SUN BELT
ARKANSAS STATE 12, SOUTH ALABAMA 10
Justin Felix went 3 for 4 with 4 RBI and 2 runs scored, while Alex Howard went 2 for 4 with 4 RBI and 1 run scored to lead Arkansas State University (20-17, 8-8 Sun Belt Conference) to a victory over the University of South Alabama (23-16, 10-6) in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader at Tomlinson Stadium in Jonesboro.
Howard hit an RBI single in the second inning to score Jeremy Brown to give the Red Wolves a 1-0 lead, then ASU took control of the game in the third. Winston Welch singled to center field to start the inning, then Drew Tipton reached on a sacrifice bunt and advanced to second on a throwing error by South Alabama starter Thomas Huston. Grant Hawkins followed with a two-run double to push the lead to 3-0.
After Joe Schrimpf flied out and Garrett Rucker drew a full-count walk, Felix hit a three-run home run to left field on a 2-0 pitch that gave ASU a 6-0 lead. Brown was then hit by a pitch on a 3-1 count and advanced to second on a balk before moving to third when Jake Bakamus grounded out. Howard followed with a two-run home run for an 8-0 lead.
The Red Wolves took a 9-0 lead in the fourth when Tipton scored on Rucker's sacrifice fly.
The Jaguars mounted a rally in the top of the fifth inning. Hunter Stokes hit a one-out triple that scored Colton Thomas, who walked to start the inning, then Stokes scored on Dylan Hardy's single down the left-field line to cut the lead to 9-2. Brendan Donovan hit a two-out, two-run home run to trim the lead to 9-4, and after Travis Swaggerty drew a full-count walk, Wells Davis hit an RBI double down the right-field line to cut the lead to 9-5.
Jared Barnes hit a home run to left-center field in the sixth inning that drew the Jaguars within 9-6.
ASU added some insurance in the bottom of the sixth, getting an RBI single from Brown and a sacrifice fly from Howard to take an 11-6 lead. Thomas hit a one-out, three-run home run on the first pitch he saw that cut the lead to 11-9, but Felix hit an RBI single in the bottom of the inning to give Arkansas State a 12-9 lead.
South Alabama's final run came in the top of the ninth when Swaggerty hit a home run on the first pitch of the inning.
Bakamus was 2 for 4, while Hawkins was 2 for 5 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored for the Red Wolves.
Davis was 3 for 3 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored to lead the Jaguars, while Swaggerty was 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored.
ASU starter Bradey Welsh (2-1) got the victory despite giving up 5 earned runs on 6 hits with 5 walks and 1 strikeout over 5 innings. Tyler Zuber got his fifth save after allowing 1 earned run on 3 hits with 2 strikeouts in the ninth inning.
Huston (4-2) took the loss after allowing 7 runs -- 5 earned -- on 4 hits with 2 walks and 1 strikeout over 2 1/3 innings.
LOUISIANA-LAFAYTTE 9-7, UALR 4-4
Louisiana-Lafayette (25-14-1, 12-4-1 Sun Belt) maintained its lead in the West Division after sweeping a doubleheader from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (14-25, 6-11) at Gary Hogan Field in Little Rock.
Steven Sensley hit a two-run home run to right field in the top of the first inning in the first game to give the Ragin' Cajuns a 2-0 lead.
Alex Pinero added a home run in the fourth inning to push the lead to 3-0. He was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth to score a run for the Cajuns, who also got a two-run double from Ishmael Edwards and a two-run single from Brad Antchak to take an 8-0 lead.
UALR rallied in the seventh inning, getting RBI doubles from Nik Gifford and Zach Baker, as well as an RBI single from Ty Gunter to cut the lead to 8-3. Louisiana-Lafayette got an RBI single from Joe Robbins in the eighth to bump the lead to 9-3, before Gunter hit an RBI double in the ninth inning that scored Gifford for the 9-4 final.
The Trojans jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning of the second game on an RBI groundout from Gifford, an RBI single from Cale Ridling and a two-run double from Baker. The Cajuns chipped at the lead with an RBI ground out in the second inning, an RBI single from Robbins in the third and a Kennon Fontenot home run in the fourth inning to trim the lead to 4-3. Louisiana-Lafayette took the lead for good in the fifth inning on an RBI double from Antchak down the right-field line and a three-run home run from Fontenot to left field.
Gunter was 2 for 3 with 2 RBI, while Gifford was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored for the Trojans in the first game. Ridling was 2 for 4 and Dalton Thomas was 2 for 5 in the second game. Robbins was 3 for 5 to lead the Ragin' Cajuns in the first game, while Edwards was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. Fontenot was 3 for 4 with 4 RBI and 2 runs scored in the second game, while Antchak was 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored.
Gunner Leger (8-1) got the victory in the first game after allowing 3 earned runs on 4 hits with 2 walks and 7 strikeouts over 7 innings.
Ryan LeMoine (1-4) took the loss after allowing 8 earned runs on 11 hits with 7 strikeouts and 3 hit batters over 5 1/3 innings.
Starter Nick Lee (5-3) got the victory for the Cajuns in the second game after allowing 4 earned runs on 6 hits in 6 innings. Wyatt Marks allowed 1 hit with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts over the final 3 innings to get his fifth save.
Cory Malcom (2-4) took the loss in the second game for the Trojans after allowing 7 earned runs on 8 hits with 1 walk and 13 strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings.
SOUTHLAND
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 3-5, SAM HOUSTON STATE 2-3
The University of Central Arkansas (21-18, 9-8 Southland Conference) had a flair for the dramatic in its doubleheader against Sam Houston State University (26-12, 13-4), getting a two-out RBI single from Jansen McCurdy in the 10th inning to win the first game, then scoring three runs in the bottom of the eighth in the second game at Bear Stadium in Conway.
The Bears took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning of the second game on a Brooks Balisterri RBI single that scored Rigo Aguilar. The Bearkats took a 3-1 lead in the top of the fifth on an RBI single from Bryce Johnson and a two-run triple to right field from Robie Rojas. UCA trimmed the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the inning when Michael Haun scored on Keaton Presley's sacrifice fly.
Presley singled to start the eighth-inning rally for the Bears, then moved to second when McCurdy reached on a throwing error. Hunter Strong hit a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. After Aguilar struck out, Presley and McCurdy scored on a wild pitch from Nick Mikolajchak to retake the lead at 4-3. Strong moved to second on the play and advanced to third on a throwing error by Rojas. Justin McCarty walked, then advanced to third when Balisterri reached on a fielder's choice and moved to second on an errant throw. After a William Hancock full-count walk, McCarty scored on a wild pitch to increase the lead to 5-3.
UCA finished with six hits, but no player had more than one. Taylor Beane was 3 for 4 with 1 run scored to lead Sam Houston State, while Johnson was 2 for 5 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored.
Cody Davenport (3-2) went the distance for the Bears, allowing 3 earned runs on 9 hits with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts.
Reliever Kyle Backhus (2-3) took the loss, allowing three runs -- one earned -- in his only inning of work.
The Bears jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning of the first game when Keaton Presley singled and scored on Strong's RBI groundout.
Strong singled through the right side to start the fourth inning and scored on an RBI groundout from Brooks Balisterri to take a 2-0 lead. The Bearkats tied the game in the top of the eighth inning on a bases-loaded walk to Beene and an RBI single from Jaxxon Grisham.
Presley was 3 for 5 to lead UCA, which finished with 6 hits, while Lance Miles went 2 for 4 to lead Sam Houston State, which dropped its fourth consecutive conference game with the doubleheader sweep.
Reliever Ty Tice (2-1) got the victory after allowing 3 walks with 6 strikeouts over 3 innings. Riley Cooper (0-1) took the loss for Sam Houston after allowing the game-winning run in the 10th on 3 hits with 1 strikeout over 1 2/3 innings.
SWAC
TEXAS SOUTHERN 9, UAPB 5 (12)
Texas Southern University (14-24, 12-7 Southwestern Athletic Conference) jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, but after the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (12-25, 8-9) tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, the Tigers responded with four runs in the top of the 12th inning to set up today's series rubber match at the Torii Hunter Complex in Pine Bluff.
Texas Southern took a 5-0 lead in the top of the second inning.
UAPB got a run back in the bottom of the inning when Corey Henderson's RBI single scored Jordan Knox, who hit a one-out single and advanced to second and third on wild pitches. Bradly Lopez reached on a fielder's choice in the fourth inning, allowing Knox to score to trim the lead to 5-2. Lopez scored on Sergio Esparza's RBI single in the seventh inning to cut the lead to 5-3, and the Golden Lions tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth on a two-run double by Perez.
The Tigers broke the game open in the top of the 12th inning. A single and two walks loaded the bases with one out, then Gaudencio Lucca hit a bases-clearing triple to left field to take an 8-5 lead. Lucca scored on an RBI single one batter later for a 9-5 lead. Texas Southern then induced two UAPB ground outs and a fly out in the bottom of the 12th to secure the victory.
Lucca was 3 for 6 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored for Texas Southern, while Christian Sanchez was 2 for 3.
UAPB finished with nine hits, but no player had more than one. Tigers reliever Michael Villanueva (7-2), who took the loss Friday, earned Saturday's victory after allowing 2 earned runs on 3 hits with 5 walks and 5 strikeouts over the final 4 innings.
UAPB reliever Tyrus Lopez (4-4) took the loss after allowing 2 earned runs on 2 hits with a walk in two-thirds of an inning.
-- Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Sports on 04/23/2017