Tuesday, April 21
Cajuns Cruise Past Southeastern Louisiana
HAMMOND, La. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team jumped out to a early lead and cruised to a 7-2 victory Tuesday night against Southeastern Louisiana at Alumni Field.
The Cajuns (24-15) outhit the Lions (30-12) 11-8 as they posted double digit hits for the fifth straight game and the ninth time in the last ten outings.
Junior shortstop Blake Trahan let the squad with three hits on the night including a double and had two RBI. Outfielders Kyle Clement and Brians Mills also had a pair of hits in the contest as Clement also drove in a couple runs.
Junior Will Bacon improved to 2-1 on the year after scattering four hits through three scoreless innings of work in an abbreviated start. Colton Lee was strong in relief for the Cajuns tossing four scoreless innings with a strikeout.
"We came here and played a complete game, and that is what we needed to do against a very good team," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "He (Bacon) stayed at the bottom of the zone, he's like a utility knife … he can do a little bit of everything."
Starter Pat Cashman took the loss for Southeastern La. giving up three runs (one earned) on seven hits with two strikeouts in five innings.
The Cajuns got out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on an error by Lions second baseman Carson Crites and a RBI ground out to third by right fielder Dylan Butler.
Clement increased the Louisiana advantage to 3-0 in the top of the fifth as he launched a solo homer to right off of Cashman for his third home run of the season.
Louisiana added two more runs in the top of the sixth on a sac fly to center by Trahan and a two-out RBI single to left by Clement to make the score 5-0.
Trahan tacked on an insurance run in the top of the eighth as he sent a double just inside of the third base bag to plate third baseman Evan Powell from second with two outs to give the Ragin' Cajuns a 6-0 lead.
Catcher Nick Thurman brought home Louisiana's final run of the game in the top of the ninth scoring pinch runner Jam Williams on a ground ball to shortstop.
The Lions rallied in the ninth loading the bases with no outs. After centerfielder Jacob Seward drew a bases loaded walk from reliever Dylan Moore, right field Julian Service made it 7-2 on a sac fly to left field.
Moore would settle down and get designated hitter Daniel Midyett to fly out and first baseman Kevin Carr to ground out to end the contest.
The Cajuns return to action tomorrow at 6 p.m. as they host Southern in the first of four straight games at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field. Junior right-hander Eric Carter will make the start on the mound for Louisiana, while left-hander J'Markus George will take the bump for the Jaguars.
Panthers Win Sixth Straight, 6-2, Over Oglethorpe
ATLANTA -- Junior left-hander Garrett Ford pitched six strong innings, and Ryan Blanton's two-run triple ignited a five-run seventh inning as Georgia State won its sixth straight game, 6-2 over Oglethorpe Tuesday at the GSU Baseball Complex.
Ford struck out a career-high seven while allowing just one run on six hits but did not figure in the decision.
The game was tied at 1-1 entering the bottom of the seventh inning. James Clements led off with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice, and then Joey Roach walked to put runners at first and second with one out. That's when Blanton ripped a triple--his fourth of the season--down the first base line and into the right field corner, scoring both runners.
Blanton came home on a balk to push the GSU lead to 4-1. After Caden Bailey singled and scored on an error, Cam Sperry drove in another run with a bloop double to left field, and GSU led 6-1.
Marc-Andre Habeck (4-5) pitched two scoreless innings in relief to earn the victory.
Reliever Justin Thigpen (6-2) took the loss for Oglethorpe (25-13).
Junior Caden Bailey had two hits on the night, raising his career total to 235 hits as he moved into sole possession of fifth place in Georgia State history.
Freshman shortstop Justin Jones extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a double in the fourth-inning, when he scored GSU's first run on a single by Sam Few.
Georgia State hosts Savannah State Wednesday at 5 p.m.
UT Arlington Comes Up Short Against No. 2 Texas A&M
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - UT Arlington's upset bid came up just short against second-ranked Texas A&M as the Mavericks fell 4-2 at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park on Tuesday afternoon.
"I'm proud of our guys," UT Arlington coach Darin Thomas said. "You obviously want to win, but I thought we fought them and had our chances which is all you can do against a good club on the road in a one-game winner take all. You just want to have a chance to win in the seventh, eighth and ninth and we did."
The Mavericks (17-22) recorded six hits on the day, while coming up one big hit short of picking up the upset. The Aggies (36-5) brought in their four runs off of nine hits with one error, while also scoring all of their runs in the first three innings of play.
Christian Hollie led the way for the Maverick offense, going 2-for-3 at the plate with one run. Matt McLean did his part as the junior outfielder was 1-for-4 with one RBI.
The loss was pegged to UTA starter Brad Vassar (2-5) who gave up two hits and two earned runs in his two innings on the mound. The UTA bullpen was rock solid over the last half of the game, holding TAMU to four hits and no earned runs over the final five innings of action.
The Mavericks continued their difficult non-conference play against the Aggies, marking the eighth time this season that UTA has played a ranked opponent. UTA's schedule ranks as the 29th toughest in the NCAA according to Warren Nolan RPI and has included seven games against RPI top-15 teams.
"We've played murderer's row on Tuesday's and we've held our own," Thomas said. "We're 3-5 against top-ranked teams and we had a chance today. We had a chance at Santa Barbara in the 2-1 loss, so we've been right there."
After giving up an opening inning home run, UTA was poised to score in the second with the bases loaded and one out. The Mavericks scoring hopes were dashed after an acrobatic catch and tag by the third baseman to force an inning-ending double play.
"We gave it a good effort against a really good club," Thomas said. "The big play was the bases loaded ball that we lined into the double play and the guy falls on third. If that gets down the line we could have scored three and who knows. It could have been a different game."
A Texas A&M solo shot in the second, paired with a two-run third inning added to its cushion with UTA trailing by four runs.
The Mavericks were able to get on the board in the fifth inning, courtesy of an Aggie error. Dalton DeLeon reached on a single to center field and was able to advance to second base on a wild pitch. With a McLean fielder's choice putting runners on the corners with two outs, Travis Sibley drove a ball towards the Texas A&M shortstop who looked to make a routine throw to first. However, his throw was low and bounced past the first baseman, clearing the way for DeLeon to cross the plate and cut the Aggies lead to three runs at 4-1.
UTA cut the TAMU lead to two runs in the seventh with an RBI single to the third baseman. Hollie got things started with a two-out double down the left-field line. McLean then stepped into the box and came up with a RBI single to third that brought in Hollie to bring the Mavericks within two runs at 4-2.
Looking to knot the game up in the eighth, Jerame Littell sent a deep shot to the right-center field warning track for a one-out triple. Darien McLemore helped put runners on the corners after the next at-bat when he was pegged by the Aggies' pitch. Unfortunately, UTA came up empty in the inning as back-to-back strikeouts ending the scoring threat.
UTA will return to action this weekend with a three-game series on the road against Louisiana. The Mavericks and Ragin' Cajuns will open up the series with a 6 p.m. game on Friday.
No. 20 Cougars Rally Late to Defeat Georgia Southern
STATESBORO, Ga. - The #20 College of Charleston Cougars struck for four runs in the ninth inning to defeat the Georgia Southern Eagles 7-6 on Tuesday night at J.I. Clements Stadium.
The Eagles (24-17) led 5-1 after a four-run sixth inning, but the Cougars (28-9) scored six runs over the final three innings to rally and complete the season series sweep.
Carl Wise delivered a two-run single to pull CofC within a run in the ninth inning before Nick Pappas plated the tying and go-ahead runs on a double to left center. All four runs in the inning were scored after Chris Brown struck out Tommy Richter for the second out of the inning.
"They strung together some big hits in the ninth inning," Head Coach Rodney Hennon said. "They have a very good offensive team and some of their experienced guys stepped up and had some big hits in big situations for them."
Brown (2-3) entered in the ninth inning with a three-run lead looking to pick up his 10th save of the season but was instead tagged with the loss after allowing four runs on five hits.
The rally handed Carter Love his fourth victory of the season. Love (4-0) allowed one run over 2.2 innings and struck out three batters.
Taylor Clarke struck out three-straight batters after allowing a lead off single in the ninth inning. Clarke (1) picked up his first save of the season.
Kody Adams gave GS a 1-0 lead on a solo home run in the third inning and capped off a four-run sixth inning with a two-run single. Adams finished three for five at the plate.
"Kody is really seeing the ball well right now at the plate and is doing some good things up at the top of the order," Hennon said.
Dalton Busby drove in the go ahead runs in the sixth inning on a single and plated another run in the seventh. The senior also finished with three hits.
The baseball team continues a four-game homestand this weekend against the ULM Warhawks. The three-game conference series opens with a 6 p.m. first pitch on Friday. Check gseagles.com for any date or time changes.
Warhawks Fall on the Road to Southern Miss
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – ULM held a 2-0 advantage after 5 1/2 innings of play, but the visiting club could not hold the lead as it fell to Southern Miss, 9-3, on Tuesday night at Pete Taylor Park.
After ULM starter Payton Coddou worked a one-out walk in the bottom of the first, the Warhawks picked up the game’s first hit in the following inning. With one out in the second, Nathan Pugh sent the first pitch he saw over the wall in right center and his third homer of the season gave the visiting Warhawks a 1-0 lead.
The Warhawks threatened to add to the lead in the top half of the third as Anthony Herrera and Keelin Rasch tallied back-to-back singles with two outs to give ULM runners at the corners. The Warhawks were unable to push any runs across in the frame as their lead remained at one run (1-0).
ULM was able to add to its lead in the top of the fourth inning as the visitor’s took a 2-0 lead after 3 1/2 innings of play. Justin Stawychny drew a lead-off walk and moved to second as he stole his seventh base of the season. With two outs in the frame, he was able to advance to third on a wild pitch during Danny Springer’s at-bat. Later in Springer’s at-bat, Stawychny was able to race home on another wild pitch. Stawychny beat out Austin Roussel’s throw back to the plate as ULM went ahead, 2-0.
Coddou got Michael Sterling to lineout to Pugh in center field to push his streak to nine straight Golden Eagles retired. After Dylan Burdeaux recorded the first hit of the game for Southern Miss, the sophomore right-hander picked up a strikeout and a fly out to center to end the Golden Eagle fourth inning and preserve the two-run advantage.
After stranding a base runner in the fourth and fifth inning, Southern Miss plated its first run of the game as Connor Barron hit a solo homer over the wall in right center to cut the ULM lead to one run at 2-1. The Golden Eagles, who faced a total of three Warhawk pitchers during the frame, added three more in the frame on a RBI single and a pair of bases loaded walks to take a 4-2 advantage after six innings.
The Warhawks got one run back in the top of the seventh to trim the deficit to one run. Jacob Stockton led off the inning with an infield single and moved to second as he beat out a potential double play ball on a 5-4-3 putout of Springer. Stockton moved to third on a groundout by Dalton Todd and came in to score as Cody Stone delivered a two-out RBI single through the left side.
Southern Miss extended its lead to 9-3 as it scored five runs on two hits and four walks in the bottom of the eighth inning and conclude scoring in Tuesday’s game.
Coddou, the ULM starting pitcher, was tagged with the loss and he is now 1-1 on the season. The sophomore allowed three runs on four hits and one walk in 5.1 innings of work. During his 67-pitch outing, Coddou struck out three Golden Eagles. Pugh and Stawychny lead the Warhawks offensively against Southern Miss. Pugh had one hit (home run), one RBI and one run scored, while Stawychny drew a pair of walks and scored a run.
Connor O’Brien earned the win in relief for the Golden Eagles and he is now 1-0 on the season
ULM will wrap-up the midweek with a home tilt against Louisiana Tech tomorrow night. First pitch at Warhawk Field is slated for 6 p.m. and prior to the game there will be a special ribbon cutting ceremony for the hitting facility. It will also be the team’s annual pink game and Miss ULM will sing the National Anthem prior to first pitch.
Bobcats come Up Short Against Longhorns
AUSTIN – Texas State's Tanner Hill hit his third home run in as many games Tuesday night, but it wasn't enough to get past the Texas Longhorns. Texas beat the Bobcats, 7-3, benefitting from a few home runs as well. With the loss, Texas State falls to 18-21-1 on the year.
Like the last meeting between Texas and Texas State, the Bobcats went up, 2-0, early, and it may have been enough to give Texas State an edge if it weren't for the bottom of the first. Texas scored three runs, unearned, and it all stemmed from a close call at third base. The call went the Longhorns' way and they capitalized.
After Cory Geisler led off with a single to centerfield, he stole second. Granger Studdard brought him home with a double to deep left field to put the Bobcats up 1-0. Later, David Paiz kept the inning alive with a two-out walk. With two runners on base and two outs, Ben McElroy knocked a hit straight up the middle to plate Studdard for the second run of the game.
The Longhorns answered in the bottom of the inning. The first three batters reached on a hit by pitch, an error and a safe fielder's choice on a play in which Montana Parsons and David Paiz looked to have put out the lead runner. With bases loaded, Texas hit into a double play to score one run. The next run came in off a Tres Barrera triple. Then Texas loaded the bases again on two more walks before Texas State made the move to freshman Tyler Giovanoni on the mound. He walked his first batter to put Texas up, 3-2, before inducing a groundout to end the inning. Giovanoni would only allow three hits over 3.1 innings of play, walking one.
Texas was able to push the lead up to 5-2 with a Zane Gurwitz two-run roundtripper to left field off the foul pole in the third inning.
After a span of 11 consecutive Texas State batters retired, Mickey Scott, getting the start at second base, broke the streak with a walk. Unfortunately for Texas State, the Bobcats could not get him around the bases.
The Bobcats showed life in the sixth inning with Tanner Hill's third home run of the week and his fifth of the season, knocking one to left centerfield to close the gap to 5-3. David Paiz followed with a nice double to nearly the same spot, falling just short of the fence. With that, Texas made the team's third pitching change of the game. Texas State would eventually see five Texas pitchers in the contest. New pitcher Jon Malmin got the out the Longhorns needed to close out the top of the sixth.
Texas State kept Texas without a run from the fourth inning to the seventh, but in the eighth, Bret Boswell hit his first career home run to put the Longhorns up, 7-3, the eventual final score.
Geisler, Studdard, Hill, Paiz and McElroy were the only Bobcats to strike a hit while Parsons, Giovanoni, Blake Whitter and Braden Pearson all saw action on the mound. Whitter was the only Bobcat to notch a strikeout, finishing with two.
Texas State's next action will continue on the road with a Sun Belt Conference series at Troy over the weekend. Game times are set for 6 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and 12 p.m. Sunday.
UALR Falls at Tulsa
TULSA, Okla. – UALR baseball (14-23) fell 5-3 to Oral Roberts (28-11) on Tuesday night.
Oral Roberts scored the first runs of the ballgame with an RBI single by Anthony Sequeira and a three-run home run by Noah Cummings.
The Trojans responded in the top of the second inning with a leadoff triple by Justin Steelmon. With an RBI single to right by Jason Prevatt, Steelmon crossed the plate for the Trojans’ first run. With two outs, James Gillean reached on an error by the shortstop and advanced to second while Prevatt went to third. Petr Sila delivered with single to right, scoring Prevatt and Gillean to decrease the deficit to 4-3.
No more runs scored for either team until the eighth inning. Oral Robert’s Sequeira doubled to right center, and then advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. Cummings then singled through the left side, scoring Sequeira to give the Golden Eagles a 5-3 lead.
That would be all she wrote as UALR went down with three consecutive strikeouts to end the game.
Stephen Chandler gave one of his best relief outings of the season as he went four innings and gave up just one hit on 50 pitches.
Kyle Kirk extended his reached base streak to 17 games as he walked twice.
UALR will continue its eight-game road trip with a three-game non-conference tilt at Indiana State starting on Friday at 5:30 p.m. (CT).