CCU Bounces Back, Beats South Alabama; Game Time Sunday Moved to 11 am
CONWAY - Keaton Weisz hit his first career home run -- a grand slam in the fourth inning -- and Seth Lancaster hit his third home run in two games to lead 18th-ranked Coastal Carolina to a 14-7 win over South Alabama Saturday afternoon at Springs Brooks Stadium.
In order to accommodate South Alabama and the Sun Belt travel curfew, the Chanticleers (22-11 overall and 9-2 in the Sun Belt) and Jaguars (17-12, 7-3) have moved the rubber match of the series up 30 minutes Sunday with first pitch set for 11 am.
The CCU offense was led by Weisz (2-for-4 with four RBI), Cory Wood (2-for-4 with three RBI) and Kieton Rivers (2-for-6 with three RBI). Lancaster, who walked twice, had two RBI. Kyle Skeels (2-for-4) and Parker Chavers each scored three runs.
South Alabama got on the scoreboard first as it took advantage of a CCU error to take a 2-0 in the top of the second. Wells Davis hit a leadoff double and Hunter Stokes walked. An error on a Hunter Brittain ground ball allowed both Davis and Stokes to score.
Coastal answered in the bottom of the second, scoring three runs. Kyle Skeels hit a leadoff single while Chavers and Weisz walked to load the bases. Wood singled off the pitcher's foot to bring home Skeels and keep the bases loaded. On the next pitch, Rivers hit a two-run double to give CCU a 3-2 lead.
The Jaguars knotted the game, 3-3, in the top of the third. Dylan Hardy drew a leadoff walk and moved to third on a throwing error. After a two-out walk to Davis, Carter Perkins hit an RBI single through the left side of the infield.
Coastal once again answered in the home half and took a 5-3 lead. Skeels hit another leadoff single and, with two outs, Cameron Pearcey was hit by a pitch. Wood then found the hole on the left side of the infield to bring home Skeels. For the second time in as many innings, Rivers followed Wood's hit with a hit of his own to score Pearcey.
In the fourth, Coastal blew the game open by scoring seven runs to take a 12-3 lead. Kevin Woodall Jr., was hit by a pitch and Zach Biermann followed with a double. CCU loaded the bases when Skeels reached on a fielder's choice as the Jaguars tried to make a play at third base. Chavers plated Woodall with a single down the left field line. Weisz then cleared the bases with his grand slam to left center field. After Rivers reached on a fielder's choice, Lancaster left the confines of Springs Brooks Stadium with a two-run blast, his 10th home run of the season.
South Alabama cut its deficit to seven, 12-5, in the top of the sixth thanks to a two-run home run by Hardy. The Jags used the long ball again in the eighth, a pair of solo homers by Brittain and Travis Swaggerty, to make it a five-run game.
Coastal put two runs on the board in the bottom of the eighth to regain a seven-run advantage, 14-7. With bases loaded, Lee Sponseller singled to score pinch runner Turner Buis. Wood followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home Chavers to provide the final score.
Jay Causey (2-0) got the win in relief. He pitched 4.2 innings, struck out four and walked one. Zach Greene (1-2) suffered the loss as he allowed five hits and six run in 1.1 innings.
GEORGIA STATE BASEBALL EARNS 16-7 WIN OVER ARKANSAS STATE
ATLANTA-Behind five runs driven in from Luke Leonard, Georgia State cruised to a 16-7 win over Arkansas State on Saturday afternoon the GSU Baseball Complex, clinching the series.
Leonard went 2-for-2 with two runs scored, highlighted by a sixth-inning grand slam.
Starter Jake Rogers (4-3) pitched 5.2 innings for Georgia State (15-15, 4-6 Sun Belt), which will look to sweep Arkansas State (11-15, 3-8 Sun Belt) on Sunday. The junior right-hander allowed four earned runs on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
After Georgia State scored three in the bottom of the first, junior Nick Gatewood hit a bases loaded double in the bottom of the second, clearing the bases to give the Panthers an early 6-0 lead. That hit also extended Gatewood's hitting streak to 13 games.
Rogers retired the first seven batters of the game before allowing his first hit.
Arkansas State got on the board in the bottom of the third when Kyle MacDonald smashed a grand slam to cut the Panthers’ lead to 6-4.
Leonard capped a six-run fourth inning with his grand slam, his second homer of the season, to give the Panthers a 12-4 lead. Arkansas State starter Nate Alberius (4-2) was chased after just 3.0 innings while allowing six runs.
Arkansas State added two more in the top of the sixth, but would get no closer.
Ryan Glass and Kalen Puckett each singled in the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded, scoring two runs each time to put the Panthers ahead 16-6.
Brandon Bell, who hit for the cycle in Friday's win, added two more hits Saturday to extend his hitting streak to 13 games.
The Panthers have scored double-digit runs in three straight games.
Georgia State and Arkansas State will conclude the three-game series on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. from the GSU Baseball Complex.
Eagles Fly Past Little Rock, 3-2 in 10 Innings
LITTLE ROCK - Georgia Southern Baseball took a 3-2 win over Little Rock on Saturday afternoon to open an abbreviated two game set in The Natural State. Heavy rains on Friday and freezing rain on Saturday morning forced one game to be scratched, and Saturday's game to be played in arctic temperatures that struggled to get above 40. The Eagles and Trojans close out the set on Sunday at 11 a.m. (CT) / Noon (ET).
Brian Eichhorn delivered his seventh quality start of the year on Saturday, going seven innings and scattering seven hits and two runs with a season-high 11 strikeouts. Cole Whitney worked an open eighth inning with three strikeouts while Chase Cohen worked two innings to get his third win of the year. The junior closer fanned four including the final out.
SCORING INNINGS
Bottom 6th - Little Rock got a single and a double to start the sixth inning, plating a run off a sacrifice fly. A double down the left field line later in the inning allowed the second run of the inning to score and give the home side a 2-0 lead.
Top 8th - After Little Rock went to the bullpen to start the eighth, Matt Anderson dumped a leadoff single in to center. A dropped fly ball in left gave the Eagles an extra out and Jason Swan made the Trojans pay with a single to left. Mitchell Golden beat out a double play to put runners on the corners with two outs, and a wild pitch allowed Steven Curry to scamper home and tie the game at 2-2.
Top 10th - Matt Anderson got a leadoff walk in the 10th inning to put the go-ahead run on base. He moved up with one out with a Curry single to center. A four pitch walk to Jason Swan loaded the bases with Golden due up at the plate. The Eagle shortstop drove a fly ball to right that would have gotten out on a warmer day, but the ball was deep enough to score Anderson and give the Eagles a 3-2 lead.
NOTES
- Georgia Southern's pitching staff struck out a season-high 18 batters including 11 from Brian Eichhorn.
- Matt Anderson went 2-for-3, scoring the first run of the night for the Eagles.
- Jason Swan had a 1-for-2 day, driving in a run with his hit and adding three walks.
- Georgia Southern improves to 1-2 in extra innings this season, winning their first game in added frames since defeating Louisiana in the 2017 Sun Belt Tournament.
UP NEXT
The Eagles and Trojans will wrap the two-game series on Sunday at 11 a.m. (CT) / Noon (ET).
Trojans Even Series with Mountaineers
BOONE, N.C. – Troy recorded double-digit hits for the sixth time in the last seven games to down Appalachian State, 6-2, and even the Sun Belt Conference series Saturday afternoon at Smith Stadium.
Troy (21-10, 6-5) battled through a misty, cold afternoon on top of the mountain and out-hit the Mountaineers (8-20, 1-10), 10 to 4.
Matt Sanders, Brandon Lockridge and Rigsby Mosley recorded two hits apiece for the Trojans. Sanders scored twice, Lockridge drove in one and Mosley ripped two extra-base hits – a double and a triple.
Overall, it was a much more balanced game for the Troy lineup, as seven different Trojans recorded at least one hit – yesterday the first five batters had 11 of the 12 hits.
Stellar pitching performances from Daren Osby (5-0), Jackson Cofer and Levi Thomas stymied App's offensive attack. Osby remained undefeated on the season with six innings of four-hit, five strikeout work. Cofer and Thomas finished the game with three hitless, scoreless innings on the mound, while combining for five strikeouts.
Appalachian State tied the game at one in the bottom of the second, but was outscored 5-1 in the middle innings to drop its 10th game of the conference season. Despite fanning seven batters, starter Andrew Vaccacio (1-7) suffered the loss – allowing six runs on nine hits and four walks in 5.1 innings on the mound.
Quotable – Troy head coach Mark Smartt
"Daren (Osby) was great again, then he turned the ball over to Cofer and Thomas who picked up right where he left off. The weather conditions weren't great today but I'm proud of the way our team responded to come away with the win to even the series."
Sound "Smartt" with your Friends
Daren Osby is 5-0 to start the season, becoming the first Trojan to reach that threshold since Shane McCain started the 2013 campaign 7-0 – he finished the year 9-1.
Notable
• Matt Sanders scored two runs to take his season total to 45 – he entered the weekend ranked second nationally in the category.
• Junior Brandon Lockridge moved within one stolen base of team and conference-leader Drew Frederic with his 16th of the season. Lockridge was caught stealing for the first time in 2018 in Saturday's game.
• Team RBI-leader Joey Denison drove in a run on a single in the first inning to tie for the Sun Belt lead at 38.
On Deck
Troy and Appalachian State are set to play the rubber match at 12 p.m. (CT) Sunday. The Trojans will send Rush Hixon (1-1, 3.04) to the mound for the Championship Sunday start.
Louisiana Clinches UT Arlington Series With 4-2 Victory
LAFAYETTE, La. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team won its third straight contest on Saturday night defeating UT Arlington 4-2 to clinch the series at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.
Freshman Austin Perrin was stellar in relief notching his second victory of the year for the Cajuns (15-16, 5-6 SBC). Perrin tossed 3.2 scoreless innings with a career-high six strikeouts and limited the Mavericks (14-15, 6-5 SBC) to just one hit.
UTA reliever David Moffat took the loss giving up two runs on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 4.0 innings of work. Both teams had eight hits apiece in the contest.
LEADING THE CAJUNS
Junior Hunter Kasuls led the squad offensively going 2-for-4 with an RBI, while senior Kennon Fontenot extended his hit streak to 11 games going 1-for-2 with a walk and scored a run.
Starter Jack Burk limited the Mavs to two runs scattering seven hits with a career-best seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Ragin' Cajuns got out to an early 1-0 advantage as Kasuls brought home Hayden Cantrelle on a two-out single through the left side of the infield in the bottom of the first inning.
UT Arlington pulled even at 1-all in the top of the third on a leadoff solo home run to left field by David Renning.
Louisiana regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out RBI single to right centerfield by Tyler Stover to make the score 2-1.
The Mavericks tied the game for the second time on the night in the top of the sixth on an RBI single to centerfield by Christian Hollie. UT Arlington looked to take the lead later in the inning loading the bases with one out, but Perrin came in and struck out Noah Vaughan and then got Renning to ground out to third base to end the threat.
The Cajuns wasted no time answering as Gavin Bourgeois came home to score on a stolen base attempt by Kasuls in the bottom half of the sixth to go in front 3-2.
Kole McKinnon brought home the final run of the game in the bottom of the seventh scoring Zach LaFleur on a squeeze bunt to make the final 4-2.
UP NEXT
Louisiana goes for the sweep of the Mavericks tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Russo Park. Junior right-hander Nick Lee will take the bump for the Cajuns, while UT Arlington will counter with junior right-hander Ka'ikepono Anderson. Fans can listen to the game on KPEL 96.5-FM. Live stats and video are available on RaginCajuns.com.
Texas State opens weekend with 8-2 win over ULM
MONROE, La. – The Texas State baseball team opened its weekend Sun Belt Conference series with an 8-2 victory over ULM Saturday afternoon at Warhawk Field.
The Bobcats (17-12-1, 5-5 SBC) fell behind early but were able to pick up their second-straight league triumph. The Warhawks dropped to 15-15 overall on the year and 4-6 in Sun Belt action.
The home team initially plated two runs in the bottom of the first thanks to a two-out, two-RBI single from Brendan Jordan. ULM, however, would be held scoreless the rest of the way.
TXST initially began the comeback trail with solo runs in the fourth and fifth frames. The visitors took the lead with a four-spot in the seventh and were able to add a pair of insurance tallies in both the eighth and ninth innings to round out the scoring.
Seniors Dylan Paul, Luke Sherley and Jared Huber all joined junior Ryan Newman with two hits each. Newman recorded his third home run of the season to help him reach two RBIs and two runs scored. Paul drove in two runs and Huber scored twice. Junior Jonathan Ortega tallied one hit and finished the day with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Junior Connor Reich (4-2) earned the win on the mound after conceding two runs on seven hits across the first 5.1 innings. He struck out three and walked three. Fellow juniors Kyle Bradford and Braden Pearson held ULM off the board in the final 3.2 innings. They combined to allow five hits and no walks, while striking out three.
Jones went 2-for-3 for the Warhawks and drove in both runs. Johnny DeLaCruz finished 3-for-4, while Joey Jordan added a pair of hits of his own.
ULM starting pitcher Chase Beal registered a no-decision after conceding two runs on two hits in the opening 4.0 frames. He struck out six and walked five. Miles Dunn (3-1) suffered his first loss of the year after allowing four runs on three hits in just 1.0 inning of work. Derek Martin tossed the final 4.0 frames and gave up two runs on five hits.
The two sides are set to close out the series with a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. April 8.