Troy Walks-Off Bama in Front of Record Crowd
TROY, Alabama – Matt Sanders drove a walk-off single into center field that sent the record crowd at Riddle-Pace Field into a frenzy and capped a dramatic Troy comeback as the Trojans downed Alabama, 12-11, in front of 3,328 fans Tuesday night.

Sanders – who finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs, a double and three runs scored – completed the comeback for the Trojans (15-12), who trailed 11-9 heading into the bottom of the eighth.

Troy has now won four of the last five games against Alabama at Riddle-Pace Field and seven of the last nine games not played in Tuscaloosa – four in Troy, two in Tallahassee, and one in Montgomery.

Overall, five different Trojans had multiple hits to aid the squad's 14-hit performance. Brandon Lockridge and Trevor Davis combined to drive in eight of Troy's 12 runs – Lockridge ended 1-for-4 with three RBIs and Davis finished 2-for-3 with five driven in.

Marc Skinner (2-2) earned the win after he allowed just one run and scattered three hits in 2.2 innings of work. The biggest outs of the ballgame came as Skinner worked out of a crucial one-out bases-loaded jam in the top of the ninth with a strikeout and a grounder to set up Sanders' walk-off single.

Trailing 4-3 heading to the bottom of the fifth inning, Troy scored twice in the fifth and four times in the sixth to grab the 9-5 lead after Bama scored once in the sixth. However, the Tide struck for five runs in the seventh and one in the eighth to jump back in front, 11-9.

Alabama's (13-16) Hunter Alexander had the big stick at the plate – launching two homers to bring home three. Zach Rogers (1-1) was saddled with his first loss of the season – allowing a run on three hits in an inning on the mound.

QUOTABLE
"It doesn't matter the opponent," Troy head coach Mark Smartt said. "When you have a walk-off it's really big for your team. Tremendous effort across the board; Bama battled their tails off, as well."

"I sat on the curveball and hit it," Matt Sanders said about the game-winning hit. "It feels really good to get the win. Pitching normally carries us but tonight we had their back."

SOUND "SMARTT" WITH YOUR FRIENDS
• Matt Sanders went 3-for-5 in the game and is now 15-for-34 (.441) over the last eight games, which includes five multi-hit games. Sanders now has nine multi-hit games this season and 39 in his career.

• Mack Hathcock finished the game with two hits in five at-bats for the first multi-hit game of his career.

• Trevor Davis drove in a career-high five runs with his 17th and 18th career doubles and a sac fly; it was his team-leading fifth multi-RBI game of the season and the 10th of his career. Davis has now doubled in three straight games. It was also Davis' seventh multi-hit game of the season and 25th of his career.

• Trevor Davis became the first Troy player to record five RBIs since Matt Sanders also drove in five against Northwestern State on Feb. 14, 2015.

• Brandon Lockridge drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth inning to extend his reached base streak to all 27 of Troy's games this season.

• Brandon Lockridge's 2-run, game-tying double in the bottom of the eighth inning extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He has hit safely in 25-of-27 games this season. It was also his team-leading 10th double of the season and his fifth multi-RBI game of the season.

• Drew Frederic recorded three hits on the night for his fifth multi-hit game of the season.

• Troy's 12 runs scored are the most ever by a Trojan team against Alabama. The previous high was nine in a 9-0 victory on March 20, 2012, and in a 9-8 victory on June 2, 2013, at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional.

• Troy improved to 5-27 all-time under Mark Smartt when trailing after seven innings; Alabama led 10-9 after the seventh inning.

• Troy has scored 18 runs in the sixth through ninth innings of its last two games.

WHAT'S UP NEXT?
Houston Mabray (1-1, 4.70) will answer the bell for the Trojans in the second leg of the home-and-home. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

Eagles Top Savannah State, 11-7, on Tuesday Night
STATESBORO, GA. - Georgia Southern took a 11-7 midweek win over Savannah State to close out a four-game homestand on Tuesday night. Logan Baldwin and Evan McDonald each scored three hits in the game, while a Tyler Martin grand slam was part of a seven run fourth inning which blew the game open. The Eagles visit Troy this weekend for a three game set.

QUOTABLES
Head Coach Rodney Hennon
"The hitters picked us up tonight, and you like to see that happen. There have been plenty of games where the pitching staff has picked the hitters up, and tonight was one of those nights where we needed to score more runs. We had the big inning there in the fourth. I think Mitchell Golden's at bat when we took the lead was huge for us. He was down in the count, fought off some pitches and got a two out hit to give us the lead. We had a couple guys out of the bullpen throw well, Ryan Frederick did a nice job for us and Connor Simmons pitched well to get a double play when they were trying to get back in it."

SCORING PLAYS
Top 2nd - SSU 2 - GS 0 - After a leadoff single, Bernard Barnes tripled to the gap in right to score the game's first run. Jacob Lightle drove in another run with a single to right center.
Bot 2nd - SSU 2 - GS 2 - Jacob Greene got the Eagles back on level terms in the second when he hit his second home run of the season. Earlier in the inning, Evan McDonald hit an RBI single to right which scored Logan Baldwin from second base.
Top 4th - SSU 4 - GS 2 - Two hits to start the inning set the table for Savannah State to score two more. A ground out to short and a sacrifice fly plated two runs to push the lead to 4-2.
Bot 4th - SSU 4 - GS 9 - Georgia Southern batted around in the fourth inning, sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring seven runs. A fielder's choice by Greene drove in one run, while a Mitchell Golden single to the gap in left sent two more in. Tyler Martin did major damage with a grand slam off the first pitch, scoring four to make it a 9-4 Eagle lead.
Top 5th - SSU 5 - GS 9 - Two singles and a passed ball put the Tigers in position to add another run in the fifth inning. Mason Calloway drove in the run with a ground ball to short, cutting the lead to 9-5.
Top 8th - SSU 6 - GS 9 - A leadoff double opened the eighth inning for Savannah State. A soft bunt to the pitcher was legged out by the batter, but the throw was over Cleveland, allowing a run to score and make it a 9-6 game.
Bot 8th - SSU 6 - GS 11 - The Eagles tacked on two insurance runs off three hits in the eighth. A one out walk and a single to third by Martin set the table for the Eagles. Evan McDonald and Jacob Greene drove in the runs with singles up the middle.
Top 9th - SSU 7 - GS 11 - Savannah State got a run in the ninth thanks to a leadoff hit, a stolen base and two ground outs to cut the lead to 11-7. A strikeout, however ended the game.

GAME NOTES
- Steven Curry went 1-for-4 to extend his team-best hit streak to 16 games. He is hitting .400 on the streak, posting a 26-for-65 mark.
- Logan Baldwin went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a double. Evan McDonald drove in two runs in his 3-for-4 game.
- Eight of the nine Georgia Southern position starters tallied at least one his as the Eagles out-hit Savannah State 15-11.
- Zach Cowart went an inning and a third, earning the final out of the fourth inning just before the Eagles scored seven in the fourth to take the lead. He picked up his first collegiate win while allowing a walk and earning a strikeout.
- Ryan Frederick worked two perfect innings, retiring six-straight batters with three on strikes. He has not allowed a hit or a run in his last four innings of work.
- By batting around in the fourth inning, Georgia Southern kept an interesting streak alive. They have batted around four times in the last six games. The Eagles batted around in the UTA series finale, College of Charleston game and game three of the ULM series in addition to Tuesday's win over Savannah State.

NEXT UP
Georgia Southern travels to the Yellowhammer state this weekend for a three game series against Troy. The Eagles and Trojans get things started on Friday night at 7 p.m. (ET). All three games can be seen live on ESPN3.

Texas State's Baird tosses gem in 10-1 win over PVAMU
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team earned a 10-1 victory over Prairie View A&M Tuesday night inside Bobcat Ballpark.

The triumph improved the Bobcats' record to 18-11, while the Panthers dropped to 12-23 on the year.

TXST initially plated three runs in the third inning to take the early lead, and the maroon and gold pulled away with a seven-spot in the seventh. The big frame tied the season high for most runs scored in one inning. Prairie View A&M was only able to respond with a lone tally in the top of the seventh.

Cam Baird (1-2) had a career effort on the mound to earn the victory, as he threw 8.0 innings and only conceded one run on five hits. He also struck out seven, and all marks were season bests for the junior hurler.

The Bobcats outhit PVAMU 13-5, and sophomore Jonathan Ortega led the way with a 3-for-5 effort. He hit a home run in the third and has now recorded round-trippers in three-straight games. He finished with two RBIs and two runs scored. Sophomore Felipe Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and classmate Jacob Almendarez drove in two runs.

No member of the visiting side had multiple hits. Cody Den Beste scored the lone run.

Tyler Laux (0-5) tossed the first six innings and conceded five runs on eight hits. Four additional pitchers were needed to get through the final two frames.

Texas State has a quick turnaround and will play host to UTRGV at 6:15 p.m. April 5.

TEXAS STATE PITCHING COACH JEREMY FIKAC
On Jonathan Ortega…
"All fall the pitching staff competes against the hitters, and we try to get those guys out and we are super talented. When Jonathan (Ortega) is good, it's when he's not expanding the strike zone. When he gets pitches, he doesn't miss them very often. He's been really good, and he has matured a lot between his freshman and sophomore years. His numbers indicate that."

On Cam Baird…
"He was all over the bottom of the zone. When you command your fastball and can throw breakers for strikes, it gives college hitters problems. He was great tonight. He was pitching in the low 90's (miles per hour). He attacked everything. There was a purpose about him. There was an attitude about him. That's what we preach, and he went out and executed. He's earned every right to go out there and get to 100 pitches. That's what the plan was tonight. We need a fourth starter if we're going to make a run in the tournament, and we've got some huge RPI midweek games coming up. For him to throw the way he did, that gives us some confidence going into our midweek games."

21-Hit Barrage Powers Cajuns Baseball Past Colonels
LAFAYETTE, La. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team pounded out a season-high 21 hits on Tuesday night as the Cajuns routed Nicholls 18-2 to close out a four-game homestand at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.

The 18 runs are the most scored by the Ragin' Cajuns (17-12, 6-3 Sun Belt) since May 28, 2016 when the Cajuns defeated Arkansas State 17-10 at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

"I thought the hitters approach as a pack was the best I have seen all year long," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "One through nine, they all had a good approach. They never let any of the pitchers they faced find a weak link in the chain. Hitting is contagious. I thought they did a good job of coming off of a big series win to have that kind of intent and approach. Also when you have a runaway game like that you can see sloppiness, but everyone off of the bench had that same approach throughout the whole ball game. That's what we have been waiting on all year."

Ishmael Edwards, Steven Sensley and Brad Antchak each had three hits in the contest with Sensley driving in a game-high four runs coming a home run away from hitting for the cycle. Edwards also had a strong night at the plate driving in multiple runs in back-to-back games for the first time this season with three RBI on the night.

Redshirt-freshman Jack Burk (2-3) picked up his second straight victory in the contest limiting the Colonels (17-13) to two runs on nine hits in 6.1 innings of work. Burk walked one and struck out six in his third quality start of the year.

"The big thing was that Jack gave us was a chance to win tonight," Robichaux said. "Tonight he was able to get run support unlike he did at their place earlier this year. He's been able to pitch both with run support and without it. What he is starting to give you is consistency, which is what you want from a starter."

Wyatt Marks and Dylan Moore combined to toss 2.2 shutout innings to close out the contest.

Nicholls starter Alex Ernestine (1-1) was handed his first loss of the season after giving up four runs on five hits in three innings.

The Cajuns grabbed a 2-0 edge in the bottom of the third inning on a two-out, two-run homer down the right field line by Edwards. The home run was the second in as many games for Edwards and his third of the year.

The Colonels cut the advantage to 2-1 in the top of the fourth when right fielder Gavin Wehby singled home designated hitter Juan Givan.

Louisiana increased its lead to 6-1 in the bottom half of the fourth scoring four runs on four hits including a two-run triple to centerfield by catcher Josh Aguilar who had a pair of hits in the game.

The Ragin' Cajuns broke the game open in the sixth inning adding four more runs on five hits to make the score 10-1. The Cajuns tacked on a six-spot in the seventh highlighted by a three-run triple by Sensley to take a 16-2 advantage.

Sophomore Dylon Poncho brought home the final runs of the game in the bottom of the eighth with a two-out, two-run single back up the middle with the bases loaded.

Louisiana returns to action this weekend as the squad heads to the defending national champions Coastal Carolina for a three-game series starting Friday at 5 p.m. CT.

Welsh, Offense Lift @AStateBaseball to 10-1 Win Over SEMO
JONESBORO, Ark. (4/4/17) – Arkansas State sophomore pitcher Bradey Welsh tossed seven innings of one-run baseball, while the A-State offense came alive to hit eight doubles and scored six, two-out runs in a 10-1 midweek win over Southeast Missouri Tuesday night at Tomlinson Stadium.

The Red Wolves (15-13) pushed across three runs in the first two innings in support of Welsh with a RBI double by Garrett Rucker in the first before a RBI double by Tobias Johnson, the first extra-base hit of his career, and a sacrifice fly by Grant Hawkins in the second inning.

Southeast Missouri (14-12) got one run back to make the score 3-1 after a single, walk, and RBI single from Tristen Gagan led off the fourth inning. However, Welsh induced a 6-4-3 double play and ground out to second base to escape the jam without further damage. The Red Wolves got the run back in the fifth when Rucker hit his team-high fifth sacrifice fly of the season to put the score at 4-1.

The big inning for A-State happened in the bottom of the sixth when Alex Howard doubled with two outs to begin a rally off Redhawks’ reliever Ryan Losman. Johnson was intentionally walked following Howard and Drew Tipton was able to hit a double to score both runs after a wild pitch moved the runners up. Joe Schrimpf singled home Tipton with an infield hit to make the score 7-1 and extended his on-base streak to 14 games in the process.

Rucker followed with a two-run double to push the lead to 9-1 to chase Losman. Southeast Missouri turned to Robert Beltran out of the pen and he promptly gave up a RBI double to Justin Felix to put A-State in front 10-1. Beltran struck out Jeremy Brown to end the inning, but the home team plated six runs on five hits in the inning, with four of the hits being doubles.

Welsh exited after the seventh inning and allowed one run on four hits with five strikeouts against one walk to earn the first win of his career. Brandon Stuckenschneider and Bo Ritter tossed a scoreless inning each to finish the game. Joey Burris took the loss for the Redhawks after allowing three runs on three hits in two innings.

A-State had 11 hits in the contest with eight of them being doubles to finish one shy of the school record for two-baggers in a game set twice in 2006. Johnson and Rucker both hit two doubles apiece, with Rucker leading the team with a career-high tying four RBI. Schrimpf also had two hits and Hawkins scored three runs.

Chris Osborne led SEMO with two of the team’s seven hits, while Gagen drove in the team’s only run.

The Red Wolves and Southeast Missouri will conclude the annual home-and-home series tomorrow in Cape Girardeau, Mo., at Capaha Field. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

JAG BASEBALL FALLS AT SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA
HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana used a five-run third frame to defeat the University of South Alabama baseball team 12-9 Tuesday at Alumni Field.

SLU right fielder Ryan Byers went 4-for-5 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored to lead the Lions, while Daniel Wasinger added a grand slam, four RBI and one run scored. South Alabama hit four home runs in the game, led by Drew LaBounty who finished 2-for-4 with a home run, one RBI and two runs scored. Eddie Paparella, Jared Barnes, and Dylan Hardy also homered in the contest for USA.

Lion right-hander Derrick Mount (1-0) allowed two runs on four hits with one strikeout and one walk in four innings pitched in the win, while Evan Hileman allowed one run on one hit with one strikeout in 1 1/3 innings to record his first save of the season. Jaguar left-hander Andy Arguelles (2-2) allowed five earned runs on five hits with two walks in 3 1/3 innings in the loss.

SLU (19-10) pushed across the game's first run in the bottom of the second inning. Byers reached on a leadoff single back up the middle, and moved to second when Mount reached on a hit by pitch from Arguelles. Wasinger then reached on catcher's interference to load the bases with no outs. Brennan Breaud followed with an RBI groundout to second to score Byers with the game's first run. Scottie Sanders drew a walk to load the bases with one out, but Arguelles rolled a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play off the bat of Drew Avans to end the threat.

Southeastern Louisiana pushed its lead to six runs in the bottom of the third. Jacob Seward led off the inning with a triple down the right field line, and scored two batters later on a grounder to third off the bat of Taylor Schwaner when the ball popped out of Jaguar catcher Carter Perkins' mitt when applying the tag at the plate for a 2-0 Lion lead. Wasinger delivered a grand slam with one out later in the inning to extend the SLU lead to 6-0.

South Alabama (16-13) responded with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth to cut its deficit to four runs. Paul Russo doubled to left-center field with one out in the inning, and scored on a two-out home run to left field by Hardy – the first of his Jaguar career – to cut the SLU lead to 6-2.

The Lions answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth for a five-run advantage. Avans led off the inning with a walk, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch from Arguelles. Carson Crites delivered a one-out RBI double down the left field line later in the inning to score Avans for a 7-2 lead.

USA pushed across four runs in the top of the fifth inning to cut its deficit to one. Hunter Stokes reached on a leadoff walk, and advanced to third on a double down the left field line by LaBounty. Travis Swaggerty delivered an RBI infield single to second later in the inning to score Stokes and cut the SLU lead to 7-3. Paparella reached on a hit by pitch to load the bases with one out for Russo, who reached on an RBI fielder's choice to shortstop to score LaBounty and cut the Lion lead to 7-4. Wells Davis then delivered a two-out, two-run double into left-center field to score Swaggerty and Russo and cut the SLU lead to 7-6.

Southeastern Louisiana loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the sixth before Byers delivered a two-run infield single to shortstop to push its lead to 9-6.

The Jags cut their deficit to one run in the top of the eighth inning on a one-out solo home run to left field by Barnes and a two-out solo home run to left field by LaBounty.

SLU loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the eighth on a single by Avans and consecutive walks issued by Jaguar right-hander Matt Peacock. Peacock struck out Schwaner for the first out of the inning, before Byers delivered a two-run double to right-center field for an 11-8 lead. Mount followed with a sacrifice fly to right field to account for the Lions' final run.

Paparella provided the game's final run on a solo home run to left-center field with one out in the top of the ninth inning.

"We had eight walks, we hit two (batters) and had four errors at crucial times," USA head coach Mark Calvi said. "We had a chance to pick up a quality win on the road against a team with a No. 37 RPI, and we couldn't play a complete game; you have to play a complete game – pitch, play good defense and hit. You have to do all three to beat them (SLU), especially at their park. We did one of the three tonight, and that's unfortunate. I am disappointed. We had our chances early, and didn't move runners along. It took us until the fourth inning to really get into the game, and that's a shame. We fought until the end and I give our guys credit, but you can't play from behind like that against a good team. You have to play cleaner baseball, and that's been a problem. We need to correct that and play better or we will get the same result."

USA will return to action this weekend when it travels to Monroe, La., for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series with Louisiana-Monroe.

No. 3 TCU Claims Midweek Win Over Mavs
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Third-ranked TCU scored the first four runs of the game, getting three RBI from Josh Watson, to build an early lead and post a 5-4 win over UTA in the middle game of the three-game midweek series, on front of 1,187 on Tuesday night at Clay Gould Ballpark.

UTA (14-16) and TCU (23-5) met for the second time in three midweek meetings, with TCU also owning a 7-2 win in UTA's home opener on Feb. 21. After the Mavs set a program record with 2,008 in attendance in the first of the series, the crowd of 1,187 ranks as the sixth-most in Clay Gould Ballpark history. The series will conclude on May 16 at TCU.

The Horned Frogs took an early lead in the first inning after the Mavs loaded the bases with three straight walks to open the contest. TCU then added three runs in the fifth to take a 4-0 lead, taking advantage of a leadoff error.

The Mavs got a Will Olson homer – the first of his career – in the sixth inning to get on the board before TCU answered with a pair of doubles in the seventh inning for a 5-1 lead and the Mavs got a run back in the bottom of the frame on a Christian Hollie leadoff homer.

UTA rallied in the ninth inning, getting two runs and placing speedy freshman infielder Zac Cook on second and Easton Johnson on first with two outs for Omar Salinas. A ball in the dirt skidded away from the catcher during the Salinas at-bat, with Cook breaking for third. TCU freshman catcher Zach Humphreys scooped up the blocked ball and fired to third to nail the head-first sliding Cook, ending the game.

ON THE MOUND
UTA starter Jordon West (0-2) made his second start of the year. West faced three batters, allowing three walks, before Jake Wilcox came in with the bases juiced and no outs. Wilcox turned in his best outing of the year, working five innings, allowing four runs and three unearned runs, walking two and striking out five.

After throwing just 66 pitches last Friday in a start vs. Troy, UTA senior Kadon Simmons came on to work in relief for the second time in his career to start the sixth inning. Simmons, a native of Cut & Shoot, Texas, worked a perfect inning on 12 pitches. Adam Meyer replaced Simmons to open the seventh inning, allowing a run on two doubles. Austin Gardner pitched a perfect eighth inning and Daniel James worked in the ninth.

TCU starter Mitchell Traver (1-0) worked a pre-determined two-inning start, allowing two UTA hits without a walk, striking out four. Haylen Green took over to start the third inning and turned in 2.2 shutout innings without allowing a hit, walking one and fanning four. Trey Morris came on with two outs in the fifth, getting four outs and allowing a run. Sean Wymer started the seventh inning, working two frames, before Durbin Feltman worked the ninth for his eighth save of the year.

AT THE DISH
The Mavs were limited to eight hits in the game, but got solo homers from Olson and Hollie in the sixth and seventh inning. Zac Cook added a first-inning double and a ninth-inning single. Salinas, Quintin Rohrbaugh, Aaron Funk, Easton Johnson and Noah Vaughan also collecting knocks. Salinas, the reigning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week, extended his hitting streak to seven games.

HOW THEY SCORED
TCU scored in the first inning, loading the bases with three consecutive walks to open the game. After a strikeout of Luken Baker, Watson hung a sacrifice fly to rightfield, allowing Austen Wade to score the first run of the game.

The Frogs added to their lead in the top of the fifth inning with Zach Humphreys reaching on an error to leadoff and Wade pounding a single to rightfield. Cam Warner followed with single up the middle, scoring Humphreys from second. After Wilcox got a pair of outs, Watson drove the first pitch of the at-bat into the right-centerfield gap, scoring Wade and Warner for a 4-0 TCU lead.

Olson led off the sixth inning with an opposite-field shot to leftfield, the first of his career.

TCU got the run back in the seventh inning as Warner doubled with one out and scored on Baker's RBI double into the left-centerfield gap.

Hollie greeted Wymer to the game in the bottom of the seventh inning with a first-pitch, solo homer to leadoff the frame, his second of the year. It marked just the 11th hit Wymer has allowed in 2017 in 23.1 innings.

In the ninth inning, Colton Turner reached on a one-out error, scoring on Funk's triple to centerfield. Cook then scored Funk with a single to rightfield with on one out. After a Johnson single put the winning run on first base, Cook took second to put the tying run in scoring position. On a ball in the dirt to Salinas, Cook was nabbed trying to advance to third to end the game on a heads up play from TCU's freshman catcher Humphreys.

NEXT
The Mavs will return to action on Friday, traveling to Appalachian State for the series opener of a three-game series in Boone, N.C.

Warhawks Fall to Northwestern in First of Two Midweek Contests
MONROE, La. – Visiting Northwestern State collected 11 hits on Tuesday night as the visiting Demons handed the ULM baseball team an 11-2 loss in the first of the teams’ home-and-home midweek contests. The teams will square off again on Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. in Natchitoches.

THE BASICS

FINAL SCORE: Northwestern State 11, ULM 2

Location: Warhawk Field / Monroe, La.

Teams: ULM (9-21, 4-5 SBC)

Northwestern State (8-19, 3-6 SLC)

TURNING POINT

-With Northwestern holding on to a 2-0 lead, the visitors pushed across three two-out runs in the top of the sixth, using a walk and a ULM fielding error to score both on a two-run single before an RBI double opened the game up.

HOW IT HAPPENED

-Northwestern jumped on the board with a solo home run on the game’s first pitch before adding to the lead with a RBI single in the top of the second inning. ULM left a runner on in each of the first three innings before the visitors extended the lead with the three run sixth inning.

-After ULM left a runner on to end the bottom of the sixth, Northwestern used an RBI single and a bases loaded hit by pitch to add two runs in the top of the seventh and then plated four runs in the eighth, via a two-run homer and a two-run double.

-An inning after leaving two runners on in the bottom of the seventh, the Warhawks cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth when Turner Francis opened the frame with a triple before he scored on Spencer Hemphill’s ball put in play that was booted by the center fielder.

-The final run of the night came in the bottom of the ninth when Tyler Cox sent towering home run over left field wall for his second career home run. Cox’s other career homer came back in a 6-2 home victory over Appalachian State on March 26, 2016.

-Francis finished with two of ULM’s five hits in the loss, while Cox, Chad Bell and Cade Harper all had one hit. Starter Cole Hendrix (2-2) was saddled with the loss after allowing two runs on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts in two innings as seven total pitchers took the mound for the Warhawks.

UP NEXT

-The Warhawks and Northwestern State travel to Natchitoches for the second of the home-and-home on Wednesday night with a 6:00 p.m. first pitch. ULM then steps back into Sun Belt Conference play to host South Alabama in a three-game series next weekend.

Mountaineers Fall 5-4 to ETSU in Midweek Action
BOONE, N.C. – For the second-straight week, Appalachian State University baseball came up just shy against its midweek opponent, falling 5-4 to East Tennessee State on Tuesday night at Thomas Stadium.

The Mountaineers (12-17) led the game to start, but would allow the Buccaneers (14-12) to climb back to make it a back-and-forth affair.

Appalachian got on the board first when a leadoff double by Drake Zupcic down the right-field line started off the second. After he advanced to third on a wild base, Chandler Seagle brought Zupcic home on a groundout RBI to go up 1-0.

Calev Grubbs would help extend the lead in the third inning when he singled through the right side, only to be moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jason Curtis. Matt Vernon then completed the play, hitting a shot through the middle to bring home Grubbs.

ETSU inched back with one run put up in the third before a three-spot in the fifth inning (two of which unearned) gave it the 4-2 lead.

The Black and Gold were able to tie the ballgame again in the sixth inning when Matt Brill hit his first home run of the season, bringing in Seagle as well to knot it up at 4-4.

Pitchers for both programs continued to battle with the game tied until the Bucs capitalized on an early double to get the would-be game-winner.

Appalachian wouldn’t go down without a fight, however, as they’ve been in the very same situation frequently this season.

In the top of the ninth, Brill continued swinging well, getting a leadoff double to start the inning before a sacrifice bunt by Brian Bauk put him on second. A Grubbs walk and hit-by-pitch on Curtis loaded the bases with two outs and Vernon at the plate. Vernon was able to get a good swing around, but the shortstop made an impressive play to stop it and end the game.

In all, Brill led the team with a double, a home run and two RBI – his best performance at the plate this season. Zupcic went 2-4 on the day with a double while Vernon finished 1-5 with an RBI.

On the mound, starting southpaw Bobby Hampton had a fine outing, going 6.1 innings and allowing just six hits and two earned runs while striking out four. Sean Mason, Tristan Helms and Reed Howell would all provide relief on the night

The Mountaineers return home this weekend when they host UT Arlington for a three-game conference series. First pitch of Game One is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, April 7.

Trojans Fall to UAPB in Low-Scoring Contest
LITTLE ROCK – A low-scoring contest saw Little Rock baseball take a 2-1 loss to UAPB on Tuesday night at Gary Hogan Field.

Dalton Thomas led Little Rock (10-19) offensively with a 2 for 4 night. Nik Gifford drove in the Trojans' lone run as he went 1 for 3 with an RBI. Zach Baker also went 1 for 3 with a run.

Little Rock was held to just four hits for the night while UAPB (8-19) tallied seven.

"I'd first like to compliment the job Carlos James does at UAPB," head coach Chris Curry said. "I have the utmost respect for him. I knew coming in that this game was going to be a battle because Carlos does such a good job of getting his team prepared. As for us, we don't believe in ourselves to get the job done in the small moments, especially when we get behind in a game this tight. We're going to do a lot of work on focusing and coming to the park everyday confident in ourselves. We have to be confident that we can get the job done no matter what the scores is."

UAPB drove in the game's first run in the top of the third inning. Kacy Higgins began the inning with a leadoff double to left center and proceeded to steal third. With one out, an RBI single to center by Sergio Esparza scored Higgins to put the Golden Lions on top 1-0.

Little Rock responded in the bottom half of the inning. Baker hit an infield single to get the frame underway before moving over to second on a sacrifice bunt by Christian Reyes. After advancing to third on a balk, Baker knotted the game at 1-1 as he scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Gifford.

The Golden Lions countered in the top of the fourth with another run. Dontrell Brown advanced to second on a one-out wild pitch after reaching base on a fielder's choice. A sacrifice bunt by Jeremiah Figueroa moved Brown to third with two outs. A Cory Henderson double to left scored the eventual game-winning run for UAPB as the game went scoreless from that point on.

UAPB's Matt Shindlebower (1-0) earned the win after throwing 1.1 innings of relief and allowing just one hit. Starter Chris Phelps took the no-decision after he threw 4.1 innings with two strikeouts and allowed just one run on three hits and a walk. The Golden Lions bullpen was super effective against the Trojans as they allowed just one hit and a walk in the 4.2 innings after Phelps left the game.

The Trojans' pitching staff looked strong against the Golden Lions as it struck out eight and allowed just two runs on seven hits and one walk. Trojan starter Carter Brown took the no-decision as we threw just two innings with two strikeouts and two hits allowed. Zach Ours (0-1) took the loss as he went one inning, struck out one and allowed two runs on two hits and one walk. Corbin Osburn threw a career-high 3.1 innings while striking out two and allowed three hits. Preston Oberling allowed nothing while striking out three in a season-high 2.2 innings of work.

"I thought the pitching was outstanding," Curry said. "I think we've pitched it well enough to win for a while now, but it's a team game. It was good for Carter to get out there, throw the ball over the plate and give us a good start. Ours struggled a little bit and was up in the zone. Corbin did a good job of controlling the running game and throwing the ball over the plate, and that was the best I've seen from Preston since last year."

Little Rock will continue its eight-game homestand this weekend as it welcomes Sun Belt foe Texas State to Gary Hogan Field for a three-game series beginning on Friday at 6 p.m.