Sunday, April 17
UL Lafayette Uses Five-Run Sixth To Claim Series At Southeastern Louisiana
HAMMOND, La. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team rallied for five runs in the sixth inning to overcome a three-run deficit and defeat Southeastern Louisiana 5-4 on Sunday to take the series at Alumni Field.
The Cajuns improve to 24-12 on the season and have won seven of eight series this year including four straight.
"Today was an example of two teams grinding," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "We got them on Friday and they got us last night, so you knew it was going to be a back and forth game today. Everyone did what they needed to do today, and we were able to come away with the win."
Louisiana outhit SLU (26-11) in the contest 9-8 led by two hit efforts from Brian Mills, Stefan Trosclair and Nick Thurman. Drew Avans had a 2-for-4 day for the Lions driving in a game-high three runs.
Starter Nick Lee (6-1) picked up his sixth win of the season holding Southeastern Louisiana to three runs on seven hits with one walk and five strikeouts in five innings.
Dylan Moore continued to be lights out in relief throwing three scoreless innings to close out the contest and pick up his ninth save of the year. Moore did not give up a hit in the appearance and had two walks and a strikeout.
SLU reliever Pat Cashman (3-2) was handed his second loss of the season after giving up two runs on two hits with a walk in 0.1 innings. Starter Domenick Carlini gave up three runs on five hits in five innings with a walk in a no decision.
The Lions jumped out to a 2-0 edge in the bottom of the first on a two-out, two-run single by Avans.
Carson Crites increased the advantage to 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth as he drove an 0-1 pitch from Lee over the fence in left center for a solo home run.
The Louisiana offense woke up in the fifth inning plating five runs on six hits to go in front 5-3. Kyle Clement got the scoring going in the inning as he singled up the middle to score Mills to cut the Southeastern Louisiana lead to 3-1. In the next at bat, Trosclair single up the middle to pull the Cajuns within a run. Brad Antchak evened the contest on an RBI groundout to shortstop scoring Clement from third.
Brenn Conrad gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 4-3 lead in the next at bat doubling to right center to score Trosclair. Thurman capped the five-run inning with an RBI double down the left field line to make the score 5-3 Cajuns.
The Lions pulled within a run in the bottom of the seventh on a sacrifice fly to centerfield by Avans.
Moore got two quick outs in the ninth, but Southeastern Louisiana would put the winning run on first on after back-to-back walks by Moore. In the next at bat, Moore got Avans swinging to end the contest and earn the nine-out save.
Louisiana returns to action on Tuesday at 6 p.m. as the Ragin' Cajuns host Nicholls State in the first of five straight game at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field. The Cajuns will face in-state foe McNeese State on Wednesday at 6 p.m. before hosting Texas State in a three-game series at The Tigue starting Friday.
Mountaineers Claim Series Win over South Alabama
BOONE, N.C. — True freshman Colin Schmid tallied a career-high nine strikeouts, sophomore Tyler Stroup hit a two-run homer and Appalachian State University baseball claimed the second series win over a nationally ranked opponent in school history with Sunday’s 4-3 triumph over No. 23 South Alabama at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
Combined with Friday’s 4-3 win over the 23rd-ranked Jaguars, Sunday’s victory gave Appalachian State (10-26, 5-13 Sun Belt) a two-games-to-one win over South Alabama (27-10, 16-2 Sun Belt) in this weekend’s Sun Belt Conference series. The only other time that App State has won a series over a nationally ranked opponent came in 2012 when the Mountaineers took 2-of-3 games at No. 7 LSU.
Also, with its two victories over No. 23 USA, Appalachian owns 11 wins over nationally ranked teams since 2011, including six in four seasons under head coach Billy Jones.
Schmid turned in his third-straight impressive start on Sunday. The rookie southpaw struck out nine in seven innings of work (both career highs) and allowed only one run.
His only shaky moment came in the third inning when South Alabama opened the stanza with a single, walk, another single and a fielder’s choice, which left the bases loaded with nobody out and a run already in. The Jaguars’ run cut App State’s early 3-0 lead to 3-1. South Alabama’s fifth batter of the inning, Ben Gann, hit a fly ball to medium-deep center field that was caught by freshman center fielder Tanner Mann-Fix for an apparent sacrifice fly. However, Mann-Fix unloaded a terrific throw to home plate that was corralled slightly up the third-base line by sophomore catcher Chandler Seagle. Seagle held on to the ball after a huge collision with USA’s Jared Barnes to complete a spectacular 8-2 double play. Schmid struck out the next batter to end the inning and keep Appalachian State’s 3-1 lead intact.
Beginning with the marvelous double play in the third, Schmid retired 13-straight and 16 of the last 17 batters that he faced before being lifted in favor of sophomore Reed Howell in the eighth.
Brought on to protect what had become a 4-1 lead, Howell surrendered a two-run homer to pinch-hitter Brendan Donovan but sat down the final two batters of the inning to send the Mountaineers to the ninth with a 4-3 advantage.
Closer Brian Bauk came on in the ninth and, despite one runner reaching on a third strike that scooted past Seagle and another getting aboard on an error, nailed down his third save of the season. In the process, Bauk became the first Mountaineer to strike out four batters in an inning since current Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim farmhand Nate Hyatt accomplished the rare feat at Georgia Southern on March 13, 2012.
Appalachian State opened the scoring with an RBI groundout by Mann-Fix in the first and extended its lead to 3-0 on Stroup’s towering blast in the second. Stroup’s third homer of the season cleared the bullpen beyond the right field fence and landed among the pine trees on the other side of the service road that bounds Smith Stadium’s outfield.
Seagle scored what proved to be the winning run in the sixth when he led off with a double and came home two batters later on a double by senior Caleb McCann.
Playing second base for the first time in his four-year career, McCann (2-for-4, RBI, run) was one of three Mountaineers with two hits on Sunday. Bauk (2-for-4) and Conner Leonard (2-for-3, HBP) also had two hits for App State, which finished with nine hits as a team.
Schmid (1-6) was finally rewarded for a solid performance with his first career win. Over his last three starts (April 3 vs. Little Rock, last Sunday at Troy and Sunday vs. South Alabama), Schmid has allowed only three runs on 13 hits and struck out 16 over 19.2 innings.
Appalachian State chased South Alabama Austin Bembnowski from the game after two innings. The Mountaineers torched the right-handed fifth-year senior for three runs on four hits over his two innings of work and handed him his first loss of the season (4-1).
Drew LaBounty (2-for-5) and Matt Bolger (2-for-4) accounted for four of the Jaguars’ seven hits.
App State closes a four-game homestand on Tuesday night when they host longtime local rival Wake Forest. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Smith Stadium.
Warhawks Prevail Over Panthers in Rubber Game
MONROE, La. – Brian Barefoot’s two-run single in the fifth inning proved to be the difference in Sunday’s game, as ULM picked up a 5-3 win over Georgia State. It marked the Warhawks’ second consecutive series win.
Jacob Stockton took a pitch off his body on the innings first toss, and Nathan Pugh walked on four pitches. Nathan Reynolds ultimately came up with one out and the bases loaded and laid down a squeeze bunt single. The next batter, Barefoot singled in the tying and go-ahead runs as his grounder found a hole up the middle.
ULM (15-21, 6-9 SBC) opened with two runs in the first inning, picking up where it left off from Saturday’s 14-0 win. Kyle Schimpf’s hit-by-pitch and Stockton’s walk came with nobody on and two outs. Pugh then dropped a single in front of the right fielder to make it a 2-0 game.
The Panthers (16-19, 5-10 SBC) needed just three batters to take the lead in the top of the third. A single and walk set up a Joey Roach three-run homer that bounced off and over the right field wall.
Anthony Herrera worked around a leadoff single in the ninth to record his fifth save.
Brandon Bell started and went 4 2/3 innings. Chris Hunt earned the win after 1 2/3 innings in relief.
Givens’ Career Day Lifts Troy Past Arkansas State for Series Victory
JONESBORO, Arkansas – Led by Bert Givens, the Troy baseball team defeated Arkansas State, 8-1 on Sunday afternoon at Tomlinson Stadium and won the series for its third Sun Belt series victory of the season.
"We did some solid work today and I'm really proud of the win," head coach Mark Smartt said. "Getting the series win on the road is a huge step for our team. All-in-all I was really proud of the work we did today."
Givens drove in the first two runs for the Trojans in the second inning with his first career triple to left center field. He later plated his third RBI of the contest – a career-high – in the seventh inning on sacrifice fly.
Troy (22-15, 8-7 Sun Belt) scored three runs in the sixth and seventh innings to take an 8-0 lead. Trevor Davis, who reached safely with a double down the left field line, scored the third run of the game on a fielder's choice. TJ Binder made it a 4-0 game with an RBI single through the right side. Two batters later, Lockridge drove in the final run of the inning with a bases loaded walk.
Joey Denison hit his 10th double of the season to right field with one out in the seventh inning. Immediately following, Justin Friend singled Denison home and gave Troy a 6-0 lead. Chase Smartt walked with the bases loaded that scored another and Givens drove in the final run of the game with a sacrifice fly and made it an 8-0 game.
Arkansas State (14-21, 5-13 Sun Belt) only mustered up six hits in the game. The Red Wolves scored their lone run of the game on a bases loaded walk in the seventh inning.
Lucas Brown (5-3) went six innings, only allowed one run and picked up the win. He struck out five, allowed five hits and walked two, but none bigger than the walk in the seventh inning.
Corey Childress came in after the bases loaded walk and got two fly outs and a strikeout that kept the damage at one run. He closed out the eighth and ninth innings with only one hit surrendered. The sophomore picked up his seventh save of the season.
The Trojans spread out the wealth and had five different players with one RBI. Givens led the team with the other three. Trevor Davis and Matt Sanders were the only two that had multi-hit games, as both went 2-for-5.
Troy's next stop will be in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. for an SEC Network game with Alabama.