Stuart Levy’s timely double made up for Arkansas State’s defensive miscues and kept the Red Wolves from a series sweep against No. 3 Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday.
Levy’s two-run double down the left-field line broke a tie game, and freshman Tyler Zuber pitched out of jams in the eighth and ninth innings to help Arkansas State to a 6-4 victory at Tomlinson Stadium in Jonesboro.
The game started similarly for ASU as its losses Friday and Saturday night when the Red Wolves feel into an early deficit.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (43-7, 20-4 Sun Belt Conference), who had their five-game winning streak snapped Sunday, took a 1-0 lead in the third when they loaded the bases and Michael Strentz scored on a wild pitch by ASU starter Tanner Gaines. In the fourth, Chase Compton reached on an error by third baseman Joe Schrimpf, stole second base and scored on an error by Gaines. Ryan Wilson scored later on a sacrifice bunt to make it 3-0.
ASU (27-21, 15-9) had three errors that led to three unearned runs in Friday’s 6-5 loss, and two errors leading to one unearned run in Saturday’s 7-0 loss.
The Red Wolves came back to make it 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth when Levy hit an RBI single to score Tanner Ring and Lucas Feddersen drew a bases-loaded walk.
The Ragin’ Cajuns made it 4-2 when Blake Trahan singled home Compton in the sixth.
In the seventh, ASU had only one hit, but it was the biggest of the game.
Zach Maggio and Austin Baker each drew one-out walks, Ring was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Burgess walked to make it 4-3. Riley Cooper relieved Matt Hicks, and Levy ripped a 2-0 pitch down the left-field line to score Ring and Baker and give ASU a 5-4 lead, its first of the series.
Zuber pitched around two singles in the eighth and Maggio singled and later scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-4.
In the ninth, Zuber gave up a lead-off single to Jace Conrad, a two-out walk to Caleb Adams. The runners move up on a wild pitch, but Zuber got Compton to ground out to end the game to keep Louisiana-Lafayette from clinching at least a share of the Sun Belt Conference.
The Ragin’ Cajuns now lead the second-place Red Wolves by five games with six conference games remaining.
SUN BELT TEXAS-ARLINGTON 8, UALR 3
Texas-Arlington scored four runs in the fourth inning to take a lead and held UALR scoreless for eight innings of its series-clinching victory on Sunday at Gary Hogan Field in Little Rock.
UALR starter Cameron Allen held Texas-Arlington (24-25, 13-11) hitless through the first three innings, but Ryan Bottger’s lead-off double in the fourth got the Mavericks going.
Bottger scored on John Michael Twichell’s single and then Levi Scott hit a three-run home run that made it 4-0. In the sixth, Twichell hit a home run and Darien McClemore added a two-run home run to make it 7-0.
The Trojans (21-26, 7-17) were held to four hits through eight innings and entered the ninth trailing 8-0. Scott drew a bases loaded walk, Austin Pfeiffer hit a sacrifice fly and Ben Crumpton singled to make it 8-3, but UALR stranded runners on first and second when Tanner Rockwell flew out to end the game.
SOUTHLAND ORAL ROBERTS 4, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 2
Matt Brandy’s RBI double broke a tie inthe fifth inning and Oral Roberts added a run on Austen Colt’s RBI single in the eighth in a victory Sunday at Bear Stadium in Conway.
The Bears (23-21, 11-13) tied the game at 2-2 in the third when Brandon Montalvo hit a home run to left center and Nate Ferrell singled in Chris Townsend. But, after that, the Bears were held to three hits in losing the series finale.
Doug Votolato went 2 for 4 for the Bears, and Townsend went 1 for 2 with a triple.
Connor Gillmore (4-3) gave up 3 runs - 2 earned - on 7 hits and striking out 3 in 6 innings of the loss.
Boss, Brandy and Colt each had two hits for Oral Roberts (25-22, 12-12).
SWAC TEXAS SOUTHERN 10, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 4
Texas Southern used a nine-run eighth inning for a comeback victory in the regular-season finale on Sunday in Houston.
UAPB (22-26, 16-7), which clinched the SWAC Western Division title on Saturday, led 4-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. That’s when Texas Southern (22-27, 13-9) scored 9 runs off 9 hits, including 3 triples, to take control.
Jag Gorday hit an RBI double and an RBI triple, while Jerry Ford II and Robert Garza also hit RBI triples in the inning. Garza also hit an RBI single while Samuel Terry and Luis Armasa drove in runs with singles before the Tigers retired the Golden Lions in order in the ninth inning.
Jaron Gold (1-2) took the loss for UAPB after giving up 3 runs - 2 earned - on 2 hits without recording an out.
Andre Davis went 3 for 4 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored and Isias Alcantar hit a home run for UAPB.
Sports, Pages 19 on 05/05/2014