SUN BELT
ARKANSAS STATE 4,
NO. 14 COASTAL CAROLINA 2
Arkansas State University (18-8, 6-1 Sun Belt Conference) scored all four runs on home runs Friday as the Red Wolves beat No. 14 Coastal Carolina (19-7-1, 6-1) at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.
The Chanticleers got an RBI single from Kyle Skeels in the second inning to take an early lead before the Red Wolves took control of the game in the third. Drew Tipton hit a leadoff single and stole second base before Eli Davis struck out looking on a 2-2 pitch and Alex Howard was hit by a pitch. Kyle MacDonald followed with a three-run home run, his third of the season, to give ASU a 3-1 lead.
Howard added a home run to lead off the fifth inning for a 4-1 lead and Coastal Carolina scored its final run in the bottom of the eighth inning on Skeels' third home run of the season.
Tipton was 2 for 3 for the Red Wolves and Justin Felix was 2 for 4. Skeels finished 2 for 3 to lead the Chanticleers, while Kieton Rivers and Parker Chavers were both 2 for 4.
Zach Jackson (4-1) got the victory on the mound for ASU after allowing 1 earned run on 8 hits with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts over 7 innings. Jack Jumper earned his first save of the season after he allowed 1 earned run on 1 hit with 1 strikeout over the final 2 innings. Zach McCambley (4-1) took his first loss of the season for Coastal Carolina. He allowed all 4 ASU runs -- all were earned -- on 6 hits with 3 walks and 7 strikeouts in his 5 innings of work.
UALR 9, GEORGIA STATE 1
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (8-18, 3-4 Sun Belt) scored four runs in the second inning and four more in the eighth to dominate its series opener against Georgia State at Gary Hogan Field.
Ramon Padilla hit a two-run single in the bottom of the second to give the Trojans a 2-0 lead. He and Eldrige Figueroa scored later in the inning on the first of two Georgia State errors when Christian Reyes hit a two-out double down the left-field line. Garrett Scott added his second home run of the season in the fifth inning to give UALR a 5-0 lead.
Tanner Gallman's sacrifice fly scored the Panthers' lone run in the top of the eighth inning before the Trojans put the game away in the bottom of the inning. Figueroa, Reyes and Ryan Benavidez had RBI singles and Riley Pittman drew a bases-loaded walk that scored Reyes to set the final score.
Pittman was 3 for 4 with 1 run scored and 1 RBI for UALR, while Reyes, Padilla and Figueroa had two hits each.
Left-hander Chandler Fidel (2-2) evened his record with the victory, allowing 7 hits with 3 walks and 7 strikeouts over 7 innings. Hunter Gaddis (1-3) took the loss for the Panthers after allowing 5 runs -- 2 earned -- on 6 hits with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts in 5 innings.
SOUTHLAND
TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI 5, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 4
Enrique Sanchez Jr. hit an RBI single down the right-field line in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday to give Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (17-11, 6-4 Southland Conference) a series-opening victory over the University of Central Arkansas (12-14, 6-4) at Chapman Field in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Sanchez started the Islanders' scoring in the fifth inning with an RBI double. Joey Werner hit an RBI single to left field and Sanchez scored on Nick Anderson's groundout for a 3-0 lead. UCA rallied in the seventh inning, taking a 4-3 lead on RBI singles from Josh Ragan, Marco Navarro and Kolby Johnson, as well as a bases loaded walk to Tyler Smith. Thomas Jeffries tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the eight with an RBI single.
Ragan, Smith and Kolby Johnson finished with two hits each for the Bears, who finished with 11.
Sanchez led the Islanders by going 3 for 5 with 2 RBI and 1 run scored. UCA reliever Gavin Stone (1-2) took the loss after allowing the Islanders' runs in the eighth and ninth innings on five hits. Starter Cody Davenport went 6 innings, allowing 3 earned runs on 7 hits with a walk and 4 strikeouts.
SWAC
TEXAS SOUTHERN 6, UAPB 3
Texas Southern (7-16, 5-5 Southwestern Athletic Conference) scored five unanswered runs Friday, including three in the top of the ninth, to claim the series opener over the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (4-21, 1-9) at the Torii Hunter Complex in Pine Bluff.
A Nick Kreutzer RBI single and an error by Texas Southern catcher Christian Sanchez gave UAPB a 2-0 lead in the second inning. The Tigers cut the lead in half in the top of the fourth inning on an RBI double by Olajide Oloruntimilehin, but the Golden Lions got the run back in the bottom of the inning when Kreutzer hit an RBI double to score Justin Robinson and take a 3-1 lead.
Sanchez made up for his error with a home run in the fifth inning that cut the lead to 3-2. Then Texas State capitalized on an error by UAPB second baseman Jarficur Parker in the seventh inning, which allowed Victor Cruz to score and tied the game at 3-3. The Tigers broke the game open in the ninth inning, using a wild pitch to score a run and RBI singles from Keanu Van Kuren and Mason Furlong to set the final score.
Robinson was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored, while Kreutzer was 3 for 5 to lead the Golden Lions offensively.
Oloruntimilehin, Nic Garza and Oscar Ponce finished with two hits each for the Tigers. Reliever Tim Reynolds (0-1) took the loss for UAPB after allowing 4 runs -- 3 earned -- on 5 hits with 2 walks and 1 strikeout over 3 innings of work. Starter Will Smith went 52/3 innings, allowing 2 earned runs on 5 hits with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. Aron Solis (3-3) threw a complete game for the Tigers, allowing 12 hits with 5 walks and 9 strikeouts.
Sports on 03/30/2019