Friday, May 8
Troy Claims Opener with Georgia State Behind Bennett's Fifth Complete Game
TROY, Alabama – Grant Bennett tossed his fifth complete game of the season as Troy knocked off Georgia State 4-2 at Riddle-Pace Field on Friday. The Trojans leap into third place in the Sun Belt Conference standings and could climb to second with a win over GSU on Saturday.
Bennett (9-3) allowed six hits and struck out seven to earn his Sun Belt Conference-best ninth win. The Panthers left runners stranded in five different innings but only truly threatened in two.
David Hall gave the Trojans (27-23, 15-10 SBC) the lead early with a two-RBI single in the first inning. Matt Sanders singled to start the inning while Logan Hill collected a base hit one batter later. Both scored when Hall lined the first pitch he saw into center; the hit extended his hitting streak to 16 games.
Georgia State (28-21, 14-9) got on the board in the third on a sacrifice fly from freshman Justin Jones. The Panthers were able to tie the game in the fifth on another SAC fly.
It didn't take long for the Trojans to reclaim the lead. In the bottom half of the frame, David Hall collected his third RBI of the contest as he plated Sanders on a sacrifice fly. It was the 38th multi-RBI and 11th three-RBI game of Hall's career. Troy tacked on an insurance run in the seventh when Reid Long blasted his eighth home run of the season, a solo shot over the wall in right.
Bennett seemed to get stronger as the game progressed as four of his seven strikeouts came over the final three innings. The junior has now completed four of his last five starts and finishes the regular season with a 7-0 record and a 1.27 ERA at Riddle-Pace Field.
Sanders and Nick Masonia finished the game with two hits each. Troy improves to 21-2 this year when out-hitting its opponent and 25-1 when leading after eight innings.
Troy and Georgia State will continue the series at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The Trojans will also honor head coach Bobby Pierce, who retires at the end of the season. A special pregame presentation will take place at 2:45 p.m.
Warhawks Slug Past UALR in Weekend Opener
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- ULM notched its second-straight Friday night win as the Warhawks picked up a 10-7 win over UALR at Gary Hogan Field. The two teams combined for 17 runs and 23 hits in the opener.
After UALR pushed the lead back to two (6-4) with a single run in the bottom of the sixth, the Warhawks plated five runs to take a 9-6 advantage after 6 1/2 innings. Anthony Herrera tallied a one-out single and Tidwell followed with a RBI double to left center. Tidwell was able to advance to third and score thanks to a throwing error that allowed Rasch to reach first and move to second.
Later in the frame, with two outs, a two-out RBI single by Spencer Hemphill gave the Warhawks a 7-6 lead. After a Springer single, Pugh followed with a double, but was tagged out trying to stretch out a triple; however, before Pugh was called out, Hemphill and Springer scored to push the ULM lead to three runs (9-6).
Rockwell tallied a leadoff homer in the bottom of the seventh to pull the home club within two.
After a scoreless eighth, the Warhawks got an insurance run as Pugh drove in Stawychny with a double off of the wall in right center field. Pugh’s fourth RBI of the night gave ULM a three-run lead at 10-7.
UALR made things interesting in the ninth as they put runners on the corners with two outs, but a fly out to center field ended the game and preserved the ULM win.
Pugh led the Warhawks at the plate as he tallied three hits (two doubles) with four RBI. Meanwhile, ULM’s 2-3-4 hitters (Tidwell, Rasch, Stawychny) combined for three hits, six runs and four RBI in the win.
ULM reliever Weston Mason notched his first win as a Warhawk after logging 2/3 of an inning. He allowed one hit and one run as he tossed just eight pitches. Josh Leone and Keegan Curtis held the lead for the Warhawks and Anthony Herrera closed it out and logged his sixth save of 2015.
UALR reliever Dyllon Brownmiller was charged with the loss and he falls to 3-3 on the season. He allowed one earned run (three total) on two hits in 1/3 of an inning.
After trading zeros through the two innings, the home-standing Trojans (14-29, 10-14 Sun Belt) plated a trio of runs in the bottom of the third to take a 3-0 lead after three innings of action. UALR was able to load the bases with two outs and then got a two-RBI single by Tanner Rockwell and a RBI single by Kyle Kirk.
The Warhawks (24-25, 11-14) responded in the top half of the fourth as Justin Stawychny led off the frame with a double to left field. After two outs were recorded by UALR, Nathan Pugh tallied a RBI as he drove in Stawychny with a single through the left side. Pugh’s RBI closed the gap to two runs (3-1) after 3 1/2 innings of action.
UALR plated a pair with two outs in the bottom of the fourth to extend the lead to four runs at 5-1. Hayden Martin, who doubled earlier in the inning, scored on a wild pitch and Petr Sila drove in James Gillean with a RBI single through the right side.
In the fifth, Dalton Todd tallied a leadoff single but a double play put two outs on the scoreboard. Kodie Tidwell followed with a walk and then Keelin Rasch smashed his ninth homer of the season over the wall in left center to pull ULM within two runs (5-3). In the sixth, Danny Springer matched Rasch as he hit his ninth homer of the season to close the gap to one run.
UALR scored a single run before the Warhawks exploded for five runs in the seventh.
The two teams will square off in game two of the weekend series tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m.
UT Arlington Splits with Appalachian State on Friday
ARLINGTON, Texas - UT Arlington came away with a split in Friday's doubleheader against Appalachian State, winning game one 2-1 before falling in the nightcap 5-2 at Clay Gould Ballpark.
"Overall I was happy with the first game," UT Arlington coach Darin Thomas said. "Obviously we beat a good arm and got two in the seventh to get the win, but the second game we were flat. We've played a lot of doubleheaders and we have yet to put together a good doubleheader. We've got to do a better job of getting them ready between games."
Matt McLean and Travis Sibley paced the Maverick offense in the two games, going 4-for-7. Sibley recorded three doubles on the day to go along with a pair of RBI.
"Tomorrow's a big day," Thomas added. "It's a must win, no doubt about it and we'll see how we respond."
The rubber match between UTA and App State will take place on Saturday. Eight Maverick seniors will be honored prior to the 1 p.m. game.
Game 1: UTA 2, App State 1
Final Stats
An outstanding performance on the mound from UT Arlington senior Chad Nack propelled the Mavs to a 2-1 victory over Appalachian State in game one of Friday's doubleheader.
Nack was exceptional in the start, allowing five hits and no earned runs in his 7.2 innings of action. He also struck out three and walked two in his 105-pitch outing. The Sanger native was able to etch his name in UTA history with his 87th career appearance which is the third most by a Maverick player.
Sibley was key for the UTA offense with his 2-for-4 performance that included a pair of RBI.
The Mountaineers took an early lead in the opening frame when a Maverick fielding error cleared way for one run to cross.
McLean came up with a single through the right side in the fifth inning in an attempt to knot up the game. App State attempted to throw out McLean stealing second, but an errant throw by the catcher resulted in McLean advancing to third. However, the efforts came up empty as a fly out to right field ended the inning with the Mavs trailing by one run.
UTA pushed through in the seventh with a two-run inning that was aided by a double to right field by Sibley. Singles by Darien McLemore and Brady Cox set the stage for Sibley to step into the box with runners on the corners and two-outs. Sibley came up big with his two-out, two-RBI double to right field that gave the Mavs their first lead of the game.
Game 2: App State 5, UTA 2
Final Stats
After jumping out to an early one-run lead, UT Arlington gave up four straight runs to Appalachian State as it fell 5-2. The Mavericks left 12 on base in the game compared to just eight left on for the Mountaineers.
McLean held his own from the leadoff spot for the Mavericks, going 3-for-4 with one run scored. Levi Scott also chipped in with his 2-for-5 effort that included a pair of RBI.
UTA jumped out to an early lead with a first-inning RBI fielder's choice by Scott that pushed across the first run of the game.
App State took its first lead in the second inning with a groundout RBI and a RBI single through the left side to go on top 2-1. The Mountaineers extended their lead in with a pair of one-run innings in the sixth and seventh to put the Mavs behind 4-2.
A infield fly to the shortstop by Scott brought in one run for UTA in the seventh, but a strikeout ended the inning with two runners left on base.
Appalachian State added an insurance run in the ninth with a solo shot over the right-field wall, setting its final margin of victory at three runs.
McLean's lead-off double to left-center field coupled with a Sibley walk in the bottom of the ninth, brought the tying run to the plate with no outs. However, the Mavericks came up empty as they recorded three straight outs to end the game.
Hill Tosses Another Complete Game, Leads Jags to 5-0 Win over Cajuns
LAFAYETTE, La. – University of South Alabama baseball right-hander Kevin Hill tossed his fourth straight complete game against Sun Belt Conference opposition in a 5-0 shutout win over Louisiana-Lafayette in the series opener Friday at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field.
Hill (9-0) earned his ninth consecutive win, allowing just five hits with eight strikeouts against three walks, and extended his scoreless streak to 15 consecutive innings. The right-hander faced the minimum over the final four frames, and handed the Cajuns their first shutout loss of the season.
"Kevin mixed in two different breaking balls, and threw his fastball to both sides of the plate," Jaguar pitching coach Bob Keller said. "What he is doing is unbelievable. I'm just real proud of all his efforts. What he means to this program and the things he has done is just outstanding."
Hill's performance, which was his second shutout of the year, marked the first time a Jaguar pitcher has tossed two shutouts in an SBC season since right-hander Dustin Crenshaw accomplished the feat in 2011.
No. 29 USA (33-17, 18-7 SBC) jumped out to a one-run lead in the top of the second. Adam Ballew led off the inning with a single to left field, and scored one batter later on an RBI double down the left-field line by Matt Bolger for a 1-0 Jaguar advantage. Garrett DeGallier doubled the USA lead to two runs with a two-out RBI single back up the middle that scored Bolger from second.
ULL (30-18, 14-10 SBC) threatened when it loaded the bases in the bottom of the third. Blake Trahan singled to center field with one out, and advanced to second on a two-out walk by Trosclair. A two-out walk by Tyler Girouard loaded the bases for the Cajuns. But Hill stranded all three runners with an inning-ending flyout to right field off the bat of Davis to preserve a two-run Jaguar lead.
Consecutive singles by Ryan Raspino and Cole Billingsley put Jaguar runners at the corners with no outs to start the top of the fifth. Billingsley stole second to put two runners in scoring position with no outs, but ULL southpaw Gunner Leger ended the threat with three consecutive outs to keep the Cajun deficit at two runs.
South Alabama held on to its two-run lead until it added three insurance runs in the top of the ninth. Jared Barnes reached on a leadoff walk, and DeGallier followed with a hit by pitch to put two runners on the start the inning. Raspino then reached on a fielder's choice to shortstop to set up runners at the corners with one out. Billingsley followed with a one-out walk from ULL right-hander Reagan Bazar to load the bases. Ben Gann then delivered an RBI infield single to plate Barnes and extend the USA lead to 3-0. Collura followed with an RBI single to left-center field to score DeGallier and push the Jaguar lead to 4-0. Ballew then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to allow Billingsley to score with the game's final run.
Leger (5-4) allowed two runs on 10 hits, and struck out six without issuing a walk in the loss. Eight Jaguar hitters hit safely in the game, with four recording multiple hits, led by Bolger who went 2-for-5 with a double, one RBI and a run scored. Gann and Collura each added two hits and one RBI, while Billingsley finished 2-for-4 with a stolen base and one run scored.
The series will continue with game two at 6 p.m. Saturday, and will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
Late Rally Lifts A-State Past Bobcats, 8-5
SAN MARCOS, Texas (5/8/15) – The Arkansas State baseball team rallied from a 5-3 deficit to score five runs in the final three innings in an 8-5 victory over Texas State in a pivotal Sun Belt Conference contest Friday night at Bobcat Ballpark in San Marcos, Texas in a game that had its start time delayed by 48 minutes after rain moved through the area.
A-State’s Lucas Feddersen reached base on a hit-by-pitch to lead off the seventh inning and was running on a pitch that Zach George lined right where the shortstop had vacated to give the Red Wolves (21-26, 8-16 SBC) runners on the corners with no outs against Texas State (20-27-1, 12-13 SBC) starter Lucas Humpal. Joe Schrimpf stepped up to the plate and lined a 3-2 pitch to the left-center field gap that was just out of the reach of center fielder Cory Geisler to tie the game at 5-5. Matt Burgess was able to plate Schrimpf on a ground out two batters later for a 6-5 A-State edge.
The Red Wolves were able to earn some insurance runs in the top of the ninth when George tripled to center field and was later plated on a monster home run by Schrimpf that made the score 8-5 in favor of the visitors. Tyler Zuber worked around a one-out HBP in the bottom of the ninth with a strikeout and fly out to center field to end the game and seal the victory for Arkansas State.
Zuber relieved A-State starter David Owen in the fifth inning with no outs and finished the game for A-State to earn the win. Zuber tossed five innings and didn’t allow a run on only one hit with one walk and seven strikeouts. Owen wasn’t sharp as he allowed five runs (all earned) on 10 hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
Offensively, Schrimpf was the big hitter as he had two hits and drove in five runs, his second game with five RBIs this season. George and Ty White also had two-hit games, while Feddersen extended his hit streak to 12 games with a double in the third inning. Texas State was led by David Paiz at the plate with two hits and two RBIs. Humpal took the loss for the Bobcats after he allowed six runs (all earned) on six hits with one walk and six strikeouts.
Both squads scored in the first inning of the contest with A-State taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Austin Baker plated Schrimpf with a double down the right-field line. Texas State responded quickly in the bottom of the inning when Tanner Hill singled to right-center field to score Cedric Vallieres to tie things up 1-1.
Texas State threatened again in the bottom of the second inning by loading the bases with one out off of Owen. A fielder’s choice to third base gave the Bobcats a 2-1 lead and the home team extended their edge to 3-1 when Granger Studdard singled home Geisler. However, the inning ended on the play when Baker threw out Vallieres trying to go to third.
Arkansas State got a run back in the top of the third when Feddersen doubled to lead off the frame and later scored on a RBI ground out to third base by Schrimpf. The Red Wolves tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the fourth when Stuart Levy plated Tanner Ring on a sacrifice fly to center field.
Texas State started the bottom of the fifth with a Hill single and a Ben McElroy double to put runners on second and third for Paiz. Paiz singled up the middle to plate both runners for a 5-3 advantage and chase Owen from the game. However, Zuber stepped in and struck out two batters before getting a fly out to center field after a walk to end the frame.
The Red Wolves and Bobcats battle again Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Ballpark with first pitch set for 3 p.m. For the latest on A-State baseball follow the team by logging onto the team’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/astatebaseball and following them on Twitter (@ASTATEBaseball).
Home Runs Power Clemson Past Eagles
CLEMSON, S.C. – Early home runs from Chris Okey, Eli White and Steven Duggar helped power the Clemson Tigers to a series-opening 13-5 win over the Georgia Southern Eagles on Friday night.
The Tigers (26-24) scored five combined runs on 9 hits over the second, third and fourth innings to take an early 5-1 lead off of Eagle (27-22) starter Evan Challenger.
Challenger worked a quiet first inning and retired the side in order with three ground balls before allowing a two-run homer to Okey in the second inning.
White and Duggar hit back-to-back home runs to lead off the third inning, and Robert Jolly plated a lead off single in the fourth inning with a two-out base hit to left field.
Challenger (5-2) was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs on 9 hits over 4.1 innings. He walked two batters and struck out one on 74 pitches.
Matthew Crownover threw a quality start, allowing three runs over seven innings of work. Crownover (9-1) allowed six hits, walked one batter and struck out eight to pick up his 9th win of the season.
Georgia Southern got on the scoreboard in the second inning after Cody Lanford grounded into a fielder's choice with runners on the corners. Lanford was caught stealing to end the frame.
The Eagles cut the lead to three runs, 5-2, with a RBI ground out from Aaron Mizell in the top of the sixth inning, but the Tigers quickly jumped ahead 9-2 in the bottom half of the frame.
Reed Rohlman capped off the four-run frame with a two-RBI single to right field.
The three-game non-conference series continues tomorrow with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch. Senior righthander Tripp Sheppard (4-2, 2.79 ERA) will get the start for the Eagles and will face Zack Erwin (4-4, 3.18 ERA).