Red Wolves strand 10, come up one run short

Arkansas State came close to continuing its run in the Sun Belt Conference baseball tournament, but like the Red Wolves had all week in Lafayette, La., they left too many runners on base.

In an elimination game Saturday morning at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field, Arkansas State had 10 hits off Florida Atlantic pitchers, but stranded 10 runners, including the tying run on third in the ninth inning of a 5-4 season-ending loss.

The fourth-seed Owls (38-20) will play No. 3 seed Louisiana-Lafayette (41-17) at 1 p.m. today in the tournament final, while ASU, which would have needed to beat FAU one more time Saturday night to advance to today’s final, saw its season end at 28-31.

Even with a rough outing by starter Chandler Hawkins, whose last start came April 21, the Red Wolves had their chances Saturday against Florida Atlantic.

Arkansas State, which stranded 34 runners in their four tournament games, took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning when Ryan Emery singled in Alex Potts and Stuart Levy’s sacrifice fly scored Kevin Fitzpatrick. But the Red Wolves stranded runners in all but one of the remaining innings, including two in the eighth and the ninth, while Florida Atlantic scored three in the fourth and another run in the fifth.

ASU entered the ninth trailing 5-2 when Potts singled, Dustin Jones doubled and Kevin Fitzpatrick singled, all off FAU reliever Hugh Adams, to score Potts and make it 5-3. Then, Emery’s line drive to left field was deep enough to score Jones from third on a sacrifice and make it 5-4, and move Fitzpatrick to second base.

Levy followed that with a walk, and Ryan Roberts singled to left field. But FAU left fielder Geoff Jimenez fielded Roberts’ single and his throw was in time to get Fitzpatrick trying to tie the game, then Logan Uxa grounded out to end the game.

ASU stranded two runners in the eighth inning, too. Roberts drew a one-out walk and Uxa followed with a double down the right-field line to put runners on second and third. But FAU reliever Kevin Alexander came in for Bo Logan and got Derek Birginske to line out to left field, too shallow to score Roberts, and struck out Collin Massanelli.

Fitzpatrick went 4 for 4 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored for the Red Wolves, while Emery, Uxa and Potts each had two hits.

Hawkins (2-5) gave up 4 runs, 2 earned, on 6 hits and walked 3 in 3 2/3 innings pitched.

At a glance At M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field, Lafayette, La.

SATURDAY’S SCORES Florida Atlantic 5, Arkansas State 4 La-Lafayette 12, South Alabama 2 (7 inn.) TODAY’S GAME All times Central Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Florida Atlantic, 1 p.m.