Jaguars Rally in Ninth to Beat No. 10 LSU
BATON ROUGE, La. – The University of South Alabama baseball team rallied for three runs in the top of the ninth inning to defeat No. 10 LSU 7-5 Tuesday at Alex Box Stadium.
Trailing 5-4 after eight frames, the Jaguars pushed across three runs in the top of the ninth inning to take a two-run lead. Brendan Donovan drew a leadoff walk, and advanced to second on a single back up the middle by Travis Swaggerty. A flyout to center field by Wells Davis allowed Donovan to tag from second and advance to third to put runners at the corners with one out. Matt Bolger followed with a pinch-hit RBI sacrifice bunt to first that scored Donovan, who slid under the tag at the plate, to tie the game at 5-5. LSU intentionally walked Drew LaBounty to load the bases with one out for Jared Barnes, who lifted a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Swaggerty for a 6-5 Jaguar lead. Will Luft then delivered a two-out RBI single to right field that plated Bolger with the final Jaguar run of the contest.
LSU added the game's final run in the bottom of the ninth on a two-out RBI single to left field by Cole Freeman.
USA left-hander Andy Arguelles (3-2) tossed a career-high 6 1/3 innings in relief, and allowed just four hits while striking out a career-high eight batters with no walks to earn the win. Jaguar right-hander Matt Peacock allowed one run on two hits with one strikeout in one inning pitched to record his ninth save of the season. Nick Bush (1-1) allowed three runs on one hit and issued three walks in the loss for the Tigers.
"(Andy) Arguelles was outstanding," USA head coach Mark Calvi said. "He kept getting us back in and getting some momentum back in our dugout, and the guys fed off it. They (LSU) had momentum in the first two innings, and I thought Andy did a nice job of slowing it down and getting some momentum back in our dugout. Our guys kept fighting hard, and we scratched out enough to win a tight ballgame against a very good team. This was big for us tonight. We're happy to come here and get a big win on the road against LSU."
South Alabama (31-18) took a one-run lead in the top of the first inning. Dylan Hardy led off the game with a single to left field, and later scored on a two-out RBI single to right field by Travis Swaggerty for a 1-0 advantage.
LSU (32-17) answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first on a two-out, two-run home run to left field by Greg Deichmann to take a 2-1 lead.
The Tigers added to their lead in the bottom of the second on a one-out RBI single through the left side of the infield by Jake Slaughter, an RBI fielder's choice by Freeman on a grounder to second and an RBI single to center field by Antoine Duplantis for a 5-1 advantage.
The Jaguars pushed across a run in the top of the fourth to cut their deficit to three. Colton Thomas and Brendan Donovan drew consecutive walks to start the inning. A passed ball put both runners in scoring position with no outs before Swaggerty delivered a sacrifice fly to center field to plate Thomas and cut the Tiger lead to 5-2.
Jared Barnes led off the top of the fifth with a double to left-center field, and moved to third on a groundout to first by Will Luft. Thomas followed with an RBI double to right-center field to score Barnes and cut the LSU lead to 5-3.
USA cut its deficit to one run in the top of the sixth inning. Swaggerty drew a leadoff walk, and advanced to second with one out on a groundout to first by Davis. Barnes delivered a two-out RBI single back up the middle later in the inning to score Swaggerty and cut the Tiger lead to 5-4.
USA threatened when it loaded the bases in the top of the eighth, but failed to push across a run. Drew LaBounty doubled off the left field wall with one out in the inning, and Barnes followed with a walk. Dylan Hardy drew a walk to load the bases with two outs, but the Tigers escaped the jam when LSU left fielder Beau Jordan made a diving catch on a line drive down the left field line off the bat of Eddie Paparella to preserve a one-run Tiger lead before the Jaguars' three-run ninth.
Swaggerty went 2-for-2 with two RBI and two runs scored, and Barnes finished 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and one run scored to lead the Jaguars at the plate. Kramer Robertson went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored to lead the Tigers offensively.
USA will return to action this weekend when it travels to Boone, N.C., for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series with Appalachian State.
Louisiana Takes Down Louisiana Tech 3-1 In The Midweek
LAFAYETTE, La. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team picked up a 3-1 victory over Louisiana Tech in a non-conference midweek game at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park on Tuesday night.
"Again we got pitching, defense and timely hitting tonight," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "That's the script. The question is, how many times can you do that in a 56-game schedule. If you could do that in every game, I'm not saying you're going to win all of them but you give yourself a chance to win every time out."
Starter Evan Guillory (4-2) limited the Bulldogs (32-16) to one run on five hits in five innings of work to earn the victory. Guillory faced one over the minimum in the first four innings of the game.
Junior Dylan Moore notched his ninth save of the season and 36th of the year in the contest recording a scoreless ninth inning in relief.
Louisiana Tech starter Cameron Linck (3-2) was handed the loss after surrendering two runs on three hits in three innings with two walks and a strikeout.
Louisiana (29-19-1) finished the night tied with the Bulldogs in hits as both clubs had six apiece. Kennon Fontenot led the way offensively for the Ragin' Cajuns going 2-for-4 with triple and a run scored. Jonathan Washam had two hits in the game for La Tech.
The Cajuns grabbed the lead in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice fly to center by Alex Pinero to score Steven Sensley put the Ragin' Cajuns up 1-0. Later in the inning, Handsome Monica brought home Todd Lott on a two-out single back up the middle to increase the Louisiana advantage to 2-0.
La Tech got on the board in the top of the fifth on a two-out RBI single down the left field line by Cody Daigle to cut the Louisiana lead to 2-1.
The Bulldogs threatened in the top of the sixth loading the bases with no outs after a pair of singles and a hit batter. Reliever Wyatt Marks came on and got two strikeouts and then induced a ground out to shortstop by Sean Ullrich to get out of the jam unscathed and keep the Ragin' Cajuns in the lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, Fontenot drove a triple into the gap in right center to lead off the inning. Two batters later, Brad Antchak brought home Fontenot on a suicide squeeze to give the Cajuns a 3-1 edge.
Marks, Jevin Huval and Moore combined to allow just two Bulldogs to reach in the final three frames as Dalton Skelton grounded into a double play in the ninth to end the contest.
Louisiana returns to action tomorrow night for the final non-conference game of the year against McNeese at Russo Park with a 6 p.m. first pitch. Only tickets for the regularly scheduled date of April 26 will be used for admission to the game.
No.29 Coastal Carolina Wins 13-6 Versus UNC Wilmington
CONWAY - Kyle Skeels had a breakout game, going 3-for-3 with four RBI and a triple shy of the cycle, to lead #29 Coastal Carolina to a 13-6 victory over region rival UNC Wilmington Tuesday night at Springs Brooks Stadium. Tonight's game was originally scheduled for Mar. 14, but was postponed due to inclement weather.
Coastal, winners of six straight overall, improves to 31-16-1 for the season and 59-32 all-time versus the Seahawks (24-23). The Chanticleers additionally sweep the season series with UNCW (with previous wins of 4-1 on Mar. 1 and 13-2 on Mar. 29) and the Chants have won six straight in the series.
The Chanticleers will play their final home non-conference game of 2017 tomorrow (April 10) by hosting another region rival, College of Charleston. First pitch is set for 6 pm.
As for Tuesday's game, Skeels entered the game with just seven hits in 42 at bats (23 games, 13 starts). However, five of those seven hits were for extra bases, including two doubles and three home runs. He added to those totals, as well as his impressive RBI-to-hit ratio, by going 3-for-3 (single, double and home run) with two walks, a career-high four RBI and a career-high four runs scored. He now has 10 hits for 2017 (seven for extra bases) with 11 RBI and 12 runs scored.
Coastal also got two hits each from Billy Cooke (2-for-5), Kevin Woodall Jr. (2-for-5) and Wood Myers (2-for-4) while Woodall and Josh Crump each had two RBI.
Coastal raced out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. Cooke hit the second pitch he saw off the left field fence for a leadoff double. After stealing third, he easily scored on Woodall's RBI double off the left field wall for an early 1-0 lead. Coastal would load the bases on two walks and a fielder's choice. Skeels then worked the count full and walked to force home Myers. With bases still loaded, Peyton Isaacson lifted a fly ball to left field that was dropped to allow Kieton Rivers, Seth Lancaster and Skeels to score for a five-run lead.
Skeels gave the Chants a 6-0 lead in the third inning as he launched an opposite field home run. The blast was the redshirt freshman's fourth of the season.
The Seahawks got that run back in the top of the fourth. Terrence Connelly walked and moved to third on a double by Nick Feight. Brian Mims followed with a sacrifice fly to center to bring home Connelly.
Coastal responded with a pair of runs in the home half of the fourth. After a leadoff single by Jordan Gore, Woodall hit his league-best, 16th home run, which left the confines of Springs Brooks Stadium, for an 8-1 lead.
UNCW answered in kind with a two-run home run and two more runs in the top of the fifth to make the score 8-5. Mason Berne drew a leadoff walk and, with two outs, Casey Golden hit his 15th home run of the season. After a walk to Connelly, Feight lined a single off CCU pitcher Anthony Veneziano, but a throwing error on the play allowed Connelly to score and put Feight on third. Mims followed with a single to right field to bring home Feight and cut the Seahawk deficit to three, 8-5.
Undaunted, Skeels started the bottom of fifth with a double and, after moving to third on an error, scored on a Cooke single back up the middle to make the score 9-5.
UNCW made it a three-run game again, 9-6, in the sixth as Berne hit a solo home run.
However, Coastal once again answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth. Myers hit a single and moved to third on a Seth Lancaster single. After Lancaster stole second, Skeels ripped a single to center that plated both Myers and Lancaster tor an 11-6 lead.
Coastal capped the scoring in the eighth as both Rivers (from third) and Skeels (from second) scored on a Crump sacrifice fly to deep right center field. Skeels was able to score on the play as well as the two UNCW collided in the outfield after the catch was made.
Veneziano worked 4.2 innings and allowed four hits and five runs (three earned) with three walks and four strikeouts before exiting after taking a line drive off his right chest. Bobby Holmes (5-3) picked up the win. He allowed three hits and one run in 2.1 innings.
Trojans Blast Demons With 13-1 Midweek Win
LITTLE ROCK – In its first meeting with Northwestern State since 2006, Little Rock baseball came out on top with a 13-1 victory on Tuesday night at Gary Hogan Field.
The win was Little Rock's second consecutive victory in a midweek game and third consecutive win against a Southland Conference opponent. It was the Trojans' 10th non-conference win of the season — the most in head coach Chris Curry's three-year tenure.
There was no question who the night's player of the game was as Riley Pittman went yard twice and finished with a career-high six RBIs while going 3 for 4. The last Trojan to record at least six RBIs in a game was Zach Baker in 2016 against Georgia State. Pittman is the second Trojan to record multiple homers in a game this season as Baker hit two against Texas State exactly one month ago.
Hunter Owens came up a home run shy of the cycle as he went 3 for 4 with three runs, an RBI, a triple and a double. Also earning a home run for the night was Nik Gifford as he went 2 for 4 with two runs and an RBI. Kale Emshoff tallied three RBIs, a run and a double as he finished the night 2 for 4. Baker went 2 for 5 with two runs and an RBI.
The Trojans (18-30) held the Demons (18-29) to just one run and six hits for the night. Little Rock starter Carter Brown (3-1) earned the win as he threw a career-high eight innings and 104 pitches with four strikeouts, one earned run and two walks. McKinley Moore threw one inning of relief and allowed nothing on nine pitches. Northwestern State starter Tim Winders (1-5) took the loss after throwing 2.2 innings, striking out three and allowing seven runs on eight hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch.
"I was really proud of the way the guys competed," head coach Chris Curry said. "Carter Brown shoved pitches in the strike zone, and that's the first key while allowing just two walks all night. Once you have a big lead early in the game, you can sometimes lose your focus, but he kept shoving the ball in the strike zone."
Little Rock began the scoring right out of the gate in the bottom of the first. After Baker singled and Owens got hit by a pitch, Pittman delivered his sixth home run of the season over the center field wall.
Up 3-0 heading into the bottom of the second, the Trojans struck again with four runs on five hits. With runners in scoring position, Baker drove in a run with an RBI single to right. After Baker stole second, a wild pitch advanced him to third as Christian Reyes scored the Trojans' second run of the inning. Owens then hit his team-leading third triple of the season to score Baker. Pittman rounded out the scoring with an RBI double to left center.
Little Rock went up 9-0 in the bottom of the sixth thanks to Pittman's second homer of the game and team-leading seventh of the season. After a one-out double by Owens, Pittman hit a two-run shot to right.
The Trojans homered for the second straight inning in the bottom of the seventh. Gifford's leadoff homer and fifth of the season was a moonshot over the scoreboard and gave Little Rock a 10-0 lead.
Northwestern State finally broke up the shutout in the top of the eighth. With two on and two outs, Cade Jones hit an RBI single through the right side to score Hunter Uzzle. The inning came to an end as Cale Ridling tossed a laser from right field to third base to throw out the advancing Spencer Goodwin.
Little Rock put up runs for the third straight inning in bottom of the eighth thanks to a bases-loaded three-run double by Emshoff.
With a 12-run lead entering the ninth, Moore came on for Brown and closed out the game with just nine pitches.
"It was a good effort, and it's what you want to see going into a very important conference weekend," Curry said. "It's all about confidence. Guys get up there, and they're able to see themselves doing things well by playing clean defense, shoving it over the plate and making good swings on good pitches."
The game was also Curry's first against his former team as he spent two years as the pitching coach at Northwestern State prior to taking the head spot at Little Rock in 2015.
"I have the utmost respect for the Northwestern State program and all that they've done for me and my family with the great memories we had there," Curry said. "It was great seeing a bunch of guys that I call friends."
Little Rock will play its final home conference games this weekend as Georgia State comes to town for a crucial three-game series. The action will get underway on Friday night at 6 p.m.