SUN BELT
UALR 8-6, GEORGIA STATE 3-4
First baseman Nik Gifford hit a threerun home run in the bottom of the 10th inning Saturday to give the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (20-30, 10-16 Sun Belt Conference) a doubleheader sweep over Georgia State University (20-30, 8-18) at Gary Hogan Field in Little Rock.
Georgia State took a 3-0 lead in the third inning of the second game, but UALR cut the lead to 3-2 in the sixth inning on a two-run double by Dalton Thomas. Ty Gunter’s RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning scored Gifford to tie the game at 3-3. Will Kilgore hit an RBI single in the top of the 10th to give the Panthers a 4-3 lead, but the Trojans rallied in the bottom of the inning, getting a one-out walk from Riley Pittman and Thomas was hit by a pitch to set the stage for Gifford.
Pittman finished 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored, while Gifford was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored. Reliever Justin Garcia (2-0) earned the victory for UALR after allowing 1 earned run on 2 hits with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts over 2 2/3 innings.
Thomas went 4 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 1 RBI to lead UALR in the first game. The Trojans scored four runs in the second inning to take a 4-0 lead, only to see that lead shrink to 4-2 after the Panthers scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings.
UALR responded with two runs in the fifth and sixth innings each, while Georgia State scored in the top of the ninth to set the final.
Pittman and Gifford both went 2 for 4 for UALR, which finished with 11 hits and overcame 2 errors. Second baseman Kilgore went 3 for 3 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored to lead Georgia State. Cory Malcom (4-5) got the victory after allowing all 3 Panthers runs — 2 earned — on 7 hits with 4 walks and 6 strikeouts over 8 innings.
ARKANSAS STATE 1, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 0
Drew Tipton singled in the bottom of the ninth and advanced to second on a throwing error, which allowed Derek Birginske to score and gave Arkansas State University (23-25, 11-15 Sun Belt) a victory over Georgia Southern University (34-17, 16-10) at J.J. Clements Stadium in Statesboro, Ga.
The Red Wolves rallied with two outs in the top of the ninth to score the game’s only run. After Justin Felix grounded out and Alex Howard struck out, Jake Bakamus was hit by a pitch and Birginske walked on a 3-1 pitch. The Eagles went down in order in the bottom of the ninth, all on strikeouts, to secure the victory.
ASU managed just six hits and did not have a player with more than one. Tyler Zuber (4-1) got the victory for the Red Wolves after allowing 1 hit with 1 walk and 9 strikeouts in the game’s final 3 innings.
SOUTHLAND
SE LOUISIANA 10-10, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 3-3
The middle of Southeastern Louisiana University’s lineup proved to be the University of Central Arkansas’ downfall Saturday as the Lions (33-16, 19-10 Southland Conference) swept a doubleheader from the Bears (28-22, 15-11) at Alumni Field in Hammond, La.
Second baseman Carson Crites went a combined 5 for 10 with 5 runs scored and 3 RBI, while left fielder Drew Avans was a combined 5 for 8 with 2 runs scored. First baseman Derrick Mount was 3 for 5 — including a 2-run single and 2 RBI singles — with a run scored in the first game. Third baseman Taylor Schwaner was 2 for 4 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored in the second game. The Nos. 4-6 hitters in the Lions lineup — Crites, Avans and Mount — went a combined 9 for 14 with 5 runs scored and 5 RBI in the first game. The Nos. 3-5 hitters — Schwaner, Crites and Avans — in the second game combined to go 6 for 13 with 4 RBI and 3 runs scored.
Right fielder Jansen McCurdy was 4 for 10 in the two games to lead UCA. Second baseman Eddie Sanchez was 2 for 3 with an RBI single in the second inning of the first game, while designated hitter Dusty Wright was 2 for 4 in the second game with an RBI groundout in the eighth inning.
Tyler Gray (5-5) took the loss for the Bears in the first game after allowing 7 runs — 5 earned — on 9 hits with 5 walks and 3 strikeouts over 6 innings. Cody Davenport (4-3) got the loss in the second game after allowing 9 earned runs on 8 hits with 5 walks and 5 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.