Sun Belt Victory Puts Appalachian State's Smith At 500 Wins
BOONE, N.C. — A day of firsts contributed to a milestone accomplishment.
Kermit Smith picked up his 500th victory as a college head coach as Appalachian State's baseball team won 5-2 against Troy at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium on Friday. He received a game ball from assistant coach Britt Johnson, who drew cheers from App State's players by surprising Smith with the news at the end of the team's postgame huddle.
Playing its first Sun Belt Conference home game of 2018, the Mountaineers recorded their first league win of the season. Freshman designated hitter Jason Avers' first career home run gave App State the lead for good in the second inning, and starting pitcher Colin Schmid (2-3) turned a 3-2 lead over to the bullpen after working six high-pressure innings.
Kaleb Bowman threw two scoreless innings, and two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth preceded a three-out save for senior Luke Watts.
"It never gets old watching Colin make big pitches over and over again," said Smith, who became a college head coach at Belmont Abbey in 2001 and made a combined three Division II World Series appearances before leaving Lander for App State in 2016. "Any time you can win a game on Friday night in this league, it's a good night.
"When you break down the game, you can really point to Conner's pick with men on second and third in the fifth inning, Kendall's two-out RBI, Riley's two-out RBI and Jason's home run as the big plays of the day. I'm very proud of our guys tonight, and it's very important that we carry this momentum into the rest of the weekend."
App State (8-19, 1-9) and Troy (20-10, 5-5) are scheduled to resume their series Saturday at 3 p.m., weather permitting. The finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
The Mountaineers took the series opener thanks to their strong pitching and timely offense against Troy starter Andrew Crane, the Sun Belt's preseason pitcher of the year. Conner Leonard went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, including a run-scoring single that followed a two-out RBI double from Riley Smith in the eighth inning. Smith was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored, and Alex Leshock also scored twice.
A leadoff double and RBI fielder's choice in the top of the second inning briefly gave Troy the lead, but Smith's leadoff double in the bottom of the second set up an RBI single to center from Leonard.
Avers opened the third inning with a leadoff homer to left-center off Crane, and Leshock was hit by a pitch with one out. A failed pickoff attempt with two away pushed him all the way to third base, and he scored on a single to center field from Kendall McGowan.
Troy responded with one run in the top of the fourth, and the score remained 3-2 thanks to a fifth-inning defensive gem from Leonard. He stretched and snagged a short-hopped throw toward first after Troy's Brandon Lockridge hit a two-out grounder with runners on second and third.
Crane took the mound in the eighth inning with a low pitch count, and Leshock led off the frame with a hard-hit single to center. He was on second when Smith drilled a first-pitch double to left, and Leonard's RBI single ended Crane's outing,
Watts needed only nine pitches to retire three batters in the ninth and post his third save. He relieved Bowman, who gave up consecutive one-out singles with a one-run lead in the top of the eighth before inducing a foul-out to third baseman Drew Beck and a flyout to Leshock in center. Bowman has now given up no runs, allowed nine hits and struck out 16 batters in his last 14 innings.
Schmid scattered 10 hits (nine singles), struck out four batters and issued no walks over six innings. Double-play groundouts involving shortstop Joel McDaniel and second baseman Bailey Welch ended Troy threats in two of the first three innings, and the Trojans managed only one fourth-inning run despite putting up three hits and benefiting from a two-base error.
Schmid ended that frame on a swinging strikeout with runners on second and third, and a three-hit fifth inning didn't produce any runs for Troy. A one-out single was erased by Schmid's successful pickoff attempt, and he induced a groundout to third with two runners in scoring position.
CARR PITCHES JAGS TO SERIES-OPENING WIN AT NO. 18 CCU
CONWAY, S.C. – University of South Alabama baseball right-hander Tyler Carr tossed a career-high eight innings pitched and recorded a season high in strikeouts to lead the Jaguars to an 11-6 series-opening win over No. 18 Coastal Carolina Friday at Springs Brooks Stadium.
Carr (5-2) struck out a season-high seven batters against two walks, and allowed three runs while scattering seven hits in eight innings pitched to earn the win. The Jaguars scored 10 runs in the game, aided by 15 walks issued by CCU (21-11, 8-2 SBC) pitchers.
South Alabama (17-11, 7-2 SBC) will return to action Saturday at 9 a.m. (CT) when it faces CCU in game two of the series at Springs Brooks Stadium.
GAME FACTS
- South Alabama jumped out to a three-run lead in the top of the first inning. Travis Swaggerty led off the game with a solo home run to left field on a 3-2 pitch from Coastal Carolina right-hander Jason Bilous for a 1-0 advantage. Brendan Donovan and Hunter Stokes reached on consecutive one-out walks before Carter Perkins delivered a two-out RBI single to left field to score Donovan. Stokes scored from first on the play when CCU left fielder Truner Buis mishandled the ball to extend the Jaguar lead to 3-0.
- Wells Davis extended the USA lead to 4-0 in the top of the third on a one-out solo home run to left field on a 2-1 pitch from Bilous.
- Swaggerty led off the top of the fourth with a walk, then stole second with one out before Donovan and Stokes drew consecutive walks to load the bases with one out. Davis followed with a walk to plate Swaggerty and push the USA lead to 5-0. A wild pitch by CCU right-hander Patrick Orlando allowed Donovan to score for a 6-0 advantage. Perkins reached on a walk to load the bases with one out, before Andrew Bates delivered a two-out, two-run single through the right side of the infield later in the inning to score Stokes and Davis for an 8-0 South Alabama lead. Michael Sandle followed with a two-out walk to load the bases for Swaggerty, but Orlando induced a popup to first off the bat of Swaggerty to end the inning.
- Dylan Hardy led off the top of the fifth, and scored one batter later on an RBI double to the right-center field gap by Donovan to extend the Jaguar lead to 9-0. Stokes followed with an RBI single to right-center field to plate Donovan for a 10-0 lead.
- CCU cut the Jaguar lead to 10-2 in the bottom of the fifth on a one-out, two-run home run to right-center field by Seth Lancaster. Zach Biermann followed with a solo home run to left field to cut the CCU deficit to seven runs.
- Swaggerty led off the top of the ninth with a walk, advanced to second on a one-out walk by Donovan and scored the final Jaguar run on a one-out pinch-hit single back up the middle by Deyvid Silva.
- The Chanticleers scored the game's final runs in the bottom of the ninth on a three-run home run to left field by Lancaster.
NOTES
- Bilous issued a CCU single-game record 10 walks, breaking the previous program high of eight which was held by Rett Johnson who walked eight batters on March 4, 1999, against North Carolina.
- Jaguar right-hander Tyler Carr (5-2) struck out a season-high seven batters against two walks, and allowed three runs on seven hits in a career-high eight innings pitched to earn his fifth win of the season.
- Bilous (4-1) allowed eight runs on three hits with six strikeouts against 10 walks in 3 1/3 innings to earn his first loss of the year.
- Seven Jaguar starters hit safely in the game, led by Perkins who went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two walks. Swaggerty finished 1-for-3 with a home run, one RBI, three walks and three runs scored, and Davis hit a home run, drove in two runs and scored twice. Bates finished with one hit and two RBIs.
- Lancaster went 3-for-5 with two home runs, five RBIs and two runs scored to lead the Chanticleers offensively.
- Friday's announced attendance of 2,311 set a CCU record for attendance in Sun Belt Conference games.
QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Calvi
- On Tyler Carr:
"Tyler was really good tonight. The wind was blowing out for both pitchers, but he really competed and made his pitches. He didn't throw his slider very much tonight, but he was 89 to 92 tonight. I was proud of his effort tonight; he was really good."
On the season to this point:
"I'm super proud of our team. We have lost some guys for the season and when you looked at our schedule before the season started, it was tough with everybody you thought was going to be on the roster. And it got even tougher when some guys went down, but it is what it is. We just had to establish what normal was without some of those (injured) guys. Our guys have kept playing hard, practicing hard and have kept at it. I'm proud of their effort."
Right-hander Tyler Carr
On his effort:
"Our approach was to get ahead early, pitch them in and throw the offspeed for strikes. My changeup was working. We didn't throw the slider much; it wasn't that effective. I knew they (CCU) had good offensive numbers coming into the weekend, and I knew their guy (Bilous) was guy; I wanted to beat him real bad and we needed a win."
On having a three-run lead before taking the mound:
"It definitely takes away the nerves, and allows you to pitch with confidence when you have a lead."
Carter Perkins
On his day at the plate:
"I thought we executed the game plan really well. We drew 10 walks from their starter; we laid off the balls and put good swings on the ones over the plate. I mainly just tried to see the pitch as long as possible before I committed to it."
On the offense:
"I think if we just keep executing our game plan each game then we will be okay. We need to just keep doing that and producing and being selective at the plate. But I know they (CCU) are going to come out swinging it tomorrow, so we need another good start and need to jump on them early again."
UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Saturday at 9 a.m. (CT) when it faces CCU in game two of the series at Springs Brooks Stadium.
BELL HITS FOR CYCLE, GATEWOOD HOMERS TWICE IN 12-3 WIN
ATLANTA -- Brandon Bell hit for the cycle, Nick Gatewood had his second straight two-homer game and Hunter Gaddis earned his sixth victory as Georgia State defeated Arkansas State 12-3 in their Sun Belt Conference series opener Friday at the GSU Baseball Complex.
Bell, the junior right fielder, was 5-for-5 with two singles, a double, a triple and a three-run homer. He is just the second GSU player to hit for the cycle, and the first since Mark Micowski vs. North Carolina Central in 2010. Bell completed the cyle with the triple to the gap in right center in the eighth inning.
Gatewood hit a solo homer and a two-run shot after smacking two solo homers Wednesday at Furman, giving the junior catcher 11 on the season.
Gaddis, the sophomore right-hander, pitched seven innings and allowed two runs but only one earned on seven hits with two walks and six strikeouts to improve to 6-1 on the season.
Georgia State (14-15, 3-6 Sun Belt) jumped in front quickly with two runs in the second on an RBI-double by Romero Greer and a run-scoring single by freshman Kalen Puckett.
Then Justin Jones led off the third inning with a home run, his third, down the left field line. Gatewood followed with his solo homer to right center for the Panthers' first back-to-back homers of the season.
GSU put up four more in the fourth, all with two outs. Jones singled in Ryan Glass, who led off the inning with a double, and then Gatewood hit his second homer, a line drive that he ripped down the right field line. Bell singled and came home on Jack Thompson's double to put GSU up 8-1.
After Jones walked and Gatewood was hit to lead off the sixth inning, Bell crushed a three-run homer to straightaway center, his fifth of the season and his second straight game with a long ball after hitting a grand slam Wednesday at Furman.
Jones, Gatewood and Bell, the top three hitters in the GSU order, combined to go 9-for-13 with four homers, eight RBI and nine runs scored.
With the Panthers leading 11-2, Gaddis started the eighth inning but surrendered a single and a double to put runners at second and third. Brandon Baker came on and walked the first batter to load the bases, but then he got a strike out and a double play. That was GSU's second twin-killing of the night and 35th of the season as the Panthers rank in the top five nationally.
"Tonight's win was the recipe for how we do it," head coach Greg Frady said. "Hunter Gaddis on the mound, us turning double plays, our offense cranked up and scoring some runs. It was what we needed, no doubt."
The series continues Saturday with a game scheduled for 2 p.m.
Schmidt Leads Cajuns In Shutout Of UT Arlington
LAFAYETTE, La. – Senior left-hander Colten Schmidt guided the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team to a 2-0 shutout of UT Arlington on Friday night to open the series at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.
Schmidt tossed 8.0 scoreless innings with a career-best 10 strikeouts to claim his third victory of the year for the Cajuns (14-16, 4-6 SBC). The reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week, Schmidt limited the Mavericks (14-14, 6-4 SBC) to just three hits and one walk in the outing retiring 18 of the last 20 batters he faced.
Senior Logan Stoelke completed the shutout throwing a scoreless ninth inning to record his eighth save of the season. The shutout is the second of the year for Louisiana.
UTA starter Brad Vassar was handed the loss despite limiting the Ragin' Cajuns to one run on three hits in 6.1 innings with two walks and four strikeouts.
Freshman Hayden Cantrelle had his team-best 13-game hit streak snapped in the contest as Louisiana was outhit 5-4.
LEADING THE CAJUNS
Senior Kennon Fontenot extended his hit streak to 10 games going 1-for-3 with a walk, while junior Daniel Lahare improved his hit streak to nine games and his on base streak to 13 games with a bunt single in the eighth inning.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Louisiana broke into the scoring column in the bottom of the fifth when Zach LaFleur came home to score on a two-out single to shortstop by freshman Jonathan Windham.
The Ragin' Cajuns picked up the only other run of the game in the bottom of the eight as Lahare scored on an error by UT Arlington shortstop Josh Minjarez with the bases loaded and two outs.
The Mavericks had their best threat of the game in the top of the ninth putting runners on the corners with two outs, but Stoelke got David Renning to ground out to shortstop to end the contest.
UP NEXT
Louisiana looks to clinch its first series of the year tomorrow with a 6 p.m. first pitch against UTA at Russo Park. Sophomore right-hander Jack Burk will make the start for the Cajuns, while senior right-hander Trae Patterson will take the mound for the Mavericks.
The game is the annual Military/ First Responder Appreciation Game as all military veterans and first responders will receive a half-price ticket to the game with proper identification and will be invited to join the team on the field for the national anthem.
Georgia Southern at Little Rock
Postponed
Texas State at ULM
Postponed