Seth Lancaster Powers Coastal Carolina Past Appalachian State
BOONE, N.C. - Seth Lancaster tied a CCU record, hitting three home runs in a game, and established a career high with six RBI to lead #16 Coastal Carolina to a 10-1 victory over Appalachian State Saturday afternoon in game two of the weekend series at Smith Stadium.

Lancaster, now with 16 home runs this season, hit a three-run homer, a two-run shot and a mammoth solo shot. He is the fourth Chanticleer to hit three home runs in one game, joining Casey Schroeder (2015), David Sappelt (2010) and David Anderson (2008).

On the mound for the Chanticleers, Zach McCambley improved to 3-0. He gave up a run in the first and scattered seven hits over his five innings. He did not walk a batter tied a career high with six strikeouts.

The Mountaineers grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the first. Bailey Welch had a one-out single before it started to rain again. After a strikeout, Conner Leonard lined a two-out, RBI double off the left field fence.

Coast tied the game in the top of the second. Lee Sponseller drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a Parker Chavers sacrifice bunt. Keaton Weisz then lined an RBI single back up the middle to bring home Sponseller. After a two-out walk to Cory Wood, Lancaster smacked a three-run home run down the left-field line for his 14th round-tripper of the season.

The Chants pushed their lead to 6-4 in the top of the third. Zach Biermann walked to start the frame and moved to second on a Kieton Rivers sac bunt. Parker Chavers delivered a two-out, RBI double to right field. Chavers later advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on an infield RBI single by Keaton Weisz.

App State threatened in the bottom of the third, loading the bases with no outs on three straight singles. However, Zack McCambley induced a 1-2-3 double play and struck out the next batter to keep CCU up 6-1.

Lancaster struck again, and struck hard, in the top of the fourth. After Wood walked, Lancaster crushed a two-run home run over the right field fence. Two batters later, Biermann lined a solo home run to right-center field for his 11th blast of the season.

Lancaster tied the CCU record with his third home run of the game when he cranked a ball deep over the right-center field fence to establish a career high with six RBI in the game and to give CCU a 10-1 lead in the eighth.

In the bottom of the eighth, App State scored three to cut its deficit to six, 10-4. The Mountaineers loaded the bases with two singles and a walk. Alex Leshock scored when Riley Smith reached on an RBI fielder's choice. Joel McDaniel followed with an RBI single to plate Leonard. With two outs, Robert Langdon found the hole on the left side of the infield to score Smith.

The Mountaineers provided the 10-5 final when Bailey Welch hit a leadoff single and scored two batters later on an RBI ground out by Leonard.

Trojans Close Regular Season With 6-2 Victory
LITTLE ROCK - A pair of two-run home runs in the fifth inning sparked Little Rock to a 6-2 win over Arkansas State Saturday afternoon at Gary Hogan Field. The Trojans close out the 2018 regular season at 27-26 and 15-14 in Sun Belt Conference play, snapping a seven-game losing skid in the process.

With the regular season complete, Little Rock will be the number seven seed in the 2018 Sun Belt Conference tournament next week in Lafayette, Louisiana. The Trojans finished a half game back of Texas State (16-14) for the number six seed and will have to play its way out of the single-elimination round on Tuesday, May 22.

On a hot May afternoon at Gary Hogan Field, Little Rock's bats warmed up over the final four innings as the Trojans scored all six of their runs on nine hits after managing just one hit over the first four innings. Eight of the nine Little Rock starters registered a hit on the day, led by a 3-for-4 effort from Nick Perez with three RBI and a pair of runs scored.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth, the offensive surge began with Riley Pittman drawing a walk on a nine-pitch at-bat, which was followed two pitches later by Perez' two-run homer to left center, putting the Trojans on top 2-1. With one out, Marcus Ragan was hit by a pitch to put a runner on for Ryan Benavidez, who sent the third pitch he saw deep down the right field line, staying fair to put the Trojans up 4-1 after five.

After holding the Red Wolves scoreless in the sixth, James Gann led off the Trojans' half of the inning with a double down the left field line, then advanced to third on a Pittman ground out to second. Perez came up big once again, sending a shot back up the middle to bring Gann home and extend Little Rock's lead to 5-1.

A Christian Reyes single gave the Trojans two on with one out in the inning, setting the stage for an RBI single for Marcus Ragan, bringing Perez home and putting Little Rock in control at 6-1.

That lead was plenty for starter Aaron Funk who stymied the Arkansas State bats all day. Funk went seven innings, allowing just one run (unearned) on six hits with four strikeouts and throwing 102 pitches, earning his second win of the season.

With the five-run lead intact heading to the eighth, the Trojans turned the ball over to senior Justin Garcia for his final appearance at Gary Hogan Field. Garcia, who set the program record with his 34th appearance, held Arkansas State to just one run on two hits while striking out three over the final two innings, preserving the victory for Funk.

The Trojans close out the 2018 season with a 14-9 record at home, posting 27 wins for the first time since 2013 as the 15 conference victories is the third-most for Little Rock since the Trojans joined the league in 1992.

Little Rock now awaits an opponent, but know that it will begin its quest for a Sun Belt Conference tournament title at 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 22 at Russo Park in Lafayette, Louisiana. Follow @LittleRockBSB throughout the duration of the tournament to keep up to date on the Trojans' time in Louisiana.

Texas State Baseball sweeps UTA, clinches bye in SBC Championship
ARLINGTON, Texas – The Texas State baseball team completed a sweep of UTA with an 8-2 victory in the regular-season finale Saturday afternoon at Clay Gould Ballpark.

The Bobcats (28-26-1, 16-14 SBC) earned their fifth-consecutive win against Sun Belt Conference opposition and picked up their first series sweep over their rivals in Arlington since 2007. The Mavericks (21-33, 11-19 SBC) lost their 10th straight game and are now on their longest slide since 2011.

TXST ended the regular season second in the SBC West Division and will be the No. 6 seed in the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Championship. The postseason tournament will be held May 22-27 in Lafayette, La. The Bobcats earned a bye past the single-elimination, opening-round portion of the tournament that will be contested between seeds 7-10. Texas State will open play against No. 3 seed Troy at 4 p.m. May 23. Despite the loss, UTA locked up the No. 8 seed and will play No. 9 Arkansas State May 22.

In Saturday's victory, the maroon and gold jumped on top early and never looked back. The visitors plated two runs in both the first and second innings to secure an early 4-0 advantage. They then added a three-spot in the seventh and one more in the ninth. UTA answered with single tallies in both the sixth and ninth stanzas.

Seniors Derek Scheible and Mickey Scott, junior Jonathan Ortega and true freshman Dalton Shuffield all finished with two hits for the Bobcats. Senior Luke Sherley and junior Jaylen Hubbard both added two-RBI triples, and Sherley scored twice. Scott and fellow senior Dylan Paul also scored two runs each.

Sophomore Zachary Leigh (3-3) earned his second-straight win on the mound after conceding just one run on six hits across 5.2 innings. Junior Brayden Theriot sat down all four batters he faced, and redshirt freshman Alex Klitsas gave up one run on three hits in the final 2.0 frames.

RJ Williams led all batters with three hits on the day, while Josh Minjarez added two more in the losing effort. Reid Petty (1-4) suffered the loss on the mound after conceding four runs on five hits in the first 1.2 innings. He struck out three and walked one. Jordon West allowed three runs on four hits in 5.1 frames of relief duty. He struck out six and did not issue a walk. The Mavericks utilized four more arms out of the bullpen.

The sweep for the Bobcats was their fourth overall and third against league opposition this season. They are also now guaranteed no worse than a .500 record.

TXST outhit UTA 11-9, and the Mavericks led in errors, 3-0. The Bobcats did not commit an error in the field all series. The last such occurrence came against Appalachian State March 16-18.

JAGS DEFEAT TROY IN EXTRA INNINGS IN REGULAR-SEASON FINALE
TROY, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team scored three runs in the top of the 10th inning to defeat Troy 8-5 Saturday at Riddle-Pace Field.

USA used a bases-loaded walk from Brendan Donovan and a two-out, two-run single by Wells Davis in the top of the 10th to secure the win and avoid a three-game series sweep to Troy.

South Alabama will return to action when it opens play at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Lafayette, La., on Wed., May 23.

GAME FACTS
- Brandon Lockridge led off the bottom of the second inning with a triple to left-center field, and scored the game's first run one batter later on an RBI single up the middle by Rigsby Mosley. Brody Binder and Chase Smartt reached on consecutive one-out singles to load the bases for Manning Early, who delivered an RBI groundout to first that scored Mosley to double the Troy lead at 2-0.
- Travis Swaggerty singled through the left side of the infield with one out in the top of the fifth inning, and moved to second on a balk by Troy right-hander Daren Osby. Donovan followed with a walk before Davis delivered a two-out RBI single through the right side of the infield later in the inning to score Swaggerty and cut the Troy lead in half at 2-1.
- Early led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo home run to right field for a 3-1 Trojan lead.
- Perkins led off the top of the eighth inning with a solo home run to left field on the first pitch he saw from Troy right-hander CJ Carter to cut the Trojan lead to 3-2. Davis then reached on a hit by pitch before Paul Russo singled to right field. Andrew Bates then reached on a fielding error by Early on a sacrifice bunt to load the bases with no outs. Carter struck out Hunter Stokes for the first out of the inning before Will Luft delivered a two-run single with one out to plate Davis and Russo for a 4-3 Jaguar lead. Swaggerty drew a two-out walk to load the bases for Donovan, who reached on a hit by pitch to score Bates for a 5-3 USA advantage.
- Frederic doubled off the right field wall with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, and scored on a two-run home run to left field by Joey Denison to tie the game at 5-5.
- Sanders drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the ninth inning then stole second before Frederic reached on a walk. Denison reached on a hit by pitch to load the bases for Lockridge, but Jaguar right-hander Chase Lambert induced an inning-ending flyout to center field to force extra innings.
- Stokes drew a leadoff walk in the top of the 10th inning, and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt to first by Luft. Hardy then reached on a two-base throwing error by Frederic on a grounder to third that also allowed Stokes to move to third with one out. Troy intentionally walked Swaggerty to load the bases for Donovan with one out, who drew a walk to plate Stokes for a 6-5 Jaguar lead. Davis followed with a two-run single to center field to score Swaggerty and Hardy with the game's final runs.

NOTES
- Perkins extended his on-base streak to 11 games, and his on-base streak in Sun Belt games to 10 with a two-out single to center field in the top of the first inning.
- Jag right-hander Patrick McBride struck out a career-high five batters against one walk in 4 1/3 innings pitched, and allowed three runs on seven hits without factoring in the decision.
- Davis extended his hit streak to 10 games, and his one-base streak to 15 games with a two-out RBI single in the top of the fifth inning. It also extended his on-base streak in SBC games to 12.
- Davis went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and one run scored to lead the Jags at the plate. Perkins added two hits, including a home run, one RBI and one run scored, and Donovan added one hit and two RBIs.
- Lambert (1-0) tossed two scoreless relief innings, and struck out two to record his first career win at USA.
- Troy right-hander Lance Johnson (2-1) allowed three runs without allowing a hit, and struck out two against three walks in the loss.
- The game marked South Alabama's second extra-inning game this season.

PANTHERS EARN TOURNEY BERTH WITH 5-4 WIN AT GEORGIA SOUTHERN
STATESBORO - With Georgia State needing a victory to earn a spot in the Sun Belt Conference Championships, Kendall Ford scored the winning run on an error in the top of the ninth inning and Hunter Gaddis struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth as the Panthers rallied for a 5-4 victory over Georgia Southern in Saturday's regular-season finale at J.I. Clements Stadium.

With the win, coupled with ULM's loss at Louisiana, Georgia State earned the 10th and final spot in the Sun Belt Championships, which begin Tuesday in Lafayette, La. The complete bracket will be announced later tonight.

Georgia State (26-28, 10-19) trailed 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Georgia Southern threatened to blow the game open, loading the bases with no outs. Senior Jansen Acton came on from the bullpen and struck out two in a row and then induced a fly ball to end the inning and keep the Panthers' deficit at one.

In the top of the eighth, senior Jack Thompson drew a one-out walk and Luke Leonard singled to put runners at first and second. Freshman Kalen Puckett followed with a single to right field, but Thompson was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second.

Then senior Romero Greer delivered a two-out single through the left side to plate Leonard with the tying run.

When the Eagles again loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth, the Panthers turned to Gaddis, their Friday starter who pitched just four innings in Thursday's loss. The sophomore right-hander needed just three pitches to strike out designated hitter Tyler Martin.

Ford, another senior, reached base on an error to open the ninth inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Justin Jones. Georgia Southern intentionally walked Nick Gatewood, the Panthers' top hitter who homered earlier in the game, to put runners at first and second.

The runners moved up on a wild pitch, and With two outs, Jack Thompson's ground ball was bobbled by the third baseman, allowing Ford to race home with the go-ahead run.

Then Gaddis (9-4) struck out the Eagles in the ninth to preserve the win and pick up his ninth victory of the season, tying the Georgia State single-season record.

Jones, the senior shortstop, had two hits in the game to raise his career total to 234 and pass Josh Vandiver for sixth place in Georgia State history. His second hit was an RBI-single in the third inning that drove in Mike Huggins with the game's first run. Huggins also had two hits on the day.

After the Panthers added a run on an error in the fourth inning, Gatewood belted his team-leading 13th homer in the fifth with a solo blast to center that put Georgia State ahead 3-0.

Georgia Southern (29-24, 18-11) scored two runs in the fifth and then took a 4-3 lead with a pair of unearned runs in the sixth.

Georgia State starter Jordan Lee blanked the Eagles for four innings before allowing four runs but only two earned in five innings.