Central Arkansas Takes Down Missouri 8-2
Central Arkansas 8, Missouri 2
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Junior Clint Green
went the distance Wednesday to lead the University of Central Arkansas Bears to
an 8-2 victory over the Missouri Tigers at Taylor Stadium.
Green, a right-hander from Little
Rock Christian, scattered 11 hits, including 10 singles, and struck out 4 as
UCA (11-10) split the two-game series with the Big 12 Tigers (15-9).
A day after UCA's bullpen let a
7-4 lead slip away in the eighth inning against the Tigers, the Bears padded a
3-2 lead with four runs in the eighth and another in the ninth and let Green
(1-1) do the rest.
UCA used four hits in the eighth
inning, including RBI singles by Travis Snider and Logan Moon and a two-run
double by Blake Marchal. In the ninth inning, Forrestt Allday walked and
eventually scored on an error for the 8-2 margin.
Missouri got its lone extra-base
hit in the second inning when Eric Garcia hit a solo home run. Green did not
allow another run until the fifth when Connor Mach had an RBI single.
Meanwhile, the Bears answered
Garcia's home run with a solo shot from junior Ethan Harris, his team-high
third of the season, in the third inning. They took the lead for good with a
two-run fourth inning. Snider had an RBI double and later scored on a passed
ball.
Snider, Marchal and senior Bryan
Willson all had two hits each, while Snider and Marchal had 2 RBI apiece.
UCA returns to Southland
Conference play this weekend at UT Arlington.
Stephen
F. Austin 9, New Mexico 5
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Rene' Moreda went 4-for-4 and the Lumberjack bats exploded
for a season-high 16 hits in a 9-5 win over New Mexico on Wednesday at Isotopes
Park, closing out a sweep of a two-game series against the Lobos.
SFA (11-14) has now won four of its last five games and never
trailed in its trip to Albuquerque, jumping out to a 4-0 first-inning lead on
Wednesday and allowing just two earned runs by the Lobos (10-13) in the game.
Moreda spearheaded the offensive attack from the leadoff spot,
scoring three times and reaching base in each of his five plate appearances,
including two doubles, a triple and two RBI. The 9-1-2 hitters for the Lumberjacks
combined to go 9-for-14 on the day with Freddy Villalobos continuing to swing a
good bat with a 3-for-5 day that included three extra-base hits, and a 2-for-5
afternoon from Bryce Cummings.
The run support was more than enough for starter Chase Greening to
work with as the junior earned his first Lumberjack win of his career with a
solid outing, striking out three and allowing four runs - one earned - in six
innings. Cameron Gann allowed one run in relief, while Reid Landers struck out
three hitters in two innings work.
Selby Brummet fell to 0-2 for the Lobos, giving up four runs on
seven hits in the first inning alone before giving way to four New Mexico
relievers. SFA managed to score at least one runner on each of the first four
Lobo arms they threw at them, including three with two outs in the fifth off of
Bobby Mares to break the game open.
For the second straight day the Lumberjacks wasted no time jumping
out to an early lead, pouncing on Lobo Brummett for four runs on seven hits in
the first frame. After Moreda and Villalobos opened the game with hits, Ricardo
Sanchez plated each with a sharp single up the middle.
Scarafiotti followed with a single to center in front of Rory
Myers, who tugged a grounder through the left side to make give SFA a 3-0 lead.
Chris Hernandez followed Myers with a sure single to right field, giving Greening
a quick 4-0 advantage to work with.
SFA left the bases loaded in its half of the second before the
Lobos got on the board on an RBI single from Alex Real; however, after a
scoreless third by the Lumberjacks, SFA struck again for a run when Villalobos
sent an 0-2 pitch into the right-field corner for a triple that scored Moreda,
who had doubled to open the inning.
New Mexico then mounted a two-out rally in its half of the fourth
that started when Ryan Padilla reached on an error and after the Lobos loaded
the bases John Pustay brought in a pair with a single through the left side of
the infield; however, UNM got three runs in on the play on the second SFA error
of the frame. Fortunately, Greening followed that up by striking out Alex
Allbritton to keep the Lumberjacks out in front 5-4.
But after SFA had left a runner on third in the fourth, it looked
as though they would do the same in the fifth, that was until the Lumberjacks
answered the Lobos' two-out rally with one of their own. Myers reached third
base with none out after a single, steal and error but Mares nearly worked out
of it after retiring Chris Hernandez and Bobby Loveless. But Bryce Cummings got
the run home with a two-out infield hit, and then scored one batter later when
Moreda shot a double into the left-field corner. Villalobos then nullified the
Lobos' inning by driving in the third SFA run of the inning, putting the Lumberjacks
up 8-4 with his second double of the day.
Greening followed that with shutdown fifth and sixth innings and
the Lumberjacks gave another run of cushion when Moreda drove in Fola Lajide
with a triple off the right-field wall.
New Mexico got one run back on a leadoff homer by Josh Melendez in
the 8th, but never mustered a true threat to get back in the game as lefty Reid
Landers came in and struck out three of the seven hitters he faced in tossing
two scoreless innings to close out the game.
The Lumberjacks will look to stay hot this weekend when they
travel to Natchitoches, La., for a three-game set with Northwestern State
beginning Friday at Brown-Stroud Field.
Texas State 7,
No. 16 Oregon 6
SAN MARCOS, Texas -
Texas State took an early lead and had to hold on late as the Bobcats defeated
No. 16 Oregon, 7-6, for the second straight day at Bobcat Ballpark.
The longball
helped Texas State jump in front early as both senior Casey Kalenkosky and
freshman Brooks Orton hit two-run homers to give the Bobcats a 4-2 lead after
two innings. Kalenkosky's blast was his second in as many games - the sixth
time in his Texas State career that he has homered in consecutive games.
Orton's home run was the first of his Texas State career.
Kalenkosky
brought home his third RBI of the game in the third inning with a sacrifice fly
that plated Nick Smelser for a 5-2 Bobcats lead.
Oregon came back
within two runs in the fourth inning when the Ducks scored one for a 5-3 score,
but the Bobcats extended their advantage back to 6-3 in the fifth inning when
Andrew Stumph's RBI ground out put the home team back in front by three.
The Ducks pushed
across two runs in the seventh inning, but Stumph delivered again in the bottom
half of the frame to make the score 7-5. With two outs and Tyler Sibley on
second base, Oregon intentionally walked Jeff McVaney to get to Stumph, who
singled to center field for his second RBI of the game that proved to be the
game winner.
Oregon came
within a run of tying the game in the eighth inning when the Ducks scored one
for a 7-6 score, but reliever Dylan Adamek was able to keep the Texas State
lead intact before handing the pitching duties off to McVaney, who closed out
the game with a scoreless ninth inning for his fifth save of the season.
Texas State
freshman Austen Williams (1-0) made his first career start and struck out four
batters over 6.1 innings en route to his first collegiate victory. Williams
exited the game with a 6-3 lead in the seventh inning and finished with five
earned runs allowed for the game.
Jordan Spencer
took the loss for Oregon, dropping to 0-1 this season after making his second
start. He allowed five runs over four innings on the afternoon.
Smelser raised
his season batting average to .312 with a 2 for 2 day at the plate and three
runs scored. Kalenkosky finished 1 for 3 with three RBI, while McVaney reached
base three times as part of a 1 for 2 day with two stolen bases.
Texas State
returns to Southland Conference action this weekend when the Bobcats host
McNeese State at Bobcat Ballpark this Friday through Sunday. Game one of the
three-game set will be Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Southeastern
Louisiana 12, Alcorn State 3
HAMMOND, La. - Southeastern Louisiana struggled at
the plate against Alcorn State Wednesday, but the Lions found efficient ways to
drive home runs for a 12-3 mid-week victory.
Southeastern
plated more runs with fewer hits in four of its six run-scoring innings, but
the hitting streaks of Brock Hebert (19 games) and Jonathan Pace (17 games)
came to an end against the Braves.
Alcorn
State (6-19) took an early lead as shortstop Angel Rosa hit the first of his
two home runs leading off the second inning.
The
Lions answered with a pair of second-inning runs to take their own lead. Pace
drew a leadoff walk and Cody Gougler followed with a single to right field.
Gougler had three hits in the game and drove in a pair of runs.
Pace
would score on a throwing error by the pitcher on a sacrifice bunt by Harry
Slade. Gougler came home to score on Brett Hoffman's ground out to short.
Hoffman drove in a career-high three runs for the Lions.
In
the fourth, Southeastern (19-7) scored three runs on just one hit. Slade drew a
two out walk and stole second. He moved to third when Alcorn catcher Stephen
Loupe dropped a third strike, allowing Ryan Downing to reach base. Hoffman
drove both in with a double to right and he later scored on an error by the
shortstop.
The
Lions tacked on two more runs in the fifth, and single runs in the sixth and
seventh.
Alcorn
State scored two runs in the eighth as Rosa's second home run of the game was a
two-run shot to left field.
Southeastern
completed the scoring with three runs in the eighth.
Junior
Buck Bernard (2-0) picked up the win for the Lions after allowing one run in
six innings of work. Starter Harrison Gary (0-2) took the loss for Alcorn
State.
The
Lions travel to Beaumont, Texas, Friday to face Lamar in the opener of a
three-game Southland Conference Series.
Sam Houston State 14,
Texas Southern 6
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Rallying from a 4-0 deficit with a 10-run third inning, Sam
Houston State handed Texas Southern a 14-6 non-conference loss Wednesday at Don
Sanders Stadium.
Sam Houston (16-9) totaled 15 hits while Texas Southern (12-13)
posted seven.
Texas Southern exploded for four runs in the top of the third
inning with RBI singles by left fielder Louis Hubbard, center fielder Sebastian
Stargell and first baseman Anthony Dilligard. The Bearkats also gave up two
walks, a hit batter and a wild pitch in the inning.
Sam Houston roared back in bottom of the third to score 10 runs on
eight runs, two errors and two walks. The performance marked the sixth time in
school history for the Bearkats to score 10 or more runs in one inning. The
most recent 10-run inning came against Texas-Pan American in 2006. The school
record for runs in an inning is 18 against Saint Thomas in 1968.
Designated hitter Anthony Azar, first baseman Ryan O'Hearn and
shortstop Corey Toups each accounted for two RBI in the inning while third
baseman Kevin Miller, center fielder Colt Atwood and left fielder Luke Plucheck
each added one RBI. The other run scored on an error.
Texas Southern added runs in the fifth and seventh inning. Sam
Houston scored on sacrifice flies in the
bottom of the fifth by Azar and the seventh by Greg Olsen and a double by Azar.
O'Hearn and Azar led the Kat offense with three hits apiece.
Andrew Godail (1-1) was the winning pitcher in relief. TSU starter
Kevin Schulba (2-2) took the loss.