Baseball: March 27 Scoreboard
Central Arkansas 4, Sam Houston State 3
Northwestern State 6, McNeese State 4
Houston Baptist 6, UIW 3
Southeastern Louisiana 3, Nicholls 1
Stephen F. Austin 7, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 2
New Orleans 11, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 1
Central Arkansas 4, Sam Houston State 3
CONWAY, Ark.— Junior right-hander Connor Gilmore tossed a four-hit complete game Friday night as the University of Central Arkansas Bears grabbed a comeback 4-3 victory over the Sam Houston State Bearkats in Southland Conference action at Bear Stadium.
Gilmore (3-2) pitched his second consecutive complete game win over Sam Houston dating back to last season. He allowed three runs in the top of the second inning but shut the Bearkats down after that, retiring 13 of the final 14 batters of the game. Gilmore struck out four and walked two as UCA improved to 13-7 overall and 7-3 in SLC play, jumping a game ahead of the Bearkats in the league standings.
The Bears got one of the runs back in the bottom of the second inning, with help from the Bearkats. Braxton Phillips singled to left field and Hayden Steele followed with another. A wild pitch moved both runners up and a throwing error on the SHSU catcher allowed Phillips to score to make it 3-1.
UCA took the lead with a three-run sixth inning. Senior designated hitter Nate Ferrell started the rally with a one-out double down the left-field line. Phillips was hit by a pitch and Steele brought both in with another double just inside the left-field foul line. Left fielder Wesley Hoover added the final run with an RBI single to the right-center gap that scored Steele for a 4-3 advantage.
The Bears threatened again in the seventh but left two runners on base. Gilmore set the Bearkats down in order in the eighth and returned in the ninth and worked around a walk to end it.
Steele, a junior third baseman from St. Joseph, Mo., finished 3 for 4 with 2 RBI and a run scored, while Hull was 2 for 3 and center fielder Tyler Langley was 2 for 5 as UCA finished with 10 hits off two SHSU pitchers.
Game 2 of the series is set for 4 p.m. Saturday.
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Northwestern State 6, McNeese State 4
NATCHITOCHES, La. – It didn’t follow the normal pattern for a Friday night, but the Northwestern State Demons will take it.
The Demons needed a little more offense than they are accustomed to with Adam Oller on the mound, but NSU hitters were up to the challenge.
Sparked by a three-run home run by Cort Brinson in the first inning, the Demons grabbed a 6-4 victory against McNeese State in the opener of a three-game Southland Conference baseball series at Brown-Stroud Field on Friday.
Armed with the lead after a touch-and-go first inning, Oller settled in and worked eight solid innings, scattering eight hits and three runs to improve to 4-1.
Brandon Smith worked the ninth, allowing an unearned run to notch his fifth save of the season and keeping the Demons (15-10, 7-2) a half-game behind Southeastern Louisiana in the Southland Conference race. McNeese dropped to 16-10 overall and 6-4 in conference play.
A high pitch count wasn’t Fontenot’s worry early. Instead it was Brinson, who extended his season-long hit streak to seven games with a mammoth three-run home run in the first inning.
After Joel Aktinson singled, Nick Heath coaxed a walk off Fontenot (3-3) on a full-count pitch before Brinson ambushed Fontenot’s first pitch for his third home run of the season, one that gave NSU a lead it would not relinquish.
The Demons continued to push Fontenot’s pitch count upward, tacking on a pair of runs in the third inning. C.J. Webster had an RBI single and later scored when McNeese’s Lewis Guilbeau misplayed a Matthew Alford single.
NSU extended the lead to 6-2 an inning later on a David Fry sacrifice fly that scored Brinson, who led off with a walk, took second on a Chase Daughdrill single and alertly advanced to third on a long fly out to left by Webster.
Meanwhile, Oller settled in nicely. After being tagged for four hits in the first and a leadoff single in the second, he did not allow another hit until Matt Gallier led off the seventh with a double.
Gallier came around to score, but a diving grab by Brinson near the left field warning track and the timeliest of Oller’s two strikeouts minimized the damage.
McNeese cobbled together an unearned run in the ninth before Brandon Smith collected his fifth save of the season and seventh of his career, which moved him into a tie for eighth on the school career list.
The series continues Saturday at 2 p.m. when Northwestern State’s Josh Oller faces McNeese State’s Trent Fontenot in a battle of right-handers.
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Houston Baptist 6, UIW 3
SAN ANTONIO – HBU pounded out 17 hits to cruise to a 6-3 victory over Incarnate Word, despite leaving 12 runners on base, in the Southland Conference baseball series opener Friday night at Sullivan Field.
Senior third baseman
Curtis Jones went 4-for-5 with a triple and an RBI for the Huskies (14-11, 5-2 SLC), who have won five-straight games and four straight in league play. Junior first
Andrew Alvarezwent 3-for-5 with an RBI for his first three-hit game as a Husky. Junior shortstop
Louie Payetta was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs, junior second baseman
Greg Espinosa was 2-for-5 with a run and freshman designated hitter
Zac Garcia was 2-for-54 with a double.
Senior righthander
Taylor Wright (5-2) allowed one run, which was unearned, on five hits with three strikeouts and a pair of walks in five and two-thirds innings to grab the win for HBU. Junior
Matt Harding pitched two and one-third innings of scoreless relief, striking out four.
Christian Divelbiss went 2-for-4, while Jesse Hoover drove in a pair for UIW (9-15, 1-6).
The Cardinals used five pitchers, with starter Geno Encina (1-1) taking the loss by giving up three runs on nine hits with three strikeouts in four innings.
The first five batters of the fourth inning each singled for the Huskies, with Payetta leading off, followed by Jones, senior catcher
Samm Wiggins, junior leftfielder
Brandon Morones and Alvarez. Wiggins and Alvarez drove in HBU's first two runs, then senior rightfielder
Thomas Clay beat out a bases loaded, two-out infield single to put the Huskies up, 3-0.
UIW answered with an unearned run in the bottom of the inning. Ethan McGill drew a one-out walk and Divelbiss singled. Brance Kahle hit a chopper back to Wright, which should have resulted in an inning-ending double play, but Espinosa bobbled the ball, loading the bases. Colton Besett lifted a sacrifice fly into foul territory beyond the leftfield line, but that was all the Cardinals could muster.
In the sixth, Espinosa singled and scored on an error in the outfield after Garcia singled. The Huskies added two more in the eighth on RBI singles by Payetta and Jones' triple down the rightfield line.
Junior
Dylan Zarosky walked Blake Woosley, then Mark Whitehead singled and stole second. Hoover drove them both in with a single up the middle for the final margin.
The series continues with a 3 p.m. first pitch Saturday, followed by the finale Sunday at 1 p.m. The broadcast for each game begins 15 minutes prior to the first pitch on HBUHuskies.com.
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Southeastern Louisiana 3, Nicholls 1
THIBODAUX, La. – Tate Scioneaux scattered three hits in a complete-game effort Friday at Ray E. Didier Field as Southeastern Louisiana defeated Nicholls State, 3-1, in Southland Conference play.
Southeastern (21-7, 8-2 Southland), which won its sixth-consecutive game, maintains sole possession of first place in the Southland. The Lions will host Nicholls (13-11-1, 4-6 Southland) at 3 p.m. Saturday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni field in Hammond, Louisiana.
Nicholls jumped out in front early. Leadoff hitter Justin Holt tripled into the right-field corner and scored one out later on Kyle Reese's sacrifice fly to left-center field.
The Lions answered immediately. Webb Bobo dropped a two-out single into right field in the second inning. He advanced to second base after Kennon Menard followed with a walk. Bobo scored to tie the game on Jacob Seward's single past the first baseman.
Southeastern took the lead in the fourth. Ryan Byers singled through the left side to open the inning and advanced to third base on Bobo's single up the middle.
Following Menard's walk to load the bases, Seward lofted a fly ball to left-center. Holt caught the ball, but had it pop out of his glove as he dove to make the catch. Byers scored, but Bobo was thrown out at third on the fielder's choice.
The Lions padded the lead with an insurance run in the ninth.
After a two-out hit in the second, Scioneaux (5-1) did not allow the final hit until the leadoff hitter in the seventh. The junior from Reserve, Louisiana, walked two and fanned eight in tossing his first complete game of the season to earn the win.
Nicholls starting pitcher Marc Frazier (1-5) was tagged with the loss.
Seward picked up a career-high four hits (4-for-5), driving in the tying and game-winning runs. Bobo (2-for-3) and Kevin Carr (2-for-5) also had multi-hit performances
The Lions will send junior right-hander Jake Johnson (4-0, 1.96) to the mound on Super Lion Saturday against Nicholls left-hander Grant Borne (1-3, 1.19).
Included in Super Lion Saturday's list of activities are the 3rd Annual Green and Gold 5K Run at 8 a.m., softball's 11 a.m. game versus Sam Houston State, a 12 p.m. tailgate hosted by Gus O'Krepki, and Lion football's Spring Game at 1 p.m.
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Stephen F. Austin 7, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 2
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- After falling behind 2-1 after three innings, SFA outscored Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 6-0 over the final six innings, and was paced by a pair of strong pitching performances, toppling the Islanders 7-2 at Chapman Field.
The win snaps a two-game skid for SFA as the Lumberjacks improve to 8-18 on the year and 3-6 in Southland Conference play. The `Jacks handed the Islanders their sixth-straight loss as A&M-Corpus Christi fell to 10-11 on the year and 2-7 in SLC action.
Looking to rebound from a tough loss to Big XII opponent West Virginia Tuesday, SFA plated the first run of the game against the Islanders in the top of the third. With two on and one out,
Nick Ramos grounded out to second, but it was enough to bring
Eric DeJesushome from third, giving the `Jacks the early 1-0 lead.
A&M-CC responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to claim the 2-1 lead. But that lead was short-lived as DeJesus returned the favor in the top of the fourth, connecting on an RBI single to center which brought home
Kyle Thornell, knotting the game at 2-2.
It stayed that way until the sixth when Thornell took matters into his own hands, belting a solo shot to right field, his third of the season, to put the `Jacks on top for good at 3-2.
SFA extended that lead in the top of the eighth as
Garrett McMullen got the green light at third base, successfully stealing home to give the `Jacks the 4-2 lead. SFA then added three insurance runs in the top of the ninth, thanks to an RBI single from
Dan O'Neill, an RBI double from Thornell and an RBI single from
Brandon Smith, giving SFA the final 7-2 margin.
The seven runs were plenty for the Lumberjack pitching staff, however, as senior
Cameron Gann picked up the win after going 6.1 innings and allowing just two runs on five hits with six strikeouts.
Patrick Ledet then came in and shut the door on the Islanders, allowing no hits with four strikeouts in 2.2 innings of work to close out the win.
SFA scored its seven runs on 10 hits, led by a 3-for-4 night for Thornell with the pair of RBIs. O'Neill went 2-for-5 with an RBI and run scored with McMullen, Smith, DeJesus,
Matthew Dickey and
Hunter Wilson adding the remaining runs.
Game two of the three-game series is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon at Chapman Field. LHP
Dillon Mangham(1-4, 5.71 ERA) is scheduled to get the start for the Lumberjacks with LHP Trevor Belicek (2-2, 3.45 ERA) slated to take the hill for the Islanders.
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New Orleans 11, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 1
NEW ORLEANS, La. – The New Orleans Privateers baseball team (9-16, 2-7 Southland) attacked early in the count to set the tone in an 11-1 victory over the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (10-11, 6-3 SWAC) on Friday night at Maestri Field at First NBC Ballpark.
The Privateers were aggressive early in setting the tone, scoring two runs in the second inning and three in the third after Golden Lions starter, Billy Olson had a 1-2-3 inning to start the game. Three of the Privateers’ first four hits in the game came on the first or second pitch of the count.
In the third, Ryan Calloway led off with a solo home run, his first of the season and one of five extra base hits. “Our approach tonight is what we’ve been preaching all year. We hit the ball the other way and made the plays and Alex had a good game. It was a good win,” said Coach Ron Maestri.
Olson’s final frame on the hill saw him give up four runs. Back-to-back singles started the sixth and set up Preston Marsh who doubled over centerfielder Rashawn Tillman’s head. Parker Jones followed with one of his three hits on the night and drove in another run on a single.
Jay Robinson also collected his second double of the night while scoring the fourth and final run of the frame.
Privateers starter, Alex Smith was in command throughout the night. Smith did not allow a walk nor a hit batter through seven innings of work. The only run he gave up was on a two-out RBI single by Tillman in the third. Smith struck out four batters and threw 89 pitches in his longest outing of the season.
Jones had a 3-for-4 night as the Privateers knocked around Golden Lions pitchers for 16 knocks. Hezekiah Randolph went 2-for-2 with two runs and was also hit by a pitch twice. Sam Carriere went 2-for-3 with two runs and came up with some great defensive plays at short.
For the Golden Lions, Tillman went 3-for-3 and drove in the only run of the night. Chris Beer was 2-for-2 with a pair of singles. Colin Drury had the only Arkansas-Pine Bluff extra base hit on the night and scored the lone run for the visitors.
The series continues tomorrow with a first pitch at 2 p.m.
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