Troy Shuts Out Texas State in Opener
TROY, Alabama – Andrew Crane and Cory Gill combined to strike out 14 batters as Troy blanked Texas State, 4-0, in the Sun Belt series opener at Riddle-Pace Field Friday.
Crane (3-1) worked six scoreless innings while only scattering two hits with seven strikeouts. Gill earned his fourth save of the season, striking out seven of the ten batters he faced.
Brandon Lockridge led the Trojans (20-17, 7-9) at the plate – going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a triple. Justin Friend, Mason Rogers and Steven Whitaker accounted for the rest of Troy's hits on a night when hits were at a premium.
Entering Friday's game, Texas State (21-17, 9-7) led the conference in batting average with a .298, but were held to only three hits. All nine of the Bobcat starters stuck out at least once in the game.
Connor Reich (2-3) was saddled with the loss despite striking out 10 Trojans in the game. Reich allowed four runs – two earned – on five hits in 6.2 innings of the mound.
QUOTABLE
"Terrific job by our team, especially Andrew Crane and Cory Gill," Troy head coach Mark Smartt said. "Crane handled the pressure really well. We played great defense, pitched great and scored enough to get the win."
I've been ready all week. I trusted my stuff to go right at them and let my guys play behind me. It's nice to get a lead early and have the momentum on our side. Crane
Gill – Crane did great, and I just didn't want to give up our first run. I stayed poised and positive and kept throwing my best stuff. If they can hit it, they can hit it and they didn't tonight.
SOUND "SMARTT" WITH YOUR FRIENDS
• Brandon Lockridge and Steven Whitaker both ripped their first triples of the season in the first and second inning respectively. The Trojans have three triples in the past two games after three in the first 35 games of the season.
• Andrew Crane extended his scoreless inning streak to 18.2 innings with six shutout frames Friday. In his three starts this season, Crane has allowed only two runs and scattered only 10 hits with 16 strikeouts in 19 innings of work.
• The Trojan pitching staff struck out 12+ batters in a game for the fifth time this season, while the 14 combined are the third most by Troy this year.
• Steven Whitaker stole his 16th base of the season – he ranked 33rd nationally coming into the game.
Salinas Homers Twice In Series-Opening Win
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Omar Salinas belted a pair of home runs to help lead UTA to a 6-4 win at ULM in the series opener of the three-game series, on a steamy Friday night at Warhawk Stadium.
UTA (21-17, 11-5 Sun Belt Conference) rode the offensive fireworks of Salinas and a solid start from Kadon Simmons for the win. Salinas' two homers give him seven on the year and he is the first UTA player to belt two home runs in a game since Greg McCall in 2014 vs. Texas State.
The win improves the Mavs to 11-4 on the road and 6-1 in Sun Belt games on the road. Since March, the Mavs are 19-10, with two wins over ranked foes, and have vaulted into the race for the regular-season Sun Belt title. The Mavs, who sit in first place in the Western Division, have now won seven of their last eight and nine of their last 12 games.
ON THE MOUND
Simmons (6-2) worked finished just shy of a quality start. The native of Cut & Shoot, Texas, worked six innings, allowing 10 hits and four runs, walking two and striking out five.
The Mavs turned to senior Austin Gardner after a leadoff single opened the seventh inning. Gardner worked the seventh, allowing the inherited runner to score, but got the next five outs, walking one, allowing two hits and striking out three.
With two runners on, including the tying run on first base in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs, Daniel James came on in relief. James got the final four outs of the game for his 10th save of the year, tops in the conference.
ULM starter Josh Leone (1-5) worked a quality start, tossing six innings, allowing seven hits and four runs – three earned – walking three and striking out three. Tyler Schwaner took over on the bump to open the seventh inning.
LEADING THE MAVS
The Mavs collected 10 hits in the game, including the three hits and four RBI from Salinas. Will Olson added three hits and a double, with Easton Johnson also ripping a two bagger. RJ Williams, Noah Vaughan and Christian Hollie each contributed hits, with Brady Cox scoring a run with a key walk.
HOW THEY SCORED
ULM got on the board first in the bottom of the second inning, getting a one-out walk from Spencer Hemphill and a single through the right side with two outs from Blake Buckman.
The Mavs answered in the top of the third inning, taking their first lead of the game. Johnson led off the inning with a double, painted down the leftfield line. Williams then singled up the middle, with Johnson scoring from second and Williams scampering to second on an ill-advised throw to the plate. After an out, Salinas pounded the ninth pitch of his at-bat inside the foul pole down the leftfield line, his sixth homer of the year. After an Olson walk, Rohrbaugh replaced him at first with a two-out fielder's choice, with a wild pitch moving Rohrbaugh to scoring position. Vaughan then spanked a two-out RBI single to centerfield, scoring Rohrbaugh for a 4-1 UTA lead.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, ULM cut into the UTA lead. Blake Buckman drew a leadoff walk, scoring from first on a double into the gap from Cade Stone.
ULM rallied again in the sixth inning, getting a leadoff single into shallow centerfield from Hemphill and Anthony Herrera followed with a single. After a popped up bunt attempt and a strikeout, Stone singled through the left side, scoring Hemphill from second, just ahead of the throw from leftfield.
The Mavs took a 6-3 lead in the top of the seventh as Brady Cox drew a walk to leadoff and Salinas belted his seventh homer of the year and the second of the game over the right-centerfield fence.
ULM got a run back in the seventh inning, chasing Simmons. Chad Bell led off with a single to centerfield and after a wild pitch and a pair of outs advanced him to third, Hemphill doubled to leftfield to score Bell.
NEXT
The series will resume on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT at Warhawk Stadium. UTA will turn to junior righty Trae Patterson (3-3, 3.28 ERA) for the start.
No. 29 Coastal Carolina Holds on for 6-5 Win Over Georgia Southern
CONWAY - Georgia Southern's ninth-inning come-back fell one run short thanks to Billy Cooke's second highlight-reel catch in as many innings as the 29th-ranked Chanticleers held on for a 6-5 victory over the Eagles Friday night at Springs Brooks Stadium.
Down 6-2 to start the ninth, Georgia Southern (24-14, 9-7 Sun Belt) scored three times and looked as if the tying run was going to score before Cooke chased down a deep fly ball to the centerfield wall to record the third out and seal the win. Coastal Carolina improves to 24-13-1, 11-4-1 in the Sun Belt.
Cooke, who was 3-for-4 at the plate as well, had an impressive diving catch in the right-center field in the eighth inning. Peyton Isaacson was also 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Wood Myers added two hits and scored twice.
Alex Cunningham (5-1) picked up the win. He allowed six hits and two runs (two solo home runs) in seven innings. He did not walk a batter and stuck out nine, including the last batter he faced in the seventh. He also had at least one strikeout in each of his seven innings.
Bobby Holmes picked up his second save of the season. He entered with bases loaded and no outs in the ninth. While he allowed two of his inherited runners to score on ground outs, the junior did not allow a hit and got help from Cooke for the final out to get the save.
Mason McWhoter was 3-for-4 with a home run for Georgia Southern and Ryan Cleveland was 2-for-4 with a home run.
Coastal Carolina wasted little time in taking the lead. Leadoff batter Cooke hit the first pitch he saw to the right-center field gap for a double. Myers followed with a single back up the middle to plate Cooke for the 1-0 lead. After Kevin Woodall Jr., walked, Isaacson delivered an RBI single through the right side of the infield to bring home Myers and put runners on the corners. Cory Wood then executed a safety squeeze bunt to plate Woodall to put CCU up 3-0.
The Eagles answered in the top of the second when McWhorter lifted a one-out home run to left field to cut the deficit to two, 3-1.
In the bottom of the third, Coastal put another three-spot on the board to take a 6-1 lead. Myers drew a leadoff walk, took second on a balk and scored on a Jordan Gore seeing-eye single through the right side. Woodall singled to left field, but a throwing error allowed Woodall to take third. Isaacson pained the right field line for a two-run double.
Once again, Georgia Southern answered with a solo home run, this time by Ryan Cleveland, to make the score 6-2.
The teams traded zeroes the four innings until the Eagles made their run in the ninth. McWhorter hit a leadoff double before Evan McDonald and Jacob Greene had back-to-back singles, the second scoring McWhorter. Logan Baldwin loaded the bases with a single to right field. Holmes entered and got a fielder's choice out, but McDonald scored and the Eagles had runners on the corners. Mitchell Golden then grounded out, but dove in Greene and allowed pinch runner C.J. Ballard to take second. Jordan Wren nearly tied the game as he drove a ball to the centerfield wall, but Cooke's grab preserved the win.
Georgia Southern starter Jacob Condra-Bogan suffered his first loss of the season, dropping to 4-1, as he allowed five hits and six runs in 2.0 innings.
Game two of the series is set for 2 pm on Saturday.
PANTHERS OUTLAST APP STATE 8-6 AFTER FOUR-HOUR DELAY
BOONE, N.C. -- Georgia State survived a four-hour rain delay to outlast Appalachian State 8-6 in Friday's Sun Belt Conference series opener at Smith Stadium.
After the delay, Hunter Gaddis and Tanner Thomson allowed just two earned runs and combined for 11 strikeouts, Will Kilgore hit a two-run homer and Ryan Blanton had a three-run triple for the Panthers (14-23, 4-12).
The teams moved their start time up to 4 p.m. but played less than one full inning when the game was stopped by lighnting with one out in the bottom of the first. After several more lightning strikes and then rain, the game finally resumed at 8:30 p.m.
The long delay forced out the starting pitchers as both teams turned to their Saturday starter.
After App State (14-24, 4-12) quickly scored three runs in the resumption of the first inning, Georgia State took its first lead with a four-run third inning. Payton Mann led off with a walk, and then Kilgore belted a two-run homer to left field, his fourth homer of the season.
With still no outs, Jaylen Woullard singled, and Blanton executed a hit-and-run single to put runners at first and third. Then Justin Jones smacked a double to right center to score both runs and put the Panthers up 4-3.
But the Mountaineers answered with two unearned runs in the bottom of the third regain the lead 5-4
The Panthers moved aheda for good with a two-out rally in the sixth. After Mann singled and Kilgore walked, Woullard swung at the third strike but reached on a passed ball to load the bases. Then Blanton cleared the bases with a triple to left center, his fourth triple of the season and the 11th of his career. The senior center fielder is not tied for second in GSU history in triples.
Blanton then scored on a balk for an 8-5 advantage.
App State inched closer with a run in the seventh. The Mountaineers had runners at second and third with two outs when Thomson came on and struck out Conner Leonard to end the threat.
The next inning, App State put runners at first and second with no outs, but Thomson retired the next three on a pair of strikeouts and a fly ball. The junior right-hander added two more strikeouts in the ninth, again fanning Leonard to end the game and earn his first save. Thomson finished with five strikeouts in 2.1 scoreless innings.
After taking over for Bryce Conley Gaddis (4-3) pitched 6.1 innings allowed four runs but only two earned on seven hits. He struck out six and walked just one.
"It was a very long day, and I really want to credit Hunter Gaddis," head coach Greg Frady said. "We put him in a really difficult situation as a young guy, but he stepped up and performed like we needed him to. He's just been a really valuable pitcher for us all season. But I also want to congratulate Tanner Thomson. He came in and pitched very effectively to get the game closed out.
"The story of the game was that we had two offensive innings and we maximized our opportunity in both of them," Frady continued. "Tonight we did get timely hits, we played good offense and we pitched to win."
Colin Schmid (5-5), who relieved starter Travis Holden after the delay, took the loss for App State.
The time for Saturday's Game 2 of the series is TBA due to more rain in the forecast.