Louisiana Blanks Hofstra To Pick Up First Win Of 2017
HAMMOND, La. – The 13th-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team picked up its first win of the 2017 season with a 1-0 shutout of Hofstra on Sunday evening at the Tangi Tourism Baseball Classic hosted at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
"When you are in the situation that we are in offensively, other parts of the game have to pick up," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "Our pitching and defense is playing well behind us. We need to stay calm and grind through our issues at the plate. It's all about how you finish and not how you start. We need to come back tomorrow ready to work and get better."
Louisiana (1-1) got a stellar performance on the mound from sophomore right-hander Nick Lee who tossed six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts to earn his first victory of the year. Lee gave up just two hits and two free passes in the outing.
Relievers Colton Lee and Dylan Moore combined to tally three hitless innings to close out the game. Moore notched his 28th career save in the game moving him three back of the Sun Belt Conference career saves record.
"With Nick Lee, you know what you are going to get. He's been great every time out for us," Robichaux said. "I am proud of Colton Lee for coming back after being suspended for a year to man up and do what he had to do to get back on the mound."
Hofstra (0-3) starter Teddy Cillis held the Cajuns to one run on six hits in five innings of work despite taking his first loss of the season.
The Ragin' Cajuns outhit the Pride 7-2 in the contest led by senior second baseman Brenn Conrad who was 3-for-4.
First baseman Alex Pinero brought home the only run of the game in the bottom of the second inning as he drove in right fielder Tyler Stover on a two-out double to right centerfield. Stover singled to shortstop to lead off the inning.
The Cajuns return to action tomorrow at 6 p.m. in a makeup of Friday's rain out with Southastern Louisiana. Fans can listen to the contest on ESPN 1420-AM, while live video and stats are available on RaginCajuns.com.
Following the matchup with the Lions, the Cajuns are slated to head to Nicholls Tuesday for a 6 p.m. contest in Thibodaux, La.
@AStateBaseball Wins Series Finale Over NYIT for Season-Opening Sweep
JONESBORO, Ark. (2/19/17) – The Arkansas State baseball team was outhit by the New York Institute of Technology 7-4 Sunday afternoon at Tomlinson Stadium/Kell Field, but showed a keen eye at the plate to walk 16 times en route to a 13-5 victory to sweep the season-opening series for the Bears.
A-State improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2013 and just the sixth time in school history with the win. The 16 walks were just two shy of the school record set in 1994 against Arkansas College (now Lyon College). Justin Felix was 1-for-1 with four walks, to tie a school record that was last accomplished by Zach George against Little Rock on May 16, 2015. The Nogales, Ariz., native scored three runs and drove in two runs to give him nine RBI for the weekend.
Tanner Kirby picked up the win for the Red Wolves on the mound after allowing one run on one hit with one walk and two strikeouts in 2.1 innings in relief of Collin Cahill. Cahill lasted 3.2 innings and struck out seven. A native of Conway, Ark., Cahill allowed three hits and four runs, but only two were earned. Brandon Stuckenschneider tossed a perfect seventh inning, while Chase Nix threw two scoreless innings to finish the game in his collegiate debut.
NYIT (0-4) struck first after getting to Cahill in the second inning. The Bears had all three of their hits against the southpaw in the frame and were also aided by a walk and A-State error. However, A-State scored five in the bottom of the inning on only one hit, but sent 11 men to the plate. Alex Howard knocked in the first of his three RBI with a single through the left side to score Felix for the team’s first run. The Bears then made three errors in the rest of the frame to lead to A-State’s other scores.
The Red Wolves added a single run in the bottom of the third when Drew Tipton drove home his first career run with a sacrifice fly to the leftfielder in foul territory. NYIT responded with a single run in the top of the fourth on a Cahill throwing error to cut the home team’s lead to 6-4. However, A-State gave itself some breathing run at 9-4 with a fielder’s choice RBI by Howard and two-run double to right field by Casey Vaughan.
The Bears scored once more in the top of the fifth on a RBI ground out by Robert Fiato after Brandon Dowd tripled with one out. Arkansas State scored a single run in the bottom of the sixth on Howard’s third RBI of the contest, this one a sacrifice fly, to make the score 10-5. A-State added three more in the seventh on an error and two-run single by Felix to set the final at 13-5.
NYIT starter Ben Wright took the loss after he limited A-State to one hit in 3.1 innings, but he walked 10 and allowed nine runs (five earned). Joe Fusco drove in two runs to lead the visitors.
Arkansas State returns to action in a midweek contest at Ole Miss Tuesday, Feb. 21. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+. First pitch from Oxford, Miss., is set for 4 p.m.
Four Run Seventh Inning Pushes Eagles Past Middle Tennessee
STATESBORO, GA. - A three-RBI day from Evan McDonald including a go-ahead two-run single from the double handed Georgia Southern a series win over Middle Tennessee in an 8-5 win on Sunday afternoon. The Eagles took the final two games of the series and tallied 11 hits in Sunday's win to close the weekend on a high. Next up for the Eagles is a Tuesday night visit from No. 21 Georgia Tech. First pitch for the non-conference battle is 6 p.m. at J.I. Clements Stadium.
McDonald went 1-for-5 and reached four times with three RBIs to close the series. His two-RBI single with one out in the seventh put the Eagles ahead for good and helped the cause in a four run frame. Freshman Mitchell Golden and Senior Ryan Cleveland each drove in a run in the inning as the Eagles claimed the series win.
"I was proud of our team," said Head Coach Rodney Hennon. "I thought we did a good job as a team of bouncing back after a tough one on opening night. We've had a lot of guys step up in the bullpen over the last couple of games. To me that was the difference in the game. Chase (Cohen) gave us a good effort, but he ran out of gas there and he gutted out the last inning there. All our guys; Ramsey, Paesano, Goldstein, Kelly and Simmons all stepped up and that's big for our team going forward."
Cleveland went 2-for-3 on the day with two RBIs to cap a 5-for-9 weekend which included three doubles, seven RBIs, five walks and a stolen base. Golden went 3-for-4 on the day as he moved to the No. 2 spot in the lineup for the first time this season.
"Offensively we did a good job of loosening up and swinging the bats better as the weekend went," added Hennon. "We had some more opportunities today and we still left some runs out there so we've got some things to work on with men in scoring position, but overall it was a good team win."
The Eagles got the scoring started early, posting three runs in the second inning. A bases loaded single by Logan Baldwin plated a run while an infield ground ball by McDonald sent a second home. Cleveland's sacrifice fly to right with the bases loaded handed the hometown team a 3-0 lead.
Middle Tennessee got a bead on starting pitcher Chase Cohen in the fourth, tagging him for four runs, three earned off five hits in the fourth inning. The sophomore didn't return for the fifth, exiting with a no decision and six strikeouts in his first outing of 2017.
Trailing by a run in the fourth, Georgia Southern punished Middle Tennessee for a leadoff walk, brining Golden around to score with a sacrifice fly from Tyler Martin to level the score at 4-4.
An Austin Dennis double, followed by a single up the middle gave Middle Tennessee a 5-4 lead in the middle of the fifth, setting the table for Georgia Southern's big frame in the seventh.
Freshman Eric Goldstein earned the win in his debut for the Eagles, pitching a one-hit top of the seventh that included a strikeout. Connor Simmons, the winning pitcher from Saturday night's victory, claimed the save, working an inning and a third, allowing a hit with a strikeout on just 10 pitches.
Next up for the Eagles is a midweek clash with the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech. Tuesday night's tilt starts at 6 p.m. and can be seen live on ESPN3 with radio coverage on the Georgia Southern Sports Network.
Troy Downs Xavier to Split Series
TROY, Alabama – Brody Binder and Chase Smartt hit back-to-back home runs and Houston Mabray was solid on the mound as Troy defeated Xavier, 5-2, Sunday afternoon at Riddle-Pace Field in the finale of the four-game series.
The Trojans (2-2) raced out to an early lead with a three-spot in the fourth inning, capped by the back-to-back blasts from Binder and Smartt. Mack Hathcock provided Troy with a pair of insurance runs in the home half of the seventh with a two-run double after a pair of walks.
Smartt finished the game 3-for-3 from the plate, while Binder was 2-for-3 with his second double of the season to go along with his home run.
Mabray (1-0), a Troy native, picked up his first win of the season – going 5.1 with four strikeouts and allowing one unearned run while scattering just five hits. Marc Skinner earned his first save of the season and the Trojans also received scoreless outings from Lance Johnson and Cory Gill out of the bullpen.
Matt Fallon led Xavier (2-2) at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a double. Greg Jacknewitz (0-1) was tagged with the loss for the Musketeers, after he allowed three runs on six hits in 5.2 innings of work.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Fourth-Inning Rally: Matt Sanders led the bottom half of the inning off with a bloop double into shallow right field. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Sanders scored on a fielder's choice from the bat of Brandon Lockridge to give Troy the early 1-0 lead.
Brody Binder stepped to the plate with two outs and the bases empty and launched an opposite-field home run over the 27-foot wall in right. Not to be outdone, Chase Smartt hit his second career home run onto Tailgate Terrace two pitches later to stretch the Trojan lead to 3-0.
Big Top of the Seventh: Xavier's Blaine Griffiths led off the inning with a single but was thrown out at second by Steven Whitaker trying to extend it to a double. Two more singles followed, and Cory Gill entered the game for the Trojans, inheriting a one-out jam. Gill got Chris Givin to fly out to third and dealt an inning-ending strikeout to Rylan Bannon.
Even Bigger Bottom of the Seventh: Steven Whitaker drew a walk to lead off the frame and advanced to third on back-to-back wild pitches. Drew Frederic followed up with a walk and reached second on a throw back to third trying to catch Whitaker off the bag.
In stepped the Trojans' leadoff batter Mack Hathcock, who delivered with a two-RBI double through the gap in right-center, making the score 5-1.
NOTEWORTHY
• Before Sunday, the last time the Trojans hit back-to-back home runs was April 2, 2016, against New Orleans.
• Brandon Lockridge went 6-for-16 in the series and had at least one hit in every game of the series.
• Marc Skinner's ninth career save moves him into sole possession of fifth place in program history.
• Eight different Trojans – of the eleven that stepped to the plate – reached base safely.
SOUND "SMARTT" WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Today's win marks 10 years in a row that the Troy baseball team has not lost the opening series of the season. The last time the Trojans lost the opening series was 2007, when the Arkansas Razorbacks visited Riddle-Pace Field.
QUOTABLE
"We would've liked to have gone 3-1 or 4-0, but all we could do today was get the series even," Troy head coach Mark Smartt said. "I thought we played much better today compared to Friday and Saturday. They have a really good ball club that people will recognize at the end of the season. It was a good opening test for us and now we can get to work and figure out what we need to do to get better."
WHAT'S NEXT
The Trojans start a nine-game road trip in Birmingham as they face the Samford Bulldogs at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
For more information on Troy baseball, as well as all of Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find the Trojans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat by searching for Troy Athletics.
Texas State secures series finale to earn split with Purdue
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team collected a 14-5 victory over Purdue in the final game of the weekend series Sunday afternoon at Bobcat Ballpark.
The Bobcats (2-2) were able to secure the final two contests to earn the season-opening split with the Boilermakers (2-2).
In the series finale, Purdue initially jumped on top 2-0 with a solo run in each of the first two innings. The maroon and gold quickly answered with two in the second and then took a 4-2 lead with another pair of runs in the third.
The visitors tied the game in the top of the fourth, but it was all Bobcats after that. TXST scored three in the fourth and five in the sixth and never looked back.
Junior Dylan Paul had a career-high four hits to pace the TXST offense, as he finished 4-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Junior Zacri Sanders and sophomore Jonathan Ortega both had a pair of hits, an RBI and two runs scored. Junior Theodore Hoffman and sophomore Ryan Newman hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning.
Wes Engle (1-0) made the most of the first start of his collegiate career. The sophomore pitcher tossed a career-high 5.0 innings and earned his first-career victory after conceding just four runs (three earned) on six hits. Senior Quinn Atwood and sophomores Anthony Pagano and Brayden Theriot combined to allow just one run on two hits across the final four frames.
Purdue burned through six pitchers Sunday. Brian Ghiselli (0-1) took the hill first and left after allowing four runs (one earned) on five hits across the first three innings. Jack Dellinger then gave up three runs in less than an inning, and Hunter Wolfe conceded five runs (one earned) in 2.1 frames. Kyle Van Hoeck, Adam Dressler and Mike Kornacker also saw time on the mound.
Harry Shipley finished 3-for-4 at the plate for the Boilermakers. Even Warden went 2-for-2 with two RBI. Alec Olund did not record a hit, but he was able to score twice.
TXST outhit Purdue 13-8, and the visitors led in errors 4-2.
Texas State will remain home for a midweek tilt against Big 12 opponent Baylor. The Bobcats and Bears are set to meet in San Marcos at 6 p.m. Feb. 22.
JAGS SECURE THREE-GAME SWEEP OF EIU
MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team scored seven unanswered runs to defeat Eastern Illinois 8-3 Sunday at Stanky Field and secure a three-game series sweep.
EIU (0-3) pushed across the game's first run on an RBI groundout to second by Dane Toppel that scored Justin Smith, who reached on a leadoff walk, for a 1-0 lead.
The Jags answered with a run to tie the game in the bottom of the third. USA loaded the bases with no outs in the inning on a leadoff walk by Will Luft and consecutive singles from Cam Cummings and Dylan Hardy. Paul Russo followed with an RBI fielder's choice back to the pitcher that scored Luft and tied the game 1-1.
The Panthers responded with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth on a two-out RBI single to right field by Smith and two-out RBI single back up the middle by Joseph Duncan to take a 3-1 lead.
South Alabama cut its deficit to one run in the bottom of the fifth when Hardy tripled to right field with two outs, and scored two batters later on an RBI single to center field by Russo.
The Jaguars pushed across four runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a three-run lead. Wells Davis and Eddie Paparella reached on consecutive singles to lead off the inning, and each advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jared Barnes. An RBI groundout to second by Luft scored Davis and tied the game 3-3. A wild pitch by EIU right-hander Jake Haberer allowed Paparella to score from third for a 4-3 USA advantage. Drew LaBounty then delivered a two-out, two-run single to right field to double the Jag lead at 6-3.
USA added the game's final runs in the bottom of the seventh on a two-out RBI singles by Luft and Cummings.
Jaguar right-hander Nick DeSantis (1-0) tossed three shutout innings, and allowed just one hit while striking out five and issuing one walk to earn the win in his USA debut. EIU right-hander Dustin Wilson allowed five runs on six hits with a pair of strikeouts and five walks in 5 2/3 innings in the loss.
"(Nick) DeSantis was really good for us today," USA head coach Mark Calvi said. "He has that good slider, and he's an older guy who has a feel for what he is doing. I thought that was the right move. They (EIU) were so right-handed dominant that I thought Nick was the right guy to go to there for a hold, and he came in and did a really nice job and got the win for us. I am super proud of his effort today."
Cummings went 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored, Hardy finished 2-for-3 with a triple and two runs scored and Davis went 2-for-5 with two runs scored to lead the Jaguars at the plate. LaBounty, Russo and Luft drove in two runs apiece. Joseph Duncan went 2-for-5 with one RBI to lead EIU offensively.
"I thought we played really well in both games yesterday," Calvi said. "Today, we got outplayed the first half of the ballgame; I thought we got outpitched and outhit. But our guys did a nice job responding, and that's what you want to see. You want to see guys respond. Not everything is going to be easy, and I am glad we got pushed a little bit in the first game and in this game and had to respond. Our guys did a nice job. We got a lot of guys in there this weekend, and it was good to see everyone contribute and help this team win."
South Alabama will return to action Tue., Feb. 21, when it hosts Alabama A&M at 6:30 p.m. at Stanky Field.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with USAJaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at Twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Mavs Lineup Highlights 7-4 Win At SFA
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- Omar Salinas reached base safely in all five trips to the plate and Reid Petty won his season debut, leading UTA to a 7-4 win at Stephen F. Austin to conclude a four-game opening weekend, on Sunday afternoon at Jaycess Field.
UTA (2-2) used single runs in the four of the first five innings to build a 4-0 lead, with SFA (2-2) plating single runs in the fifth and ninth innings and getting a two-run frame in the seventh. UTA's big inning came in a three-run frame in the seventh, highlighted by a two-run, two-out single from RJ Williams.
The Mavs open the season with a split in the four-game stretch, splitting two games with defending Ohio Valley Conference Champion SEMO and the Lumberjacks. UTA suffered a pair of one-run losses to the foes to open the season, before earning its first win of the season on Saturday in the nightcap of a doubleheader.
LEADING THE MAVS
Each UTA starter reached base safely in the win, as the Mavs collected eight hits and nine walks, striking out just four times. Salinas led the way with a 2-for-2 game with two walks and a hit by pitch, belting a double and stealing a bases.
UTA also got a 2-for-4 game from senior Brady Cox, who also added a walk. Williams, Quintin Rohrbaugh, Josh Minjarez and Easton Johnson each had knocks, with Colton Turner driving in a run and drawing a walk. Noah Vaughan was productive hitting sixth in the order with a run on two walks.
ON THE MOUND
Junior UTA righty Reid Petty (1-0) earned the win in his season debut, working five innings in the start, allowing one run on four hits and a walk, striking out four. Senior right-hander Austin Gardner provided valuable middle relief with two innings, before Jake Wilcox and Dylan Schneider teamed up to help UTA escape the eighth inning. Junior Jordon West worked the ninth inning to secure the win, allowing a run on two hits with a strikeout.
SFA started Tony Grabowske (0-1) took the loss in his season debut, allowing four runs on six hits and five walks over five innings.
HOW THEY SCORED
The Mavs got the scoring opened in the first inning as Salinas drew a one-out walk and scored on a wild pitch after three Mavs drew walks in the inning.
In the second, Johnson singled with one out and took second on a passed ball. Rohrbaugh scored him with a single to leftfield.
The Mavs added to their lead in the third as Cox singled to left-centerfield and scored on Minajrez's double into left-centerfield.
UTA plated a run in the top of the fifth inning for a 4-0 advantage, as Cox led off with a double and after a productive out from Vaughan, scored on Turner's sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, SFA got its first run, as Tyler Kendrick led off with a double, scoring on a wild pitch.
The Mavs opened up the game with three runs in the seventh inning for a 7-1 lead. UTA loaded the bases with two outs for Johnson, who drew a full-count walk to force in Olson. Williams then spanked a two-run single to leftfield to score Turner and Vaughan.
SFA rallied in the seventh loading the bases with three consecutive singles, before Gardner settled into get a pair of RBI groundouts and a fly out to limit the damage to two runs and a 7-3 game.
The Lumberjacks fought into the bottom of the ninth inning with Kendrick leading off with a single, scoring on Stephen Stuart's RBI double to leftfield. Schneider then got a fly out to secure the win.
NEXT
UTA returns to action on Tuesday, opening its home schedule vs. No. 1 TCU at 6:30 p.m. CT at Gould Ballpark. The game will be broadcast live on UTAMavs.com with Amanda Kent voicing the action.
No.9 Coastal Carolina Suffers 11-3 Setback to James Madison
CONWAY - James Madison’s Adam Sisk hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning and another three-run shot in the fifth to lead the Dukes to an 11-3 victory over ninth-ranked Coastal Carolina Sunday afternoon at Spring Brooks Stadium.
A crowd of 2,488 was on hand Sunday, the eighth-largest, on-campus crowd I school history, and put the opening-weekend crowd at 9,545, a CCU record for a regular-season three-game set. Coastal will wrap the 18th annual Caravelle Resort’s Baseball at the Beach by hosting St. John’s at Noon on Monday.
For the Dukes Sunday, Sisk finished the day with six RBI while Kyle McPherson added three hits and scored three times.
In the first inning, both JMU’s and CCU’s leadoff hitters singled up the middle and their second hitters singled to center. The Dukes went on to load the bases, but CCU freshman pitcher Raffi Vazquez escaped unscathed. The Chants but runners on second and third but also came up empty.
Coastal took advantage of a JMU error to get on the scoreboard in the second. Leadoff hitter Cory Wood lined a single to center and an error on the play allowed the freshman ended up on third base. Jordan Gore laid down a perfect bunt for an RBI single to bring home Wood for a 1-0 lead.
James Madison grabbed a 3-1 lead in the third. After a single and walk, Josh Wyatt hit a two-out, two-run triple off the center field wall. Wyatt then scored on a fielding error on a Garrett Marchand ground ball.
The Dukes put another three spot on the board in the fourth. Mike Sciorra drew a leadoff walk, Kyle McPherson singled and Sisk cleared the bases with a three-run home run to left.
The Chants trimmed their deficit to four, 6-2, in the bottom of the fourth. Matt Beaird walked with two outs and Wood Myers followed with an RBI double down the right field line.
JMU got that run back and four more in the fifth for an 11-2 advantage. Marchand hit a leadoff single and, with two outs, Sciorra had an infield single. Ky Parrott followed with an RBI single to right field to plate Marchand. McPherson was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Sciorra scored on a wild pitch. Then, for the second time in as many innings, Sisk hit a three-run home run with this one clearing the center field wall.
Kevin Woodall Jr., belted his second home run of the weekend to make the score 11-3 in the seventh to provide the eventual final score.
JMU starter Josh Silvestri allowed seven hits over 3.2 innings, but only allowed two runs. Matt Colon earned the win as he pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless baseball. Coastal’s Vazquez suffered the loss as he allowed five hits, four runs (three earned) and three walks in three innings.
Big Inning Dooms Warhawks on Sunday Afternoon
DALLAS, TEXAS – A tied game heading into the bottom of the fifth, host Dallas Baptist posted five runs, highlighted by a grand slam, in that fifth inning to gain some breathing room and hand the ULM baseball team a 12-4 loss in the series finale on Sunday afternoon in Dallas.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Dallas Baptist 12, ULM 4
LOCATION: Horner Ballpark / Dallas, Texas
RECORDS: ULM (1-2, 0-0 SBC)
Dallas Baptist (2-1, 0-0 OVC)
TURNING POINT
-After ULM tied the score on an RBI groundout in the top of the fifth, Dallas Baptist answered by sending 10 men to the plate in the bottom of the frame. The big hit of the inning came off the bat of Austin Listi, who connected on a grand slam to give Dallas Baptist a lead it would not give up.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Dallas Baptist plated two runs in both the first and second innings, but ULM starter Chase Beal was able to work out of jams and strand runners in each frame.
-The Warhawks cut into the lead in the top of the second inning when Spencer Hemphill led off the inning with a double and later scored on Brian Barefoot’s sacrifice fly to get ULM on the board before a two-run third frame brought the score within one. In the third, Nate Reynolds opened the inning with a double to right-center field before scoring on Johnny DeLaCruz’s RBI single. ULM’s second run of the inning came when Chad Bell walked and scored on Turner Francis’ groundout.
-ULM tied the game in the top of the fifth when DeLaCruz singled, stole second and scored on Francis’ second RBI groundout of the afternoon before Dallas Baptist responded with the five run bottom of the fifth. The hosts added two runs in the seventh and a final run in the eighth to close the night.
-Cade Harper led the ULM offense with a 3-for-4 night with three singles in his first start of the season, while DeLaCruz finished with two hits. Anthony Herrera, Reynolds and Hemphill each had one hit.
-Francis (0-4) had two RBI, while DeLaCruz and Barefoot each drove in a run.
-Matthew Reeves was saddled with the loss after being tabbed for all five runs (three earned) in 1/3-plus of an inning out of the bullpen.
-Warhawk starter Chase Beal did not factor in the decision after allowing four runs on six hits in the first four innings while striking out seven batters in his ULM debut.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
-After the opening series, Harper leads the team with a .800 batting average (three hits Sunday, pinch hit single Saturday).
-DeLaCruz finished the first weekend with a team-high five hits, while Chad Bell has a team-high two doubles. Herrera has the Warhawks’ lone home run (Friday night).
-Beal’s seven strikeouts are a team-high after the opening weekend, followed by Kyle Backofen’s five strikeouts in relief on Friday night.
UP NEXT
-The Warhawks return home for a four-game homestand beginning on Tuesday night when they welcome McNeese to town for 6:00 p.m. first pitch at Warhawk Field. ULM then hosts Southern Illinois in a weekend series beginning on Friday night.
Trojans Can't Avoid Series Sweep at Oral Roberts
TULSA, Okla. – Looking to avoid the series sweep, Little Rock baseball fell 8-3 to Oral Roberts in the series finale on Sunday.
Bryce Dimitroff was 2 for 4 with a home run and a walk. Ty Gunter went 1 for 2 with a couple of walk and an RBI. Dalton Thomas went 1 for 3 with an RBI and a walk.
The scoring started right out of the gate as Dimitroff hit a leadoff home run to left on the second pitch of the game.
Freshman Chandler Fidel made the start in his collegiate debut for the Trojans. With two outs and a runner on first, Oral Roberts' Noah Cummings blasted a two-run homer to left to give the Golden Eagles a 2-1 lead.
After walking home a run in the bottom of the second, Fidel's day came to an end as Ryan LeMoine made his way into the game with bases loaded and one out. LeMoine got the Trojans out of the jam with back-to-back popups by the Golden Eagles.
With bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, Oral Roberts brought home another run as the batter was hit by a pitch. A single by Matt Whatley brought home another run before a sacrifice fly to center by Cummings put the Golden Eagles up 6-1. After loading the bases with a walk, LeMoine exited in favor of Carter Brown. After getting a strikeout right out of the bullpen, Brown walked a runner home. This brought Corbin Osburn on to pitch for the Trojans. Osburn finally got the Trojans out of the inning with a fly out to right.
Little Rock loaded the bases in the top of the fifth with a single and two walks. That allowed Thomas to bring a run home on a sacrifice fly to center and cut Oral Roberts' lead to 7-2.
After Osburn recorded the strikeout to begin the bottom of the fifth, Little Rock went to the bullpen for right-hander Preston Oberling. After allowing two singles, Oberling got the strikeout to end the inning.
Reed Willenborg came on for the Trojans to begin the bottom of the sixth inning. He led a successful inning on the mound as he earned a strikeout and left a runner stranded on first.
Zach Ours entered the game in the bottom of the seventh and snagged a comebacker to the mound for the first out. A solo home run by the Golden Eagles' Nick Rotola then upped Oral Roberts' lead to 8-2. McKinley Moore came on with two outs and got the Trojans out of the inning with a fly out to right.
Joe Corbett came on for Little Rock in the bottom of the eighth inning and earned two punch-outs for the Trojans before a fly out to left ended the inning.
With two outs and bases loaded in the top of the ninth, Gunter walked for the second time and allowed Zach Baker to trot home. With the bases still loaded for the Trojans, a strikeout ended the game.
"If you followed our thinking throughout the entire game, we wanted to get all of those arms out there and get their feet wet against a regional-type team," head coach Chris Curry said. "I think we have toughness and character, but that's just the foundation. We have to execute. We're going to play some tougher opponents earlier in the season to get ourselves seasoned and ready, and by the time we get to conference play, we're going to know exactly who we are."
Little Rock will now travel to Louisiana Tech for a midweek game on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Mountaineers Drop Wild Contest Against No. 24 UNCW
WILMINGTON, N.C. – In the final game of the Hughes Bros. Challenge, Appalachian State University faced-off against the host-team UNC Wilmington in a wild, dramatic, back-and-forth affair on Sunday afternoon at Brooks Field.
The Mountaineers (1-3) fell 6-5 on a walkoff single through the middle after leading the 24th-ranked Seahawks (3-0) 5-3 going into the ninth.
Momentum seemed to change a little bit toward UNCW’s way when the leadoff hitter to the bottom of the ninth, Robbie Thorburn, reached first on a struck out swinging, past ball. After that, the Seahawks worked the small ball game and brought around the two runs they needed to win.
Appalachian once again received incredible pitching from its bullpen. Making his first career start after 30 relief appearances, was junior Luke Watts. The right-handed thrower went a career-long 5.0 innings, allowed just five hits, two runs and struck out a career-high seven batters – more than doubling his previous career high of three.
Watts finished the day throwing an impressive 60 strikes on 97 pitches for the afternoon.
Providing relief on the day was senior Sean Mason, junior Tristan Helms, sophomore Will Herman and senior Matt Schaeffer. UNC Wilmington went to the bullpen quite a bit on the day, using six pitchers in the four-hour game.
The Black and Gold knew they needed to be able to put pressure on the pitcher in order to contend with nationally ranked UNCW’s offense, and they did just that, having five players get a hit on the day.
Senior Brian Bauk went 1-2 on the day, scoring an RBI and crossing the plate twice. He also drew two walks. Junior Drake Zupcic continues the hot start to the season by going 2-2 on the day, with one run and one walk.
Perhaps the best eyes at the plate for the Mountaineers came from App State freshman third-baseman and leadoff hitter, Calev Grubbs. In five total plate appearances, Grubbs drew three walks and went 1-2, crossing the plate once as well. Through the first weekend, the freshman leads the team in batting (.308), slugging (.385), on-base (.500), runs (three) and hits (four).
Senior Matt Vernon once again came up in the clutch for App as he got his lone hit in the eighth with the lead only one. Vernon drilled a double down the right-field line to drive home Grubbs, extending the lead.
The Mountaineers will have the midweek off before traveling to Boiling Springs, N.C. where they will play Gardner-Webb in a three-game series. Game 1 begins on Friday, Feb. 24 at 4 p.m. The game will be streamed live on the Big South Network.