JAGS WALK-OFF AGAINST NO. 26 COASTAL CAROLINA IN SERIES FINALE
MOBILE, Ala. – Dylan Hardy delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the University of South Alabama baseball team to a 4-3 win over No. 26 Coastal Carolina Saturday at Stanky Field.
With the score tied 3-3 after eight-and-a-half innings, Brendan Donovan drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth and moved to second with one out when Wells Davis reached on a hit by pitch. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position with two outs before Eddie Paparella drew a walk to load the bases for Hardy, who lined a 2-2 pitch from CCU right-hander Cole Schaefer into left field to score Donovan with the game-winning run.
"I wasn't trying to do too much," Hardy said. "Coach (Calvi) always says to hit the right pitches when they come to you, and lay off the pitcher's pitches that you get yourself out on. I just went up there today and tried to hit my pitches and get them (CCU pitchers) to come across the plate to me."
South Alabama threatened in the bottom of the second inning, but failed to push across a run. Jared Barnes drew a one-out walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch from CCU right-hander Jason Bilous and moved to third on a two-out infield single by Hardy. Will Luft drew a two-out walk to load the bases for Hunter Stokes, but Bilous recorded an inning-ending strikeout to escape the jam without allowing a run.
Coastal Carolina (22-13-1, 10-4-1 SBC) broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth inning on a two-out RBI single through the right side of the infield by Kieton Rivers for a 1-0 lead.
The Chanticleers doubled their lead to 2-0 in the top of the seventh on a one-out solo home run to left field by Seth Lancaster.
CCU then extended its lead to 3-0 in the top of the eighth on a two-out RBI single back up the middle by Wood Myers.
But South Alabama answered with three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game. Travis Swaggerty drew a leadoff walk, and moved to second on a single back up the middle by Wells Davis. Barnes walked to load the bases with no outs for Eddie Paparella, who lifted an RBI sacrifice fly to right field to score Swaggerty with the Jaguars' first run. Hardy followed with an RBI single back up the middle to score Davis and cut the CCU lead to 3-2. Hunter Stokes delivered a two-out RBI single to center field later in the inning to score Barnes and tie the game 3-3.
USA right-hander Will Eiland (1-0) tossed one scoreless relief inning and allowed two hits with one strikeout to earn his first career win as a Jaguar. CCU left-hander Anthony Veneziano (2-2) allowed one run without allowing a hit, and issued one walk with one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning in the loss. Jaguar right-hander Tyler Carr allowed two runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and did not issue a walk without factoring in the decision.
Hardy recorded a career-high four hits, finishing 4-for-5 with two RBI to lead the Jaguars at the plate. Stokes added a hit and one RBI and Paparella drove in one run. Myers went 3-for-4 with one RBI to lead the Chanticleers offensively.
"Our guys just kept working to get on base," USA head coach Mark Calvi said. "They have 27 outs and they know that; we preach that from day one. And we needed every single one of them to get it done. Our guys were working all game long. Their (CCU) starter (Bilous) was really good; he was up to 95 (mph) and was effectively wild. I give that kid a lot of credit. He is a tough pitcher and he made pitches when he had to. But how about our guy (Carr)? We had eight walks yesterday. We challenged them last night and we didn't have any walks today. That was the storyline, Tyler Carr, Andrew Cash and Will Eiland going out there and not walking anybody and forcing them to earn what they got to give us a chance to win it at the end."
South Alabama will return to action Tue., April 18, when it hosts Mississippi State 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).
Robbins Provides Walk-off Winner As Cajuns Baseball Sweeps Arkansas State
LAFAYETTE, La. – Senior Joe Robbins came through with the walk-off squeeze bunt in the ninth as the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball completed the sweep of Arkansas State with a 3-2 victory on Saturday at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.
"I thought our pitchers did a great job today," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "We got some critical outs at critical times in the ballgame and held back their push. Today we faced some of their better arms out of the bullpen, so we knew runs were going to be at a premium. We have to do a better job on the base paths, but we hung in there and played great defense. We didn't make an error all weekend, and that we key because we never gave them anything."
Reliever Wyatt Marks improved to 2-1 on the season after tossing a perfect final three frames to close out the ballgame as he tied his season-high with seven strikeouts.
Starter Hogan Harris went six innings in a no decision limiting the Red Wolves (19-17, 7-8 Sun Belt) to two runs on three hits with four walks and four strikeouts.
A-State's Tyler Zuber (3-1) was tagged with his first loss of year after giving up one run on one hit in 1.2 innings of relief.
The Cajuns outhit the Red Wolves 7-3 in the game with senior Ishmael Edwards extending his hit streak to 11 games with his leadoff single in the third inning.
Louisiana jumped out to an early lead for the third straight game on a two-run single to left center by second baseman Brenn Conrad in the bottom of the second inning. Kennon Fontenot singled to shortstop and Alex Pinero doubled down the left field line to get into scoring position for Conrad.
The Red Wolves answered with a pair of runs in the top of the third to tie the game at 2-all. Grant Hawkins brought home the first run of the inning on a double down the right field line. In the next at bat, Joe Schrimpf evened the contest on a sacrifice fly to centerfield.
A-State threatened in the top of the fourth loading the bases with two outs, but Harris got Hawkins to fly out to right field to end the inning.
The Ragin' Cajuns had a runner reach third base with less than two outs in the bottom of the fifth when catcher Handsome Monica doubled down the left field line to lead off the inning and then moved to third on a Zach LaFleur sac bunt. Following a walk to Ishmael Edwards, Brad Antchak hammered a pitch from reliever Tanner Kirby on a line to third baseman Alex Howard for the second out of the inning. Kirby then struck out Joe Robbins looking to keep the game knotted at 2-all.
In the bottom of the ninth, Edwards reached on a one-out walk and then moved to third on a wild pitch and an Antchak single to centerfield. In the next at bat, Robbins brought home Edwards on a perfectly executed squeeze bunt to end the contest.
Louisiana returns to action Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. as the squad heads to Tulane in the first of five games on the week. The Ragin' Cajuns return to Russo Park on Wednesday at 6 p.m. as they play host to Southeastern Louisiana in a non-conference game.
Gardner's Relief Outing Leads Mavs Past Little Rock
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Austin Gardner fired four two-hit relief innings to earn his first win of the year, leading UTA to a 10-5 win over Little Rock in the series rubber match, on a perfect Saturday afternoon at Clay Gould Ballpark.
UTA (19-17, 10-5 Sun Belt) now sits a half game shy of Louisiana (10-4-1) and Coastal Carolina (10-4-1) in the Sun Belt Conference Western Division and overall league lead. The Mavs have won four of their first five conference tests for the first time since 2011. UTA will travel to face ULM (5-10) next weekend.
The teams traded blows early in the first inning, with Little Rock plating two and UTA getting a four-run frame. The Mavs extended their lead to 7-2 in the fourth but Little Rock rallied to get within two and put the tying run at the plate in the fifth. UTA's three-run sixth inning helped secure the win and push the Mavs to the 10-5 result, riding Gardner's arm to the final out.
ON THE MOUND
UTA starter Jakob Hernandez worked 4.1 inning, allowing nine hits and five runs, walking two and striking out three. With two runners on and the tying run in the on-deck circle in the fifth inning, the Mavs turned to Adam Meyer in relief.
A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Meyer got a pair of outs before walking the first two hitters in the sixth inning. Gardner (1-1) came on to replace Meyer. Gardner struck out the side to end the sixth inning and worked a season-high four innings, allowing only two hits and striking out a career-best six. It marked the longest relief outing of Gardner's career.
Little Rock (14-22, 6-9 Sun Belt) starter Chandler Fidel (2-4) worked 3.1 innings, allowing eight hits and six runs, striking out five. The Trojans also used Preston Oberling, Matt McDowell, Justin Garcia, Jacob Rateliff, McKinley Moore, Cole Townsend and Joe Corbett in relief.
LEADING THE MAVS
UTA scored 10 runs on 10 hits and eight walks in the game, with eight position starters collecting hits and each starter getting at least a run or hit in the win. Phil Berthiaume and Brady Cox each had two hits and a walk, with Berthiaume driving in two runs. Quintin Rohrbaugh and Will Olson each drove in a pair, with RJ Williams scoring twice and painting a double down the line to answer the two-run first inning for Little Rock. Omar Salinas had a hit, RBI and two runs, with Christian Hollie and Noah Vaughan each driving in runs and owning hits. Easton Johnson scored a run.
HOW THEY SCORED
Hunter Owens started the rally for the Trojans in the first inning, getting a one-out single up the middle, taking second on Dalton Thomas' 3-2 walk. After a strikeout, Cameron Knight and Riley Pittman each ripped RBI singles.
UTA answered in the bottom of the first, getting a leadoff double from Williams and a two-strike knock from Cox through the right side of the infield. Salinas dropped a single into shallow leftfield to score Williams from second and after the second out, Olson drew a walk to load the bases. Vaughan then tied the game with an infield single in the hole on the left side and Berthiaume gave the Mavs a 4-2 lead with a two-run single up the middle.
The Mavs chased Fidel in the fourth inning, getting into the Little Rock bullpen. Berthiaume led off with an infield single and Johnson reached first after his sacrifice bunt attempt was misplayed. Williams then loaded the bases with a walk and Cox dropped a single into shallow rightfield to score Berthiaume. Rohrbaugh scored a pair to give the Mavs a 7-2 lead with a two-run single to leftfield.
In the top of the fifth inning, Little Rock got a leadoff single from Owens and a single from Thomas down the rightfield line. Nik Gifford then scored Owens with an RBI fielder's choice. Knight chased Hernandez from the game with a double into the gap and Pittman scored two with an RBI single to leftfield.
UTA rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning, getting three straight walks, off three different relievers, to open the frame. Olson then greeted the fourth pitcher of the inning with a two-run single and Hollie hung a sacrifice fly to score Rohrbaugh for a 10-5 UTA lead.
NEXT
The Mavs will return to action on Tuesday, hosting Texas A&M at 6:30 p.m. at Clay Gould Ballpark.
TXST closes out series triumph over ULM
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team closed out its weekend Sun Belt Conference series with a 7-4 win over ULM Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Ballpark.
The triumph earned the Bobcats (22-15, 9-6 SBC) a series victory, while the Warhawks fell to 10-27 overall and 5-10 in the SBC.
ULM initially scored first when Cade Stone sent the first pitch of the game over the right field wall, but TXST plated five runs in the first two frames to take what would be an insurmountable lead.
The maroon and gold has now scored in the first inning in each of the team's last 10 Sun Belt contests.
The Warhawks were able to push two across in the fourth, but Texas State countered with solo tallies in the fifth and eighth frames to stay on top by the three-run cushion.
True freshman Nicholas Fraze (4-1) recorded the fifth quality start in his last six outings, as he went 7.0 innings and conceded just three runs on three hits. He also fanned five and walked four. Fellow true freshman Broc Bosse logged the final 2.0 frames and earned the first save of his career. He only gave up one run on a pair of hits.
Junior Theodore Hoffman powered the offense with a 3-for-4 effort at the dish. He drove in two runs and scored twice. Sophomores Jacob Almendarez, Jonathan Ortega and Jaylen Hubbard all registered two hits each. Ortega posted two RBIs and scored once, while Hubbard drove in two runs.
Texas State outhit ULM 12-5, and neither team committed an error.
Tyler Cox was the lone Warhawk with multiple hits, as he finished the day 2-for-4 with three RBIs and one run.
Starting pitcher Keegan Curtis (1-4) was pulled after throwing just one inning. He gave up five runs on just four hits, while walking two and striking out zero. ULM needed four additional bullpen arms to get through the rest of the day.
Texas State is now set to wrap up a season-long series with Texas at 6:30 p.m. April 18 in Austin. The Bobcats won the first game on March 21 in San Marcos, and the Longhorns defeated TXST this past week (April 11) at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
Eagles Rally For 6-4 Win over Appalachian State to Take Series
STATESBORO, GA. - Georgia Southern Baseball fell in an early hole, but responded with four unanswered runs to take a 6-4 win over Appalachian State on Saturday, closing out a series win over the Mountaineers. Mason McWhorter went 3-for-3 on the day with a run scored while Tyler Martin and Ryan Cleveland each hit home runs. The Eagles travel to Savannah State on Wednesday before next weekend's trip to Coastal Carolina.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Rodney Hennon
"We really had to fight for the win today. We got behind early again today, but we responded better. I thought we did a better job competing at the plate and defensively we played a solid game. I thought (Evan) McDonald made a solid play in the eighth going into the hole in a key situation. Obviously the bullpen did a great job stepping up for us today. All those guys came in and threw the ball well today. It was just a good team effort and a good team win."
SCORING PLAYS
Top 2nd - GS 0 - APP 3 - App State got a two run home run in the second after a one out walk to take the early lead. The Mountaineers added another run with a sacrifice bunt to the right side to make it 3-0.
Bot 2nd - GS 2 - APP 3 - Ryan Cleveland delivered a big fly to open the second and get the Eagles on the board. His eighth home run of the season made it a 3-1 game. A hit batter and a single put two aboard for Jacob Greene who lobbed a sacrifice fly to right which was dropped, allowing Tyler Martin to score from third to make it a 3-2 game.
Top 3rd - GS 2 - APP 4 - Two hits including a double to the gap in right brought in another run and pushed the App State lead to 4-2.
Bot 4th - GS 5 - APP 4 - Jacob Greene evened the game with a two RBI single through the left side. Later in the inning, Mitchell Golden drove in another run to push the lead to 5-4.
Bot 5th - GS 6 - APP 4 - Tyler Martin extended the lead to two with a solo home run in the fifth inning. The Eagle designated hitter slammed his fourth bomb of the year down the left field line to push the lead to 6-4.
GAME NOTES
- Landon Hughes came out of the bullpen much earlier than normal, putting out a fire in the third and working a total of three and two thirds. The senior fireballer struck out four and walked one without giving up a hit to improve to 4-1 on the year.
- Mason McWhorter tallied three hits and scored a run to pace the Eagles at the plate.
- Tyler Martin went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs and an RBI.
- Freshman catcher Jacob Greene, making his third start of the weekend, went 1-for-2, driving in three runs.
- Freshman Seth Shuman made his first appearance since March 18th, striking out two in the ninth to pick up his first collegiate save.
- After the game, Georgia Southern Baseball players shaved their heads as a team as part of the team's Vs. Cancer fundraiser. Entering the game on Saturday, Georgia Southern Baseball had raised more than $8,000 towards fighting childhood cancer. Fans can still donate at: https://team.vs-cancer.org/gs2017.
NEXT UP
The Eagles will break for the Easter holiday, returning to the diamond on Wednesday night. Georgia Southern visits Savannah State on Wednesday evening at 5 p.m.
Troy Uses Ninth-Inning Rally to Claim Finale
ATLANTA, Georgia – Troy scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to defeat Georgia State, 5-3, in the Sun Belt series finale Saturday afternoon at the GSU Baseball Complex.
The Trojans (18-16, 6-9) struck for one in the first inning on two hits and were not able to hit safely again until Steven Whitaker led off the ninth with a single. Two batters later, Brandon Lockridge got the rally going, ripping a double down the left field line to score Whitaker. Lockridge finished the game 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a double.
Following two hit batsmen, an unlikely hero emerged in the form of designated hitter John Tatum. Tatum, in his first ever start for the Trojans, tied the game up on a one-out bases-loaded single.
The Trojans added one run on a fielder's choice from Mack Hathcock and another on an infield single from Matt Sanders to take a 5-3 lead.
Andrew Crane (2-1) entered in the sixth inning in relief of Austin Crook and delivered another quality performance on the mound – scattering only two hits and striking out three in 3.2 innings of work.
Corey Gill earned his third save of the season after dealing a three-pitch, game-ending strikeout with the bases loaded and two outs.
Georgia State (13-22, 3-12) looked to be cruising toward a series sweep behind the arm of Hunter Gaddis. Gaddis allowed a run and two hits in the first inning and did not afford the Trojans another hit until the ninth.
Tyler Koch (0-1) relieved Gaddis after Lockridge's double and allowed Troy to score the eventual game-winning run.
QUOTABLE
"I thought we had some really tough, clutch, determined at bats," Troy head coach Mark Smartt said. "I'm really proud of that comeback in the ninth. We finally get a positive feeling around our team and a positive moment to head into this five-game week coming up."
SOUND "SMARTT" WITH YOUR FRIENDS
• After losing his hitting and reached base streaks Friday night, Brandon Lockridge started a new one with his RBI single in the first.
• Lockridge had his team-leading 16th multi-hit game of the season – 31st of his career.
• Troy won its first game this season when trailing after eight innings after previously being 0-11 in that situation – 1-32 all-time under Coach Smartt.
• The Trojans also improved to 4-1 this season following consecutive losses.
WHAT'S UP NEXT?
Troy will return home for a mid-week contest with in-state rival UAB. First pitch for Tuesday's matchup at Riddle-Pace Field is set for 6 p.m.