Saturday, April 25
Owen Tosses Gem as Red Wolves Defeat Mountaineers, 6-1
JONESBORO, Ark. (4/25/15) – Fueled by a five-run sixth inning and the first complete-game pitching performance of the year the Arkansas State Red Wolves defeated Appalachian State 6-1 in game one of a doubleheader at Tomlinson Stadium Saturday afternoon.
David Owen turned in the Red Wolves’ first complete-game pitching performance of the season and gave up just one run and five hits. The junior from Millington, Tenn., also added six strikeouts and picked off his league leading fifth base runner of the year.
The Red Wolves (17-22, 6-15 SBC) busted the game open with five runs in the seventh inning to break a 1-1 tie. Things went south for Mountaineers starting pitcher Taylor Thurber when Austin Baker reached on an error by Brian Bauk in centerfield that put runners on first and second.
A-State broke the tie when Tanner Ring delivered a cue shot in right field that scored Matt Burgess, while Jeremy Brown doubled down the left field line to plate the second run of the frame and put the Red Wolves up 3-1.
The inning continued with an RBI single by Collin Massanelli and Brown scored the fourth run of the inning on a wild pitch to give A-State a five-run advantage. The final run of the inning came cross on an errant pickoff throw to first that allowed Massanelli to score easily.
In all 10-men came to the plate in the inning for A-State and included five runs scoring on four hits and two errors by the Mountaineers (12-30, 4-17).
A-State led 1-0 after the first inning on an RBI single by Burgess. The A-State first baseman went 2-for-4 on the afternoon with an RBI and scored a run.
Owen loaded the bases in the fifth inning and walked Michael Pierson on four straight pitches to even the game at 1-1, but he got out of the inning when a ball deflected off Joe Schrimpf in the at second base to Jeremy Brown who was covering the base for the force get the Red Wolves out of the inning before more damage could be done.
Owen was helped by his defense again in the seventh inning when Bauk was thrown at third trying to tag on a fly ball in right field to keep the scored tied.
Game two of the doubleheader will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday evening and will be broadcast on ESPN3.com.
Troy Claims Series with Texas State with 10-4 Win
TROY, Alabama – Lucas Brown pitched seven scoreless innings to earn his fifth win of the season as the Troy University baseball team defeated Texas State, 10-4, at Riddle-Pace Field on Saturday. The win clinches the series for the Trojans as the team looks to complete the three-game sweep on Sunday at noon.
Brown wiggled his way out of a few jams but cruised for the majority of the game. After surrendering two hits in the first inning, the junior retired 12 straight batters. In the sixth, Brown hit and walked a batter before striking out Colby Targun to end the threat. Theodore Hoffman drew a leadoff walk in the seventh off Brown but Troy turned its league-leading 45th double play of the season to squash the rally.
Brown (5-1) finished with seven strikeouts, as the Bobcats were able to scatter just four hits off the starter. The outing comes on the heels of Grant Bennett's complete game performance on Friday. Combined, Brown and Bennett are 10-0 with a 1.46 ERA at Riddle-Pace Field this season.
All of the game's 14 runs were scored in three innings as Troy (24-20, 12-8 Sun Belt) scored all of its runs with two outs. In the third, TJ Binder opened the scoring with an RBI single. Peyton Fuller later plated two runs with a base hit to center. David Hall also scored on a wild pitch in the frame. Binder, who finished the game with two hits, has recorded multiple hits in three of his last five games and is batting .429 (6-14) over that span.
The Trojans put the game away with a six-run sixth inning. Reid Long singled home Matt Sanders and Logan Hill followed with a two-RBI base hit up the middle. After Troy loaded the bases, Nick Masonia tripled to straightaway center, driving in all three runners and handing the Trojans a commanding 10-0 lead.
For the fifth time in six games Troy collected double-digit hits, out-hitting the Bobcats 10-7. Offensively, eight of the Trojans' nine starters gathered hits in the game. Texas State (18-23-1, 10-10) scored all four of its runs in the eighth due, in part, to two Troy errors.
Troy will look to complete the sweep at noon on Sunday as the teams conclude the series.
Clement Provides Walk-off Winner to Claim Series against UT Arlington
LAFAYETTE, La. – Junior Kyle Clement delivered a walk-off winner for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team on Saturday night as the Cajuns won their fifth straight contest defeating UT Arlington 3-2 in dramatic fashion at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field.
With the victory, the Ragin' Cajuns (27-15, 12-7 Sun Belt) have won 12 of their last 14 contests and are one win away from matching their season-best six-game win streak.
Louisiana goes for the sweep tomorrow at 1 p.m. at the "Tigue" as freshman right-hander Wyatt Marks takes the mound in the series finale. The Mavericks (17-24, 8-12 Sun Belt) will call on right-hander Joel Kuhnel to close out the series on the bump.
The Cajuns outhit UTA for the second straight contest 7-4 with both Clement and third baseman Evan Powell recording two hits on the evening. Blake Trahan went 1-for-3 in the game but reached base three times drawing two walks and swiped two bases. Trahan also had 10 assists on the night besting the previous school record of nine that was accomplished three times in program history.
Pitchers Evan Guillory and Chris Charpentier combined to allow just four hits in contest. Guillory notched his fourth quality start of the season limiting the Mavericks to two runs on four hits in seven innings with three walks and three strikeouts in a no decision.
Charpentier closed out the contest tossing two perfect innings of relief with a strikeout to pick up the victory and improve his record to 3-3 on the year.
UTA reliever Jacob Moreland was tagged with the loss after allowing one run on two hits with a walk and three strikeouts in 3.1 innings, while starter Brad Vassar gave up two runs on four hits in five innings.
The Mavericks took their first lead of the series in the second inning as catcher Dalton DeLeon delivered a two-out single to left to score the Jackson Morris from second base. In the next at bat, third baseman Eric Tate singled in left fielder Christian Hollie to make the score 2-0.
Louisiana answered with two runs in the bottom half of the second to even the contest at 2-all. Catcher Nick Thurman and Powell registered back-to-back singles with one out in the inning. With runners on the corners, Powell and Thurman pulled off a double steal to score Thurman from third and cut the lead to one run. Later in the inning, Trahan drove a two-out single into center to score Powell from second to tie things up.
In the bottom of the fifth, junior second baseman Stefan Trosclair matched his season-best 12-game hit streak with a single to left with two outs. Trosclair also improved his conference hit streak to 14 games with the hit.
After six scoreless innings, the Cajuns got a leadoff runner on in the ninth as Powell slapped a single into left. Powell moved to third after a sac bunt by Thurman and a ball hit to second by pinch hitter Jace Conrad. Following an intentional walk to Trahan, Clement provided the game winning hit beating out an infield single to the left side of the infield to score Powell from third.
Jags Clinch GSU Series on Billingsley Walk-off in 11th
MOBILE, Ala. – Cole Billingsley delivered a walk-off RBI single to left-center field in the bottom of the 11th inning to lift the University of South Alabama baseball team to a 2-1 series-clinching win over Georgia State Saturday at Stanky Field.
USA (28-16, 13-7 SBC) loaded the bases in the bottom of the 11th with one out after a leadoff single by Cameron Cummings, a one-out single from Garrett DeGallier and a walk by Adam Ballew. Ryan Raspino drew a bases-loaded walk from GSU right-hander Jerry Stuckey to plate Cummings and tie the game 1-1. Billingsley then served the first pitch he saw from Stuckey into left-center field to score DeGallier with the game-winning run.
"It was an exciting and well-pitched ballgame on both sides for sure," USA assistant coach Alan Luckie said. "Georgia State scored a run in the 11th, but to our kids' credit they didn't bat an eye and came in and went to work. They responded in a perfect manner with the perfect attitude and energy, and we came back and beat the conference's leading team."
Ben Taylor (5-1) earned the win in two relief innings, and allowed one run on one hit with four strikeouts. Burgee (3-2) allowed two runs on four hits with a pair of strikeouts and one walk in 2 2/3 innings in the loss.
Caden Bailey broke a scoreless tie with a two-out solo home run to right field in the top of the 11th inning to give Georgia State a one-run lead. Bailey battled to a 3-2 count before lifting the eighth pitch he saw from Taylor over the right field wall for the Panthers' only run.
Both starting pitchers in the game tossed seven-plus scoreless innings. Jaguar right-hander Austin Bembnowski tied career highs in innings pitched (8.0) and strikeouts (6), and allowed just five hits without issuing a walk without factoring in the decision. GSU southpaw Kenny Anderson allowed four hits with four walks and a career-high seven strikeouts in 7 2/3 scoreless innings. Kenny Anderson surrendered a first-inning single to Bud Collura, and did not allow another hit until a one-out double down the left-field line by Bolger in the bottom of the seventh.
GSU (26-17, 13-5 SBC) threatened in the top of the fifth inning when Jack Thompson and Cam Sperry reached on consecutive singles. A fielder's choice on a sacrifice bunt attempt by James Clements provided the first out of the inning when USA second baseman Bolger fired to shortstop Raspino at second for a force out, which left Panther runners at the corners. David Levy then reached on a fielder's choice bunt to first base when Ben Gann fielded and fired to Jared Barnes at the plate to cut down Thompson attempting to score the game's first run. Ryan Blanton followed with a single back up the middle, but Bolger fired home to catch Clements in a 4-2-5-1 rundown for the final out of the frame and preserve a scoreless tie.
USA threatened late in the game when it put runners at the corners with two outs in the bottom of the eighth on a leadoff single by Ballew and a two-out single to right field by Collura. Georgia State then called on Burgee who escaped the inning with a popup into foul territory off the bat of Gann.
Burgee pitched around a one-out double by Gleason in the bottom of the ninth to strand a Jaguar runner in scoring position for the second straight inning with an inning-ending groundout off the bat of Ballew to force extra innings.
The Jaguars threatened again in the bottom of the 10th. Raspino reached on a fielding error by GSU third baseman Bailey to lead off the inning. Collura followed with a single to center field to put runners at the corners with one out. Burgee induced a popup to first base off the bat of Gann for the second out of the frame, and escaped the inning with a grounder off the bat of Bolger.
"We have been in this situation a few times this year where we won the first two games, and we have to come out tomorrow and play with the exact same energy and intensity that we have played with the last two days. If we do that and do what we are supposed to do, which is pitch and play defense, then we will be in the ballgame and give ourselves a chance for a sweep."
The series will conclude with the finale at 1 p.m. Sunday.
UALR Saturday Game with Indiana State Canceled Due to Weather