No. 19 Coastal Carolina Blanks Little Rock, 4-0
CONWAY - Jason Bilous posted a career-high 11 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings to lead #19 Coastal Carolina to a 4-0 victory over Little Rock Friday afternoon at Springs Brooks Stadium.
Coastal (34-16, 19-6 Sun Belt) notches its fourth shutout of the season and came one step closer to clinching the top seed for the Sun Belt Championship (May 22-27). Little Rock, which entered the weekend as the Sun Belt West Division leader, falls to 26-21, 14-10.
Bilous walked the first batter of the game, but did not surrender a free pass the rest of the contest. He also allowed a leadoff single in the second -- one of the Trojans' two hits -- but also worked around that. Overall, he struck out at least one batter in each of his seven innings, including two in each 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 7th innings.
Matt Eardensohn worked the final two innings to record his fifth save and preserve the shutout. He struck out one with one walk.
Little Rock starter Chandler Fidel (6-4) was impressive as well but was saddled with the loss. He too struck out 11 over seven innings. He allowed six hits and three runs with one walk.
Cory Wood and Seth Lancaster opened the bottom of the first for the Chanticleers with back-to-back doubles to give the Chants a 1-0 lead. Lancaster stole third and scored on a wild pitch.
After that wild pitch, both pitchers took over, each striking out nine batters through the fifth inning.
However, Parker Chavers hit his sixth home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth to give the Chanticleers a 3-0 lead.
Coastal pushed its lead to 4-0 in the eighth. Zach Biermann was hit by a pitch and lifted for pinch runner Cameron Pearcey. Pearcey stole second and scored on an RBI triple by Kieton Rivers.
Coastal and Little Rock will play game two of the weekend series on Saturday with game time set for 2 pm. Prior to the game, CCU will honor its seven seniors.
Offensive Explosion Moves @RaginCajunsBSB Past Texas State In Series Opener
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Louisiana baseball team exploded for a season-best 16 hits on Friday night as the Ragin' Cajuns defeated Texas State 7-4 in the series opener at Bobcat Ballpark.
The victory moves the Cajuns (29-21, 15-10 SBC) back into a half game lead over Little Rock for first place in the Sun Belt Conference West Division.
Senior Colten Schmidt picked up the win to improve to 7-0 on the season tossing 6.1 innings with four runs (three earned) on eight hits. Schmidt struck out four and did not allow a free pass in the contest.
Senior Logan Stoelke was strong in relief notching his ninth save of the year posting 2.2 scoreless innings of relief to close out the game. Stoelke scattered two hits and three walks with three strikeouts in the outing.
Starter Nicholas Fraze took the loss for the Bobcats (23-25-1, 11-14 SBC) after surrendering five runs on 11 hits in 5.1 innings of work.
LEADING THE CAJUNS
Freshman Hayden Cantrelle tied a school record with five hits in the contest. Cantrelle drove in two runs and scored once, while junior Daniel Lahare extended his hit streak to 11 games going 3-for-5 at the plate with a triple and scored twice.
Kennon Fontenot, Zach LaFleur and Tyler Stover each had a pair of hits in the victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Louisiana got out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the third on an RBI groundout to shortstop by Gavin Bourgeois.
The Ragin' Cajuns tacked on three more runs in the fifth inning to extend their advantage to 4-0. Cantrelle brought home the first run of the inning on a single back up the middle. After Hunter Kasuls drove in a run on a ball hit to second base, Fontenot delivered a two-out RBI single to right field to give the Cajuns a four-run edge.
Texas State answered with a three-run inning in the bottom half of the fifth to cut the lead to 4-3. Derek Scheible homered to left field for the first Bobcats run of the inning. Texas State pulled within a run on a pair of two-out RBI singles by Dalton Shuffield and Jonathan Ortega.
Stover drove in a run for Louisiana in the top of the sixth on a double to right center to make the score 5-3.
The Bobcats pulled back within a run in the bottom of the seventh on an opposite-field solo home run to left center by Ryan Newman.
The Ragin' Cajuns got a pair of big insurance runs in the top of the eighth on RBI singles by Cantrelle and Fontenot to make the final 7-4.
UP NEXT
The Ragin' Cajuns will look to claim their sixth straight series tomorrow with a 4 p.m. contest against Texas State. Junior left-hander Hogan Harris will make the start for Louisiana, while the Bobcats will counter with junior right-hander Connor Reich. Fans can listen to the contest on News Talk 96.5-FM.
PANTHERS WIN 4-2 BEHIND GADDIS, GLASS
ATLANTA -- Hunter Gaddis earned his Sun Belt Conference-leading eighth victory and Ryan Glass homered for the second straight game to lead Georgia State to a 4-2 victory over Appalachian State Friday at the GSU Baseball Complex.
Fighting for a berth in the Sun Belt tournament, Georgia State improved to 24-25, 8-16 Sun Belt, while App State fell to 16-32, 7-18.
Gaddis, the sophomore right-hander, blanked the Mountaineers for seven innings before allowing two runs in the eighth. He pitched eight innings and allowed two runs on six hits with five strikeouts and no walks to improve to 8-3 on the season.
Gaddis' eight victories are the most for a Panther pitcher since Will Campbell tied the school record with nine in 2011.
Senior Jansen Acton pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his sixth save.
Glass, the Panthers' freshman designated hitter, belted a two-run homer in the seventh ininng to put Georgia State ahead 4-0. That is his sixth homer of the season, the most for a GSU freshman since Bradley Logan hit six in 2007. Glass also homered in Tuesday's win at Kennesaw State.
Georgia State jumped in front with two runs in the first inning. Kendall Ford led off the game with a single, followed by Justin Jones, who doubled to put runners at second and third. Then Nick Gatewood and Will Kilgore delivered back-to-back sacrifice flys to the Panthers up 2-0 against App State left-hander Colin Schmid (4-6).
But that was all the scoring in the game until Glass' homer in the seventh as both starters were impressive.
"Hunter Gaddis was absolutely the story of the game," head coach Greg Frady said. "When Hunter pitches like Hunter, we always have a chance to win. That was a tight game - thank goodness for Ryan Glass' home run. I'm proud of the team for continuing to fight. To win this first game in a very crucial Sun Belt series is great."
Game 2 of the series is Saturday at 2 p.m.
JAGS HOMER FOUR TIMES IN SERIES-OPENING WIN OVER UTA
MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team homered four times in a 16-2 series-opening win over UT Arlington Friday at Stanky Field.
Will Luft hit two home runs, and Wells Davis and Dylan Hardy added one home run apiece to lead the Jaguar attack. Right-hander Tyler Carr also turned in his ninth quality start of the season in the final regular-season start of his career at Stanky Field.
South Alabama (27-20, 15-9 SBC) will return to action Saturday when it faces UTA at 6:30 p.m. in game two of the three-game series at Stanky Field.
GAME FACTS
- Zac Cook led off the game for UTA with a single back up the middle, stole second and scored on an RBI single through the right side of the infield by RJ Williams for a 1-0 lead.
- South Alabama answered in the bottom of the second when Wells Davis hit the first pitch he saw from UTA right-hander Trae Patterson over the right-center field wall for a solo home run to lead off the inning.
- Williams led off the top of the third with a double down the left field line, and advanced to third with one out on a flyout to right field by Will Olson. Christian Hollie followed with an RBI single to center field to plate Williams for a 2-1 Maverick advantage.
- Travis Swaggerty led off the bottom of the third with a double to left field, and scored on a one-out RBI single back up the middle by Brendan Donovan to tie the game 2-2.
- Andrew Bates drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the fourth, and scored one batter later when Will Luft hit the first pitch he saw from Patterson over the left-center field wall for a 4-2 Jaguar lead.
- Paul Russo led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk, and later scored on a fielding error by Cook in center field following a single by Swaggerty that pushed the Jag lead to 5-2. Dylan Hardy followed with a two-out, two-run home run to left field to extend the Jag lead to 7-2.
- Perkins reached on a fielding error by UTA right-hander Dylan Schneider to lead off the bottom of the seventh, and advanced to second with no outs on a single to right field by Davis. Michael Sandle then reached on a throwing error by Schneider on a sacrifice bunt attempt to load the bases with no outs. Russo lined to first base for the first out of the inning before Andrew Bates delivered a two-run single to center field to extend the Jaguar lead to 9-2. Luft followed with a three-run home run to left field on a 2-1 pitch, his second of the game, for a 12-2 Jaguar advantage. Swaggerty drew a one-out walk before Hardy doubled to the left-center gap. Donovan followed with a two-run single to left field to extend the Jag lead to 14-2. Davis delivered a two-out RBI double off the left field wall later in the inning for a 15-2 lead.
- A two-out RBI single through the left side of the infield by Hardy scored Bates, who reached on a walk earlier in the inning, with the game's final run.
NOTES
- Swaggerty extended his on-base streak in Sun Belt Conference games to 23 games with a leadoff double to left field in the bottom of the third inning.
- Following an RBI single by Hollie in the top of the third, Carr retired the final 14 batters he faced in the game.
- Carr (8-2) allowed two runs on six hits with three strikeouts in seven innings pitched to earn the win.
- Right-hander Chase Lambert tossed two perfect innings and struck out one to help retire the final 20 batters of the game along with Carr.
- UTA right-hander Trae Patterson (3-3) allowed four runs on five hits with three strikeouts against five walks in five innings pitched in the loss.
- Luft went 2-for-5 with two home runs, five RBIs and two runs scored to lead the Jaguars at the plate. Davis finished 3-for-3 with a double, one home run, two RBIs and two runs scored, and Hardy added three hits, including a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Swaggerty finished with three hits, including a double, and three runs scored, and Dononvan added two hits, three RBIs and one run.
- Williams finished 2-for-4 with a double, one RBI and one run scored to lead the Mavericks offensively.
Tipton Sends A-State to Win with Extra-Inning Heroics
JONESBORO, Ark. (5/11/18) – Drew Tipton delivered a walk-off double in the bottom of the tenth inning as the Arkansas State baseball team took the first game of a three-game series against Georgia Southern with a 6-5 victory Friday night at Tomlinson Stadium.
Cullen Ray scored the winning run for the Red Wolves (18-27, 9-16 SBC) after he reached on a hit-by-pitch with one out in the 10th inning. Following a strikeout, Tipton stepped up to the plate and drove a 1-2 pitch into left field that was bobbled by Eagles’ outfielder Mason McWhorter, which allowed Ray to score by sliding in safely ahead of the throw to plate.
Arkansas State carried a 4-3 lead into the ninth inning, but the Eagles (25-23, 14-10) were able to score the tying and go-ahead runs thanks to a number of Red Wolves’ defensive miscues. Chandler Corley scored the tying run after coming into the game to pinch run for Matt Anderson who doubled into left-centerfield. Corley then advanced to third on a passed ball and later scored on a RBI groundout.
Mitchell Golden drove in the go-ahead run later in the inning after Jacob Swan reached on a single and advanced on a wild pitch to move into scoring position.
The Red Wolves answered in the bottom half of the inning, however, and tied the game on Casey Vaughan’s RBI single through the right side of the infield to score Jeremy Brown.
Vaughan finished the night 3-for-4 with four RBI, which included a RBI double in the fourth inning and a two-run single in the fifth.
Bradey Welsh started the game on the mound for A-State and turned in a quality start after scattering eight hits and three runs across 6.1 innings. Bo Ritter entered the game with one out in the seventh inning and was in line to get the save, until the Eagles rallied in the ninth. Coulton Lee entered the game in the 10th and after giving up a one out single, got a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat and setup up the heroics in the bottom half.
The series continues Saturday afternoon with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m. at Kell Field.
Top Three Lead Troy in Game One
MONROE, Louisiana – Matt Sanders, Drew Frederic and Joey Denison accounted for seven of Troy's 11 hits and scored every run in the Trojans' 8-1 victory over ULM in the Sun Belt series opener at Warhawk Field Friday night.
Troy (33-17, 15-10) scored three in the first, three in the seventh and two more in the ninth to secure the win over the sputtering Warhawks (22-26, 10-15).
Denison drove in three runs and scored two more in a 3-for-4 performance at the plate. Meanwhile, Sanders and Frederic scored three times each and finished with two hits apiece – Frederic also picked up an RBI.
However, the production didn't stop there – Brody Binder went 2-for-4 in the game, while Rigsby Mosley and Sadler Goodwin both drove in runs.
Starter Andrew Crane (5-4) took the mound with a lead in the first and made it stand with 6.1 innings of one-run, eight-strikeout work. Crane's lone run came on a third-inning solo shot from Chad Bell, who finished 2-for-4 for ULM.
Crane handed the ball and a bases-loaded, one-out jam to Jackson Cofer, who picked up a strikeout and groundout to end the threat. Cofer pitched the remainder of the game – 2.2 innings – and allowed just one baserunner with four strikeouts.
Troy's three-run, four-hit first came off Trey Jeans (3-5) who suffered the loss for the Warhawks. Jeans settled down after the rough start and pitched five innings with five hits allowed.
Quotable – Troy head coach Mark Smartt
"Andrew Crane and Jackson Cofer really battled tonight. Crane made quality pitches when he had to and Jackson was terrific; coming in with the bases loaded and finishing the game without allowing anything. Denison can hit, he's in the top five all-time for me. When there's a guy at second or third, there's nobody better than Joey Denison."
Noteworthy
• The nation's top run scorer helped his cause with three more runs scored tonight – Sanders has 71 this year. He's just five runs shy of breaking Troy's all-time single-season runs record.
• Senior Joey Denison continued his stellar season with three RBIs and three hits in the opener. It marked his 16th multi-RBI game this season as he now has 61 on the year.
• Drew Frederic swiped his Sun Belt-leading 25th base in 27 attempts this season – he entered the series ranked in the top 20 nationally. Troy remains one of two teams in the country with three players over the 20-steal mark.
On Deck
Troy will go for its first series win in Monroe since the 2013 season on the arm of freshman righty Levi Thomas (1-0, 1.23), making his first Saturday start of the season at 2 p.m.