Wednesday, March 16
Springer's Career Day Leads ULM to 12-4 win over McNeese State
LAKE CHARLES, La. – Danny Springer hit three-run homers in consecutive at-bats as part of a seven-RBI night, leading ULM to a 12-4 victory over McNeese State on Wednesday.
Springer’s moonshot in the top of the seventh blew the game open for a 9-2 lead, and his ninth-inning blast went to the same spot in left field. The latter was a line drive that cleared the yellow line and echoed off the back wall.
Cade Stone began the game with a triple to the right-center gap and scored on Josh Faciane’s sacrifice fly to center. The Cowboys answered with a Shane Selman leadoff homer to left that evened the score.
ULM (7-9) took a 3-1 lead in the top of the second. Kyle Schimpf check-swinged a double deep down the left field line to begin the frame. Dalton Todd laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached on the pitcher’s fielding error. Cody Stone lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, and two batters later Cade looped a single to left field to plate another Warhawk.
The visitors added two more runs to their margin in the third as well, needing just three batters. Jacob Stockton walked before Nathan Pugh tripled to the deepest part of the ballpark in right-center field. Springer’s groundout to shortstop made it a 5-1 contest.
McNeese (8-8) got within 5-2 on a safety squeeze bunt in the fourth inning, but ULM took it back in its ensuing at-bat. Pugh singled and advanced to second on an outfield bobble. He eventually moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch before scoring on a Schimpf groundout.
Ethan Daily picked up the win after allowing two runs on three hits in five innings (70 pitches).
Cajuns Defeat Northwestern State, 10-1
NATCHITOCHES, La. – The 16th-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team exploded for 14 hits on Wednesday night as the Cajuns defeated Northwestern State 10-1 to close out their five-game road swing at Brown-Stroud Field.
The win improves the Ragin' Cajuns to 11-6 on the season, while the Demons fall to 8-8. Both Brian Mills and Hunter Kasuls had a game-high three hits in the contest. Mills scored two runs with a double and a career-high 4 RBI.
"I thought we did a good job of getting out to a good start at the plate," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "What a difference it makes for Evan (Guillory) when he can pitch with a lead. He looked really good tonight and was able to be aggressive on the mound. I really like that we didn't lose focus after getting up big early and had a complete effort. We need to carry this momentum into the weekend at home."
Guillory (1-2) picked up his first win of the year after posting his second consecutive quality start. The sophomore scattered five hits to hold Northwestern State to one run in six innings with four strikeouts.
NSU starter Tim Winders dropped to 0-2 on the season as he gave up three runs on six hits in two innings with a walk. The Demons used a total of eight pitchers in the contest.
Northwestern State went in front 1-0 in the bottom of the first on a two-out RBI double by David Fry down the left field line.
The lead would be short live though as Louisiana jumped on Winders for three runs on four hits in the top of the second to take a 3-1 advantage. Kasuls evened the game at 1-all on single up the middle that scored Ishmael Edwards. Mills gave the Ragin' Cajuns the lead for good on his single to left center scoring Derek Herrington from second base. Brenn Conrad capped the scoring in the inning on a sharply hit RBI single through the left side of the infield.
The Cajuns put the game out of reach in the top of the third plating five runs on six hits and a Demons error to take a commanding 8-1 lead. A two-run double by Mills highlighted the scoring in the inning.
The Ragin' Cajuns tacked on the final two runs of the game in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Herrington and a Mills RBI single.
Hogan Harris, Chris Charpentier and Reagan Bazar combined to throw three scoreless innings with four strikeouts to close out the game for Louisiana.
The Cajuns return to action this weekend as they host Little Rock in the Sun Belt Conference home opening series at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field starting Friday at 6 p.m. All three contests can be heard live on News Talk 96.5 KPEL-FM, while Friday's game will be broadcast on myAcadianaTV and ESPN3.com.
Trojans Win First Rock 'n' Roar Rivalry Game Vs. UCA
LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock baseball (6-10) took a 6-5 win over Central Arkansas (9-7) in the newly established Rock 'n' Roar Rivalry at Gary Hogan Field on Wednesday night.
Senior outfielder Ryan Scott almost hit for the cycle as he went 3 for 4 with solo home run, a triple and a double. Junior Dalton Thomas had the biggest hit of the night with a two-run bomb to left in what eventually put the Trojans past the Bears.
Things looked glum early on as the Bears scored two runs on one hit and three Trojan errors in the very first inning. Tyler Langley reached on an error to begin the game. Chris Townsend got on with bunt single but a wide throw to first allowed Langley to move over to third and put runners on the corners. Brandon Montalvo then reached on another infield error as Langley scored the first run of the night. After a wild pitch moved Townsend to third, Logan Preston reached on a fielder's choice as Townsend scored to put UCA up 2-0.
Little Rock started its comeback in the bottom of the third as Keegan Meyn doubled to right center to get the inning underway. Hayden Martin put down a sacrifice bunt to move Meyn over to third. Zach Baker earned an RBI on a groundout to second base as Meyn scored to cut the deficit to 2-1.
With one out in the fourth, Cameron Knight singled up the middle and advanced to second as Ty Gunter walked. The two runners then moved into scoring position on a wild pitch with two outs. Martin came through with a two-run double down the left field line to give Little Rock a 3-2 lead.
After giving up three unanswered runs, UCA countered with three of their own in the top of the fifth. Langley led the inning off by getting hit by a pitch before moving over to second on a sacrifice bunt. After Montalvo walked, Preston hit an RBI single through the left side as Langley scored to tie the game. Little Rock starter Matt McDowell was then relieved by senior lefty Jarrid Garcia after pitching 4.1 innings. Garcia earned the punch out with the first batter he faced, but Justin McCarty doubled down the left field line to score both Montalvo and Preston and give the Bears a 5-3 lead.
Little Rock responded quickly in the bottom of the fifth as Scott hit his fifth home run of the season with a solo shot to center. Down 5-4 entering the bottom of the seventh, UCA's Chris Durham (2-1) came on for reliever Derek Beier after Beier pitched 1.2 innings. Beier replaced starter Tyler Gray to begin the sixth inning after Gray went 5.0 innings with seven strikeouts and allowed seven hits, four runs and a walk. Scott welcomed Durham with a two-out triple down the right field line. With an 0-1 count, Thomas sent his moonshot to left to put Little Rock up 6-5.
Cody Daylor (1-0) pitched a great seventh inning as he struck out two and allowed no hits. Preston Oberling came on in the eighth and held the Bears down with two strikeouts while allowing one hit. Cody McGill closed out the game in the top of the ninth with two strikeouts and a walk to earn his second save of the year.
"Tonight we got better, and I think the key was getting a good start on the mound to keep us in the game," head coach Chris Curry said. "It allowed us to scratch and claw our way back into the game. I'm so proud of our bullpen. I loved how they worked all the way through the end. That's what we wanted."
Little Rock will now return to conference action beginning on Friday as it makes its way down to Lafayette, La., for a three-game series with No. 16 Louisiana. Friday night's game will be aired on ESPN3.