Saturday, February 27
Troy Improves to 7-0 with Series Win over Southeastern Louisiana
HAMMOND, Louisiana – The Troy baseball team took advantage of five Southeastern Louisiana miscues en route to a 5-1 victory on Saturday at Pat Kennelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
Troy (7-0), who is off to its best start since 2008, scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 4-1 lead. The inning started with back-to-back singles from Reid Long and Chase Smartt. Bert Givens reached on a fielding error by the Lion third baseman, and loaded the bases with one out. The Lion shortstop booted a ground ball that was to him by Hoke Granger, the next batter, and allowed Smartt and Long to score on the play. Givens came around to score the final run of the inning after he advanced to third on a fielder’s choice and scored on a wild pitch.
Matt Sanders scored an insurance run in the top of the ninth and gave the Trojans a 5-1 advantage. He reached on a one-out single, but advanced to third on an error by the Lion catcher, who sailed a snap throw to first trying to pick off Sanders. Trevor Davis lifted a ball to left field that was deep enough for a sacrifice fly that scored Sanders.
Southeastern Louisiana (3-3) scored the first run of the game on a two-out single by Webb Bobo, who was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double and brought the inning to a close.
In the sixth inning, Justin Friend tied up the game at one for the Trojans with a solo home run to right field. Friend was one of three Trojans to finish the game with two hits.
Davis and Sanders were the other two players for Troy to record two hits. Davis also drove in a run.
Lucas Brown (2-0) picked up his second win of the season, as he went seven innings, only allowed one earned run on six hits and struck out four. Trey Johns made his fifth appearance of the season and closed out the final two innings without allowing a hit on his way to his first save of the year.
Mac Sceroler (1-1) suffered the loss for the Lions. He allowed three runs, one earned, on seven hits but struck out 10 Trojans.
Troy and Southeastern Louisiana will wrap up their series on Sunday as the Trojans look to go for the sweep. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
Bobcats Knock Off Previously Undefeated UCF, 2-1
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Impressive pitching, a first-career hit for a freshman and a huge swing of the bat from Luke Sherley put the Bobcats up, 2-1, on undefeated UCF in the seventh. With Chase Hodson on the mound to finish the game out, Texas State stayed on top to pull of the big win over a team that was ranked as high as sixth in the nation last season.
Trailing, 1-0, for three-and-a-half innings, the Bobcats struck in the seventh with the game-winning runs. With one out, Theodore Hoffman hit the first pitch of his at-bat to left field to put a man on base with one out for the Bobcats. Then, freshman Anthony Pagano entered the game as a pinch hitter and slipped one through the right side for his first-career hit. The hit pushed Hoffman all the way to third base.
The Bobcats used a safety squeeze play that ultimately moved Cody Lovejoy, pinch running at first, to second. The Knights played good defense on the play to hold Hoffman at third. That’s when Sherley lifted the team with a line drive down the left field line. As the ball rolled to the corner of the field, both Hoffman and Lovejoy came in to put the Bobcats on top, 2-1. Texas State never looked back.
UCF struggled to hit Texas State pitching all day. The Knights scored on their first hit of the day in the fourth inning and would only get one more hit off of the duo of Jeremy Hallonquist and Chase Hodson. Hallonquist went six innings, only giving up one hit with six strikeouts. The senior from Hallsville, Texas, retired the first 10 consecutive batters for UCF.
Hodson finished the game’s final three innings with five strikeouts and just one hit. He was near untouchable in the ninth inning, striking out the first two batters, one of which was on just three pitches. On the first pitch of the third batter, Hodson forced a fly out to left field to clinch the game.
Texas State, meanwhile, was more efficient at the plate, knocking six hits on the day. Sherley led the team with two and his two RBIs, and Nick Perez, Ryan Newman, Hoffman and Pagano each added a hit apiece.
The Bobcats saw their first great scoring opportunity in the bottom of the second. Tanner Hill led off with a walk, and Perez followed with a base knock through the left side. With two runners on, a groundout moved them both into scoring position. The Knights of UCF were able to make a great play on the next batter to prevent a sacrifice fly for the Bobcats. The left fielder came running up to catch a well-struck ball and was able to send it home in time to catch the Bobcat runner to end the inning and keep it tied, 0-0.
In the fourth, UCF was able to score the team’s lone run of the game. After the leadoff man went down on a groundout, an error and a walk put two runners on for the Knights. Then UCF knocked the team’s first hit of the game, a double to left field to score one unearned run for a 1-0 lead. The Bobcats received an outstanding diving catch from Hoffman, who was able to hold the runner at third base on the play. That proved to be a huge play in the one-run victory. Hallonquist followed with his fourth strikeout of the day to get out of the inning.
Texas State tried to answer in the bottom of the fifth but fell just a few feet short. Newman led off with a single past the second baseman, then Hoffman hit a hot grounder to force an error on the second baseman and put two runners on base for the Bobcats with no outs. Next, freshman Jacob Almendarez used a sacrifice bunt to push both runners into scoring position. Jonathan Ortega followed up with a walk to load the bases. Studdard went up to bat with two outs. After a fast two strikes, Studdard waited out the count to run it full. On the payoff pitch, Studdard sent it to deep right field, but the ball was caught in the wind. It fell just short of the fence for the third out of the inning to keep UCF on top, 1-0.
The only time another run crossed the plate in the game was Texas State’s big seventh inning. Standing at 4-3 on the season, Texas State will complete action at the Kleberg College Classic with a 3 p.m. game against the host, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, on Sunday. After that, the Bobcats return home to host Texas at 6 p.m. Tuesday in a game that will be televised on Time Warner Cable Sports Channel.
Panther Sweep Doubleheader against Coppin State
ATLANTA -- Five Georgia State pitchers combined to pitch 16 shutout innings and Jarrett Hood drove in five runs as the Panthers swept a doubleheader from Coppin State (1-5), 17-0 and 12-0 (7), Saturday at the GSU Baseball Complex.
Panther pitchers Bryan White and Marc-Andre Habeck and relievers Alex Hegner, Chris Mejias and Clayton Payne allowed just eight hits on the day and struck out 21 with no walks.
Ryan Blanton, Darius Sewell, Joey Roach and Jack Thompson homered for the Panthers (4-2), while Roach, Thompson and Jaylen Woullard drove in four runs each.
"Our team has had a very good offensive approach all weekend, and we have looked very complete with good pitching and no errors on defense," head coach Greg Frady said.
The four-game series concludes with a 1 p.m. game Sunday.
Game 1: Georgia State 17, Coppin State 0
Jarrett Hood drove in four runs to back a combined shutout by Bryan White and Alex Hegner in Georgia State's 18-0 victory over Coppin State in Game 1 of a doubleheader.
In his first start at GSU, White (1-0) allowed just four hits--three of them infield hits--in 5.2 innings while striking out seven and walking none. Hegner came on with two outs in the sixth and retired the final 10 batters in order, including four strikeouts, to earn his first career save.
Center fielder Ryan Blanton led off the game with a home run off the top of the scoreboard in right field, but the Panthers led just 4-0 after five innings before tallying four runs in sixth, one in the seventh and then eight in the eighth.
Hood, the GSU third baseman, had an RBI-single in the fifth and then a three-run double in the sixth.
Freshman Darius Sewell had a leadoff double and a two-run homer in the Panthers' eight-run eighth. Jaylen Woullard had a bases-loaded, three-run double in that inning.
Game 2: Georgia State 12, Coppin State 0 (7)
Senior Marc-Andre Habeck tied his career high with eight strikeouts in five scoreless innings and Joey Roach and Jack Thompson homered as Georgia State completed a doubleheader sweep with a 12-0 win over Coppin State.
Habeck (1-0) allowed just three hits and walked none to earn his first victory of the season. Freshman Chris Mejias and senior Clayton Payne finished the job with one scoreless inning each in the seven-inning game.
Thompson, the ophomore first baseman, belted a three-run homer to left field that put the Panthers ahead 7-0.
Then Roach, the senior catcher, smashed his second homer of the weekend with a three-run shot deep to center field in the fourth inning, extending the Panthers' lead to 10-0.
Mounainteer Freshman Hits for Cycle as App State Splits Doubleheader with Quinnipiac
HICKORY, N.C. — True freshman Colin Schmid (New Bern, N.C./New Bern) hit for the cycle in Game 2 to highlight Appalachian State University baseball’s doubleheader split versus Quinnipiac on Saturday afternoon at L.P. Frans Stadium. Appalachian State dropped the opener, 4-3, before Schmid led the Mountaineers to a 10-7 win in the nightcap.
Schmid doubled in the first inning, singled in the third, blasted a game-changing three-run homer in the fourth and tripled in the seventh to become the first Mountaineer to hit for the cycle since Chris Downard accomplished the feat versus East Tennessee State in 2003.
In addition to being part of the first App State cycle in 13 years, Schmid’s fourth-inning homer was also the turning point in the Mountaineers’ first victory of the season.
After falling to 0-5 with the loss in Saturday’s opener, Appalachian appeared to be en route to a sixth-straight defeat when it fell into a 5-0 hole in the third inning of the nightcap. However, Schmid’s two-out, three-run blast over L.P. Frans Stadium’s 25-foot wall of billboards in right field cut the deficit to 5-4 and proved to be the spark that the Mountaineers’ dormant-to-date offense would need.
Appalachian State (1-5) evened the score at 5-5 in the fifth then plated four runs in the sixth to take a commanding 9-5 lead. True freshman Jason Curtis’ (Waxhaw, N.C./Marvin Ridge) two-run homer in the sixth capped the Mountaineers’ nine unanswered runs.
Quinnipiac (1-1) scored single runs in the seventh and eighth to cut Appalachian’s lead to 9-7 but the Mountaineers added an insurance run in the eighth to make it 10-7. Closer Brian Bauk (Salisbury, N.C./Salisbury) retired the side in order in the ninth to nail down the win and record the his first-career save.
Schmid finished 4-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored and Curtis went 3-for-5 with a double, homer, two RBI and two runs to lead the Mountaineers’ offensive explosion in Game 2. Appalachian State tallied more runs (10) in the nightcap than it had scored in its first five games of the season combined (9) and, with 17 hits, nearly doubled its previous high hit total of the campaign (nine vs. Old Dominion last Sunday and in Game 1 vs. Quinnipiac).
Overshadowed by the offensive outburst was a stellar pitching performance by sophomore Travis Holden (Advance, N.C./West Forsyth). Holden (1-0) threw 3.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen to earn his third win in his last five appearances dating back to last season.
In the seven-inning opener, Appalachian State battled back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits but Quinnipiac scored the go-ahead run with back-to-back two-out singles in the sixth. Appalachian loaded the bases with one out in the seventh but QU’s Matthew Osieja came out of the bullpen to strike out both batters he faced and close out the victory.
Freshman Tanner Mann-Fix (Charlotte, N.C./Olympic) and Tyler Stroup (Thomasville, N.C./East Davidson) had two hits apiece in Game 1.
Appalachian State and Quinnipiac finish off their four-game weekend series on Sunday with another doubleheader at App State’s Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium. The twinbill starts at 11 a.m.
Eagles Split Saturday Twinbill with Radford
STATESBORO, GA. – A game-winning fielders’ choice handed Georgia Southern (3-4) a 3-2 win over Radford (1-5) to cap a twi-night doubleheader at J.I. Clements Stadium. The Eagles fell 2-1 in game one and took the seven-inning victory in game two by a 3-2 margin. Georgia Southern goes for the series win on Sunday at 1 p.m.
QUOTEABLES
HEAD COACH RODNEY HENNON
“It was a tough one in the first game. We were unable to get a whole lot going offensively and we were unable to get the big hit in the scoring opportunities we did have. They took advantage of a pair of walks to score their first run when we extended the inning and Luke Wise did a good job for them to get both RBIs. Their pitcher (Zack Ridgely) did a great job.”
“It was a similar game in the second one with both teams scratching and clawing to get a run. We talked about doing the little things and Kent Rollins did a great job of that. He was at first base and went hard into second base to beat the force play. He beat it out and Jordan Wren came around to score and win the game.”
GAME ONE
Radford got a run in the second and fifth inning to claim their first win of the season on Saturday afternoon in game one of the doubleheader. The Highlanders converted a one-out single into the game’s first run in the second when Luke Wise dropped a two-out bunt down the third base line. A solo home run by Wise in the fifth extended the lead to 2-0.
Starting pitcher Chase Cohen went four and a third, but was liable for both runs and took the loss on the mound. Connor Simmons tossed two innings of no-hit ball out of the bullpen and made way for Hunter Phillips to record 2.2 innings of perfect work on the bump.
In the ninth, Georgia Southern was able to avoid the shutout with a run. Ryan Cleveland laced a double to center and came around to score with back-to-back infield ground outs. That, however, was all the Eagles could muster in the 2-1 defeat.
GAME TWO
Georgia Southern’s starting pitcher Lawson Humphries gave up a pair of solo home runs in the first and second innings, but settled down to fan four in his collegiate debut. He gave up just three total hits in 4.0 innings of work, but did not factor into the decision.
The Eagles got a pair of runs in the first inning thanks to poor fielding by the Highlanders. Singles by C.J. Brazil and Logan Baldwin put runners aboard for Wren with two outs. He hit a ball to third which went through the wickets and allowed both runs to scored. Radford tried to make a play on Baldwin at the plate which opened the door for Wren to reach second. The junior, however, was cut down at second to end the inning.
The Georgia Southern offense struggled in the middle five innings, managing just one hit. In the seventh inning the Eagles took advantage of the shortened game length to score the winning run. Wren singled to right and Rollins took a ball off his wrist to get two runners on.
After a strikeout to Drew Kelley, Eric Furphy laced a ball to third. Radford went to second on the play, but couldn’t get Rollins on the bang-bang play. Wren rounded third and steamed for home, sliding in just ahead of the tag to win the game in dramatic fashion.
Chris Brown took the win, going 1.1 innings of no-hit relief to tally his second win of the year. Adam Kelly was efficient, throwing 1.2 innings of perfect relief and a pair of strikeouts.
NEXT GAME
Georgia Southern looks to win the four-game series on Sunday in the 1 p.m. finale. Tickets can be purchased at the gate while the games will air on the Georgia Southern Sports Network with video streaming at GS All-Access.
Warhawks Fall to Western Carolina, Evens Series
CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- Despite getting three total home runs, including two from Spencer Hemphill, ULM dropped a 15-7 decision to Western Carolina Saturday afternoon at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
Western Carolina (1-4) got things going first with a trio of runs in the bottom of the first inning. Garrett Brown led off the frame with a solo homer while Kramer Ferrell and Bryson Bowman picked up a single RBI to give the Catamounts a 3-0 lead.
ULM (2-3) responded with a pair of runs in the top of the second. Spencer Hemphill drew a walk to start the inning and then with one out, Jacob Stockton delivered his second homer of the weekend, this time clearing the wall in left center to pull the Warhawks within one run at 3-2. Nathan Reynolds and Cade Stone each reached base with two outs but both were left stranded.
The Catamounts pushed their lead to six runs after plating five runs (three earned) in the bottom of the third inning. The inning was highlighted by a two-RBI single to left center by Ferrell and a two-run homer by Spencer Holcomb.
Western Carolina added three more runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend the lead to 11-2. Danny Bermudez capped the inning with a two-run homer.
ULM got a two-run homer of its own as Hemphill delivered a shot to right center. His home runs also brought home Anthony Herrera who led off the frame with a single through the left side.
The Warhawks added two runs for the second consecutive inning as they closed within 11-6 in the top of the sixth. With Josh Faciane standing at third and Nathan Reynolds standing at first, Cade Stone connected on a single to right field allowing Faciane to score and Reynolds move up 180 feet. Herrera followed with an infield single and picked up a RBI as Reynolds raced home.
ULM scored for the third inning in a row as Spencer Hemphill hit his second homer of the contest, a solo shot over the wall in left to pull ULM within four (11-7).
Western Carolina set the final tally at 15-7 as the Catamounts scored three runs in the seventh and one run in the eighth.
Warhawk starter Brandon Bell (0-1) was tagged with the loss after allowing eight runs (five earned) on seven hits and two walks in three innings of work. Catamount pitcher Bryan Sammons (1-0) earned the win despite allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits and three walks.
Miscues Cost Cajuns in 5-3 Loss to Texas Tech
HOUSTON, Texas. – Texas Tech's Ryan Long provided a two-run double in the top of the 10th as the sixth-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team fell 5-3 to the 23rd-ranked Red Raiders in 10 innings at the Shriners College Classic hosted at Minute Maid Park.
The loss is the third straight for the Cajuns who fall to 3-3 on the year, while Texas Tech improves to 6-1.
"Again we had one inning where we didn't play the inning the way that we needed to," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "We had the pitchers in the game the way we wanted to use them, we just didn't make a critical play at a critical point in the ballgame. We have to get back out here tomorrow and continue to grow and continue to learn how to finish."
Sophomore Dylan Moore dropped to 1-1 on the year after giving up three runs (one earned) on three hits in 2.0 innings of relief. Moore had three strikeouts in the effort with just one walk.
Starter Wyatt Marks left the game in the sixth inning having given up two runs on six hits in 5.2 innings of work. Marks struck out five and did not allow a free pass in the no decision.
Freshman left-hander Hogan Harris had a strong showing in relief tossing 2.0 scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Harris did not allow one ball to leave the infield in the outing.
TTU starter Ty Harpenau was chased in the sixth inning as well after giving up two runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
Reliever Ryan Shetter picked up the win for the Red Raiders scattering two hits over 2.0 scoreless innings with a strikeout.
Offensively, TTU had a slight edge in hits, 12-11, with left fielder Tyler Neslony and second baseman Michael Davis each recording three hits.
Third baseman Joe Robbins led the way for the Cajuns going 3-for-4 with a home run and scored twice. Second baseman Brenn Conrad and left fielder Brian Mills each had a pair of hits.
Texas Tech grabbed its first lead of the day in the top of the third on an RBI groundout to short by designated hitter Cory Raley scoring Long with one out.
The Cajuns evened the contest at 1-all in the bottom half of the fourth when center fielder Kyle Clement brought home Robbins on a ball hit to second. Robbins walked to lead off the inning and then moved to third on a Conrad single up the middle.
The Red Raiders jumped back in front 2-1 in the top of the sixth on a solo home run to left center by shortstop Orlando Garcia.
In the bottom half of the six, Louisiana answered with a solo blast from Robbins to left to knot the game at 2-all. The homer was the second of the season for Robbins and his fifth of his career.
The Ragin' Cajuns grabbed a 3-2 advantage in the bottom of the seventh when catcher Nick Thurman scored from first on a single to left center by Mills that was misplayed by centerfielder Tanner Gardner.
The Cajuns carried the lead into the ninth as TTU was able to load the bases with just one out. The Red Raiders evened the game for the third time on the day on a ball hit to short by catcher Tyler Floyd as shortstop Hunter Kasals was unable to record an out on the play.
Moore worked his way out the bases-loaded jam striking out Raley before getting Garcia to fly out to right to end the inning.
In the top of the tenth, Texas Tech rallied putting two on with one out due to a costly error by shortstop Brad Antchak. Later in the inning, Long sent a double down the right field line to score two runs and give the Red Raiders a 5-3 edge. In the next at bat, Long was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a single to second base by second baseman Mike Davis.
Conrad doubled down the left field line with one out in the tenth, but the Cajuns would be unable to level the game for the fourth time as the contest would come to an end on a Clement fly out to left field.
The Ragin' Cajuns close out the road swing tomorrow with a 6 p.m. contest against Rice in the last game of the Shriners College Classic. The game will be broadcast live on both Cox Sports Television (Cox channel 37 and LUS channel 35) and Root Sports (DirecTV channel 674).
Fans can also catch the game live on the radio with Dan McDonald making the call on KPEL 96.5 FM.
Jags Fall to WKU, 11-10
ATHENS, Ga. – Western Kentucky scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to defeat the University of South Alabama baseball team 11-10 Saturday in the Bulldog Invitational at Foley Field.
WKU (4-1) trailed by a run entering its last at-bat, but used its biggest inning of the game to hand the Jaguars their first loss of the season.
Western Kentucky tied the game 8-8 in the top of the ninth on a one-out RBI pinch-hit single from Hunter Wood that scored pinch-runner Marquis Webb, who entered after Kaleb Duckworth led off the inning with a single, and took a 9-8 lead on an RBI infield single to third by Steven DiPuglia. Thomas Peter delivered a two-run double to left field later in the inning to push across the final two Hilltopper runs of the game.
USA (5-1) rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth after loading the bases with two outs. Ben Gann led off the inning with a single to left field, and pinch-hitter Adam Wolfe followed with a walk. USA put the tying run on base after it loaded the bases on a two-out walk by pinch-hitter Eddie Paparella. Travis Swaggerty then reached on a fielding error by WKU right-hander Caleb Bruner that allowed Gann to score and cut the WKU lead to 11-9. Jared Barnes drew a bases-loaded walk that scored Wolfe to cut the Hilltopper lead to one run. But WKU right-hander Jackson Sowell came on in relief of Bruner and struck out Cole Billingsley to end the game.
Seven different Jaguars drove in runs in the contest, led by Danny Martinez who finished 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored. Jared Barnes added a home run – the first of his Jaguar career – two RBI and a run scored, while Billingsley went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI and one run scored and Carter Perkins finished 2-for-3 with an RBI. Matt Bolger added two hits, and Brendan Donovan, Swaggerty and Drew LaBounty drove in one run apiece.
Western Kentucky put the first run of the game on the board in the top of the second inning on a leadoff solo home run to left field by Kaleb Duckworth.
USA responded with a run in the bottom-half of the second to tie the game. Martinez reached on a leadoff single to left field, extending his hitting streak to six games, and Gann followed with a walk. A balk by WKU starter Cody Coll moved both runners into scoring position with one out before an RBI groundout to shortstop by Donovan tied the game 1-1.
WKU answered with a pair of runs in the top of the third to re-take the lead. Steven Kraft led off the inning with a single, and Danny Hudzina reached on a one-out single before an RBI single to left field by Duckworth gave the Hilltoppers a one-run advantage. Paul Murray followed with an RBI groundout to second to score Hudzina for a 3-1 WKU lead.
South Alabama responded with three runs in the bottom of the third to take its first lead of the game. Bolger reached on a leadoff single to third, and Swaggety followed with a walk. Bolger then advanced to third on a flyout to left-center field off the bat of Barnes to put runners at the corners with one out. Billingsley followed with an RBI double to right field to score Bolger and cut the Jaguar deficit to one run. Martinez then delivered a two-run double down the right-field line, which plated Swaggerty and Billingsley for a 4-3 USA lead.
WKU loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the fourth when Ty Downing reached on a leadoff single to left field, DiPuglia reached on a throwing error to first by Jaguar starter Thomas Huston on a sacrifice bunt attempt, and Grant Malott reached base on a bunt single to second. Kraft then drew a walk from Jaguar right-hander Cody Van Aken to score Downing and tie the game 4-4. Peter followed with a sacrifice fly to left field to score DiPuglia for a 5-4 WKU advantage. A one-out single to center field by Hudzina loaded the bases again in the inning for the Hilltoppers, but Van Aken responded with a strikeout of Duckworth and an inning-ending fielder's choice off the bat of Murray to escape the jam without further damage.
South Alabama answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game. Donovan drew a leadoff walk, and moved to third on a one-out single to right field by Bolger to put runners at the corners. Swaggerty then reached on a fielder's choice on a ball hit back to WKU right-hander Josh Barley that scored Donovan to tie the game 5-5.
The Jaguars pushed two runs across in the fifth inning for a two-run lead. Barnes led off the inning with a solo home run to left field for a 6-5 USA advantage. Martinez reached on a fielding error by Leiff Clarkson at second base with one out in the inning, advanced to second on a wild pitch and later scored on a two-out RBI single to left field by Carter Perkins for a 7-5 Jag lead.
WKU responded with a run in the top of the sixth on a one-out solo home run to left field by Kraft to cut its deficit to one run.
LaBounty and Swaggerty each reached on a walk from WKU right-hander Logan Weins in the bottom of the sixth. A balk by Weins moved both runners into scoring position with two outs. Billingsley then drew a walk on four straight pitches to load the bases for Martinez, but Hilltopper right-hander Sam Higgs induced an inning-ending groundout to shortstop to escape the jam.
Murray drew a leadoff walk from left-hander James Traylor in the top of the seventh, and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Chris Rogers. A single to second by Downing put runners at the corners with one out. An RBI bunt single by DiPuglia on a squeeze play tied the game at 7-7 one batter later.
USA answered with a run in the bottom of the seventh to take an 8-7 lead. Gann reached on a leadoff walk, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Perkins before scoring on a two-out RBI double down the left field line by LaBounty.
After a scoreless eighth, WKU rallied for four ninth-inning runs and held a three-run advantage entering the bottom-half of the ninth where the Jags plated the final two runs of the contest.
John Harman (1-0) allowed two unearned runs on one hit with a pair of strikeouts and one walk in two-thirds of an inning to earn the win for the Hilltoppers. Jackson Sowell recorded a strikeout for the final out of the game to earn his first save of the season. Mike Dolloff (0-1) allowed three runs on four hits with a strikeout and a walk in two-thirds of an inning in the loss.
"Our guys fought until the end, and had the winning run on base," head coach Mark Calvi said. "But it's what happened before that. We left too many men on base, we gave up too many hits and we made too many errors. That's what hurt us; that was our fate right there. They (Western Kentucky) got some bigger hits when it mattered, and we didn't. Neither team pitched very well, but they pitched a little bit better when they had to. We didn't get a hit when we needed to and they did. But we win and lose as a team, and we'll be ready to go tomorrow."
South Alabama will return to action Sunday when it squares off with Cincinnati at 10 a.m. (CT) on the final day of the Bulldog Invitational.
Five-Run First Too Much for Mavericks to Overcome against Louisiana Tech
RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech struck for five runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back in taking their second straight game from UT Arlington, 12-8, on Saturday afternoon at J.C. Love Field.
Bulldog (5-1) starter Braden Bristo was nearly untouchable after the Mavs (3-4) got to him for a pair of runs in the top of the first and picked up his first win of the season with 6.2 innings of work that included six strikeouts and no walks.
UTA got a pair of hits from Quintin Rohrbaugh on the day, but only mustered the rest of the way after the opening frame until a five-run ninth. UTA entered the final inning down 12-3 before loading the bases on three straight walks in front of an RBI single from Dalton DeLeon and a grand slam from pinch hitter Jerame Littell.
Jake Wilcox took the loss after allowing five runs in just 0.2 innings before giving the ball to Brad Vassar, who allowed just three runs – two earned – in 5. 1 innings with five strikeouts.
UTA took no time to get the offense going in the top of the first, scoring twice to give Wilcox a lead to work with. Matt McLean started things off with a single to open the game and moved to third when Brady Cox reached on a fielding error by the ‘Dogs. Christian Hollie then brought McLean home with an infield single and two batters later Quintin Rohrbaugh shot a single into right field to plate Cox for a 2-0 lead.
However that lead did not last long as the Bulldogs struck for five runs in the bottom half of the inning, chasing Wilcox after just two outs when Chance Lunceford broke a 2-2 tie with a three-run double into the left-center field gap.
Louisiana Tech added a run in the bottom of the second on a failed pickoff attempt by the Mavs, and two innings later Chandler Hall cranked a solo home run to left field off of UTA reliever Brad Vassar to push the lead to 7-2.
Meanwhile, Bristo settled in well, retiring the next 17 hitters he faced after Rohrbaugh’s first-inning single. That streak came to an end in the seventh when Rohrbaugh led off the inning with a double and came in to score two batters later on an RBI single from RJ Williams.
The ‘Dogs added four more runs in the bottom of the eighth with the inning being capped by a pinch-hit, two-run double by Jon Washam.
UTA will close out its series with Louisiana Tech on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m. with Austin Gardner set to get the start for the Mavericks.