State baseball roundups

SUN BELT

ARKANSAS STATE 12, NEW ORLEANS 3

Jaylon Deshazier played in two of Arkansas State University's six games before Saturday and went hitless in both of them. He made up for that against the University of New Orleans, going 4 for 5 -- including a grand slam -- with 7 RBI to lead the Red Wolves to a 12-3 victory over the Privateers at Privateer Park in New Orlenas.

The Red Wolves (4-3) took a 3-0 lead in the third inning on an RBI single by Kyle MacDonald and a two-run double down the left-field line from Deshazier. ASU broke the game open in the fifth inning, when Caleb Squire, Logan Andersen and MacDonald hit consecutive singles with one out to load the bases, setting the stage for Deshazier's grand slam -- his first home run of the season.

The Privateers scored their runs in the sixth inning on a wild pitch, an RBI double and a sacrifice fly, but the Red Wolves got them right back in the seventh as Deshazier and Garrett Hawkins hit RBI singles and Drew Tipton was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Andersen had an RBI double in the eighth and Hawkins added an RBI double in the ninth to complete the scoring.

Andersen went 4 for 4 with 3 runs scored for Arkansas State, while Hawkins and MacDonald finished with two hits each. ASU starter Coulton Lee (1-1) got the victory after allowing New Orleans' three runs -- all of them earned -- on 5 hits with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts in 6 innings.

NORTHWESTERN (LA.) STATE 7, UALR 3 (13)

Riley Pittman and Troy Alexander had three hits each for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on Saturday, but it wasn't enough as Northwestern State claimed the series victory with four runs in the 13th inning at Gary Hogan Field.

Pittman had an RBI single in the first inning and Alexander hit a home run in the sixth to give the Trojans a 2-0 lead. The Demons took a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning on an RBI single by Austin Stegall and a two-run double from Kwan Adkins. Matt Merino's RBI single in the bottom of the eighth tied the game at 3-3 to force extra innings. Northwestern State's runs in the 13th inning came on an RBI fielder's choice, a wild pitch and two RBI singles.

Hayden Arnold took the loss after allowing the RBI fielder's choice in the top of the 13th, one of 2 hits he allowed with 4 walks and 5 strikeouts in 4⅔ innings.

SOUTHLAND

CENTRAL ARKANSAS 6, CREIGHTON 2

The University of Central Arkansas (3-6) scored six unanswered runs -- including four in the seventh inning -- to tie the weekend series against Creighton (5-3) at Bear Stadium in Conway.

The Bluejays scored their two runs in the top of the first inning on an RBI single by Isaac Collins, who later scored on a throwing error by shortstop Josh Somdecerff. Dusty Wright had an RBI groundout in the second inning and Keaton Presley hit a home run in the fourth for the Bears to tie the game at 2-2. UCA then broke the game open in the seventh inning. Somdecerff and Justin McCarty had RBI singles, and they both scored when Rigo Aguilar and T.J. Black drew consecutive bases-loaded walks.

Somdecerff, Presley and Hunter Strong had two hits each for Central Arkansas, which finished with 11 hits. Reliever Mark Moyer (2-1) got the victory on the mound for the Bears after allowing 3 hits with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts over 2⅔ innings. Starter Tanner Wiley settled down after allowing Creighton's runs in the first inning, allowing a total of 5 hits with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts in 6⅓ innings.

SWAC

ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 6-1, SOUTHERN 5-12

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (3-4, 1-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth on a single, an error and two hit batters with the bases loaded to claim the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against Southern University (4-6, 1-1 SWAC) at the Torii Hunter Complex in Pine Bluff.

The Jaguars built a 4-0 lead in the first three innings on two RBI singles from Taylor LaPorte, as well as RBI singles from John Pope and Franky Montesino. The Golden Lions cut the lead in half in the bottom of the third inning on RBI singles from Jacob Columbo and Ryan Mallison. William Nelson's RBI single gave Southern a 5-2 lead in the sixth before UAPB rallied to score four unanswered runs in the seventh and ninth innings.

Mallison's RBI groundout and an RBI double by Columbo in the seventh inning cut the lead to 5-4. Jarficur Parker grounded out to start the ninth inning for UAPB, but Cutter McDonald followed with a single and Mallison walked to put runners at first and second with one out. Columbo then reached on an error by Pope to load the bases and was lifted for pinch runner Kacy Higgins. Nick Kreutzer was hit by a pitch from Southern reliever Charles Bailey, which tied the game at 5-5. Sergio Esparza was hit by another Bailey pitch in the next at-bat to end the game.

Southern scored eight runs in the third inning of the second game to take a commanding 9-1 lead, then added three more in the seventh. Michael Wright led the Jaguars by going 3 for 4 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored, while Montesino, Pope, Ashanti Wheatley and Zavier Moore finished with two hits each.

Sports on 03/04/2018

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