Sunday, May 1
Cajuns Baseball Surges To Series Win Over UT Arlington; Trosclair Hits For The Cycle
ARLINGTON, Texas – The 14th-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team posted a season-high hits and runs on Sunday as the Cajuns defeated UT Arlington 19-6 in a run-rule shortened contest to claim the series at Clay Gould Ballpark.
The series victory is the ninth of the season for the Ragin' Cajuns (29-16, 14-7 Sun Belt) and the sixth consecutive. Louisiana has won all four of its conference road series this year.
"When you think you can hit, you can hit," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "It's just a matter of loosening them up and stepping away from things for a minute. I'm really proud of the team to bounce back from that opening loss to put together two really good games. Even though we didn't get a win in the first game, we hit well all weekend."
Seniors Brian Mills and Stefan Trosclair both went 4-for-5 in the contest as the Cajuns had seven players post multi-hit performances on the afternoon. Mills had a game-high five RBI in the game with a home run, while Trosclair became the third player in program history to hit for the cycle and drove in three runs. Trosclair joins Kyle Clement and Tommy Bates as the only players to hit for the cycle. Clement increased his hit streak to 10 games with his single in the top of the third inning.
"Brian had a super weekend at the plate," Robichaux said. "Even his outs were hard and he came up with big hits when we needed them."
On the weekend, Mills hit .600 (9-for-15) with five RBI and scored five runs. Louisiana had 45 hits in the series scoring 26 runs.
Freshman Hogan Harris (1-0) earned his first victory of the year tossing a scoreless inning in relief. Starter Nick Lee was chased in the fifth inning after giving up five runs on seven hits.
UTA starter Jake Wilcox (3-4) was roughed up for six runs on seven hits in 2.2 innings of work.
The Cajuns exploded for six runs in the third inning to jump out to a 6-0 advantage. Derek Herrington got the scoring going in the inning with an RBI double to right center. Later in the inning, Mills crushed the first pitch he saw from Wilcox over the fence in left for a three-run homer to give Louisiana a four-run lead. Following a Kyle Clement single, Trosclair launched a two-run blast to straight away center to make the score 6-0.
UT Arlington (23-22, 9-12 Sun Belt) got on the board in the bottom half of the third on an RBI ground out by R.J. Williams to cut the Ragin' Cajuns lead to 6-1.
Louisiana added four more runs in the top of the fourth to take a commanding 10-1 lead. Trosclair singled home the first run of the inning scoring Mills with two outs. Brenn Conrad brought home two runs on a double down the left field line to increase the lead to eight runs. Conrad then scored on a throwing error by the Mavs shortstop Josh Minjarez to cap the scoring in the inning.
The Mavericks pulled themselves back into the ballgame in the bottom of the fifth scoring four runs on a bases loaded walk, a wild pitch and a Colton Turner RBI groundout to cut the Cajuns lead to 10-5.
That was as close as UTA would get though, as the Ragin' Cajuns posted another six-run inning in the top of the sixth to put the game out of reach. A two-run double by Joe Robbins and a two-run single by Mills highlighted the scoring in the inning.
Louisiana added its final three runs of the game in the top of the seventh on an RBI single by Conrad and a two-run single by Hunter Kasuls.
The Cajuns will take the midweek off for finals before hosting Appalachian State in a three-game series next weekend at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field starting Friday at 6 p.m.
Jaguars Clinch Series over Georgia State in Series Finale
ATLANTA – The 23rd-ranked University of South Alabama baseball team clinched its sixth Sun Belt Conference series with a 2-1 win over Georgia State in Sunday's series finale at GSU Baseball Complex.
After taking game one, the Jags fell in game two – which was suspended Saturday and resumed Sunday morning – before rebounding for a one-run win in game three.
The series finale featured another lightning delay, which marked the third of the series after two on Saturday.
"It's hard through three lightning delays at 30 minutes each, and getting on and off the bus – it was hard and I thought our guys did a good job keeping their energy. Our guys played hard and well. Today we played just well enough to win and win you win it's good enough. It wasn't looking good early – just the feel of the game and then the delay. You could kind of sense it in the dugout, but our guys did a nice job and kept their concentration and poise. You can't stay locked in through a 45-minute lightning delay; you get mentally exhausted. They were in the dugout and stayed very professional, and that's what this team has been this year."
Game 2 – GSU 7, USA 4
Georgia State evened the series in game two, which was suspended Saturday and resumed Sunday morning, with a 7-4 win.
Panther left-hander Garrett Ford (3-4) allowed one unearned run on four hits with a pair of strikeouts in four innings to earn his third win of the season. Jaguar southpaw James Traylor (5-1) allowed five runs on two hits with one strikeout and four walks in 1 1/3 innings in the loss.
GSU took a one-run lead in the top of the first on a Jaguar miscue. Ryan Blanton drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first, and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Justin Jones. Blanton tagged up on a flyout to right field off the bat of Joey Roach, and scored on a throwing error into third base from right field by Travis Swaggerty for a 1-0 Panther lead.
Georgia State threatened one inning later in the bottom of the second. James Clements led off the inning with a single through the right side of the infield, and moved to second on a single to right field by Darius Sewell. A sacrifice bunt by Jack Thompson advanced both runners into scoring position, but Soleymani ended the threat with a lineout to Adam Wolfe at second off the bat of Will Kilgore and an inning-ending strikeout of Rhett Harper to keep the USA deficit at one run.
USA answered with three runs in the top of the fifth. Brendan Donovan reached on a one-out single to shortstop in the inning, and moved to second on a single to left field by Jared Barnes. Wolfe then delivered a two-out, three-run home run to left field – his sixth of the season – for a 3-1 Jaguar lead.
South Alabama added one run to its lead in the top of the sixth. Cole Billingsley led off the top of the sixth with a bunt single to second then stole second before scoring on an RBI double by Drew LaBounty for a 4-1 USA advantage.
But GSU responded with the game's final six runs in the bottom of the sixth. The Panthers loaded the bases with no outs on consecutive singles by Clements and Sewell and a walk by Jack Thompson. USA left-hander James Traylor induced a grounder to third off the bat of Kilgore, which Ben Gann fielded and fired home to Barnes for the first out of the inning. But the southpaw issued back-to-back walks to force home two Panthers and cut the Jaguar lead to 4-3. Jones followed with a three-run double to the left-center gap for a 6-4 Panther lead. Joey Roach then delivered an RBI single to right field to plate Jones with the game's final run.
Sewell went 3-for-4 with one run scored to lead the Panthers at the plate, and Jones finished 2-for-4 with a double, three RBI and one RBI. Wolfe finished 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI and one run scored to lead the Jaguars offensively.
Game 3 – USA 2, GSU 1
With the scored tied 1-1 after seven innings, USA pushed the game-winning run across in the top of the eighth en route to a 2-1 series-clinching win over the Panthers.
Barnes doubled to right-center field with one out in the eighth, and Cryar followed with a single to center field to put runners at the corners. Barnes scored later in the inning when Cryar was caught stealing in a rundown for a 2-1 USA lead.
"We actually had another play on," Calvi said. "We weren't supposed to get caught in a rundown there. Sometimes you make a mistake and it works out, and sometimes you plan perfectly and try to execute and it doesn't work out. That one was a mistake that worked out for us, and I will take it. That's one of the things we will have to clean up baserunning-wise, and our guys have done a really good job on the bases this year. But we were fortunate it turned out to be a run for us."
Jaguar right-hander Mike Dolloff (2-3) tossed 4 1/3 perfect innings in relief to earn his second win of the season. GSU right-hander Bryan White (1-3) allowed one run on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings in the loss.
The Panthers took a one-run lead in the bottom of the second. Jarrett Hood led off the inning with a double to center field, and moved to third on a groundout back to Jag right-hander Austin Bembnowski. Sewell followed with an RBI single back up the middle to score Hood for a 1-0 GSU lead.
South Alabama (33-12, 18-3 SBC) loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the fourth on consecutive walks by Wolfe and Matt Bolger, and a single through the left side of the infield by Barnes. Jason Cryar followed with a sacrifice fly to center field to score Wolfe and tie the game 1-1.
GSU (20-23, 8-13 SBC) threatened in the bottom of the fifth. Sewell led off the inning with a double to center field, and moved to third on a groundout back to Bembnowski off the bat of Kilgore. Rhett Harper and Blanton followed with consecutive walks later in the inning to load the bases with two outs. But Dolloff entered the game and induced an inning-ending groundout off the bat of Jones to end the threat.
Barnes went 3-for-4 with a double and one run scored, and Cryar added a hit and one RBI to lead the Jaguars at the plate.
USA will return to action when it hosts Jacksonville State in a pair of midweek games, with game one scheduled for Tue., May 3, at 6:30 p.m. at Stanky Field.
Tennessee Tech Takes Series With Little Rock
LITTLE ROCK – With the weekend series tied 1-1 entering Sunday, Little Rock baseball (21-20) took a 15-2 loss to Tennessee Tech (22-19) to close out the three-game series at Gary Hogan Field.
The bright spots for Little Rock came from Ryan Scott and Cameron Knight as Scott went 2 for 4 with an RBI, a double and a run while Knight went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a double.
Tennessee Tech scored two runs in the first inning as Kevin Strohschein hit a two-run double to left center. With no run scored between the second and fourth inning, the Golden Eagles stopped the scoreless streak with three more runs in the fifth. Ryan Flick hit a two-run double to right before David Garza hit an RBI single up the middle to give Tennessee Tech a 5-0 lead.
The sixth inning was another rocky one for the Trojans as the Golden Eagles scored four runs on three hits. Strohschein hit an RBI single through the left side before Chris Brown knocked a three-run homer to left.
Little Rock finally put an end to the shutout in the bottom of the sixth as Knight hit an RBI single to right center to score Scott who doubled to lead off the inning.
Up 9-1 entering the seventh, Tennessee Tech kept piling on the runs with six runs on five hits. Jake Farr hit a two-run single to right just before Strohschien blasted a three-run bomb to left. With two outs, Garza hit an RBI double down the left field line to give the Golden Eagles a 15-1 lead.
Little Rock made its last stand in the bottom of the seventh. With bases loaded, Scott hit a ground out to first to score Ty Gunter. That would be all for the Trojans as a foul out ended the game.
The Trojans will stay in non-conference action as they travel to Stephen F. Austin for their next-to-last non-conference game of the year on Tuesday night in Nacogdoches, Texas.
Bobcats Bounce Back with 4-1 Victory over Troy
SAN MARCOS – Texas State scored early against Troy on Sunday with a run in both the first and second innings to give starter Jonathan Hennigan support as he retired nine straight to start the game. He went on to strike out seven batters and only gave up one run while Pasquale Mazzoccoli cleaned up the last 2.1 innings for his 10th save of the season. Led by Cory Geisler at the plate (3-for-4), the Bobcats beat Troy, 4-1, to salvage the series with a win in the finale to improve to 23-22 overall and 11-10 in the Sun Belt Conference.
In addition to Geisler, Ryan Newman and Tanner Hill each struck two hits apiece while four others finished with a hit, including Luke Sherley who finished 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI on a sacrifice bunt in the second inning.
On the mound, Hennigan and Mazzoccoli combined for 10 strikeouts in the game. With Mazzoccoli's 10th save, he is just one shy of the season record while Hennigan put together his second consecutive quality start.
The Bobcats will look to keep the momentum rolling into Tuesday's midweek game at UTSA at 6:30 p.m.
Eagles Clip Warhawks, 4-1 to Win Series
MONROE, LA. – Georgia Southern Baseball rattled off a 4-1 win over UL Monroe on Sunday to close out a series win over the Warhawks Ryan Cleveland's two-RBI double in the seventh gave the Eagles a 4-1 win entering the Finals Week Break. Next up is a trip to South Alabama next weekend for three games against the first place Jaguars.
Georgia Southern improves to 12-12 in league play and 27-18 overall. UL Monroe slides into a tie with Appalachian State at the foot of the Sun Belt standings at 7-14 in the league and 16-28 overall.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Rodney Hennon
"I thought we got a gritty effort today from the team today. Guys scrapped all day long. Adam Kelly did a nice job today in his first weekend start. (Connor) Simmons and (Landon) Hughes were able to do a good job out of the bullpen. We made some nice plays defensively today with men on base that really helped our cause. We were able to manufacture some runs and overall I'm proud of the guys for a solid effort."
CRUCIAL MOMENTS
TOP 1ST – Logan Baldwin got a one-out double to left and exchanged it for a run when Jordan Wren singled to right, giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
BOTTOM 2ND – A one-out solo home run from Springer tied the game at 1-1 in the second.
BOTTOM 5TH – ULM was poised to take the lead in the fifth with back-to-back hits. A single to right gave Stone a chance to score from second, but Jordan Wren delivered a perfect throw to the plate to retire the second out of the inning and keep the game tied at 1-1.
TOP 7TH – Georgia Southern loaded the bases with one out for Ryan Cleveland who knocked in two runs with a double into the corner in right. Those runs staked the Eagles to a 3-1 advantage heading into the stretch run.
TOP 8TH – A fielding error by the ULM first baseman allowed Hunter Thomas to reach second base with no outs. Pinch runner Tarez Miller replaced Thomas at second and made it to third with a sacrifice bunt. With one out, Miller broke for home and a bunt by Kent Rollins allowed the run to score on the suicide squeeze, pushing the lead to 4-1.
NOTES
- Landon Hughes earned the win, working four innings of two-hit shutout ball. He is now 2-2 on the season.
- Adam Kelly got the start, his second of the season and first on the weekend this season. He went 3.2 innings and scattered four hits, allowing the solo home run in the second.
- Evan McDonald went 3-for-5 to lead the Eagles who posted a 10-hit game.
- The win is the 597th for Head Coach Rodney Hennon at Georgia Southern
UP NEXT
Finals week beckons for the Eagles this week so Georgia Southern Baseball will focus on their studies. The Eagles are on the road next weekend for a three-game set at first place South Alabama. The series begins at 7:30 p.m. (ET) in Mobile from Stanky Field.