CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS | CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — For the third time over the past five seasons, Louisiana punched its ticket to the Sun Belt Baseball Championship final, while Troy and Southern Miss will use a tournament rubber match on Sunday morning to determine who will face the Ragin’ Cajuns in Sunday afternoon’s championship game. 
 
Louisiana—versus Texas State—and Troy—versus Southern Miss—each earned victories to force if necessary games on Saturday, while the Trojans also staved off elimination in the day’s opening game against in-state rival South Alabama. 
 
No. 4-seeded Troy and No. 1-seeded Southern Miss will meet in the if necessary game of their semifinal at 9:00 a.m. CT at DABOS Park, with the victor taking on No. 7-seeded Louisiana in the championship game at 1:00 p.m. CT at DABOS Park. 

GAME 12 – No. 4 seed Troy def. No. 5 seed South Alabama, 11-10
Troy defeated in-state rival South Alabama, 11-10, in an elimination game at DABOS Park to claim the fourth and final semifinal spot and earn a rematch with Southern Miss at the Sun Belt Baseball Championship presented by Troy University. 
 
The Trojans scored three runs on four hits in the bottom of the second inning and added a fourth tally on a bases-loaded single to right by senior second baseman Sean Darnell in the bottom of the third to open up a 4-0 lead.
 
South Alabama and Troy traded runs in the fourth—each plating two runs on three hits and an error—before the Trojans tacked on a pair in the bottom of the fifth to run their advantage to 8-2. 
 
The Jaguars plated two in the top of the seventh but gave those back in the bottom of the eighth, where a two-run shot to left by junior designated hitter Jabe Boroff capped a three-run frame for the Trojans. 
 
After conceding a walk-off grand slam in a Friday night loss to Southern Miss, Troy again allowed the go-ahead run to reach the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. This time, senior left-hander Drew Nelson struck out South Alabama junior second baseman Brennon Wright to close out the Trojans elimination-game win. 
 
After recording the second out of the inning, six-straight Jaguars reached base to plate six ninth-inning runs, headlined by RBI doubles from senior first baseman Blake Guerin, junior shortstop Robert Miranda and junior outfielder Ethan Melton. 
 
Trojans starter junior left-hander Hayden Smith earned the win, conceding just five hits and two runs over 5.0 innings of work to improve to 4-0 on the season. 
 
GAME 13 – No. 7 seed Louisiana def. No. 6 seed Texas State, 12-6
Louisiana forced the if necessary game with a 12-6 win over Texas State at Riddle-Pace Field in the opening game of semifinal play at the Sun Belt Baseball Championship presented by Troy University. 
 
A two-out, two-run home run to left off the bat of junior first baseman Donovan LaSalle opened the scoring for the Ragin’ Cajuns in the top of the second. Texas State got one back in the bottom of the frame after back-to-back walks to open the inning and back-to-back fly outs advanced and scored the runner, 2-1. The Ragin’ Cajuns and Bobcats traded runs in the third—each scoring two to make it 4-3 in favor of Louisiana. A bases-loaded, two-RBI single through the right side of the infield from Bobcat freshman outfielder Jackson Cotton highlighted the scoring. 
 
Texas State senior outfielder Rashawn Galloway reached on a leadoff double and came around to score on a single to shallow center field by freshman catcher Clayton Namken in the bottom of the fourth to knot the game up at 4-4. 
 
After the Bobcats took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the seventh, Louisiana erupted for a six-run top of the eighth to run the score to 10-5. A two-RBI, bases-loaded single to left center from freshman catcher Colt Brown capped the big frame that proved to be the difference. 
 
LaSalle added a second big swing in the top of the ninth, sending one soaring over the wall in left to tack on a pair of Ragin’ Cajuns insurance runs. Namken responded with a solo shot to right for the Bobcats in the bottom half to produce the final 12-6 margin. 
 
Louisiana sophomore right-hander Parker Smith earned the win, conceding two runs on three hits over the final 5.0 innings to run his record to 3-3 on the year. 
 
GAME 14 – No. 4 seed Troy def. No. 1 seed Southern Miss, 9-6
Troy avenged its heartbreaking Friday night loss to Southern Miss with a 9-6 victory in Saturday’s DABOS Park nightcap to force the if necessary rubber match on Sunday morning at the Sun Belt Baseball Championship presented by Troy University.  
 
Back-to-back base-loaded singles from senior first baseman Blake Cavill and sophomore designated hitter Jimmy Janicki headlined a three-run top of the third that gave Troy an early lead it would never relinquish. 
 
With two-on and two-out in the bottom of the fourth, Southern Miss junior catcher Tucker Stockman delivered an RBI single to right center to trim the margin to 3-1. 

A 379-foot blast off the bat of redshirt senior third baseman Josh Pyne added to the Trojan advantage in the sixth, though the Golden Eagles got one back in the bottom half of the frame to make it 5-2. 
 
A two-out, bases-clearing triple down the right field line from senior shortstop Aaron Piasecki extended the Troy lead to 8-2 in the top of the seventh, before the Trojans tacked on a ninth run in the top of the eighth. 
 
After Troy retired the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth, five-straight Golden Eagles reached base—including a bases-clearing triple from senior outfielder Joey Urban and an RBI single through the right side of the infield from senior second baseman Kyle Morrison to trim the lead to 9-6. 
 
Trojans senior right-hander Tommy Egan used six pitches to strike out Southern Miss junior outfielder Davis Gillespie to close out the Troy win and earn his first save of the season. Troy starter senior left-hander Zach Crotchfelt picked up the win—moving to 5-2 on the year after striking out eight and conceding just one run on five hits over 5.0 innings of work.  
 
GAME 15 – No. 7 seed Louisiana def. No. 6 seed Texas State, 7-4
Behind three-RBI performances from junior first baseman Donovan LaSalle and senior second baseman Lee Amedee, Louisiana outpaced Texas State at Riddle-Pace Field for the second time on semifinal Saturday, 7-4, to punch its ticket to the finale of the Sun Belt Baseball Championship presented by Troy University. 
 
A two-RBI single to left center from LaSalle headlined a three-run top of the fourth for the Ragin’ Cajuns, before a solo shot to center from Texas State junior designated hitter Manny Salas in the bottom half trimmed the margin to 3-1. 

Small ball was en vogue in the sixth, with the teams trading a run on two hits apiece in the frame to run the score to 4-2. 
 
Amedee sent a two-out, 0-2 pitch over the Monster in right field to plate three runs that would prove to be the difference in the Louisiana win. Texas State clawed back a pair of its own on a two-run shot to left from redshirt junior second baseman Justin Vossos to produce the final 7-4 margin. 
 
Louisiana freshman right-hander Sawyer Pruitt earned the win to move to 7-4 on the season. He allowed two runs on five hits, while striking out eight over 6.0 innings pitched. Junior left-hander Ty Roman earned his first save of the year after pitching the final 2.0 innings. Roman struck out Texas State senior outfielder Rashawn Galloway in a nine-pitch at-bat in which he represented the potential game-tying run to slam the door in the Ragin’ Cajuns win. 

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Tuesday, May 19
Game 1 – No. 7 seed Louisiana def. No. 10 seed Marshall, 11-1 (7 Innings)
Game 2 – No. 9 seed Georgia State def. No. 8 seed Old Dominion, 17-1 (7 Innings)
 
Wednesday, May 20
Game 3 – No. 6 seed Texas State def. No. 3 seed App State, 6-5 
Game 4 – No. 7 seed Louisiana def. No. 2 seed Coastal Carolina, 12-11 
Game 5 – No. 1 seed Southern Miss def. No. 9 seed Georgia State, 7-6

Thursday, May 21
Game 6 – No. 4 seed Troy def. No. 5 seed South Alabama, 11-3
Game 7 – No. 2 seed Coastal Carolina def. No. 3 seed App State, 8-2 
Game 8 – No. 5 seed South Alabama def. No. 9 seed Georgia State, 7-4 
Game 9 – No. 6 seed Texas State def. No. 7 seed Louisiana, 4-3
 
Friday, May 22
Game 10 – No. 1 seed Southern Miss def. No. 4 seed Troy, 7-6
Game 11 – No. 7 seed Louisiana def. No. 2 seed Coastal Carolina, 5-4 

Saturday, May 23
Game 12 – No. 4 seed Troy def. No. 5 seed South Alabama, 11-10
Game 13 – No. 7 seed Louisiana def. No. 6 seed Texas State, 12-6 
Game 14 – No. 4 seed Troy def. No. 1 seed Southern Miss, 9-6
Game 15 – No. 7 seed Louisiana def. No. 6 seed Texas State, 7-4
 
Sunday, May 24
Game 16 – No. 4 seed Troy vs. No. 1 seed Southern Miss, 9:00 a.m. CT
Championship Game – No. 7 seed Louisiana vs. Winner of Game 16, 1:00 p.m. CT