HUSTON, PEACOCK COMBINE TO SHUT OUT NO. 21 LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE
LAFAYETTE, La. – University of South Alabama left-hander Thomas Huston combined with right-hander Matt Peacock to shut out No. 21 Louisiana-Lafayette 6-0 Saturday at Russo Park.
Huston (3-1) allowed just three hits and recorded six strikeouts against two walks in seven innings to earn his third win of the season. Peacock struck out two and issued one walk in two innings pitched. Cajun right-hander Nick Lee (4-3) allowed four runs on six hits with three strikeouts and four walks in four innings pitched in the loss.
"I just changed velocity," Huston said. "I threw a lot of changeups in fastball counts and got them (ULL) out on their front foot, and my defense was making plays for me. I knew they could swing it well. I just wanted to keep the ball low and get a lot of ground balls and let my defense help me out tonight."
"Thomas was very good," USA head coach Mark Calvi said. "He had some traffic; he had a couple of guys on base and had a couple of walks in there and had to pitch through a little bit of a jam. But I thought Thomas was outstanding tonight. He has been great for us all year long – he's a bulldog. That's a game that you want that kid to go finish, but he finished up the seventh (inning) with 105 pitches. Maybe if that is through eight then I give him 115 (pitches) to see if he can do it, but we had a fresh Matt Peacock down there (in the bullpen). When a kid gives you that kind of effort, you want your best guy behind him to go ahead and seal it up. I was really proud of both pitchers tonight, but Thomas Huston was fantastic especially after a night where we got sand kicked in our face and embarrassed in front of 4,000 people. We played great defense behind him. That's the kind of outing we have been accustomed to seeing out of him this year. It was just a great effort on his and Matt Peacock's part."
South Alabama (16-11, 6-2 SBC) broke a scoreless tie in the top of the second inning. Eddie Paparella drew a leadoff walk, and later scored on a one-out double to the right-center field gap by Will Luft for a 1-0 Jaguar lead. Jared Barnes then drew a two-out walk before Dylan Hardy doubled down the left field line to put two runners in scoring position. Drew LaBounty followed with a walk to load the bases for Brendan Donovan, but ULL right-hander Nick Lee induced an inning-ending lineout to center field to escape the jam.
LaBounty doubled the USA lead in the top of the fifth inning with a leadoff solo home run to left field, his second of the season, for a 2-0 advantage. Donovan followed with a walk before Travis Swaggerty doubled to left field to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Wells Davis delivered a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Donovan and extend the USA lead to 3-0. Paparella followed with a sacrifice fly to left field to score Swaggerty for a 4-0 Jaguar advantage.
USA added its final runs in the top of the ninth. Barnes reached on a hit by pitch to lead off the inning, and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Hardy in which he reached base safely on a fielding error by ULL right-hander Evan Guillory. A sacrifice bunt by LaBounty moved both runners into scoring position with one out. Donovan followed with a one-out, two-run single to left-center field to score Barnes and Hardy for a 6-0 advantage.
"We got our sacrifice bunts down and moved guys along," Calvi said. "Nick Lee was a Freshman All-American last year; that kid is outstanding. We hit him around a little bit and that's what we had to do. We felt like we had to score some runs, but we felt great with Thomas on the mound. I was proud of our effort."
Seven Jaguar starters hit safely in the game, led by LaBounty who went 2-for-3 with a home run, one RBI and one run scored. Hardy finished 2-for-3, while Luft added a double and an RBI and Donovan added a hit, two RBI and one run scored.
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).
Troy Salvages the Series Finale in Arlington
ARLINGTON, Texas – Mason Rogers drove in four in the last three innings of the game to lead a fierce Troy comeback in a 13-5 victory over UT Arlington in the Sun Belt series finale at Clay Gould Ballpark Saturday afternoon.
Rogers, who finished 2-for-3, ripped an RBI double in the seventh and blasted a two-run homer in the eighth – the other of his RBIs came on a bases-loaded walk in the ninth.
The Trojans (14-12, 4-5 Sun Belt) trailed 5-2 after six before exploding for 11 runs in the final three innings of the ballgame.
Matt Sanders, Trevor Davis and Justin Friend all recorded three hits to aid a 13-hit day by Troy – Sanders and Davis each brought three runs home. Mack Hathcock also had multiple RBIs after driving in two on a single in the ninth.
Corey Childress (2-2) entered in relief of Austin Crook in the sixth inning and shut down all six of the batters he faced in his two innings of work – striking out one – to win the game on the mound for the Trojans.
Closer Marc Skinner fanned three on his way to earning his seventh save of the season – 15th of his career – after only allowing one hit in two innings on the mound.
Omar Salinas once again led UT Arlington (14-15, 5-4 Sun Belt) at the plate – finishing 2-for-3 while being responsible for all five of the Mavericks' runs. He launched a three-run homer in the third to give the squad an early lead, and then followed with a two-run shot in the fifth to extend that lead to 5-2.
One of seven different Maverick pitchers sent to the mound in the game, Adam Meyer (0-3) was saddled with the loss – scattering two runs on two hits in an inning of work.
QUOTABLE
"I'm extremely proud of our team," Troy head coach Mark Smartt said. "We stuck in there and got 11 runs in the last three innings. It's hard to win when you're down in the seventh on the road, but a lot of really good things happened and it ended up being a comfortable win."
"I had been struggling and cleared my mindset before that at bat," Mason Rogers said about his two-run home run. "I didn't know if I had gotten enough of it but the wind helped me. But overall, we need to come out every day with the mindset that we don't quit and we'll come away with more wins like that."
SOUND "SMARTT" WITH YOUR FRIENDS
• Brandon Lockridge extended his hitting streak and on-base streak to 11 games and 23 games, respectively – reaching on an error in the seventh and a bunt single in the ninth.
• The Trojans scored seven in the ninth, which is the first time they have scored seven in an inning since April 15, 2016 against Arkansas State.
• Before today's late comeback, Troy was 3-22 all-time under Mark Smartt when trailing after six innings – 1-10 in Sun Belt matchups.
• Marc Skinner made his 95th career appearance and earned his 15th career save. He is seven appearances short of the school record and is only three saves from being the all-time saves leader at Troy.
WHAT'S UP NEXT?
The Trojans will return home for an in-state matchup with Alabama Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Riddle-Pace Field.
ULM Evens Weekend Series Saturday; Herrera Ties Program Record
STATESBORO, Ga. – The ULM baseball team used early offense to take control of the game and held on late as the Warhawks grabbed a 5-4 victory over Georgia Southern on Saturday to even the team’s weekend series. ULM closer Anthony Herrera notched his fourth save of the season and his 20th career save in the win, tying Mark Wisniewski for the most career saves in program history.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: ULM 5, Georgia Southern 4
Location: Jack Stallings Field at J.I. Clements Stadium / Statesboro, Ga.
Teams: ULM (9-19, 4-4 SBC)
Georgia Southern (16-11, 4-4 SBC)
TURNING POINT
-After Georgia Southern posted two runs in the bottom of the seventh to cut the ULM lead to one run, Herrera and the Warhawks got out of the jam and left two runners stranded to end the frame before ULM worked around a leadoff single in the ninth as Herrera struck out the final two batters to secure the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Georgia Southern took a two-run lead in the bottom of the second inning, using an RBI single to get on the board before adding the second run on a sacrifice fly. The Warhawks responded in the top of the third with three runs, highlighted by a Johnny DeLaCruz two-run double to tie the game before Chad Bell’s RBI single gave ULM the lead.
-The Warhawks added to the lead with single runs in the fourth and fifth frames, first on Nate Reynolds’ RBI single in the top of the fourth before Turner Francis pushed the advantage to 5-2 with his RBI single in the top of the fifth.
-Georgia Southern loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth before ULM starter Chase Beal struck out Logan Baldwin to end the threat. The hosts cut into the ULM lead in the bottom of the seventh with a pair of RBI singles before the Warhawks were able to get a groundball to end the frame and strand the bases loaded.
-After a quick eighth inning, Georgia Southern opened the ninth with a single by Steven Curry before a sacrifice bunt pushed the tying run to second base with one out. Herrera then got a pair of pinch hitters to strikeout on check swings to end the night.
-Four players finished with eight of ULM’s nine hits, with DeLaCruz, Bell, Francis and Cade Harper all tallying two hits in the win. DeLaCruz finished with two RBI, both coming from his double, while Harper notched a triple. Nate Reynolds tallied the other ULM hit.
-Warhawk starter Chase Beal (3-2) earned the win, scattering seven hits over his six innings of work while allowing the two runs and one walk with two strikeouts.
-Herrera tossed the final 2 1/3 innings, striking out three batters, on the way to his 20th career save, tying Mark Wisniewsk, who pitched from 1982-1985 on his way to his 20 saves.
UP NEXT
-The Warhawks and Eagles will wrap up the series with a 12:00 p.m. CST start in Sunday’s finale. ULM then returns home for home and home midweek series with Northwestern State before hosting South Alabama in SBC action next weekend.
Apps Rally Back in Thriller, Take Series 2-1
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – With no shortage of drama on Saturday, Appalachian State University baseball came back from a 1-0 deficit in the series to win both Games Two and Three in the doubleheader against Little Rock.
The Mountaineers (12-16, 3-6 Sun Belt) won out a tight race in the first of two on the day, 3-2, before having to rally back from a 6-3 Trojan (10-18, 3-6 Sun Belt) lead in the sixth to win 7-6 and secure their first conference series win of the year.
GAME ONE: APP STATE 3, LITTLE ROCK 2
Appalachian started off the day and finished the day by throwing three scoreless innings, but Little Rock would be the first to draw blood, putting up two runs in the bottom of the fourth to take their lone lead of the game.
The Black and Gold responded, however, in the sixth, beginning with a Jason Curtis walk and stolen second base. That set up the two-run bomb to right field by Tyler Stroup – his sixth home run of the year.
They then extended the lead in the seventh after holding strong on the defensive end again when Conner Leonard shot one up the middle before Avery Jackson singled through the right side, advancing Leonard to third. Calev Grubbs then capitalized on an error by the shortstop to reach first and bring home Leonard.
Five Mountaineers finished with a base hit in the first of two on the day with Stroup’s homer bringing in the most RBI.
Colin Schmid had an impressive start on the mound, allowing just six hits and one earned run in 6.0 innings of work. Schmid finished striking out four batters and only walking two before Reed Howell got his team-high fourth save of the season by pitching 3.0 scoreless innings to close, getting two punchouts and allowing just two hits overall.
GAME TWO: APP STATE 7, LITTLE ROCK 6
In a wild rubber match to end the series, Appalachian took a 3-1 lead to start the game before falling behind in the seventh, only to retake the lead from the Trojans by scoring four runs over the final two innings.
The Diamond Apps carried momentum forward from the first game in the doubleheader by getting on the board first. Jared McCarver recorded a rocket to the center-field wall for his first career hit as a Mountaineer before Connor Baldy was able to draw a walk before a wild pitch sent both baserunners forward a base.
Calev Grubbs then got a groundout RBI, bringing home McCarver, before Matt Vernon sent a double down the left-field line to bring home Baldy.
Little Rock responded in the third, fourth and fifth innings, clawing back to tie the game 3-3 by putting up one run in each. The Trojans then really made things difficult for Appalachian by putting up three runs off five hits in the bottom of the sixth, making the game 6-3.
But the Black and Gold kept their composure and put their rally caps on in the eighth, firing off back-to-back doubles by Jason Curtis and Vernon to put runners at second and third to start. Tyler Stroup then fired a fast-rolling grounder to the shortstop who mishandled the fielding to allow him to reach first and both runners to score to bring App State within one.
After a scoreless bottom-half, the Mountaineers again went to work at the plate. After Grubbs reached first on a hit-by-pitch and was moved to second on a bunt by Jason Curtis, Vernon fired a clutch shot one up the middle to bring home Grubbs and tie the game again at 6-6.
After a caught stealing at third put two outs on the board, Stroup once again came through by singling to first base before an errant throw allowed Vernon to cross the plate for the would-be gamewinner.
On the mound, Matt Brill had razer-sharp focus to close the final three innings of the game, allowing just one hit overall. Brill put up a tied-season-high four strikeouts on the night, two of which came in the bottom of the ninth to finish with the win. Luke Watts started the game for App State and went 5.0 innings before Tristan Helms provided relief for the sixth inning.
The come-from-behind victory is the Mountaineers’ 14th since the beginning of last season and the third this year. It’s also the 10th time since 2016 that App State has won the ballgame in its final at-bat.
The Mountaineers will try to carry this two-game win streak forward as they head to a midweek contest at East Tennessee State on Tuesday, April 4. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
@AStateBaseball Hangs On for Series-Deciding Win at Texas State
SAN MARCOS, Texas (4/1/17) – The Arkansas State baseball squad hit three late home runs and was able to withstand a rally in the bottom of the ninth by Texas State in an 8-7 series-clinching victory Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Ballpark in San Marcos, Texas.
A-State (14-13, 4-5 SBC) found itself down 2-1 entering the seventh inning and Texas State (17-11, 6-3 SBC) turned to Anthony Pagano to keep the lead. However, after inducing a ground out, Pagano allowed Drew Tipton to single and walked Grant Hawkins to bring up Joe Schrimpf. The left-handed Pagano fell behind 2-0, and couldn’t be taken out after a mound visit preceded Schrimpf’s at-bat. Schrimpf made him pay with a three-run homer to left field to put A-State ahead 4-2. Jeremy Brown doubled home Garrett Rucker later in the inning to make the score 5-2.
The bats stayed hot in the eighth inning for the Red Wolves when Tipton hit a two-run bomb to left to make the score 7-2 and Hawkins followed with a solo round-tripper for back-to-back jacks for A-State. The Bobcats got one back in the bottom half of the inning when Jonathan Ortega left the yard with a solo shot.
The Red Wolves entered the bottom of the ninth with an 8-3 advantage and Tyler Zuber on the mound. However, Zuber allowed a single and a RBI double sandwiched around a fly out to make the score 8-4. A ground out put two outs on the board, but a RBI single made the score 8-5 and brought Travon Benton to the plate. Benton was able to pull a 2-2 pitch over the right-field fence for a two-run home run that made the score 8-7. Derek Scheible singled to bring Ortega to the plate as the winning run, and the Texas State second baseman lined a pitch right to Hawkins at shortstop to end the game.
Zuber picked up the win after pitching the last four innings of the game. He only allowed one run through his first three innings, but allowed four in the ninth. His final line was five runs (all earned) allowed on seven hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Starter Tyler Mitzel was impressive after allowing two runs (both earned) on three hits with two walks and five punch outs in five innings.
Rucker and Tipton each had three hits to lead the team with Schrimpf’s three RBI a team high for the game. A-State out hit the Bobcats 12-10 in the game, while five different players drove in runs.
Texas State starter Nicholas Fraze had a quality start with one run allowed (earned) on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts, but Pagano took the loss after allowing Schrimpf’s homer and only getting one batter out that he faced. Ortega and Luke Sherley led the Bobcats’ offense with two hits and both players also picked up a RBI.
Arkansas State returns to action Tuesday, April 4 with a midweek contest against regional rival Southeast Missouri. First pitch from Tomlinson Stadium is set for 6 p.m. A-State will travel to Cape Girardeau, Mo., the following day on Wednesday to play the Redhawks at 6 p.m.
Coastal Carolina Wins 8-5 at Georgia State
Coastal Carolina hit three home runs, but Andrew Beckwith had six strong innings in relief as the Chanticleers took an 8-5 decision at Georgia State Saturday.
Coastal (18-10, 6-2 Sun Belt) clinches the series win and will got for its second straight conference sweep Sunday versus the Panthers (11-16, 1-7) at 1 pm.
Beckwith, who made his return to the bullpen, improved to 3-1. He allowed three hits and one unearned run with a walk and six strikeouts.
Billy Cooke and Wood Myers each hit home runs, had two hits and two RBI while Peyton Isaacson drove in two and Kevin Woodall Jr., hit his league-leading 10th home run.
For the third time this season, Cooke hit a leadoff home run for the Chanticleers for an early 1-0 lead. Cooke now has five home runs for the season. Later, Woodall smacked a two-out solo blast. Although the Sun Belt leader and among the NCAA top five in home runs, Woodall's dinger snapped a nine-game dry spell for round-tippers by Woodall.
Georgia State answered with a leadoff home run of its own as Ryan Blanton hit the second pitch he saw over the right-center field wall.
Coastal, specifically Seth Lancaster, got that run back in the top of the second. The junior walked, stole second, stole third and scored on a wild pitch. Georgia State would walk the bases loaded to set a two-out, two-run single to right field by Peyton Isaacson, scoring Wood Myers and Billy Cooke for a 5-1 cushion.
Lancaster finished the game with four stolen bases, one shy of the CCU single-game record, and the Chants swiped seven bases, two shy of the CCU single-game mark.
The Panthers responded with run in the bottom of the second to make the score 5-2. GSU loaded the bases on a walk, error and walk before Jack Thompson hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Cam Sperry. Jason Bilous recorded a strikeout to limit the damage.
Georgia State second baseman Will Kilgore started the bottom of the fourth with a home run to make it a two-run game, 5-3, in CCU's favor. The Panthers then got back-to-back singles before a sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third. Nick Gatewood brought home his team's fourth run with an RBI ground out to first base. Beckwith then got a strikeout to keep CCU on top, 5-4.
Coastal's offense was held in check for the third, fourth and fifth innings. However, in the sixth, the Chants scored twice for a 7-4 lead. Dalton Ewing hit a one-out triple and Wood followed with a home run to right field. It marked the second long-ball of the year -- and for the week -- for Wood.
Wood was involved in another run in the top of the eighth. The freshman hit a leadoff single, stole second and moved to third on a Matt Beaird sacrifice bunt. Cooke followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Wood for the 8-4 lead.
The Panthers took advantage of a CCU error to score in the eighth. Romero Greer was hit by a pitch. On a CCU error, he moved to third and scored when Coastal turned a double play to provide the 8-5 final.