BRACKET | CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — App State and Louisiana advanced to semifinal Saturday at the 2023 Guardian Credit Union Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship presented by Troy University in Montgomery, Ala., via elimination game victories in Day Four play.
No. 6-seeded App State will need to defeat No. 2-seeded Southern Miss twice on Saturday to advance to the championship game—the same is true for No. 4-seeded Louisiana against No. 1-seeded Coastal Carolina.
The Mountaineers and Golden Eagles will meet first at 9:00 a.m. CT, followed by the Ragin’ Cajuns and Chanticleers at 12:30 p.m. CT. If necessary games would follow on Saturday evening.
GAME 11 – No. 6 seed App State def. No. 3 seed Troy, 14-10
App State, which won its first-ever Sun Belt baseball tournament game two years ago, reached new heights as a program by advancing to semifinal Saturday at the Sun Belt Baseball Championship via a 14-10 win over Troy in the fifth meeting of the two programs over the past nine days.
Junior outfielders Kole Myers and Ethan Kavanagh delivered back-to-back singles to open the game—and used a wild pitch, a groundout and a passed ball to come around to score, giving the Trojans an early 2-0 edge.
A two-out Trojan rally in the second plated three more to make it 5-0 in favor of Troy. Junior shortstop Tremayne Cobb Jr.’s single to right brought home Kavanagh—who had reached on a walk—and a bases loaded single to center by senior second baseman Donovan Whibbs allowed junior first baseman William Sullivan–who had also reached on a walk—and Cobb Jr. to score.
App State called upon redshirt senior left-handed pitcher Eli Ellington out of the bullpen with the bases loaded for Sullivan in the top of the fourth. The junior drew a five-pitch walk to extend the Troy advantage to 6-0 and bring up Trojan tournament hero Cobb Jr., whose sacrifice fly scored Kavanagh for the third time on the day to make it 7-0.
The Mountaineers had a one-out, bases-loaded opportunity of their own in the bottom half of the fourth, with senior catcher Hayden Cross, redshirt sophomore shortstop Austin St. Laurent and senior designated hitter Alex Reed all reaching on singles. Troy grad student right-handed pitcher Zach Fruit struck out junior outfielder Hunter Wilder, but issued a two-out walk to senior third baseman Andrew Terrell to plate the first App State run, 7-1. A single roped into center by sophomore outfielder CJ Boyd scored two more to make it 7-3 and chase Fruit.
With two-on and two-out in the bottom of the fifth, Trojan junior right-handed reliever Kristian Asbury blew a 3-2 fastball by Reed to erase the Mountaineer scoring threat.
A two-out rally by App State plated 10 runs in the bottom of the sixth—with a two-RBI single to left field by St. Laurent, a two-RBI triple off the left field wall by Reed and a two-run bomb by Boyd that left the confines of Riverwalk Stadium doing the majority of the damage. The Mountaineers scored all 10 runs with two outs to turn a 7-3 deficit into a 13-7 lead.
Troy got one back in the top half of the eighth. Senior catcher Clay Stearns reached on a leadoff double to right field, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a Myers sacrifice fly. Boyd stroked another home run over the left field wall in the bottom of the eighth to make it 14-8 Mountaineers.
A two-out, ninth-inning surge plated two more for the Trojans, but the comeback bid fell short at 14-10 when Kavanagh lined out to center on a well-struck ball with two runners in scoring position.
GAME 12 – No. 4 seed Louisiana def. No. 5 seed Texas State, 12-6
For this second time in the Sun Belt Baseball Championship—and the fifth time this season—Louisiana outlasted Texas State. The reigning Sun Belt tournament champion Ragin’ Cajuns scored early and often in a 12-6 victory over the Bobcats to stave off elimination.
Louisiana wasted no time getting on the board. Following a leadoff double by senior third baseman Max Marusak in the first inning, the Ragin’ Cajuns used a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly to bring him home.
Freshman second baseman Chase Mora brought home the equalizer for Texas State in the bottom half of the frame, doubling down the left field line with men on the corners.
Sophomore shortstop Kyle DeBarge sparked a two-out rally for the Ragin’ Cajuns in the third. Junior outfielder Carson Roccaforte followed with a single to right field, with DeBarge scoring on a fielding error. Sophomore outfielder Conor Higgs then reached—and Roccaforte scored—on a ball that got past the first baseman for a second-consecutive Bobcat error.
The fourth proved fruitful for both teams, with Louisiana tacking on three runs in the top half and Texas State responding with a run of its own in the bottom of the frame. Higgs did most of the damage for the Ragin’ Cajuns, driving in two with a double to right center. A single through the right side by senior outfielder Jose Gonzalez with two men on produced the tally for the Bobcats.
A leadoff single by senior outfielder Heath Hood and a two-out double to left center by senior first baseman CJ Willis made it 7-2 for the Ragin’ Cajuns in the top of the fifth. Back-to-back doubles by Mora and redshirt junior August Ramirez to open the bottom half led to a two-run frame for the Bobcats to narrow the gap to 7-4.
The teams traded runs in the sixth and seventh—with Higgs driving in his third for the Ragin’ Cajuns and Mora plating his second for the Bobcats—to make it 9-6 heading to the final frame.
Roccaforte stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth and delivered a bases-clearing double into the left center gap to give the Ragin’ Cajuns ample breathing room, 12-6.
It was a game of firsts for Louisiana on the hill—with Centreville, Ala., native freshman left-hander Steven Cash earning his first collegiate win and Sweet Water, Ala., product junior right-hander JT Etheridge picking up his first save of the season.
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Saturday, May 27
Game 13 – No. 2 Seed Southern Miss vs. No. 6 Seed App State, 9:00 a.m. CT
Game 14 – No. 4 Seed Louisiana vs. No. 1 Seed Coastal Carolina, 12:30 p.m. CT
If Necessary – 4:00 p.m. CT
If Necessary – 7:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, May 28
Championship Game – 1:00 p.m. CT