Tuesday, March 24
Jags Shutout Alabama, 3-0
MOBILE, Ala. – Three Jaguar pitchers combined to shut out Alabama to lead the University of South Alabama baseball team to a 3-0 win over the Crimson Tide Tuesday at Stanky Field.
Right-hander Austin Bembnowski (2-2) tossed five scoreless innings, and allowed just two hits while striking out five and issuing one walk. Ben Taylor tossed four scoreless relief innings, and struck out a career-high eight batters against one walk while allowing just four hits to earn his second save of the season. Alabama right-hander Jake Walters (2-1) allowed two runs on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts in five innings in the loss.
"Austin Bembnowski gave us a great start," Calvi said. "He has been one of our guys. He has started and pitched in relief, and I thought he was the best candidate to start tonight. He gave us five innings and got us through the first half of the ballgame. And Ben Taylor was phenomenal in relief. We left some men on base, but got some timely hits. You hate to leave as many men on base as we did, but I will take the win."
USA (16-9) jumped out to a one-run lead in the bottom of the third inning. Matt Bolger led off with a double, and advanced to third on a throwing error into second by Alabama right fielder Casey Hughston. Ryan Raspino followed with an RBI groundout to shortstop to plate Bolger for a 1-0 Jaguar advantage.
South Alabama doubled its lead in the bottom of the fourth. Bud Collura reached on a leadoff single to left field, and advanced to second when Walters' throw to second on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Adam Ballew sailed wide of the bag. A groundout to shortstop for the first out of the inning off the bat of Danny Martinez moved both runners into scoring position. Cole Gleason followed with a sacrifice fly to right field that plated Collura for a 2-0 USA lead.
USA threatened in the bottom of the fifth. Raspino reached on a one-out single, moved to second on a groundout to shortstop by Cole Billingsley and advanced to third on a passed ball by Crimson Tide catcher Will Haynie. A wild pitch from Walters allowed Jared Barnes, who reached on a two-out walk, to advance to second. A walk to Collura loaded the bases for Ballew, but Walters induced an inning-ending popup to shortstop to escape the jam without allowing a run.
Alabama loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the sixth on a leadoff single to Avant, and consecutive walks issued by Jaguar left-hander Austin Stephens. USA right-hander Ben Taylor entered in relief and recorded consecutive strikeouts of Hughston and Kyle Overstreet for the first two outs of the inning before inducing an inning-ending groundout to shortstop off the bat of Chance Vincent to end the threat and preserve a two-run Jaguar lead.
The Jags pushed the game's final run across in the bottom of the sixth. Gleason reached on a one-out double to right-center field, and scored one batter later on an RBI single to center field by Bolger to increase the USA lead to 3-0.
Bolger went 3-for-4 with a double, one RBI and a run scored to lead USA at the plate. Collura added two hits, and Martinez and Raspino added a hit and an RBI each. Mikey White went 2-for-3 to lead Alabama offensively.
South Alabama will return to action this weekend when it travels to Monroe, La., for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series with Louisiana-Monroe.
A-State Tops Murray State, 14-6
MURRAY, Ky. (3/24/15) – The Arkansas State baseball squad used 15 hits, including seven extra-base hits, to defeat Murray State by a score of 14-6 in nonconference action at Reagan Field in Murray, Ky., Tuesday afternoon.
Collin Massanelli had a big day at the plate in his first start of the season as the senior outfielder went 4-for-5 with a double, a triple, a RBI, and two runs scored. Matt Burgess also had a big day at the plate with three hits, including his first home run of the season, and three RBIs.
A-State (10-11) trailed 5-3 after Murray State (8-17) added a run in the bottom of the fourth, but the Red Wolves struck back with a four-run frame in the top of the fifth. A walk, bunt single, and error loaded the bases for Joe Schrimpf and he delivered with a double down the left-field line that cleared the bases to give the visitors a 6-5 advantage. The Racers’ Tanner Edge, who relieved Racer’s starter John Lollar earlier in the inning, struck out the next two batters, but Zach George singled home Schrimpf for a 7-5 lead.
Burgess extended Arkansas State’s lead to 9-5 when he hit a 1-1 pitch over the left-field fence with George on base in the top of the seventh inning. The Red Wolves threatened again in the top of the eighth after loading the bases with one out, but pinch-hitter Brett Andersen and George both struck out to end the frame.
Arkansas State put the game out of reach with a five-run ninth inning that began with a walk to Stuart Levy and a double by Tanner Ring off the center-field wall. A wild pitch scored Levy and Massanelli plated Ring with a single up the middle to put A-State on top 11-5. Massanelli later scored on an Austin Baker single and the final two runs of the inning scored on a Murray State error to put the score at 14-5. The Racers added one run in the bottom of the ninth to set the final tally at 14-6 in favor of the Red Wolves.
Collin Nord started the game for A-State and went 2.2 innings in his first career start. Nord gave up four runs (all earned) on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Cody Jackson relieved Nord and went 3.1 innings to improve to 2-0 on the year. Jackson gave up one run (earned) on two hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Colton Kibler tossed two innings of scoreless relief while Coulton Lee finished the game and gave up one run.
Murray State’s Edge took the loss to fall to 0-2 on the season, while the Racers were led at the plate by Tyler Lawrence who had two hits and two RBIs.
The Red Wolves were the first to score in the contest when Lollar ran into trouble after striking out the first two batters of the game. George laid a bunt single down towards third base before Burgess singled into right field. The Racers’ catcher Rick Linton tried to pick Burgess off first, but threw the ball into right field and George was able to score for the early 1-0 edge. Lollar struck out Ring to end the half-inning.
Murray State wasted little time tying things up when Pokey Harris homered to left field off Nord to lead off the bottom of the first. However, Nord calmed the storm with two strikeouts and a ground out to third to end the frame.
Schrimpf started a two-out rally in the top of the second with a double to left-center field and scored a batter later when Baker singled to center field for a 2-1 A-State lead. Ty White singled through the right side and George was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Burgess. Lollar hit Burgess with a 2-2 pitch and the Red Wolves extended their advantage to 3-1. Levy grounded into a force out at third to end the inning.
Nord walked the first batter of the bottom of the third inning, but got a fly out to center field before walking another batter to work himself into a jam. Dalton West singled through the left side to score one run and cut the A-State advantage to 3-2 and Tyler Lawrence followed with a double to left-center field to tie to score one run and tie the game at 3-3. Anthony Bayus grounded out to shortstop to score a run and give the home team a 4-3 edge. Jackson relieved Nord and got a fly out to Massanelli to end the inning.
The Red Wolves return to action Wednesday, March 25 against Southeast Missouri in a home nonconference contest. First pitch from Tomlinson Stadium is set for 4 p.m.
Eagles Explode for 18 Hits in Win over Kennesaw
KENNESAW, Ga. – The Georgia Southern offense banged out 16 hits to help the Georgia Southern Eagles take their first mid-week victory with an 8-4 win at Kennesaw State on Tuesday.
The Eagles (15-11) got hits from eight of their nine starters in the lineup, and Kody Adams, Spender Duffie, Dalton Busby and Logan Baldwin all finished with multiple hits.
"One through nine, I thought the guys swung the bat pretty well tonight," Head Coach Rodney Hennon said. "We did a very good job of executing on the offensive side. Every guy through the lineup contributed and a couple of guys out of the bullpen did a really nice job particularly Anthony Paesano, Patrick Riley and Chris Brown."
Baldwin drove in a pair of runs in his first two at-bats of the game and walked in the fifth inning. The freshman plated a walk by Ryan Cleveland in the second inning for the first run of the game.
Chase Griffin tallied Georgia Southern's first extra-base hit in the fifth inning and scored on Hunter Thomas' fourth home run of the season. Ryan Cleveland and Aaron Mizell also homered in the contest. Cleveland hit his second long ball of the year in the seventh, and Mizell homered down the left field line for his seventh of the year in the eighth inning.
The victory was the first mid-week win for the Eagles, who had previously been 0-7 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. GS also snapped a five-game losing streak to the Owls (12-11).
Josh Slate picked up his first career win after tossing 3.1 scoreless frames. Slate (1-1) allowed just one hit and walked four batters in his second career start.
Chris Brown retired four of the five batters he faced and stranded a runner on base in both the eighth and ninth innings. Brown struck out a pair of batters to end the game.
The GS pitching staff held Kennesaw State to eight hits and shut them out for four innings before the Owls got on the scoreboard with a two-out single by Chris Erwin in the fifth inning.
A.J. Moore was tagged with his first loss of the season after allowing six runs. Moore (1-1) surrendered 11 hits over five innings and struck out four batters.
Baseball returns home to host Jacksonville Wednesday. First pitch from J.I. Clements Stadium is set for 6 p.m.
Cajuns Defeat McNeese in Extras, 6-5
LAKE CHARLES, La. – Junior Stefan Trosclair provided extra inning heroics as the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team defeated in-state foe McNeese State 6-5 in 11 innings on Tuesday night at Cowboy Diamond.
Trosclair came through with an RBI double down the left field line in the top of the 11th inning to plate catcher Nick Thurman from first base for the game-winning run.
Sophomore reliever Chris Charpentier picked up his first win of the season after throwing a scoreless tenth inning with two strikeouts.
As a team, the Ragin' Cajuns (13-8, 5-3 Sun Belt) 14 batters on the evening led by junior Colton Lee who tossed three scoreless innings with five strikeouts.
Freshman right-hander Dylan Moore recorded his third save of the year closing out the game with a scoreless inning in the bottom of the 11th. Will Bacon also had a strong outing throwing three scoreless innings in relief.
Austin Briggs was handed the loss for McNeese State (16-9) to fall to 1-1 on the year after allowing the game-winning run in the 11th.
Offensively, both squads had 11 hits in the contest as senior Dylan Butler had a game-high three hits and three RBI. Trosclair was the only other Cajuns player to post multiple hits in the game going 2-for-5 with a double and a walk.
Andrew Guillotte led the way for the Cowboys going 3-for-6 at the plate and scored twice.
McNeese State got out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a ball hit to third by Connor Crane and an RBI single to center by Connor Lloyd.
Junior Brian Mills cut into the MSU lead in the top of the second scoring Thurman on a ball hit to short. Thuman singled to lead off the inning, moved to second on a Trosclair walk and then stole third to get into scoring position.
The Cowboys extended their lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the third scoring three runs on three hits and a Louisiana error. A Joe Provenzano RBI double highlighted the scoring in the inning.
Butler pulled Ragin' Cajuns within two runs in the top of the fourth as he launched a two-run homer over the fence in left to make the score 5-3. The home run is the second of the season for Butler and the 24th of his career.
In the top of the fifth, Mills drove in his second run of the game on a ball hit back up the middle scoring Davis from third to cut the McNeese State advantage to one run. In the next at bat, Butler drove an RBI single into left field to even the contest at 5-all.
After five scoreless innings, Trosclair delivered the game-winning hit in the 11th to give the Cajuns a three-game win streak. The victory improves the Ragin' Cajuns to 2-2 on the season in extra inning games.
Louisiana returns to action tomorrow night at 6 p.m. as the squad hosts Nicholls State in the first of four straight games at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field. Following the contest with the Colonels, the Cajuns will host Arkansas State in a three-game conference series starting Friday at 6 p.m. at the "Tigue".
Bobcats Fall to No. 10 Texas State
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State was in control for seven innings against No. 10 Texas, largely due to the work of Montana Parsons and long ball hitting from the Bobcats. But then, in the eighth, the Longhorns broke through with a three-run homer to go on top, 5-4. An insurance run in the top of the ninth made it a 6-4 victory for Texas and dropped the Bobcats to 10-13-1 on the year.
3/24/2015 Baseball vs. No. 10 Texas (3/24/15) Baseball vs. No. 10 Texas (3/24/15)
Parsons stymied the Longhorns for seven innings, finishing with six strikeouts, no walks and just three hits against the powerful Texas offense. He only gave up two runs. It was a season high in innings and strikeouts for Parsons, finishing with 104 pitches.
The Bobcat offense helped the freshman out from the beginning. After Ben Johnson of Texas opened the game in San Marcos last year with a leadoff home run, Cory Geisler returned the favor Tuesday night. The Bobcats gave up nothing but a single in the top of the first, and then Geisler stepped up to the plate to knock his first home run of the season in the bottom of the inning.
19411Texas State kept the early pressure on with an RBI from David Paiz. Cedric Vallieres reached on a hit by pitch and Paiz followed with a double to right centerfield to plate Vallieres and give Texas State an early 2-0 lead.
The Longhorns answered in the third inning with a solo home run from Zane Gurwitz, but Texas State had more in store. In the fourth, freshman Derek Scheible earned a walk and scored on a single to centerfield from Luke Sherley.
With the Bobcats leading, 3-1, Texas knocked another home run, this one from designated hitter Michael Cantu. Texas State, however, answered with another long ball in the bottom of the fifth. Granger Studdard struck his second roundtripper of the year to put Texas State in control, 4-2.
Then the eighth inning came. Gurwitz knocked a two-out triple and Johnson took a walk. With two runners on, C.J. Hinojosa hit a three-run homer to left field to put the Longhorns up, 5-4. One more run in the ninth gave Texas the final score of 6-4.
Texas thwarted Texas State's best opportunity at a victory over the Longhorns since a 2-1 Bobcat win in 2005 and a chance to go 2-1 against ranked opponents this season.
Paiz led the Bobcat bats on a 2-for-4 night while Geisler, Studdard, Colby Targun and Sherley all knocked hits as well.
Next up for Texas State, the Bobcats are set to take on Georgia Southern in a battle for first place in the Sun Belt Conference this weekend. Games are slated for 6 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 12 p.m. Sunday.
Tar Heels Blank Appalachian State
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina continued its mastery over Appalachian State University baseball with a 9-0 win over the Mountaineers on Tuesday night at Boshamer Stadium.
The defeat was Appalachian State’s 15th-straight at the hands of North Carolina. The Mountaineers, who are 3-25 all-time against the Tar Heels, have not beaten UNC since an 11-10 victory at Boshamer Stadium in 1997.
North Carolina (15-9) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on Tuesday night and scored two more runs in the second, three in the fifth and two in the seventh en route to the victory.
Appalachian State (7-17) managed just three hits against five UNC pitchers, with only one coming after Brandon Burris led off the third inning with a bunt single.
The Mountaineers’ best scoring opportunity came in the seventh when a leadoff single by Michael Pierson, a walk by Grayson Atwood and a groundout by Noah Holmes put two runners in scoring position with only one out. However, UNC reliever Hansen Butler got the Tar Heels out of the jam unscathed with a strikeout and a pop up.
The Mountaineers’ three hits were a season low and the shutout was their second of the season (App State was blanked, 4-0, on March 11 at Georgia).
In addition to Burris and Pierson, Dillon Dobson also singled for the Mountaineers.
Skye Bolt led North Carolina by going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.
Appalachian State gets another crack at Atlantic Coast Conference competition on Wednesday night when it hosts Wake Forest. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. at Appalachian’s Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
Mavs Fall 6-2 to Baylor
ARLINGTON, Texas - A pair of three-run innings to start the game for Baylor doomed UT Arlington in a 6-2 loss at Clay Gould Ballpark on Tuesday night.
"We had some chances. We needed one more hit here or there, but we kind of just ran in the box and made an out," UT Arlington coach Darin Thomas said. "We've got to have a better approach. We've got to have a little better plan and it's a good thing we're playing tomorrow. We've got a chance to get that bad taste out of our mouth pretty quick."
The Mavericks (12-10, 4-2 Sun Belt) will get a chance to erase the memory of Tuesday night's loss on Wednesday when they face their second Big 12 foe of the week in West Virginia. Wednesday's game is set to begin at 2 p.m.
Jacob Moreland came on in relief during the second inning, helping calm the Mavericks. The junior right-handed pitcher posted 5.1 innings on the mound, while allowing three hits and fanning four Bears.
TJ Whidby and Zach Hobbs also continued the strong play from the bullpen as the duo of seniors allowed two hits and no earned runs in a combined two innings.
"The bullpen was really good tonight. Jacob, Zach and TJ did a great job and gave us a chance," Thomas added. "We were really bad at the plate. Give their guys credit, but I didn't like our approach. A lot of time we just ran up there and made a quick out for no reason. One thing we talked about after the game is we need to be consistent and we haven't been very consistent at the plate."
A trio of Mavericks recorded multi-hit games as Travis Sibley and RJ Williams went 2-of-4 at the plate, while Matt McLean recorded a pair of hits in his five at-bats. McLean and Sibley also crossed the plate once apiece for UTA's two runs of the day.
After the Bears struck with a three-run first inning, the Mavericks responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to cut the lead to one run. UTA got off to a solid start at the plate in the first as it opened up the game with three straight hits.
Levi Scott followed up two UTA hits with a single to right field that scored McLean for UTA's first run of the game. Jackson Morris' ground out brought home Sibley to cut the Baylor lead to one.
Baylor responded in the second with another three-run frame. The Bears used three consecutive singles to help take a 6-2 lead.
The best opportunity for the Mavs to cut into the Bears lead came in the third when an Eric Tate single loaded up the bases with one out on the board. Unfortunately, UT Arlington was unable to convert as Morris hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the threat.
Panthers Rally but Drop Doubleheader to Alabama State
Huntsville, Ala. -- Georgia State rallied for five runs to take the lead in the top of the ninth before falling 10-9 on a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th in Game 2 of a doubleheader at Alabama A&M. The Panthers dropped Game 1, 3-1.
Georgia State (14-12) has lost five straight games, all without top hitter Matt Rose, who is tied for the NCAA lead with eight home runs but suffered a sprained ankle Saturday. Tuesday's doubleheader capped a stretch of three games in 24 hours and five games in four days for the Panthers.
Freshman Jack Thompson smashed a bases-loaded, three-run double to put the Panthers ahead 9-7, but the Bulldogs answered with two runs in the bottom of the ninth and then won the game in the 10th on a walk-off single by Julio Nunez off reliever Kevin Burgee (2-1).
The Panthers entered the ninth inning down 7-4. With one out, Justin Jones and Caden Bailey singled to put runners at first and second, and then Joey Roach delivered a run-scoring single. After two were out, Cam Sperry walked to load the bases. Will Johnson's ground ball that the third baseman failed to field scored another run, bringing the Panthers within 7-6. Then Thompson belted his double over the center fielder's head to clear the bases.
Thompson also singled home a run in the eighth inning, finishing the game with career highs of three hits, two doubles and four RBI.
Roach had three hits and knocked in three for the Panthers to increase his Sun Belt Conference-leading RBI total to 27 on the season. Ryan Blanton added three hits.
In Game 1, five Alabama A&M (15-10) pitchers limited the Panthers to one run on four hits. Jones drove in the Panthers lone run with an RBI-single in the fifth that scored Blanton, who reached on an error.
GSU starter Marc-Andre Habeck (3-3) allowed three runs on six hits in five innings, and Alex Hegner pitched three innings of scoreless relief.
Georgia State travels to UT Arlington this weekend for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series that opens Friday. The Panthers next home game is April 1 vs. Georgia Tech at 6 p.m. at the GSU Baseball Complex.
Troy Falls to Jacksonville State, 8-1
TROY, Alabama – The Troy University baseball team dropped an 8-1 decision to Jacksonville State on Tuesday at Riddle-Pace Field.
Behind the strong pitching performance of right-hander Colton Campbell, the Gamecocks held Troy hitless until the ninth inning. Campbell (1-0) retired the first 17 batters before plunking Bert Givens with two outs in the sixth. Nick Masonia walked in the eight as the only other Trojan to reach base prior to the ninth.
Cameron Sanders entered as a pinch hitter with one out in the final frame and laced a 1-1 pitch against the wall in right-center for Troy's first hit. One batter after Campbell was lifted for reliever Michael McCreless, Logan Hill lashed a single to center to score the Trojans lone run.
Tucker Simpson (1-4) got the start for Troy and lasted four innings allowing six runs on eight hits. JSU jumped out to an early lead in the first inning on a two-out, two-run home run from Joe McGuire. The Gamecocks were able to plate three more runs on four hits in the third off Simpson.
Clayton Daniel gave Jacksonville State a 6-0 advantage with a two-out RBI double in the fourth. Paschal Petrongolo drove in three run in the contest including two on a home run over the wall in right field in the seventh inning.
Troy will travel to Tallahassee to face Florida A&M at 4 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday. Live audio and stats can be found on TroyTrojans.com and WTBF 94.7 FM will carry the radio broadcast.
Warhawks Fall to SE Louisiana, 7-6
HAMMOND, La. -- ULM and Southeastern Louisiana battled all night, but in the end it was the homestanding Lions that claimed the 7-6 win Tuesday night at Pat Kennelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
Nathan Pugh led off the top of the second with a double down the left field line. Then with one out, ULM scored the game’s first run as Justin Stawychny drove home Pugh with a RBI double to left center.
In the bottom of the second, Southeastern Louisiana’s Webb Bobo delivered a RBI single that hit off of the glove of a leaping Kodie Tidwell at short. Bobo’s single drove in Ryan Byers to tie the game at 1-1.
ULM answered right back in the top of the third as the Warhawks were able the bases with one out as the Warhawks had a pair of singles by Anthony Herrera and Keelin Rasch and Nathan Pugh reached on an error by Brett Hoffman at third base. Danny Springer followed and smacked a double off of the base of the wall in left and tallied two RBI as Herrera and Rasch scored to put ULM ahead, 3-1.
The Lions took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the third as Daniel Midyett delivered a three-run homer to right to put Southeastern in front, 4-3. Southeastern Louisiana pushed its lead to two runs (5-3) as Jacob Seward stole home with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth.
The Warhawks trimmed the deficit to one run at 5-4 in the top of the fifth as Springer reached on catcher’s interference and later came in to score thanks to a throwing error by Lion catcher Chris Eades.
Brian Barefoot reached base to lead off the sixth as he struck out swinging but reached on a passed ball. After a sacrifice bunt by Dalton Todd moved Barefoot to second, the Warhawks loaded the bases thanks to a single by Herrera and a walk by Kodie Tidwell. Rasch followed and gave ULM the lead, 6-5, as he drove in a pair with a single to left field.
Southeastern Louisiana evened the contest at 6-6 as Brett Hoffmann drove in Jacob Williams with a two-out RBI single to center field in the bottom of the seventh. Hoffmann reached second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a throwing error by Dalton Todd, but the third baseman was out on the play (9-4-2) trying to score and put the Lions ahead.
In the bottom of the eighth, Southeastern Louisiana took a 7-6 lead as Kennon Menard reached on a fielder’s choice and Ryan Byers scored on an error in what proved to be the final run of the game.
Josh Leone was tagged with the loss and fell to 1-1 on the season. The right-hander pitched the final frame, surrendering an unearned run on one hit, two walks and one strikeout.
Stawychny led the way with three hits and one RBI in the loss.
ULM will return to action Friday night as it welcomes South Alabama for a 6 p.m. pitch in the first of three games at Warhawk Field.
UALR Drops Non-Conference Tilt to Oral Roberts
LITTLE ROCK – UALR baseball (7-12, 4-4) fell 15-2 in seven innings at the hands of Oral Roberts (14-9, 5-1) at Gary Hogan Field on Tuesday night.
Junior Kyle Kirk had the best offensive showing for the Trojans, going 3 for 3 with an RBI.
Junior Ryan Scott extended his hitting and reached based streaks to 16 games as he was able to get a hit and an RBI in his final plate appearance of the night.
“Other than the loss tonight, the most disappointing thing was we didn’t compete on the mound, and we didn’t compete at the plate,” head coach Chris Curry said.
Oral Roberts broke out the big bat early after the Trojans loaded the bases on three walks. The Golden Eagles’ Anthony Sequeira hit a grand slam to right, putting Oral Roberts up 4-0 in the first inning.
The Golden Eagles put two more on the board in the third inning after a balking home a run and a double to left center scored a runner from third to make it 6-0.
UALR finally put a dent in Oral Roberts lead in the fourth inning. Tanner Rockwell doubled to center field to lead off the inning and advanced to third after a ground out. Kyle Kirk singled up the middle to score Rockwell for the Trojans first run of the night.
Oral Roberts broke it wide open in the sixth inning as they scored seven more runs on six hits. Sequeira hit a leadoff solo homer to right center for his second home run of the night. The Golden Eagles ended up batting around as it saw 13 batters come to the plate during the inning.
With a 13-1 lead, Oral Roberts tacked on a couple of more in the top of the 7th to make it a 15-1 lead. After several position changes, Brandon Gil got the Trojans’ seventh hit of the night with his first-career hit. Gil advanced to second on an error by the third baseman as Hayden Martin reached on a fielder’s choice with no outs. With one out, Gil and Martin advanced 90 feet after a wild pitch. With two outs, Ryan Scott hit an RBI single to short as Gil was able to cross the plate for the Trojans second run of the game. Rockwell walked to load the bases, but a ground out to the pitcher ended the game in seven innings.
“After they scored in the first, that changed our approach at the plate, and that simply cannot happen,” Curry said. “We cannot let the score dictate how we play. We are the same team no matter if we’re winning or losing.”
The Trojans will try to bounce back on Wednesday night as they make the short trip to Conway to go up against the Central Arkansas Bears at 6 p.m.