Wednesday, April 8
Season High 18 Hits Lead Cajuns Past Southern
BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team posted a season-high 18 hits and got a strong start from junior right-hander Eric Carter as the squad notched its third straight win defeating Southern 14-1 in eight innings at Lee-Hines Field.
"The big is that we were able to come from an emotional win to a game with no one in the bleachers and kept our focus," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "The guys did a great job. Eric came out and set a good tempo for us and pounded the zone. Everyone played well and the guys off of the bench came in and did a good job and we had a complete team effort tonight."
Stefan Trosclair, Tyler Girouard and Greg Davis each had three hits as Louisiana (18-13) had eight extra base hits in the game. Trosclair also drove in three runs and had a double and home run, while Evan Powell had three RBI on a pair of hits including a home run.
Carter registered an individual game-high 11 strikeouts limiting the Jaguars (10-17) to one run on five hits in seven innings to improve to 1-1 on the year. Reliever Reagan Bazar tossed a perfect inning for the Ragin' Cajuns to close out the contest.
Southern's J'Markus George was saddled with his fourth loss of the season after giving up five runs on eight hits in five innings with five walks.
Trosclair gave the Cajuns a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as he drove his team-leading fifth home run of the season over the fence in left.
Junior Blake Trahan increased his hit streak to 22-games in the top of the second as he tripled in a run to extend the Louisiana advantage to 2-0. Trahan is now one game back of tying Chris Webb for the school record. Webb set the record tallying a hit in 23-straight games in 1996.
Trosclair added a run in the top of the third scoring on a wild pitch by George to make the score 3-0.
In the top of the fifth, Evan Powell launched the second homer of the game for the Ragin' Cajuns sending a two-run bomb over the fence in left center to increase the lead to five runs.
The Cajuns tacked on three more runs in the top of the sixth on a RBI ground out by Trosclair and RBI singles by Davis and Nick Thurman.
Trosclair drove in his third run of the game in the top of the seventh on a double to right center.
Southern scratched across its only run of the game in the bottom half of the seventh on an RBI single by Sergio Torres.
Louisiana exploded for five runs on four hits and three walks in the top of the eight to make the final 14-1.
The Ragin' Cajuns continue action this weekend with a three-game series against Jackson State at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field starting Friday at 6 p.m. Game two of the series is slated for Saturday at 6 p.m.
A-State Outlasts Weather, Salukis
CARBONDALE, Ill. (4/8/15) — The Arkansas State baseball team sat through two lightning delays, erased a four-run deficit and produced timely hitting late in the game in a 10-8 victory over Southern Illinois Wednesday afternoon at Itchy Jones Stadium.
The game was delayed twice by lightning and took 5:10 to play, but the Red Wolves endured all of it to come away with the victory. With the victory A-State improved to 14-17 with the win, while Southern Illinois fell to 5-27 overall.
With the game tied at 8-8 in the eighth inning Matt Burgess drove in Austin Baker with a single down the fight field line to give A-State a one-run lead. Collin Massanelli drove in Stuart Levy later in the frame to make it a 10-8 game.
With Jeremy Brown at the plate with a 0-1 count a lightning strike occurred within a 10-mile radius forcing the game into its second delay that lasted for over an hour. When the game resumed, Brown grounded out on the first pitch he saw to end the top half of the inning.
Colton Kibler came back out to pitch the bottom of the eighth after entering the game in the seventh before the delay and sat down the side in order. He returned in the ninth and got the first two he faced, before allowing the next two hitters to reach. He battle back and got Greg Lambert to strikeout for the final out of the game send the Red Wolves back home with a victory.
Kibler (2-1) pitched the final three innings in relief and struck out five. Coulton Lee and Tanner Kirby each tossed an inning of relief, while Chandler Hawkins threw 1.2 innings in relief of Derek Birginske who went the first 2.1.
The Red Wolves jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the first two innings, but Birginske ran into trouble in the third. The inning began to unravel for when he walked Tyler Rolland to load the bases with no one out in the inning and before the junior right-hander threw his next pitch he was called for a balk that drove in the first Salukis run of the frame.
Birginske got a groundball out that produced the second run of the inning but failed to record another out and issued an RBI single to Parker Osborne that tied the game at 3-3.
Hawkins came on in relief and got the first batter he faced but gave up a pair of RBI singles before getting a fly ball out to Baker in center to end the frame. In all, the Salukis scored five runs on five hits in the inning.
The Red Wolves wasted little time in responding, however, and plated four runs in the top of the fourth inning to take the lead back at 8-6. The inning started with a walk, hits batsman, a fielder’s choice and another walk to load the bases.
Lucas Feddersen drove in the first run of the inning with an RBI single through the left side of the infield, while Austin Baker drew a bases loaded walk in the next at-bat. Matt Burgess followed with an RBI single through the right side of the infield to tie the game at 6-6. Levy was then hit-by-a-pitch to drive in the inning’s fourth run and give A-State a 7-6 lead.
Feddersen went 3-for-5 on the day with two runs and an RBI, while Burgess had a pair of hits and two RBIs to his credit.
The Red Wolves added to their lead in the sixth when Baker scored on a fielder’s choice by Ty White to push the lead to 8-6. Baker led-off the inning with a double into right field and moved to third on a groundout by Burgess. He was narrowly tagged out when Levy hit a hard ball to the third baseman that elected to try and tag out Baker who was trying to get back to the bag and did before the Saluki infielder could apply the tag.
Arkansas State grabbed an early lead with three runs in the first inning. Zach George extended the nation’s longest on-base streak to 48 games with a leadoff walk. He later came around to score on a wild pitch by Connor McFadden and Ty White drove in a pair of runs with 2-run double into right field that scored Baker and Feddersen.
The Red Wolves return to action Friday, April 10 for a Sun Belt Conference clash at Troy.
Warhawks Split Southland Conference Doubleheader
MONROE, La. -- ULM dropped a 3-2 decision in extra innings to Nicholls Wednesday afternoon, but responded with a 4-3 win over McNeese State in the nightcap to earned the midweek sweep of the Cowboys. With the Wednesday split, the Warhawks now own a season record of 17-15.
Nicholls 3, ULM 2 (F / 10 innings)
After the two teams traded scoreless frames over the first three innings of the contest, the Warhawks broke through with a single run in the fourth to take a 1-0 lead. Kodie Tidwell drew a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Justin Stawychny. After a Nathan Pugh single to right field, Spencer Hemphill delivered a two-out RBI single up the middle to plate Tidwell.
After getting just three base runners on base over the first five innings of the contest, the Colonels broke through with a pair of runs on a shallow single to center field by Alex Shermer. Shermer’s single plated a pair of runs as Darius Knight and Kyle Reese scored to give the visitors a 2-1 lead after the top of the sixth inning.
ULM evened the contest at 2-2 in the top of the seventh thanks to a two-out RBI single by Dalton Todd. Hemphill reached on an error to start the inning and was replaced by pinch runner Vincent Dellocono who was able to score on the single by Todd.
After the game went into extras, Nicholls plated what proved to be the winning run on an overturned call at home plate. Byron Cobb scored on David Zorn’s fielder’s choice to give the Colonels a 3-2 lead.
In the bottom of the 10th, the Warhawks had two runners on with two outs but they were left stranded.
Brandon Bell (3-5) made his eighth appearance of the season and first as a reliever as he entered with two outs in the sixth inning. Bell was tagged with the loss after allowing one run on one hit and one walk with one strikeout in 4.1 innings of work.
ULM 4, McNeese State 3
ULM took an early 3-0 lead as they plated a single run in the second and two runs in the third. Justin Stawychny led off the second inning with a double to left center and later raced home on a sacrifice fly to center field by Nathan Pugh.
The Warhawks plated two to increase the lead to three runs after three complete. Kodie Tidwell delivered a RBI single that bounced off the top of the glove of first baseman Connor Crane allowing Keelin Rasch to score. Stawychny followed with a triple off of the wall in left center to plate Tidwell and put the home team ahead by three runs.
In the fifth and seventh innings, the Cowboys hit a solo homer to trim the Warhawk lead to one run at 3-2.
ULM scored a single run in the seventh as Todd singled to lead off the inning and later came in to score thanks to a Cole Prejean wild pitch to give the Warhawks a two-run lead at 4-2.
In the ninth, the Cowboys got their third solo homer of the game to pull within one, but the Warhawks were able to close out the game and capture the one-run win.
Brayden Bouchey earned the win for the Warhawks as he tossed six complete innings and logged a quality start as he allowed just two earned runs. Over the course of his 70-pitch outing, he surrendered six hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Josh Leone tossed two scoreless frames and Anthony Herrera closed out the game and earned his fourth save of the 2015 season.
Rasch, Stawychny and Todd each tallied two hits and one run in the game. Stawychny also drove in one run in the Wednesday night contest.
ULM will hit the road this weekend for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at Georgia State.
Trojans Take Another Loss to Louisiana Tech
RUSTON, La. – UALR baseball (11-18) fell to Louisiana Tech (15-15) by a score of 7-1 on Wednesday afternoon.
Ryan Scott had the best day at the plate for the Trojans as he went 2 for 4 and earned his 14th double of the season. Scott extended his hitting streak to eight games and leads UALR with 11 multiple hit games this season.
The Bulldogs had an early opportunity to score in the first inning. With runners on the corners and one out, Louisiana Tech tried to pull off a sacrifice fly to left, but Sam Vogel heaved a laser to the plate, throwing the runner out at home to complete the double play.
“I thought our outfield played outstanding defense all day, but they had a lot of work because we had a lot of balls up in the zone,” head coach Chris Curry said.
Louisiana Tech scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the second inning. The Bulldogs started the inning with a single through the right side before advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt. The runner advanced to third on a wild pitch prior to a walk that put Louisiana Tech runners on the corners. The Bulldogs went out to a 1-0 lead with an RBI groundout to second.
The Trojans tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the third. Ryan Scott doubled down the right field line with two outs, and then scored on a close play at the plate after Tanner Rockwell singled through the right side.
“Scott was out by a mile, but he had a great slide. Ryan continues to be an outstanding baseball player, and Rockwell has given us a lot of leadership in the heart of the order.”
The Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth after a one-out triple down the right field line and a sacrifice fly to right field.
UALR starter Stephen Chandler tossed six innings, setting a new career-high. Chandler allowed two runs on just five hits and only walked one. Although Chandler had only pitched 77 pitches, Curry made the call to the bullpen at the end of the sixth inning.
“Stephen Chandler gave us a very good outing,” Curry said. “He hasn’t been stretched out that much all year and was starting to get hit. The last ball should have been off the center field wall, but Sila got it. He was starting to get the ball up in the zone, and we wanted to get Oberling in there to get a look.”
Freshman Preston Oberling came on in relief to begin the bottom of the seventh inning, but after loading the bases and walking home a run with one out, junior Chad Bradford entered the game with a 3-1 deficit.
With bases loaded, LA Tech grounded into a fielder’s choice, but scored another run. After another walk to load the bases, the Bulldogs hit a single to the right-center gap, scoring two more runs to go up 6-1.
Freshman right-hander Duncan McNair entered the game in the bottom of the eighth. The Bulldogs singled up the middle to lead off the inning. Another single and a wild pitch put runners at second and third. A sacrifice fly to center allowed Louisiana Tech to lead 7-1 after eight innings.
The Trojans couldn’t get any offense going in the top of the ninth, allowing Louisiana Tech to sweep the two-game series.
“Once again, our bullpen let us down after Chandler came out of the game,” Curry said. “We had four walks in the last three innings that we pitched, and that’s unacceptable. Those guys that aren’t getting much of an opportunity to pitch have to be prepared physically and mentally when they’re called upon. It’s tough, but it’s Division I baseball. You need to be ready to fill up the strike zone when you’re called in.”
UALR will now come home for a three-game Sun Belt series against the second-place Texas State Bobcats starting on Friday at 6 p.m.
Panthers Fall to Auburn, 4-2
Auburn, Ala. --- Georgia State fell 4-2 at Auburn Wednesday night at Plainsman Park, but not before the Panthers had a chance to tie the game in the ninth inning.
Trailing by two, Justin Jones led off the ninth with a single, and then with one out, Matt Rose, who leads the Sun Belt Conference with nine home runs, came to the plate. Rose hit a long fly ball to the deepest park of the park, but left fielder Jackson Burgeen made a great leaping catch right at the wall.
The Panthers (19-15) had one more chance after Joey Roach singled to put runners at first and second with two outs, but Sam Few flew out to Burgreen to end the game.
Roach was 2-for-3 with a double, while Few and Jones drove in the Panthers' runs.
Roach led off the second inning with a double to left field, and then Few followed with double down the third base line to tie the game at 1-1. After Cam Sperry singled, the Panthers had first and third with no outs, but Sperry was caught stealing and then Trae Sweeting hit into an inning-ending double play.
Jones gave Georgia State a 2-1 with a sacrifice fly that scored Levy, who led off the third with a double.
Auburn regained the lead with single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
"We had some opportunities, but it didn't happen here tonight. I'm not happy with that, but I like where we are and we just need to keep playing good baseball," head coach Greg Frady said. "Offensively, we kept coming, but we just couldn't get the ball to fall. The Matt Rose ball, if it is all left of where it was, it's either off the wall or out of the park."
GSU used seven pitchers in the game, and relievers Garrett Ford, Connor Stanley, Wayne Wages, Alex Hegner, Clayton Payne and Kevin Burgee combined to allow just one run on three hits over the final five innings. Starter Marc-Andre Habeck (3-5) scattered three runs on eight hits in four innings.
Levy, the senior second baseman, made several sparkling defensive plays to keep the Panthers close.
Troy Falls to Kennesaw in Low Scoring Affair
ROY, Alabama – The Troy University baseball team fell to Kennesaw State, 3-2, on Wednesday at Riddle-Pace Field.
Troy starter Ben Tidwell (0-1) labored through 4 2/3 innings on the mound, allowing three runs on four hits. The senior southpaw walked four but used three strikeouts in key situations to avoid any more damage.
After Tidwell walked the bases loaded in the third, Kennesaw State (16-16) shortstop Kal Simmons singled through the left side to drive home the first runs of the game.
Troy (17-17) responded to tie the game in the fourth. Logan Hill and Trevin Hall singled to start the frame before David Hall walked to load the bases. Peyton Fuller got Troy on the board with a sacrifice fly and Clay Holcomb dropped down a bunt to drive home the tying run.
The game wouldn't remain tied for long, however, as Drew Davis drove the third pitch on the fifth inning over the fence in left field for his first home run of the season. The Trojans would miss on multiple scoring opportunities. In fact, Troy had its leadoff hitter reach base in each of the first four innings but failed to capitalize. The Trojans would strand seven runners in the game.
Corey Childress entered in the fifth to make his first career relief appearance and was spectacular. The freshman retired all 13 batters he faced, striking out eight, a career high.
Trevin Hall collected two hits in the game to record his 15th multi-hit game in 28 starts. The loss was just the second this season when the Trojans have out-hit its opponent; Troy gathered five hits while holding KSU to four.
Troy falls to 1-7 on the season in midweek action but looks ahead to hosting Arkansas State over the weekend. The Trojans have claimed three-of-four conference series on the year.