The No. 8 seed Arkansas State Red Wolves have proven a tough out since earning a berth in the Sun Belt Conference tournament on the second-to-last day of the regular season.
Tanner Ring was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI, and Tanner Kirby pitched 61/3 innings of relief as ASU beat No. 5 seed Texas State 4-3 Friday night in San Marcos, Texas.
At a glance
SUN BELT TOURNAMENT
at San Marcos, Texas
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Louisiana-Lafayette 4, Texas State 2
Arkansas State 4, Texas State 3
Texas State eliminated
Georgia Southern 6, Texas-Arlington 0
South Alabama 3, Texas-Arlington 0
Texas-Arlington eliminated
TODAY’S GAMES
All times Central
Georgia Southern vs. S. Alabama, 9 a.m.
Arkansas State vs. La.-Lafayette, 12:30 p.m.
The Red Wolves (29-28) will face No. 1 seed Louisiana-Lafayette (39-19) today at 12:30 p.m. in the semifinals. The Ragin’ Cajuns defeated Texas State 4-2 earlier in the day to advance in the winner’s bracket.
The Bobcats (31-28) took a 1-0 lead after the first inning, but the Red Wolves responded with four unanswered runs.
Ring hit a solo home run to tie the game in the second inning, and Ty White’s run-scoring triple in the third put the Red Wolves ahead for good. White scored ASU’s third run on a throwing error by first baseman Dylan Paul off of Joe Schrimpf’s grounder, which allowed Schrimpf to take second. Ring drove him home with a single for a 4-1 lead.
Kirby relieved Zach Haake in the bottom of the third with two outs, a runner on first and the score 4-2. He retired Derek Scheible to end the inning.
He retired the first nine batters he faced before Scheible hit a home run with two outs in the sixth inning to pull the Bobcats within 4-3.
Texas State threatened in the bottom of the eighth inning after Tanner Hill led off with a single and advance to second on a sacrifice bunt. Kirby struck out Paul for the second out, then walked Scheible. Nick Perez struck out for to end the threat.
Kirby allowed 1 earned run on 3 hits and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts to earn his first victory of the season.
Dalton Lovell went 2 for 4 for the Red Wolves, who managed just five hits.
SOUTHLAND TOURNAMENT
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 10,
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 4
The start of the Central Arkansas and Stephen F. Austin elimination game was delayed two hours because of bad weather, then the teams had to withstand a five-hour storm delay in the eighth inning to conclude a Southland Conference Tournament elimination game at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas, with the Lumberjacks advancing and ending the Bears’ season.
No. 5 seed UCA (29-27) had a 4-3 lead going into the bottom of the seventh inning before Stephen F. Austin (29-29) scored four runs on three hits to open a 7-4 lead before thunderstorms brought the five-hour delay.
The No. 8 seed Lumberjacks scored three in the eighth after play resumed for a 10-4 advantage to set the final margin.
Trailing 3-2 in the top of the sixth, the Bears took a 4-3 lead on Butch Rea’s two-run single that scored Hunter Strong and Logan Preston.
The Lumberjacks scored three of their seventh-inning runs off Connor McClain (2-2), who allowed 4 hits in 1 2/3 innings.
Stephen F. Austin scored its final three runs in the eighth off Connor Gilmore on three hits and a walk.
Preston led the Bears offensively, going 2 for 4 with an RBI.
The Lumberjacks, who will play No. 1 Sam Houston State in a semifinal game at noon today, outhit the Bears 15-7.
Sports on 05/28/2016