Ryan Blanton went 8-for-11 with a homer and a triple and the bullpen pitched 9.2 scoreless innings as GSU earned its first Sun Belt Conference road series win, 5-4 (12) and 6-3 at Arkansas State.
Georgia State (12-6, 2-0) is off to a 2-0 start in the Sun Belt, the only remaining undefeated team in the league. The third game of the series was cancelled due to rain Friday and Saturday.
In Game 1, the Panthers rallied from a 4-2 deficit to win in extra innings. After Joey Roach tied the game at 4-4 with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, Blanton led off the 12th with a triple and then scored on Caden Bailey's bloop double down the left field line.
Blanton and Matt Rose hit solo homers in the third inning. Blanton's homer was his third of the week and fourth of the season, while Rose blasted his Sun Belt-leading sixth round-tripper. He also contributed a two-run single in the nightcap.
Game 1: Georgia State 5, Arkansas State 4 (12 innings)
Ryan Blanton led off the 12th inning with a triple and then scored the winning run on Caden Bailey's bloop double down the left field line to give Georgia State a 5-4 extra-inning victory over Arkansas State in the first game of a doubleheader.
Trailing 4-2, the Panthers pulled within one on David Levy's RBI-groundout in the seventh and then tied the game on Joey Roach's sacrifice fly in the eighth.
Blanton went 4-for-6 in the game, including a solo homer to lead off the third inning. With two outs, Matt Rose also homered, his sixth of the season.
GSU starter Nathan Bates allowed four runs, three earned, in 6.1 innings with nine strikeouts. He issued just two walks but they were to back-to-back batters in the second inning, and both scored on Matt Burgess' double as the Red Wolves took a 3-0 lead.
Alex Hegner relieved Bates in the seventh and tossed 1.2 scoreless innings, and then freshman Will White recorded the next four outs before giving way to Kevin Burgee (1-0), who pitched the final 2.2 innings without allowing a run or a hit to earn the victory.
Game 2: Georgia State 6, Arkansas State 3
Ryan Blanton collected four hits, and four Georgia State pitchers combined to allow just one earned run on five hits as the Panthers defeated Arkansas State 6-3 to complete a doubleheader sweep and win their Sun Belt Conference series.
Matt Rose delivered a two-run single in the third inning to give the Panthers the early 2-0 lead. Arkansas State tied the game with two unearned runs in the fourth when pitcher Kenny Anderson threw wildly on a throw to the plate on a bunt play. But the Panthers regained the lead for good with two unearned runs of their own in the fifth.
Zach George's solo homer in the fifth pulled Arkansas State within 4-3, but Joey Roach and Trae Sweeting provided insurance runs with run scoring singles in the seventh and ninth innings, respectively.
Anderson (2-1) pitched into the sixth inning, allowing three runs but only one earned on four hits with two strikeouts. Jerry Stuckey (one inning) and Wayne Wages (two innings) kept the Red Wolves off the scoreboard, and the Cole Uvila recorded the final three outs for his first save.
UALR Sweeps Doubleheader with Cajuns on Sunday
LITTLE ROCK – UALR (6-8, 3-2) baseball swept Louisiana (10-7, 3-2) by scores of 5-4 and 7-6 with a pair of walk-off hits in a shortened two-game conference series on Sunday.
Although the series was shortened to two games due to rain and field conditions, this is the Trojans’ first season sweep of the Ragin’ Cajuns since they last did it in 2000 at Gary Hogan Field.
“I cannot say enough about this team and the fight they have,” head coach Chris Curry said. “Again, I go back to the very first thing I told them in our team meeting which is they had been through a lot. Their resiliency, toughness, and willingness to keep coming back are unbelievable. That’s what got us today’s wins. There’s a saying that to be the best, you have to beat the best, and the Ragin’ Cajuns are the reigning champions of our league. So we challenged our guys to get after it today and we needed their best.”
In the first game of the doubleheader, Louisiana struck first by scoring three runs in the third inning. UALR struck right back in the bottom of the inning as Petr Sila reached on a fielder’s choice and was followed up by a single through the right side by Jason Prevatt. With runners on first and second with two outs, Tanner Rockwell doubled and gained two RBIs as Prevatt and Sila scored to make it a 3-2 ballgame.
The Ragin’ Cajuns gained one run in the fourth with a solo home run off the bat of Joe Robbins to increase their lead to 4-2. Starter Cory Malcom left runners on first and second to get out of the inning. Malcom pitched five innings and struck out five while giving up eight hits, four runs and two walks.
The Trojans would eventually tie the game in the sixth inning. Joseph Paulino got on base after being hit by a pitch with two outs.Freshman Ryan McSwain, starting in his second career game, then went yard with a two-run homer over the left field wall to tie the game at 4-4.
In the bottom of the ninth with the game still tied, catcher Drew Merten led off the inning by taking first after getting hit by a pitch. Sam Vogel pinch ran for Merten as Hayden Martin then hit a sac bunt to advance Vogel to second. Sila was then intentionally walked to setup the possible double play. With a 1-0 count, Prevatt was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. At 0 for 4 in the game, Ryan Scott came through when it mattered most as got a walk-off single to win the game for the Trojans.
In the second game of the day, UALR got on the board first with a pair of runs in the first inning. Sila led off the game with a bunt single to first and proceeded to steal second. With two outs, Tanner Rockwell doubled to right center, scoring Sila from second to take a 1-0 lead. Kyle Kirk reached on an error by the second baseman to put runners at first and second with two outs. Paulino got his first double of the year with a liner down the left field line, scoring Rockwell from second to take a 2-0 lead.
The Cajuns got their revenge in the top of the second by scoring three runs on three hits to take a 3-2 lead. The damage could have been worse but starter Sam Thoele managed to leave two runners on base.
Louisiana managed to add one more in the top of the fifth before UALR answered right back with a run of its own. Sila got on base by getting hit by a pitch with one out. Prevatt then singled to center and advanced Sila to third. Scott came up to the plate and hit an RBI single to right field, scoring Sila from third.
The Cajuns answered the Trojans run with another run in the top of the sixth as Kyle Clement led the inning off with a triple down the right field line. Clement eventually scored from third on a sac bunt to push Louisiana’s lead to 5-3. The Cajuns added their final run of the game in the seventh inning after a doubling to center and singling up the middle to begin the inning, taking a 6-3 lead in the process.
The Trojans started their comeback in the 8th as Scott was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the inning. With a 0-2 count, Rockwell hit his first home run of the season with a two-run shot to left. The Trojans went into the ninth with a 6-5 deficit.
In the bottom of the ninth and trailing by a run, UALR went on the offensive. Sila hit a leadoff single through the left side and advanced to second after Prevatt laid down a sac bunt. Scott hit an RBI single and advanced to second on the throw while Sila scored from second. After two hits already for the game, Rockwell delivered the final blow with a walk-off single to give UALR the two-game series sweep over Louisiana.
Rockwell was the Trojans’s best hitter for the day as he went 6 for 9 overall with a home run, two doubles, six RBIs, and two runs. Rockwell now has a five-game hitting streak while he has reached base in seven consecutive games.
McSwain had a great day in his second- and third-career starts as he went 3 for 7 with a home run, two RBIs and a run.
Scott continued his impressive play by going 3 for 9 overall with three RBIs and two runs. Scott extended his hitting and reached base streaks to 11 games.
“Rockwelll came alive and he’s the guy we need him to be,” Curry said. “Scott continues to blister things at the plate. McSwain hit a homerun and I have to give credit to coach Roland Fanning. He’s been telling me to play him for 10 games. I finally listened to him, and he was dead on.”
Relief pitchers Dyllon Brownmiller and Cameron Allen pitched in both games against the Ragin’ Cajuns while also picking up the win in each. Brownmiller was hitless in 3.1 innings on the mound as he struck out one and walked two. Allen pitched 4.0 innings as he struck out four and allowed three runs and five hits.
“Thoele and Malcom weren’t sharp, but they kept the game close,” Curry said. “What a wonderful job the bullpen did with Allen, Jarrid Garcia, and Brownmiller. Brownmiller took the ball and kept the game close.”
Garcia pitched 2.1 innings in the first game as he struck out one and only allowed one hit and a walk.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this team,” Curry said. “We’ve got everything in front of us, but our next game is Tuesday. That’s what we have to get after.”
The Trojans will return to action on Tuesday in Springfield, Mo., at Missouri State before coming home to face Louisiana Tech on Wednesday.
Williams' Walk-off Single Gives Mavs 5-4 Win over Jaguars
ARLINGTON, Texas - RJ Williams took the first pitch of his at-bat in the ninth inning and sent it up the middle for a walk-off single to complete UT Arlington's exciting 5-4 comeback win over South Alabama on Sunday afternoon at Clay Gould Ballpark.
The win gave the Mavericks (9-7, 4-2 Sun Belt) their second conference series win this season, while the Jaguars fall to 12-8 overall with a 3-3 mark in conference play.
"It's good to get a series win," UT Arlington coach Darin Thomas said. "We were really flat early and their starter was really good. We woke up just in time and had some better at-bats late."
UTA got off to a sluggish start, allowing USA to take a 4-1 lead into the sixth inning. Despite the difficult beginning to the game, the Mavs shook off the rust to score four unanswered runs in the final four innings. Williams day ended having recorded one hit in three at-bats, while reaching base three times.
"I knew I was going to get another chance," Williams said. "During the game I had a couple bad at-bats, but I was just staying with it. I'm glad Tanner [Houston] and Dalton [DeLeon] got on, and gave me a chance to get up there with two guys on and I was just looking for something up and I got it."
Williams' late-game heroics would not have been possible if not for a two-run seventh inning that knotted up the game at four runs apiece. Back-to-back hits by Levi Scott and Brady Cox set the stage for Dalton DeLeon to come to the plate with runners on the corners. DeLeon came up big with single to right field that allowed Cox to cross the plate. An errant throw by the Jaguars gave Cox the chance to round the bases and cross the plate as the Mavericks' tying run.
Jerame Littell kept UTA within striking distance early in the game as the sophomore came up with a pair of singles through the left side in the third and sixth innings to give the Mavs their first two runs of the game. Littell came away from the game 2-of-4 at the plate with two RBI.
Maverick starter Joel Kuhnel allowed five hits and three earned runs while fanning two Jaguar batters in five innings. Daniel James and Jacob Moreland teamed up in relief as the duo registered two hits and no earned runs allowed in four innings of action. James gave up two hits while walking one and striking out two, while Moreland gave up one hit against five batters faced.
"Joel wasn't sharp by any means, like he usually is, but our bullpen did a really good job," Thomas added. "Daniel James and Jacob Moreland came in and did a really good job holding them to one run after the third, and gave us a chance to chip away and RJ got the big hit at the end."
The Mavericks will return to action on Tuesday when they take on Texas at Globe Life Ballpark in Arlington with first pitch set for 7 p.m.
Bobcats Complete Sweep of Mountaineers with 6-5 Win on Sunday
BOONE, N.C. - Texas State finished the weekend sweep of Appalachian State with a 6-5 victory over the Mountaineers Sunday afternoon. Freshman Derek Scheible hit his first collegiate home run in the eighth inning, and it proved to be the difference in the game. With the win, Texas State improves to 8-10-1 on the season, but, more importantly, stands at 5-1 in Sun Belt Conference action.
It was tied, 5-5, headed to the eighth when Scheible stepped to the plate for the first time in the game. He went down in the count early, 0-2, but fought back, found his pitch and nailed it to left field to open up the inning. His solo home run put the Bobcats up, 6-5, and it would be all Texas State needed to secure the win.
Texas State gave up three home runs in the game, but limited Appalachian State to just four runs on the homers. The first two home runs came in the first and the fourth inning to give App State a 3-0 lead. Texas State fought back to close the deficit in the fifth inning. Matt Sanchez led off with a double and was able to score on an infield single from Cedric Vallieres, his fifth RBI of the series. Vallieres came shortly after on a wild pitch from Appalachian State.
WIth the gap closed to 3-2, Appalachian State knocked the team's third home run of the day in the bottom of the sixth inning. That woke up the Bobcat bats and they came storming back from the 4-2 deficit. Dylan Paul, in a pinch hitting situation, started the rally off with a single to centerfield. Behind him, Cory Geisler knocked a line drive over the centerfielder's head to put two men on base without an out.
After that, Vallieres knocked a double to plate Paul. That brought up the team's leading RBI-hitter, David Paiz. He struck for his first hit of the day, sending a double to the left corner and scoring Geisler and Vallieres to put the Bobcats on top, 5-4.
Appalachian State, trying to get the team's first win in conference play, were opportunistic and scored a run off of Texas State errors in the bottom of the seventh inning. With the game tied, 5-5, Scheible hit his game-saving home run in the eighth to put the Bobcats up for good.
Blake Whitter, quickly grabbing hold of the closer's role, came in for another save after good work from Cory Geisler in relief.
The Bobcats return home to host the UTSA Roadrunners at Bobcat Ballpark at 6 p.m. Tuesday before taking to the road for a conference series against South Alabama over the weekend.
ULM Routs MVSU, 11-1
MONROE, La. – The ULM baseball team scored multiple runs in three different innings including a five-run fifth inning en route to an 11-1 win over Mississippi Valley State on Sunday afternoon at Warhawk Field. With the win in the finale, the Warhawks claimed the series over the Delta Devils, two games to one.
ULM (10-7) jumped on Mississippi Valley State (4-10-1) with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. Kodie Tidwell scored on a wild pitch by Delta Devil pitcher Blake Thomas and Keelin Rasch came into score on a RBI single by Danny Springer.
Mississippi Valley State plated its lone run of the game in the top of the second as Brady McBride was able to score after a throwing error by Warhawk catcher Spencer Hemphill.
The Warhawks responded with a single run of their own in the bottom of the second to push the lead back to two runs (3-1). Jacob Stockton drew a walk and later crossed home plate on a passed ball.
ULM extended the lead to 11-1 as it scored a total of eight runs in the middle third of the game. After scoring two runs in the fourth, the Warhawks exploded for five runs on five hits in the fifth and concluded the scoring in Sunday’s finale with one run in the sixth.
Warhawk starter Trey Setzer notched his second win of the season and improved to 2-0 after surrendering one unearned run on two hits with three walks and seven punchouts in five innings of work. Over his final three innings of work, the left-hander allowed just one base runner but was able to face the minimum en route to his win. Keegan Curtis, Weston Mason, Conner Fiasco, and Josh Leone closed out the game, each tossing a scoreless inning.
Tidwell and Hemphill led the Warhawks with a pair of hits and the pair combined for two RBI and three runs in the win.
Delta Devil starter Blake Thomas was tagged with the loss and falls to 1-3 after allowing six runs (three earned) on three hits and four walks in four innings of work.
Troy Holds Off Eagles to Claim Series with 2-1 Win on Sunday
TROY, Alabama – Off Hunter Thomas' bat in the ninth, it seemed as though Troy and Georgia Southern were headed for extra innings. But, Clay Holcomb cut off the ball just shy of the warning track in right-center field, fired it to shortstop Matt Sanders, who rifled a perfect relay to catcher Tripp Calhoun to gun down the tying run at the plate and hand the Trojans a 2-1 victory at Riddle-Pace Field on Sunday.
With the win, Troy took the series and moved to 17-4 in conference series rubber games at home since 2004.
The Trojans (9-11, 2-4 Sun Belt) took a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning on a pair of Georgia Southern errors and an RBI single from Logan Hill. Brody Binder reached on a fielding error to start the frame and Clay Holcomb quickly sacrificed him to second. After Reid Long reached on an infield single advancing Binder to third, Hill rolled a first-pitch fastball through the left side to score the game's first run. On the next pitch, Trevin Hall grounded a ball to short but the throw to first sailed wide, allowing Long to score.
The Eagles lone run came on a solo home run from Aaron Mizell to start the seventh.
Junior Lucas Brown (1-0) was great in his first career start, allowing one run on six hits while striking out two in seven innings of work. Jeremy McGowan tossed the final two innings to earn his first save of the season. It was the 63rd appearance of McGowan's career, passing Tyler Ray for sole possession of seventh all-time at Troy.
Brown never ran into to trouble aside from the homer and had pitched 18 consecutive scoreless innings prior. Georgia Southern was able to get a runner to second base just twice – once in the second and again in the fifth on a one-out double from Dalton Bisby.
Hill was the lone Trojan to finish with multiple hits; he was 2-for-3 in the game.
The performance from Brown comes after Grant Bennett took a perfect game into the eighth against the Eagles on Saturday. Troy pitchers allowed two runs combined in the last two games of the series.
Georgia Southern (12-9, 4-2) starter Connor Simmons was equally as effective allowing just two hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Troy will not play a midweek game and will host UALR on Friday.