Designated hitter Tanner Wiley went 2 for 4 with 5 RBI to help second-seeded University of Central Arkansas defeat No. 6 seed Stephen F. Austin 11-0 in eight innings Thursday in the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas.
UCA (31-25), which is the highest seed left in the tournament after top seed Sam Houston State was eliminated earlier Thursday by Incarnate Word, will play Southeastern Louisiana or Stephen F. Austin in a winners bracket game at 4 p.m. today. Southeastern Louisiana and Stephen F. Austin will play in a losers bracket game at 9 a.m. today.
Gavin Stone (4-3) went the distance for the Bears, striking out five and allowing six hits. Stone did not walk a batter in 100 pitches.
The Bears' first four batters reached base and loaded the bases for Wiley, who cleared the bases with a double down the left-field line to go ahead 3-0.
After the first inning, the bats went quiet on both sides as the Bears and Lumberjacks combined for just five hits over as many innings. Stone turned three consecutive 1-2-3 innings and struck out out three, while SFA starter Trayson Kubo battled through three walks to keep UCA from opening up the lead.
A Josh Ragan double with no outs in the seventh put runners at second and third and drove Kubo out of the game. Jay Anderson then dashed home on a Jaxon Covington wild pitch and Wiley followed with his second RBI double of the evening to extend the lead to 6-0.
In the following inning, the Bears scored five runs on RBI doubles from Anderson and Tyler Smith and an additional run-scoring hit off the bat of Beau Orlando. UCA added the final run on a passed ball, allowing Alonso Bibiano to score.
Orlando had a team-high three hits for the Bears. Anderson and Smith each had two hits.
No Lumberjack had more than one hit Thursday.
Kubo (3-4) allowed 5 runs on 6 hits in 6 innings. He struck out six and walked five.
SUN BELT TOURNAMENT
GEORGIA SOUTHERN 10, UALR 3
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (29-27) committed five errors in a loss to Georgia Southern (34-23) in the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Tournament at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.
The Trojans will face Troy at 2 p.m. today in a losers bracket game. UALR defeated Troy 6-5 in its tournament opener Wednesday.
Georgia Southern took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning and took a 2-0 lead into the fifth inning. The Eagles chased Trojans starter Hayden Arnold with a two-run single by Jason Swan and Noah Ledford scoring on a wild pitch for a 5-0 lead. Swan scored on a fielder's choice later in the inning for a 6-0 advantage.
Arnold (5-3) allowed 6 runs, 5 earned, on 4 hits in 42/3 innings. He struck out six and walked three.
Ryan Benavidez hit his 11th home run of the season, this one a two-run shot in the bottom of the fifth inning for the Trojans. Christian Reyes went 2 for 5 with a run scored.
Sports on 05/24/2019