SUN BELT
UALR 4, TEXAS STATE 3 (10)
Eldrige Figueroa's RBI single scored Chase Coker in the bottom of the 10th inning Friday to give the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (23-25, 14-10 Sun Belt Conference) a series-opening victory over West Division leader Texas State (33-16, 17-8) at Gary Hogan Field in Little Rock.
After Ramon Padilla struck out swinging to start the 10th inning for UALR, Coker hit a bunt single on the first pitch he saw. Figueroa's game-winning hit through the right side came on a full count.
The Trojans scored their first two runs on solo home runs from Riley Pittman in the first inning and from Coker in the fifth. The Bobcats got a solo home run from Ryan Newman in the second inning, then took a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning on RBI singles from Jaxon Williams and Dalton Shuffield. Troy Alexander hit a solo home run for UALR in the bottom of the seventh inning that tied the game at 3-3.
Pittman and Coker finished with 2 hits each for UALR, which finished with 8 and left 3 runners on base. Donavin Buck (4-4) earned the victory in relief, allowing 1 hit with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts in his only inning of work. Starter Chandler Fidel went 9 innings, allowing all 3 Texas State runs -- all earned -- on 6 hits with 2 walks and 12 strikeouts.
SOUTHLAND
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 4, ABILENE CHRISTIAN 1
The University of Central Arkansas (25-23, 15-10 Southland Conference) scored three runs in the first two innings Friday to take control early in its series opener against Abilene Christian (23-24, 10-15) at Bear Stadium in Conway.
The Bears scored on a Beau Orlando RBI double to left field in the first inning that scored Tyler Smith, then got a two-run single from Nathaniel Sagdahl in the second to take a 3-0 lead. The Wildcats scored their lone run in the eighth inning on an RBI single from Dalon Farkas that scored Dalton Dunn, but they gave the run back in the bottom of the inning when a balk score Josh Ragan to give UCA a 4-1 lead. Abilene Christian had two runners on base with one out in the ninth inning, but a strikeout and a ground out ended the game.
The Bears managed just four hits, which came from Smith, Ragan, Alonso Bibiano and Cole Fiori. Cody Davenport earned the victory after allowing 1 earned run on 5 hits with 2 walks and 13 strikeouts over 8 innings. Gavin Stone picked up the save with a walk and a strikeout to his credit in the ninth inning.
SWAC
UAPB 11-3,
NORTH ALABAMA 9-11
Ricardo Sanchez went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI, while Nick Kreutzer and Ryan Mallison had two each to lead the Golden Lions to a victory over North Alabama on Friday at the Torii Hunter Complex in Pine Bluff. North Alabama won the second game to split the doubleheader.
Kreutzer hit a three-run double down the right-field line in the third inning and scored on Sanchez's RBI single to give UAPB (8-40) a 4-0 lead. Ben Kiefer stole home in the fourth inning, cutting the lead to 4-1, before North Alabama (16-34) took the lead in the fifth. Drew Hudson scored on a wild pitch, Davis Elliott stole third and scored on a throwing error by UAPB catcher Austin Krzeminski, then Tate Mathis hit a two-run triple and scored on a throwing error by Mallison as North Alabama took a 6-4 lead.
Sanchez hit an RBI triple down the right-field line in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to 6-5, but North Alabama got that run back in the top of the sixth on an RBI single by Elliott. UAPB took the lead for good with a six-run eighth inning, in which it got a two-run single from Jarficur Parker, a two-run single from Davion White, a fielding error from North Alabama first baseman Harris Kain that scored a run and an RBI double from Kreutzer.
Krzeminski and Mallison had two hits each in the second game to lead UAPB, which finished with 8 as a team and committed 4 errors. UAPB fell behind 6-0 in the fourth inning before scoring on a two-run double by Kreutzer in the fifth and Mallison scored in the sixth on an error by pitcher Bryant Claunch.
Austin Toth (1-0) earned the victory on the mound in the first game after allowing 5 runs -- 3 of them earned -- on 11 hits with 2 strikeouts in his 41/3 innings of work.
Sports on 05/11/2019