Cajuns Baseball Defeats No. 19 LSU 3-1 To Complete Season Sweep
METAIRIE, La. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team defeated No. 19 LSU 3-1 at the Wally Pontiff Jr. Classic on Tuesday night at the Shrine on Airline to complete the season sweep.

The season sweep of the Tigers (16-10) marks the first time the Ragin' Cajuns (11-13) have claimed two wins against LSU in the same year since 2002. The win is the fourth of the season for Louisiana against a ranked opponent.

Junior Hogan Harris picked up his first victory of the season limiting the Tigers to one unearned run on five hits with a walk and five strikeouts in four innings of work. Senior Logan Stoelke registered his sixth save of the year in the game tossing a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout.

LSU starter AJ Labas was handed the loss after surrendering three runs on five hits with a walk and six strikeouts in 5.1 innings.

LEADING THE CAJUNS

Senior Kennon Fontenot drove in a game-high two runs and had a double for the Cajuns who were outhit 10-6 on the night. Junior Gavin Bourgeois reached base twice in the contest with a double and scored two runs, while freshman Hayden Cantrelle increased his hit streak to a season-best eight games going 1-for-3 with a walk.

On the mound, freshmen left-handers Austin Perrin and Brock Batty combined to toss four scoreless innings.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Louisiana grabbed an early lead in the top of the first inning when Fontenot sent an RBI double down the left field line to plate Daniel Lahare. Bourgeois added to the advantage scoring on an Labas wild pitch to make the score 2-0.

The Cajuns added to their lead in the top of the third when Bourgeois came home to score on a ground ball hit to shortstop by Fontenot.

LSU cut the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth as Nick Coomes came around to score on a throwing error by Harris.

The Tigers best threat came in the bottom of the ninth putting two on with one out, but Stoelke got Beau Jordan and Antoine Duplantis to ground out to end the contest.

UP NEXT

Louisiana returns to Sun Belt Conference play on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. with a three-game series at Arkansas State. The Cajuns and Red Wolves meet on Friday at 6:30 p.m. before closing out the weekend on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the series finale at Tomlinson Stadium.

Trojans Rally Once Again, Toppling Golden Eagles 5-2
LITTLE ROCK – Another day, another comeback as Little Rock scores five unanswered runs, rallying past Oral Roberts for a 5-2 victory Tuesday at Gary Hogan Field. The Trojans improve to 14-10 on the year and have won eight of their last 10.

The win snaps a five-game losing skid to the Golden Eagles as the Trojans earn their first win over ORU since a 9-8 win in Tulsa in 2016. It marks Little Rock's first win over Oral Roberts in Little Rock since a nearly identical 6-2 final score in 1996 when stadium namesake Gary Hogan was coaching the Trojans.

Every starting position player registered a hit on the day as all five runs were driven in by different Trojans with Little Rock generating 12 total hits offensively.

The Golden Eagles notched a run in the first and one in the fourth before the Trojan rally commended. An RBI single from James Gann in the bottom of the fourth scored Kale Emshoff, cutting the deficit in half.

Little Rock swung momentum firmly in its favor in the fifth, plating three runs on four-straight hits. It began with a double from Chase Coker, followed by a single from Matt Merino (scoring Coker), a triple from Troy Alexander (scoring Merino) and a single from Emshoff (scoring Alexander) as Little Rock took the 4-2 lead after five.

The Trojans then added an insurance run in the sixth as Marcus Ragan drove a hit up the middle to score Gann, who reached on a leadoff double.

Ragan, Coker and Gann all registered multiple hits on the day with Riley Pittman, Nick Perez and Eldrige Figueroa each adding base hits to the Trojan offensive attack.

Five different pitchers teamed up in the victory for Little Rock as starter Aaron Funk earned the no decision, giving up two runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and no walks in 4.2 innings pitched, throwing 92 pitches.

Pablo Ortiz closed out the fifth by retiring the last ORU batter on two pitches and gets credit for the win as he was the pitcher of record when the Trojans registered their three-run fifth.

Hayden Arnold and Nick Perez combined to pitch three innings, allowing just three hits and striking out five, setting up Justin Garcia to pitch the ninth and earn his fifth save of the season, adding another strikeout to his total.

Little Rock will round out March back in Sun Belt Conference play as it travels to San Marcos, Texas, to play Texas State in a three-game series at Bobcat Park starting Thursday.

App State Doubles Up Gardner-Webb
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — Conner Leonard helped Appalachian State build an early lead, Kaleb Bowman thwarted a middle-inning rally and the Mountaineers rewarded Bowman's effort with a three-run sixth that provided some separation in an 8-4 road victory at Gardner-Webb on Tuesday night.

Leonard hit a two-run homer in the second inning and an RBI single in a two-run third as App State (6-16) jumped ahead 4-0. The Runnin' Bulldogs (13-14) scored twice in the bottom of the third before cutting their deficit to 4-3 in the fourth, but Bowman (1-0) relieved starter Brandon Boone with runners at the corners and ended the threat with a strikeout.

Bowman struck out two more batters in a scoreless fifth to set the stage for a three-run top of the sixth that gave Appalachian a 7-3 advantage.

Alex Leshock finished 3-for-6 at the plate with an RBI triple, three runs scored and one stolen base from the leadoff spot, and Leonard's 16th career homer was part of a 2-for-5 night with three RBIs. Drew Beck had a third-inning RBI single and a hit-by-pitch RBI to cap a three-run sixth, which included CJ Brown's RBI double to score catcher Riley Smith from first and Leshock's RBI triple.

Boone, Bowman, Reed Howell, Cameron Kepley and Luke Watts limited Gardner-Webb to five hits, as Kepley and Watts both had two strikeouts in perfect innings to close the victory. With his sixth straight scoreless appearance, Bowman has recorded 14 strikeouts and allowed no runs on five hits over his 8.0 innings during that stretch.

Offensively, Beck's leadoff walk in the second inning preceded a one-out shot over the left-field fence from Leonard, who homered for the third time this season.

Leshock led off the second inning with a single, stole second base and moved to third on a Bailey Welch single before scoring on Beck's single. Leonard's infield hit to a diving shortstop brought home Welch.

Gardner-Webb cut its deficit in half with Corey Howard's two-run double in the bottom of the third. The Bulldogs had runners at the corners with one out when Smith threw out a potential base stealer at second, and Boone ended the inning with a strikeout.

A leadoff error, one-out walk and two-out single contributed to an unearned run against Boone before Bowman took the mound in the fourth. He kept the Runnin' Bulldogs at bay until Appalachian had its first six batters of the sixth inning reach base.

Smith singled to right and scored on Brown's double off the wall in left-center by sliding under a tag following an aggressive wave home from his head coach. A high-rising hit down the right-field line dropped for a triple by Leshock, and back-to-back walks loaded the bases for Beck, who was hit by a 1-2 pitch.

Gardner-Webb added a run in the sixth on JP McGuire's solo homer, and Leshock scored an unearned run by racing home from first on a two-out outfield error in the top of the seventh. Howell, Kepley and Watts finished off the game from there.

App State heads directly from Boiling Springs toward Mobile, Ala., for a three-day Sun Belt Conference series that begins Thursday at South Alabama.

Troy Shakes Alabama State All Night Long
TROY, Alabama – Troy exploded for 19 hits and held Alabama State to just three as the Trojans rocked their in-state foe, 14-1, on 80's Night Tuesday at Riddle-Pace Field.

Troy (17-8) has won five straight midweek games and has outscored opponents 32-4 in the last three – 4-1, 14-2 and 14-1. The Trojans' 19 hits were a season-high and tied for the most in the last four seasons.

Senior first baseman Brody Binder led a charge of seven Troy batters with multiple hit games on a 4-for-5 night – tied a career-high set on April 12, 2016, against Jacksonville State. Meanwhile, Chase Smartt turned in a three-hit performance for the second time in the last three games.

Joining Binder and Smartt with multi-hit games were Drew Frederic, Joey Denison, Brandon Lockridge, Rigsby Mosley and Manning Early.

Sadler Goodwin (2-2) earned the win after allowing just one run on three hits in four innings of work. He was followed by lights-out performances from Zack Lightsey, Levi Thomas and Lance Johnson – who combined for five innings of hitless, shutout work.

As a team, Troy – the Sun Belt's team ERA leader – has posted a 2.01 earned run average over the last 13 games.

The Hornets (12-11) scratched across a run in the top of the third but failed to pick up another hit for the remainder of the game as they dropped their fifth straight to the Trojans. Freshman Channing Walker (0-1) suffered the loss after allowing five runs on four hits in just 1.1 innings of work.

Quotable – Troy head coach Mark Smartt
"We took control early. Zack Lightsey was excellent, probably the best he's ever thrown. We haven't had a 19-hit game all year long; I was proud of the way our offense performed. We're not hitting many homers but we're taking good approaches and having good at-bats."

Senior first baseman Brody Binder
"It's good to get a multi-hit game under my belt. Getting experience and seeing more pitches allows me to be more comfortable at the plate and it felt good to get four hits tonight. If we pick up runs on the offensive side of the ball, we know our pitching is going to carry us the rest of the way."

Noteworthy
• Joey Denison drove in two on a one-out single in the second inning to take his season RBI total to 33. Denison ranked 17th nationally in RBIs entering Tuesday's matchup.

• Junior Brandon Lockridge put one in the gap in the sixth inning for his 10th career triple – just one shy of Troy's all-time record held by Adam Bryant.

• Brody Binder tied a career-high with four hits tonight. The senior went 4-for-7 in Troy's 16-inning loss against Jacksonville State on April 12, 2016.

• Troy recorded 19 hits in the game, setting a new season-high and tying for the most in the last four seasons. The Trojans racked up 24 hits against Florida A&M in 2013.

• Shortstop Matt Sanders scored three more times Tuesday night and now has 36 runs scored in 2018 – was ranked sixth in the country before tonight.

On Deck
Troy will host Georgia State in Sun Belt Conference action Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Riddle-Pace Field. First pitch for the series opener is set for 6 p.m.

No. 23 Coastal Carolina Falls, 11-4, at No. 30 College of Charleston
MT. PLEASANT - Coastal Carolina only managed three hits and dropped an 11-4 decision to College of Charleston Tuesday night at Patriots Point. The Chanticleers, ranked 20th, had their seven-game win streak snapped while the Cougars, ranked 30th, won their fifth straight and tied the all-time series between the two schools at 23-23.

Matt Beaird was a bright spot for Coastal (19-8). The senior catcher threw out two Cougar (20-6) base runners to increase his Sun Belt leading total to 12. (He has thrown out 12 of 15 attempts this season while also leading the league by picking off five runners.)

Coastal got on the scoreboard in the top of the first. Cory Wood doubled and scored after a pair of wild pitches.

The Cougars answered with two runs in the bottom of the first. Dupree Hart drew a leadoff walk and Luke Morgan followed with a single. Logan McRae doubled off the centerfield walk to bring home Hart. Danny Wondrack hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring home Morgan, but Kieton Rivers threw out McRae at third for a double play. The Cougars loaded the bases and push the third run across when Luke Manzo walked.

The Chants tied the game in the second, Parker Chavers and Michael Koenig walked. After a passed ball, Beaird plated Chavers with an RBI ground out and Rivers brought home Koenig with a single up the middle.

Charleston regained the lead in the bottom of the second. Hart singled and moved to third on a hit and run single by Morgan. McRae came through with a sac fly to score Hart.

Coastal once again tied the game, 4-4, in the top of the third. Zach Biermann walked to start the frame and Lee Sponseller singled. After Beaird walked to load the bases, the Cougars brought in a new pitcher, who promptly walked Rivers on four pitches to force in Biermann.

The Cougars bounced back to score twice in the bottom of the third to lead 6-4. Tommy Richter walked and scored on a hit-and-run double by K.J. Bryant. Manzo followed with an RBI single to center. CofC added two more runs in the fourth on a two-run home run by Wondrack.

The pitchers took over in the middle innings before McRae hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to put the Cougars up 11-4.

Clay Hunt (2-0) pitched the final 6.1 innings for the Cougars and got the win. He did not allow a hit, allowed just one walk and struck out a career-high 11. Patrick Orlando (2-1) suffered the loss as he allowed two hits and three runs (two earned) in two innings.

Coastal will stay on the road to play a Sun Belt series at Georgia Southern. Games are set for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Georgia Southern Baseball Drops Midweek Tilt at Georgia Tech, 3-1
ATLANTA - Georgia Southern Baseball dropped a 3-1 decision to Georgia Tech on a chilly Tuesday Evening in Midtown to open a busy week on the diamond. Tech got two in the third and one in the sixth to post a lead, but the Eagles loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth, scoring a run on a double play ball. Georgia Southern will welcome Coastal Carolina to Jack Stallings Field at J.I. Clements Stadium for a Holiday series which runs Thursday-Friday-Saturday at the friendly confines.

SCORING INNINGS
Bottom 3rd - A leadoff single in the third set the table for Tech to get two runs off three hits and take a 2-0 lead.
Bottom 6th - Two outfield singles put the Yellow Jackets in business with no outs in the sixth. A passed ball allowed a run to score, but a strikeout and fly out retired the side and rendered the run unearned.
Top 9th - Mason McWhorter got the Eagles going in the ninth, ripping a double to the gap in right. Two walks loaded the bases for the Eagles with no outs in the inning. Christian Avant hit into a 4-3 double play, but McWhorter was able to score and take a bite out of the lead. A strikeout looking ended the game as the Eagles fell back to the .500 mark in 2018.

NOTES
- Zach Cowart, making his second career start of the Eagles, delivered an outstanding outing, going six innings, scattering eight hits and allowing three runs, two earned. Cowart recorded new career highs in innings pitched (6.0), strikeouts (4), and pitches thrown (93). He took the loss, falling to 1-1 on the season.
- Steven Curry went 2-for-4 with a double, Mason McWhorter matched that total while scoring the Eagles' only run of the night.
- Clocking in at two hours and 24 minutes, Tuesday's game was the second-fastest contest of the year behind the 2:04 game at College of Charleston in February.
- Mitchell Golden's four-game hit streak game to an end as he went 0-for-4 at the dish on Tuesday.

NEXT GAME
The Eagles will have Wednesday off before returning to work on Thursday night against Coastal Carolina. The top two teams in the Sun Belt East Division square-off beginning Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN3. The Eagles and Chanticleers close the series with a Friday night game (6:30 p.m.) and a Saturday matinee (1 p.m.).

PANTHERS DROP MIDWEEK GAME TO KENNESAW STATE
ATLANTA -- Georgia State fell to Kennesaw State 15-9 Tuesday at the GSU Baseball Complex.

Freshman Kalen Puckett drove in four runs and Luke Leonard homered to lead the Panthers (12-12), but KSU (13-12) managed two big innings, scoring six runs in the fourth and seven more in the seventh.

Making just his second start, Puckett was 2-for-3 with an RBI-single and a three-run double and also drew two walks.

Georgia State got on the scoreboard first with a run in the first inning as Justin Jones led off the game with a walk and scored on a wild pitch. After the Owls scored two in the second, GSU regained the lead in the bottom of the inning as Puckett and catcher Nick Gatewood delivered two-out, run-scoring singles.

But Kennesaw State erupted for six runs in the fourth to move ahead 8-3.

The Panthers answered with four runs in the sixth to pull within 8-7. GSU loaded the bases with no outs on singles by Will Kilgore and Luke Leonard and a walk to Enrique Ferrer. That brought Puckett to the plate, and he belted a double into the gap in right center to clear the bases and score three runs. Then Gatewood drove in his second run of the night with an RBI-single, pulling the Panthers within 8-7.

But that was as close as Georgia State would get because Kennesaw tacked on seven runs in the seventh to regain control.

Leonard, the junior center fielder, hit his first homer of the season with a two-run shot in the ninth inning for the final 15-9 margin.

The Panthers return to Sun Belt Conference play this weekend at Troy in a series that is scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday because of the Easter holiday.

Longhorns defeat Bobcats, 6-1
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team dropped a 6-1 decision to Texas in a midweek non-conference clash Tuesday night at Bobcat Ballpark.

The Bobcats (14-9-1) were playing in front 2,547 fans, which marked the eighth-largest crowd in school history. The triumph helped the Longhorns improve to 16-10 on the year.

Both teams were cruising along unscathed until the visitors were able to find three tallies in the top of the fourth inning. A 1-hour, 14-minute rain delay halted proceedings in the top of the fifth, and the Longhorns would go on to outscore TXST 3-1 the rest of the way.

Texas State was able to outhit Texas 5-4 in the game, led by a pair of hits from junior Jonathan Ortega. The lone RBI came off the bat of senior pinch hitter Mickey Scott in the bottom of the ninth, and he drove home junior Ryan Newman.

The Bobcats used seven pitchers on the night, including the first-career appearance from redshirt freshman Jack Woodland. He registered two outs and did not concede a hit or a run. Junior Wes Engle (1-2) took the loss after allowing three runs on two hits in the first 3.1 innings. He struck out three and walked just one.

UT starting pitcher Nico O'Donnell (2-1) earned the win after allowing no runs on two hits, while striking out three and walking two. The next three relievers combined for 4.0 shutouts frames and just two hits allowed. Beau Ridgeway tossed the last two innings and gave up one run on one hit.

David Hamilton was the lone Longhorn with multiple hits, tallying a 2-for-3 effort at the dish. He drove in two runs and scored once. Masen Hibbeler scored twice.

Texas State will remain home for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series March 29-31 against Little Rock.

SIX-RUN SECOND LIFTS UNO OVER JAG BASEBALL
MOBILE, Ala. – New Orleans scored six runs in the second inning en route to an 8-2 win over University of South Alabama baseball Tuesday at Stanky Field.

UNO (10-15) broke a scoreless tie in the top of the second with six runs on five hits in the inning, and added a run in each of the fourth and eight innings to snap a three-game losing skid to USA.

South Alabama (13-11) will return to action Thu., March 29, when it opens a three-game Sun Belt Conference series with Appalachian State at 6:30 p.m. at Stanky Field.

GAME FACTS
- UNO scored the game's first runs in the top of the second. Beau Bratton reached on a single to center field, and advanced to second on a fielding error by Travis Swaggerty while trying to corral the ball, to lead off the inning. Orynn Veillon followed with a single through the left side of the infield to put runners at the corners with no outs. Booker struck out Cody Ducote for the first out of the frame before Collin Morrill delivered a two-run single through the left side of the infield for a 2-0 Privateer lead. Devin Morrill then reached on a hit by pitch before a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position with one out. Jay Robinson followed with a sacrifice fly to left-center field to score Collin Morrill for a 3-0 UNO advantage. Pearce Howard reached on a throwing error by Jaguar second baseman Hunter Stokes on a grounder to second with two outs that allowed Devin Morrill to score for a 4-0 lead. Owen Magee followed with an RBI single back up the middle for a 5-0 advantage. Bratton then delivered an RBI double to left-center field for a 6-0 UNO lead.
- Carter Perkins led off the bottom of the third with a single to center field, and Will Luft followed with a walk. A groundout to first by Swaggerty moved both runners into scoring position with one out. Dylan Hardy delivered a -two-out, two-run single back up the middle later in the inning to cut the UNO lead to 6-2.
- Robinson drew a leadoff walk in the top of the fourth, and moved to second on a one-out single by Howard. Bratton delivered a two-out RBI double to right field later in the inning to score Robinson for a 7-2 UNO lead.
- UNO added a run in the top of the eighth when Howard struck out for what looked to be the third out of the inning, but reached on a wild pitch. Willis scored on the play when Perkins' throw sailed up the line into the baseline with the game's final run.

NOTES
- Jaguar right-hander Zach Greene entered in relief of starting pitcher JoJo Booker with two outs in the bottom of the second inning. Greene carried a scoreless innings streak of 10 2/3 innings into the game, which was ended on Bratton's RBI double in the top of the fourth at 12 2/3 innings.
- Brendan Donovan recorded his 150th career hit at South Alabama with a leadoff single in the bottom of the second inning.
- Hardy extended his on-base streak to 24 games with a two-run single in the bottom of the third inning.
- UNO left-hander John Michael Stephens (2-2) allowed two runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in 6 2/3 innings in the win.
- Booker (1-1) allowed three earned runs on three hits with a pair of strikeouts against one walk in 1 2/3 innings pitched in the loss.
- Hardy went 2-for-4 with two RBIs to lead the Jaguars at the plate.
- Bratton finished 4-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and one run scored to lead the Privateers at the plate.

QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Calvi
- On the loss:
"We got seven hits and we hit some balls hard. I thought their (UNO) starting pitcher (Stephens) did a really nice job. Sooner or later, we have to do a good job against a guy doing a good job. That's been the difference offensively; when a pitcher is making his pitches and not walking us, we have to do a better job of forcing the issue. I thought JoJo was doing fine there in the second inning – he hit a guy and bounced a couple of balls that advanced runners a couple of bases. But we had two outs in our hand and we didn't make a play, and we threw to the wrong base on a cutoff which allowed guys to advance and take us out of a double-play scenario. Those two things hurt us. The bottom line is we need to score more runs and be better offensively and as a whole. Our guys have had really good practice days and have worked really hard. Right now, they're working hard and not getting results. The easy thing to do would be to quit and try something else, but there really is nothing else. You have to continue to work hard. There are a lot of guys on this team who know how to win and win big, and they will do that again. It's just a matter of keeping your nose to the grindstone, coming to work tomorrow and having a great practice to get ready for the weekend."

- On the quick turnaround with the weekend series beginning Thursday:
"I don't think the turnaround matters, as long as these guys continue to work hard. Our guys need to be ready when the game comes back to them. Right now, they're kind of grasping at some things – we'll do one thing right and do two things incorrectly. It's just a matter of meshing, being consistent and doing the things correctly that you need to do to win baseball games."

UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Thu., March 29, when it opens a three-game Sun Belt Conference series with Appalachian State at 6:30 p.m. at Stanky Field.