SUN BELT NO. 3 LA.-LAFAYETTE 6, ARKANSAS STATE 5
Arkansas State kept chipping back at the Sun Belt leader on Friday night, but never could force a tie or take the lead in a 6-5 loss at Tomlinson Stadium in Jonesboro.
ASU scored two runs in the fourth to get within 3-2 and scored three more in the seventh to get within 6-5. The Red Wolves (26-20, 14-8) stranded the potential tying run in both the eighth and ninth innings to fall five games behind the Ragin’ Cajuns (42-6, 19-3) in the league standings.
After falling behind 3-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth to the Ragin’ Cajuns, ranked third by Baseball America, Austin Baker doubled before Matt Burgess hit his fourth home run of the season to right-center field to make it 3-2.
In the seventh, Ty Michelotti drove in Burgess with a double to right-center field and Joe Schrimpf scored him with a single to make it 6-4. Schrimpf moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Dustin Jones’ double to right field to make it 6-5. Jones was stranded there when Eric Wilcoxson struck out to end the inning.
In the eighth, Zach Maggio walked, but Baker lined into a double play. Burgess followed with a two-out single, but was thrown out to end the inning trying to stretch it into a double.
Burgess went 2 for 3 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored for the Red Wolves.
Starter David Owen (5-4) took the loss after giving up 6 runs on 8 hits and striking out 5 in 6 innings.
UT-ARLINGTON 6, UALR 5 (10)
UALR stormed back with a five-run sixth inning, but couldn’t take the lead in losing the series opener at Gary Hogan Field in Little Rock.
Trailing 5-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh, Sam Vogel scored on an error, Austin Pfeiffer and Tanner Rockwell hit RBI singles and Justin Steelmon capped the inning with a two-run home run that tied the game at 5-5.
The Trojans (20-25, 6-16 Sun Belt), were retired in order in the eighth, stranded two runners on in the ninth and were retired in order in the 10th.
The Mavericks (23-24, 12-10) took the lead in the 10th when Eric Tate doubled off Rockwell, advanced to third on a balk and scored on Ryan Bottger’s groundout.
Pfeiffer went 2 for 5 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored for UALR, while Steelmon went 2 for 5.
SOUTHLAND CENTRAL ARKANSAS 2, ORAL ROBERTS 1 (10)
Central Arkansas starter Bryce Biggerstaff held Oral Roberts in check long enough for his team’s bats to eventually come around Friday night in Conway.
Scott Zimmerle’s ninth-inning single scored Chris Townsend to force extra innings and Townsend’s RBI single in the 10th scored Doug Votolato to give UCA a series-opening victory at Bear Stadium.
Biggerstaff made sure the Bears stayed in the game until the late runs, though. Oral Roberts scattered 10 hits, but Biggerstaff allowed only a third-inning run and struck out 6 while throwing 129 pitches.
Sports, Pages 23 on 05/03/2014