Mavs Outlast No. 6 Aggies In 18 Innings
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- UTA plated five runs in the top of the 18th inning to post a 5-1 win at No. 6 Texas A&M, in the longest game in Aggie baseball history, on Tuesday night in front of 5,553 at Blue Bell Park.
UTA (5-9) handed Texas A&M (16-2) just its second loss of the year, coming in the longest game played in Aggie baseball history. UTA's 18-inning win was its longest since playing 19 innings vs. McNeese State in 2014. A total of 151 hitters came to the plate during the game that lasted five hours and 41 minutes, ending after 12 a.m. CT.
After the teams traded scoreless innings for the first 17 frames, the Mavs took advantage of a three-base error after a leadoff knock in the 18th. UTA added five runs in the top of the 18th and was able to secure the historic win in the bottom of the inning despite balking in a run with two outs.
It marked the first top-25 win of the year for the Mavericks, who have bested a top-25 opponent in five consecutive seasons after a school-record five top-25 wins in 2017. It marked UTA's second consecutive season beating Texas A&M, topping the Aggies in 2017 at Clay Gould Ballpark.
The win was led by a bevy of dynamic pitching performances for the Mavericks, who entered the game with a 6.38 team ERA and faced off with an Aggie team hitting .328. Carlos Tavera, Logan Austin and Andrew Gross each fired at least 4.2 shutout innings in relief. Tavera entered the game with a 12.20 ERA, Austin a 14.70 ERA and Gross a 9.00 ERA early in the year. After a Dylan Schneider inning in the 18th, he was joined by lefty Jake Wilcox, who retired a lefty in the fifth, as the Mavs used five pitchers to combined to throw a one-run, 18-inning gem, issuing 11 walks and striking out 11.
ON THE MOUND
Tavera made his first career start in his fifth career outing. Tavera spun a gem, allowing three hits and four walks, striking out three without allowing an earned run. With two on and one out, Wilcox came on in relief in the fifth inning, retiring a lefty before Logan Austin escaped the jam to strand runners on the corners in a scoreless game.
Austin fired the best outing of his career, working a career-long 5.2 innings, allowing two hits – both in the 11th inning – and walking one, striking out three. With a pair of one-out singles in the 11th, the Mavs turned to Gross in relief.
Gross, a native of Chandler, Ariz., worked 6.2 shutout innings to earn his first career win, allowing four hits and five walks, striking out four. Schneider worked the 18th inning to finish off the win.
TAMU starter Chandler Jozwiak worked four-plus innings, allowing two hits and one walk, striking out five before exiting with after a leadoff walk started the fifth. Nolan Hoffman was summoned in the fifth inning in relief of Jozwiak and worked out of the jam. Hoffman got five outs, allowing just a one-out walk and was replaced for a lefty-lefty matchup in the sixth inning by Kaylor Chafin. Chafin got a pair of outs before Cason Sherrod came on with two on and one out in the seventh. Sherrod matched Austin throughout the late innings, working a dynamite 5.2 innings, allowing five hits and no runs, walking one and striking out three. Asa Lacy opened the 13th inning and turned in a dynamic outing, working 4.2 innings, allowing two hits and one walk, striking out five.
Jason Ruffcorn (0-1) came on in the 17th inning with two outs and escaped the jam and after a leadoff single in the 18th, Kyle Richardson took over in relief. Richardson allowed a pair of unearned runs to score before Dustin Saenz and Mason Cole worked in the 18th.
NEXT
The Mavericks will return to action on Wednesday, hosting Minnesota at 6:30 p.m. CT at Clay Gould Ballpark. The game will be broadcast live on UTAMavs.com, with the Voice of the Mavs, Josh Sours, calling the action. UTA will start freshman right-hander Cody Wernli (0-0, 0.00 ERA) and Minnesota will start freshman righty Joshua Culliver (1-1, 4.61 ERA).
App State Shuts Out N.C. Central
DURHAM, N.C. — Appalachian State took a first-inning lead that held up for starter Brandon Boone, who pitched six scoreless innings as the Mountaineers claimed a 6-0 road win against high-scoring North Carolina Central on Tuesday at the Durham Athletic Park.
Boone, Kaleb Bowman and Luke Watts combined for 12 strikeouts, including six with runners in scoring position, to help Appalachian (5-9) post its first shutout under second-year head coach Kermit Smith. It was the program's first shutout since 2016, when current pitching coach Justin Aspegren's first App State staff blanked UNC Asheville (8-0) and Stony Brook (4-0).
Appalachian State held a 3-0 lead in the top of ninth inning when Joel McDaniel, playing in the same stadium where his grandfather had appeared against the Durham Bulls as a Detroit Tigers farmhand, emptied the bases with a three-run double to left field.
Boone (1-1) lowered his ERA in a starting role to 2.03 thanks to an outing in which he allowed five hits, recorded seven strikeouts and issued no walks. He had allowed a combined three earned runs over 7.1 innings in his first two starts. Bowman threw two scoreless innings, and Watts struck out two batters while pitching a perfect ninth against an opponent that had averaged 8.9 runs per game during its 12-4 start.
"I thought Brandon, Kaleb and Luke were equally good," Smith said. "They did a fantastic job. Brandon goes out and gives up five hits in six innings with no walks and seven punches — just a tip of the cap to him. You could tell he was really locked in today.
"I thought our offense did a pretty good job — just enough to win, and then Joel pops that bases-clearing double, which was huge. Some of the adjustments we've been trying to make offensively, you could see us trying to work through the day. That's what we really talked about, the process, and Joel has a chance to do that late. We did a lot of work yesterday, and it was fun to see it pay off today."
McDaniel's three RBIs led a nine-hit attack, as Drew Beck and CJ Brown had two hits apiece. Alex Leshock scored two runs.
App State scored right off the bat as Beck delivered a two-out double against weekend starter Jonathan Figueroa to bring home Leshock, who had drawn a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch.
With Figueroa on a tight pitch count days ahead of his next start, the Mountaineers added to their lead with a third-inning run against reliever Nick Caregnato. Calev Grubbs opened the frame with an opposite-field double over the third baseman's head, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a one-out sacrifice fly to center from Riley Smith.
App State jumped ahead 3-0 in the seventh following a leadoff double over the center fielder's head from Kendall McGowan, who exited in favor of pinch-runner Beau Myers. The Mountaineers had two runners in scoring position following a sequence that began with a bunt single from Brown, and Myers raced home on a two-out wild pitch.
McDaniel's ninth-inning double to score Brown, Robert Langdon and Leshock doubled the advantage on a day in which App State's pitchers didn't need much run support.
"I got a good pitch to hit, and I just wanted to come through for the guys right there," McDaniel said
N.C. Central (12-5) had a baserunner reach third with one out in the first inning, but a strikeout and groundout to second ended the Eagles' initial threat.
They put a runner on third with two outs in the second inning, and a swinging strikeout on a 3-2 pitch allowed Boone to escape that situation with no damage. A one-out double off him in the third didn't come around to score, and N.C. Central used a two-out rally to put runners at the corners in the fourth. Three pitches later, Boone exited the mound with a swinging strikeout.
Boone pitched a perfect fifth before stranding a runner at second in the sixth thanks to a swinging strikeout and a foul-out to first baseman Conner Leonard.
"If we get ahead in the count, we're more successful," Boone said, "so that's been the ultimate goal the whole time. Once I was able to do that, it made it easier."
The Eagles had two runners on with one out against Bowman in the seventh before he recorded a swinging strikeout and McDaniel made a nice play ranging to the left from his shortstop position. N.C. Central stranded two more in the eighth when Bowman got a strikeout looking on a 3-2 pitch with runners at the corners.
App State returns to action Friday with the start of its first Sun Belt Conference series of 2018. The Mountaineers play Texas State in San Marcos, Texas, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Emshoff, Trojans Walk-Off Louisiana Tech in 12
LITTLE ROCK - Kale Emshoff delivered a walk-off single to score Troy Alexander in the 12th inning to give the Trojans a 2-1 victory over Louisiana Tech Tuesday at Gary Hogan Field.
The win was the third-straight for the Trojans, who improved to 9-8 on the season and 4-3 at home in 2018. Little Rock also improves to 2-1 in extra inning games on the year.
It took until the ninth inning for a run to be put on the board in a great pitching duel between the Trojans and Bulldogs. Louisiana Tech struck first, plating one in the top of the ninth after a leadoff triple was brought in on a sacrifice fly to Marcus Ragan in center. Ragan nearly got the throw home to save the run but Emshoff's tag came just after Dalton Skelton's hand touched the plate.
Down to its last out in the bottom of the ninth, the Trojans answered with Ragan getting on second with two outs off of a single and a stolen base – the first runner Little Rock had in scoring position all game. Riley Pittman stepped up to the plate and with a full count delivered a single over the second baseman's head to send the game into extra innings.
Louisiana Tech threatened in the top of the 12th, putting runners at the corners with two outs, but Nick Perez slammed the door on the Bulldogs, earning the victory for the Trojans. That sent the game into the bottom of the 12th where Alexander led off with his team-best eighth double of the season, setting up the walk-off from Emshoff.
The Trojan bats struggled through most of the game as Louisiana Tech's starter, David Leal retired 20 batter's in a row, throwing just 94 pitches in nine innings and allowing just three Trojan hits. But the Trojan pitching staff came up big as well, holding the Bulldogs to just the one run on four hits.
For Little Rock, starter Ethan Daily got the no decision on the mound through four and a third innings giving up no runs, two hits and striking out four. Justin Garcia went 2.2 innings and pitched the Trojans out of a jam in the eighth, allowing one hit while added to his strikeout with four, upping his season total to 35.
Perez had the hot bat for the Trojans as well, going 2-for-4 on the afternoon while Ragan, Pittman, Alexander and Emshoff added the other six hits for Little Rock.
Little Rock now opens Sun Belt Conference play this weekend in Troy, Alabama with a three-series against Troy starting on Friday at 6 p.m. at Ripple-Pace Field. Play will continue with game two on Saturday at 3 p.m. followed by a game three on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Tipton's Walk-Off Single Sends Red Wolves to 9-8 Victory
JONESBORO, Ark. (3/13/18) – Drew Tipton’s walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning sent Arkansas State to 9-8 victory over Southern Illinois in a midweek contest Tuesday evening at Tomlinson Stadium.
A-State (8-5) put the winning run on when Jacob Jablonski walked with one out in the 11th inning and Andrew Lannon followed with a single to right to move Jablonski into scoring position at third. Tipton then sent a 1-1 pitch into right field to score Jablonski to give the Red Wolves their second walk-off win of the season.
The Red Wolves led 7-3 after eight innings, but the Salukis (8-9) rallied and got a two-run long ball and a three-run home run to take an 8-7 lead. The Red Wolves put together a rally of their own in the bottom half of the inning when Lannon produced a RBI ground out to score Caleb Squire to tie the game at 8-8.
Nate Alberius turned in her fourth straight quality start of the year with another solid outing on the mound. The junior tossed 6.2 innings and had six strikeouts and four walks, while scattering three unearned runs on four hits. He gave up an unearned run in the first inning, but settled down and retired 11 batters in a row between the third and seventh innings.
A-State got on the board in the second inning when Tipton singled in Jaylon Deshazier to tie the game. Later in the inning the Red Wolves scored two runs when Tobias Johnson reached on an error by the Salukis’ first baseman that allowed Grant Hawkins and Tipton to score.
Johnson added to the lead in the sixth inning with an RBI single to push the lead to 4-1, but Southern Illinois responded with two runs in the top of the seventh to get within 4-3. Cullen Ray provided some insurance in the bottom half of the inning when a with a two-run single, while Tipton reached on fielder’s choice error that allowed Jablonski to score to push the advantage to 7-3.
Southern Illinois threatened to cut into the lead in the eighth inning when Jesse Kutzke battled Drew Curtis in a 12-pitch at-bat with two runners on. Curtis fouled off six straight pitches before Kutzke struck him out to end the inning.
Arkansas State opens Sun Belt Conference play this weekend against Coastal Carolina. First pitch at Tomlinson Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. on March 16.
Texas State Baseball earns 5-2 triumph over rival UTSA
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team defeated rival UTSA 5-2 in a non-conference midweek clash Tuesday night at Bobcat Ballpark.
The Bobcats (10-4-1) upped their unbeaten streak to eight games, while the Roadrunners dropped to 7-8 on the year.
TXST kicked off the scoring with a pair of runs in the opening frame. Senior Derek Scheible ripped his fifth home run in the last eight games, and junior Jaylen Hubbard singled home senior Dylan Paul.
The visitors tied the game with a two-fer in the top of the third, but they would not score again.
The final runs were tallied in the home half of the seventh, when the maroon and gold moved three across the dish. Senior Luke Sherley posted the go-ahead single that brought around Scheible, and he would later steal home to cap off the frame. Scheible's two runs highlighted a 1-for-3 day at the plate.
Junior Wes Engle tossed the first 5.0 innings on the mound and gave up two runs on four hits. He also struck out two and walked two in the no-decision effort. The next four pitchers all tossed an inning apiece and combined to concede no runs on just two hits. Junior Seth Jordan (1-1) threw the seventh inning and earned the victory, while senior Cam Baird shut the door in the ninth to collect his second save of the year.
UTSA outhit the Bobcats 6-4 but led in errors, 2-1.
Ryan Stacy paced the Roadrunners with a 2-for-3 effort that included one run. Bryan Arias also scored.
UTSA starting pitcher Nathan Alexander could not make it out of the first inning. He was tagged for two runs on three hits, and he was only able to register two outs. Andre Shewcraft (0-2) threw an inning of relief and took the loss without allowing a hit. He gave up two runs on three walks. The Roadrunners used four additional pitchers on the night.
Texas State will remain home for the first weekend of Sun Belt Conference action. The maroon and gold will host Appalachian State in a three-game series March 16-18 at Bobcat Ballpark.
TROY SMOTHERS UAB AT REGIONS FIELD
TROY, Alabama – Troy used dominant pitching to down UAB, 4-1, Tuesday night at Regions Field to sweep the two-game season series with its in-state rival for the first time since 2006.
The Trojans (12-5) were the beneficiaries of a dominating first career start for junior Sadler Goodwin (1-1). The JUCO transfer fanned seven batters and allowed just one run on four hits in six innings of work.
The ball was handed over to Lance Johnson and then Jackson Cofer, who combined for 1.2 innings of two-hit work with three strikeouts. Closer CJ Carter (3) entered with two outs in the eighth and slammed the door on the Blazers (6-9) to earn the save.
On the offensive side, Troy accumulated just five hits, but four of those went for extra bases. Two of the biggest hits of the night came from Cole Prestegard and Joey Denison.
Prestegard launched his fourth homer of the season with a two-run moon shot to right field in the top of the third inning. Denison iced the game away with an inside-the-park home run in the top of the seventh.
Brandon Lockridge was the only Trojan to record multiple hits in the game – he finished 2-for-3 with a leadoff double to start the game.
UAB scored its only run on a sacrifice fly in the sixth and failed to piece anything else together throughout the ballgame, despite out-hitting Troy 6-5. Cole Collins led the Blazer bats with a 2-for-4 night at the plate.
Louisiana Baseball Takes Down Tulane In Extra Innings
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team rallied for three runs in the top of the 11th to defeat Tulane 5-2 in extra innings on Tuesday night at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.
Senoir Dylan Moore picked up the victory for Louisiana (7-9) tossing 1.2 scoreless innings to close out the game. Moore twice worked out of bases loaded jams in the game with a pair of strikeouts. Reliever Ben White took the loss for the Green Wave (8-9) after giving up one run on four hits with a walk and five strikeouts in 5.0 innings.
The Ragin' Cajuns had a season-high 13 hits in the game while holding Tulane to just six hits in 11 innings.
LEADING THE CAJUNS
Senior Colten Schmidt had another strong start with five scoreless innings and four strikeouts in a no decision. In his last three starts, Schmidt has allowed just one run in 20 innings of work.
Offensively, Daniel Lahare had a career-high three hits in the game and scored two runs. Freshmen Jonathan Windham and Luke Coker had a pair of hits, while Gavin Bourgeois extended his hit streak to seven games as he has reached base in 11 straight contests.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Ragin' Cajuns jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Kennon Fontenot brought home Bourgeois on an RBI ground out to the catcher.
Louisiana added to its lead in the top of the sixth on an RBI single to left field by Luke Coker to make the score 2-0.
The Green Wave got on the board in the bottom of the sixth when Kody Hoese brought home Jonathon Artigues on a sacrifice fly to right field to cut the lead to 2-1.
Tulane evened the contest in the bottom of the eighth on a two-out RBI single up the middle by Hoese.
The Green Wave loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the tenth, but Moore came in and got Hoese to ground into a fielder's choice and then struck out Matt Rowland to get out of the jam unscathed.
Bourgeois gave the Ragin' Cajuns the lead back in the top of the 11th with an RBI single through the left side of the infield. Later in the inning senior Zach LaFleur added two big insurance runs with a two-out, two-run double to left centerfield to make the score 5-2.
Tulane loaded the bases again in the bottom of the 11th with one out, but for the second time in the game Moore got the better of the Wave inducing a ground ball double play from pinch hitter Grant Mathews to end the game.
UP NEXT
The Cajuns continue their five-game road trip at Georgia Southern this weekend as the squad opens Sun Belt Conference play on Friday at 5:30 p.m. CT at J.I. Clements Stadium. Following the series with the Eagles, Louisiana will wrap up the road trip on Wednesday at 6 p.m. with a contest at McNeese.