SUN BELT
UALR 10, TROY 3
Hunter Owens went 2 for 5 with 3 RBI, scored 2 runs and hit his third home run of the season to lead the University of Arkansas at Little Rock past Troy at Gary Hogan Field in Little Rock on Sunday.
Riley Pittman hit his first career home run in a 1 for 2 effort with 2 RBI. Nik Gifford hit his second home run as he went 1 for 5 with two RBI. Danny Mitchell Jr. went 3 for 4 while Bryce Dimitroff went 2 for 4 with two RBI. Zach Baker and Cale Ridling each tallied two hits for the afternoon and scored a run. Dalton Thomas scored three runs as he advanced his onbase streak to 20 games and his hitting streak to 12 games while going 1 for 4.
On the mound, freshman lefty Chandler Fidel (2-2) picked up the victory as he went 5 1/3 innings, struck out 3 and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits. He had one walk and hit a batter. Troy starter Houston Mabray (1-1) took the loss after he threw just one inning and allowed four runs on five hits.
The Trojans set the tone by scoring four runs in the first inning as Pitman hit a two-run home run. Gifford grounded out to score Dalton Thomas and Dimitroff singled to right to score Davis.
UALR (8-12, 1-2 Sun Belt) added one run in the third, three in the fourth and two in the eighth. Troy fell to 11-7 and 2-1.
ARKANSAS STATE 8,
LOUISIANA-MONROE 3
Garrett Rucker’s two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning broke a 3-3 tie and lifted Arkansas State University (11-8, 2-1 Sun Belt) to a victory over Louisiana-Monroe on Sunday at Tomlinson Stadium in Jonesboro.
The Red Wolves loaded the bases against War Hawks starter Chase Beal with one out in the bottom of the seventh on a walk and two singles trailing 3-2. Grant Hawkins was able to drive in the tying run on a fielder’s choice before a four-pitch walk to Joe Schrimpf loaded the bases to set the scene for Rucker’s hit. Rucker hit a hard ground ball through the right side to score Hawkins and Alex Howard and give A-State a 5-3 lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
The Red Wolves added three runs in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI single, balk, and error on a failed pickoff attempt to put the score at 8-3. Tyler Zuber worked around a couple of oneout walks and struck out the final two hitters of the game to preserve the victory.
Tanner Kirby improved to 5-1 on the season with three scoreless innings out of the bullpen in relief of Tyler Mitzel, who lasted five innings and gave up 3 runs on 8 hits.
Rucker finished the day 2-for-4 with three RBI to lead the Red Wolves.
Beal took the loss for the Warhawks (5-16, 1-2) after giving up five runs (all earned) on 7 hits with 3 walks and 7 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. Cade Stone, Chad Bell, and Spencer Hemphill led the visitors with two hits each.
SOUTHLAND
INCARNATE WORD 5,
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 3
The University of Central Arkansas Bears allowed a four-run inning Sunday, then left the bases loaded in the ninth inning in a loss to the Incarnate Word Cardinals in San Antonio Sunday.
The Bears (8-13, 1-5 Southland) led 2-0 in the middle of the third inning but the Cardinals (13-8, 4-2) put up four runs on four hits in the bottom of the third to take the lead for good.
The Bears got one run back in the eighth inning on Hunter Strong’s double to right field and Rigo Aguilar’s RBI triple to left, but Incarnate Word did the same in the bottom of the eighth for the 5-3 final.
UCA’s Brooks Balisterri led off the ninth with a walk but was erased with a double play. The Bears loaded the bases on walks by Keaton Presley and Jansen McCurdy and an error on Incarnate Word reliever Cody Allen. But Allen got a ground out to end the game and earn his first save of the season.
The Bears got a run in the second inning on Balisterri’s RBI double to left field that scored Ty Tice, who has singled to reach base. In the third, McCurdy walked, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. He scored on William Hancock’s sacrifice fly to right for a 2-0 UCA lead.
Hunter Strong finished 2 for 5 and Aguilar was 2 for 4 for the Bears. UCA starter Tyler Gray (2-2) took the loss despite striking out a career-high 11 batters.
SWAC
UAPB 14,
TEXAS SOUTHERN 11
A seven-run fifth inning lifted the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff to a victory over Texas Southern on Sunday in Houston.
Jordan Knox had a three-run triple in the fifth that extended the Golden Lions (4-14, 3-3 SWAC) lead from 6-2 to 9-2. Julian Jones singled through the left side to score Bradly Lopez and Knox. Jeremiah Figueroa singled up the middle which scored Juan Soriano and Julian Jones to make it 13-2.
UAPB needed that big inning because Texas Southern came back with seven in its half of the fifth to close to 13-9 with the big hits coming on a home run by O.J. Oloruntimlehin, a two-run double by Gerrek Jimenez and a two-run triple by Kamren Dukes.
Texas Southern (6-13, 6-2) added two in the seventh to close to 13-11 on a double by Charles Guillory and a single by Richard Alamo.
UAPB’s Corey Henderson hit a home run in the eighth to finish the scoring. CJ. Lewington (1-2) picked up the victory by pitching 4 1/3 innings in relief of Tyrus Lopez and Matt Shindelebower.
Daniel Vasquez (1-3) took the loss for Texas Southern by allowing 6 runs on 5 hits in 3 2/3 innings.