SUN BELT
TROY 3, UALR 0
A home run in extra innings served as the game-winner for the second consecutive day at Gary Hogan Field in Little Rock on Saturday. Unlike Friday, though, this one went against UALR.
David Hall’s three-run home run off Travis McDonald with one out in the 10th inning accounted for the game’s only runs in Troy’s victory. It came a day after Bryson Thionnet’s grand slam in the 16th inning gave UALR a 9-5 victory.
On Saturday, UALR (15-21, 4-13) was held to 4 hits by Troy starter Shane McCain, who struck out 12 in 8 shutout innings. Jeremy McGowan (3-3) then pitched two perfect innings to earn his third victory.
Austin Pfeiffer, Justin Steelmon, Sam Vogel and Petr Sila collected UALR’s hits. Pfeiffer doubled in the first, and Voegel doubled in the second, but both were left stranded. UALR got a runner on second base in four separate innings, but couldn’t drive any of them in.
Sam Thoele held Troy (20-19, 7-9) to 3 hits over 6 innings while striking out 7, and McDonald pitched three hitless innings until the 10th. Tyler Vaughn led off with an error and Garrett Pitts singled before Hall hit his seventh home run of the season to right field.
In the bottom of the 10th, McGowan got three UALR batters to pop out to end the game.
ARKANSAS STATE 11, LOUISIANA-MONROE 7
Matt Burgess hit a sixth-inning home run and scored three runs to help Arkansas State clinch a weekend series on Saturday at Tomlinson Stadium in Jonesboro.
Burgess, who went 1 for 3, hit his third home run to right field in the sixth and also walked and scored in the first and third innings.
ASU (23-16, 12-5) took a 3-0 lead in the first when Derek Birginske hit a three-run double with two outs, then took an 8-0 lead with a five-run third. Stuart Levy drove in Zach Maggio with a double, Joe Schrimpf hit a sacrifice fly, Dustin Jones hit a two-run single and Maggio drew a bases-loaded walk.
Burgess hit his home run in the sixth before the Red Wolves made it 11-3 on Eric Wilcoxson’s two-run single in the seventh.
Bryan Ayers, making his first Sun Belt start, held Louisiana-Monroe (16-25, 7-10) to 2 runs on 4 hits and struck out 7 over 6 innings to improve to 2-1.
Sun Belt standings
SATURDAY’S GAMES Troy 3, UALR 0 Arkansas State 11, La.-Monroe 7 South Alabama 13, W. Kentucky 10 La.-Lafayette 9, UT-Arlilngton 5 Texas State 4, Georgia State 2
TODAY’S GAMES All times Central Troy at UALR, 1 p.m.
La.-Monroe at Arkansas State, 1 p.m South Alabama at W. Kentucky, 1 p.m. Georgia State at Texas State, 1 p.m.
La.-Lafayette at UT-Arlington, 1 p.m.
SOUTHLAND
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 4, MCNEESE STATE 2
Sophomore Connor Gilmore pitched a complete game and senior center fielder Doug Votolato hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the seventh inning as Central Arkansas (21-15, 10-8 Southland Conference) completed a three-game sweep over McNeese State (20-18, 10-8) at Bear Stadiumin Conway.
It was UCA’s second Southland sweep this season, as it also beat Sam Houston State in three games last month.
Gilmore (4-1) allowed 2 runs on 8 hits, striking out 4 and walking 1 in his third complete game of the season. Cowboys reliever Tyler Erickson (2-1) took the loss, giving up the home run to Votolato that broke a 2-2 tie.
UCA took an early 1-0 lead when first baseman Scott Zimmerle doubled, advanced to third on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch by McNeese State starter Bryce Kingsley. The Bears made it 2-0 in the fourth as catcher Charles Deckard and designated hitter Matt Anderson had back-to-back doubles.
McNeese State tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth inning and had runners on third base in the sixth and seventh innings, but failed to score.
Votolato finished 1 for 4 as UCA managed six hits.
The Bears’ starting rotation threw all but2/3 of an inning in the series, with Bryce Biggerstaff throwing a 10-inningcomplete game on Thursday to go with Gilmore’s nine innings on Saturday.
SWAC
GRAMBLING STATE 6-2, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 1-5
Arkansas-Pine Bluff was held scoreless for the first eight innings of a loss in Game 1, but Tyler Oertle drove in two runs to help UAPB preserve a doubleheader split with a 5-2 victory in Game 2 on Saturday at the Torii Hunter Complex in Pine Bluff.
Mitch Bruckshaw scored two runs and Isias Alcantar also drove in a run in the second game for the Golden Lions (16-23, 14-6), who lead the SWAC’s Western Division.
Mikey Ramirez earned the victory after holding Grambling State (12-26, 9-12) to 1 earned run on 7 hits in 6 2/3 innings.
UAPB collected 11 hits in the first game, but were held without a run until Kirby Campbell scored in the ninth. Grambling State scored five unearned runs thanks to four UAPB errors.
Sports, Pages 25 on 04/20/2014