SUN BELT CONFERENCE
GEORGIA STATE 13, UALR 8
UALR (10-15, 7-5 Sun Belt Conference) allowed seven runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and lost to Georgia State (18-13, 7-2 Sun Belt Conference) on Friday night at the GSU Baseball Complex in Atlanta.
UALR led 7-6 in the bottom of the eighth before Georgia State scored seven runs to take a 13-7 lead. Ryan Blanton singled to center to score Trae Sweeting to tie the game at 7-7. Three batters later, Matt Rose hit a two-run single to left field that scored Justin Jones and Blanton.
Joey Roach and Sam Few followed with back-to-back RBI singles to make it 11-7. Sweeting, in his second at-bat of the inning, doubled to left field to score two more runs for a six-run advantage. UALR pulled within 13-8 in the top of the ninth when Tanner Rockwell scored on Drew Merten’s groundout.
Rockwell led the Trojans offensively, going 4 for 5 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. Ryan Scott went 3 for 5.
The game was tied at 1-1 going into the third inning when UALR scored three times for a 5-1 lead. Kyle Barret’s RBI single scored Rockwell, then Merten’s run-scoring single brought home Barret and Kyle Kirk. Merten came home on Joseph Paulino’s RBI single.
UALR made it 7-1 in the fourth on Rockwell’s two-run double.
Georgia State pulled within 7-6 in the bottom of the sixth when David Levy stole home on a double steal.
Jarrid Garcia started for the Trojans, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and struck out 5 in 5 innings.
SOUTH ALABAMA 13, ARKANSAS STATE 10
Arkansas State brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning, but pinch hitter Ty Michelotti struck out to end the game as ASU suffered its fourth loss in its past five games.
The Red Wolves (12-16, 3-9 Sun Belt Conference) trailed 12-1 after the Jaguars (21-10, 8-5) scored two runs in the top of the fifth, but battled back with four runs in the fifth, one run each in the sixth and seventh and three runs in the eighth.
Two runs scored on an error in the fifth inning, then Austin Baker hit a two-run home run to get the Red Wolves within 12-5. Trailing 12-7 entering the eighth inning, Jeremy Brown hit a sacrifice fly, while Zach George and Matt Burgess each drew bases-loaded walks to make it 12-10. South Alabama added its final run in the ninth inning.
Sophomore Tyler Zuber (3-3) gave up 10 runs, 8 earned, on 8 hits while striking out 2 in 2 2/3 innings pitched.
SWAC
ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 11-6, TEXAS SOUTHERN 9-5
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (13-12, 8-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference) swept Texas Southern (16-13, 10-4) in a doubleheader at the Torii Hunter Complex in Pine Bluff.
Four players had three hits for the Golden Lions in the first game — Rashawn Tillman, Westin Hinkel, Chris Burns, Jerimiah Figueroa and Josh Cassidy. Hink and Figueroa each drove in three runs.
UAPB trailed 4-2 after three innings, but scored five runs in the fourth and four in the fifth inning to lead 11-7.
The Golden Lions overcame a 5-3 deficit in the bottom of the eighth inning and scored three runs to earn the doubleheader sweep. Andre Davis and Tommy Haas each had two hits for UAPB. Davis earned the victory in relief, pitching two scoreless innings and striking out two.