April 26, 2009

WKU 4, Florida Atlantic 3

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.--- After Matt Hightower led off the ninth inning with a double off the left field fence, Terrence Dayleg roped a single down the left field line to score Hightower and give Western Kentucky University (30-12, 16-5 SBC) a 4-3 win over Florida Atlantic University (24-18, 7-13 SBC). The win gives WKU its 12th consecutive home series win, and moves WKU to an impressive 23-2 at Nick Denes Field in 2009.

WKU starting pitcher Shane Cameron continued his stellar Sunday pitching, going 6.2 innings, giving up three runs off six hits and striking out three in a no decision.

The Toppers got on the board early after Wade Gaynor belted his 15th home run of the year in the first inning, a two-run shot off FAU starter Brent Adheen. Adheen lasted four innings, giving up three runs off five hits.

The Owls would cut into the WKU lead in the top of the third after Travis Ozga hit a RBI double into right field, scoring Sean Bukovich to make it a 3-1 WKU lead. Ozga would finish the day 3-for-4 with two doubles.

The Toppers would quickly answer in the home half of the third, when Chad Cregar hit his first triple of the 2009 season with two outs and scored on a Matt Rice RBI single through the left side to give WKU a 3-1 advantage.

That 3-1 lead would hold up until the seventh inning, when FAU second baseman William Block singled off relief pitcher Evan Teague into left field with the bases loaded, scoring two runs to tie the game at three.

The Owls would have a golden opportunity to take the lead in the eighth, loading the bases with two outs, but WKU reliever Bart Carter got Nick Criaris to fly out to left field on a 2-0 pitch to end the inning. Carter (5-1) would also work the top of the ninth inning, getting William Block to ground into a 6-3 double play to end the inning and set up Terrence Dayleg’s game-winning hit in the bottom half of the ninth. Dayleg would finish the day going 3-for-4 at the plate to lead WKU.

Ahmed Garcia (2-1) suffered the loss for FAU, tossing four innings in relief, giving up only the ninth inning run.

WKU will return to action Tuesday night against Austin Peay at 6:00 p.m. (CDT) from Nick Denes Field.

UALR 15, Houston Baptist 2

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Nate Brown and Tyson Parks each homered twice and Eric Hanlon had one of his own in UALR’s 15-2 victory over the Houston Baptist Huskies (9-31) Sunday afternoon at Gary Hogan Field.

The game was shortened due to the 10-run rule after seven innings, and UALR (12-27) ended things in dramatic fashion as Brown hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the seventh. Brown finished the afternoon 3-for-6 with six RBI and three runs scored.

UALR starting pitcher Jake Sullivan (4-4) hurled all seven innings, picking up the victory for the Trojans. Sullivan allowed just four hits and two runs while striking out a career-high 13.

Houston Baptist took a 1-0 lead in the first inning thanks to an RBI double by Andrew Taccolini. The Huskies got their only other run in the sixth inning on an RBI single from David Mark.

The UALR offense, which pounded out its 15 runs on 14 hits, was led by Brown, Parks, and Hanlon who all had three hits apiece. Matt Apfel finished with two hits and two RBI, improving his season average to .297. Anthony Gower also posted two hits and Tim Emmons finished the afternoon 1-for-2 effort with a run scored.

UALR held a 3-1 lead going into the bottom of the fifth inning before the offense exploded for five runs, four of which came against HBU starter Andrew Beasley. Beasley, who fell to 1-5 allowed seven runs on eight hits over 4.1 innings. The Trojans then cashed in with two more runs in the sixth before exploding for five more in the final frame.

The Trojans are back in action Tuesday at Gary Hogan Field as they play host to the Alcorn State Braves for a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 2 p.m.

Troy 12, Louisiana-Lafayette 3

TROY, Ala. – For two days, Troy senior Michael Precise had to sit and watch as his Troy University teammates struggled against Louisiana-Lafayette pitching.

Precise returned to the lineup on Sunday and helped the Trojans avoid a sweep by driving in three runs in a 12-3 Troy victory. The Trojans improved to 25-16 overall with the win and stay within striking distance of the Sun Belt leaders with a 12-7 league mark.

ULL falls to 20-21-1 overall and 10-13 in league play with the loss.

After getting just eight total hits in the first two games against the Ragin’ Cajuns, the Trojans piled up 17 hits in Sunday’s win. For the first time all weekend, the Trojans got off to a good start against ULL, plating a pair of runs in the first inning off freshman left-hander Alex Fuselier (2-2).

“We were able to score some runs early on and that set the tempo for the entire game,” Troy coach Bobby Pierce said. “We pitched and defended well, but we had better quickness and better strikezone awareness at the plate than we did in the first two games.”

Chad Watson led off the first with a double into the rightfield corner on the first pitch he saw. He moved up to third on a ground out and scored on a ground ball to short by Precise, sliding under catcher Thad Griffen to beat the throw from Greg Fontenot.

Precise quickly stole second, moved up on another ground ball and then scored on a bloop single to center by Miles Hoyle.

“I like the way we attacked them early in the game, we did some good things early to score some runs,” Pierce said. “I really liked the way we continued to extend the lead later in the game.”

The Trojans continued to produce in the second inning, loading the bases with a walk and consecutive bunt hits by Adam Bryant and Watson before Charley Williams doubled off the wall in left to plate two runs and end the day for Fuselier.

The Trojans added another run on a ground ball by Precise that turned into a double play when Williams was thrown out trying to take third as Watson scored. Troy did take a hit in the inning when Ryan Ditthardt was hit in the head with a pitch from Gregory Harmon. He stayed in the game to run, but did not come back out defensively in the third.

ULL got two runs back in the fourth off Troy starter Travis Burge (4-1) when Les Smith hit a 2-2 fastball over the scoreboard, scoring Scott Hawkins, who singled up the middle in front if him.

The Cajuns added another run in the fifth when Kyle Olasin, who reached on a fielders’ choice and moved up on a wild pitch, scored on a single down the line in left by Matt Goulas.

Burge had a strong outing for the Trojans, allowing just three runs on seven hits over seven innings. He didn’t walk anyone, but hit two batters and had two strikeouts. Chris Sorce worked the final two innings for Troy, striking out three of the seven batters he faced.

Harmon worked six innings in relief for ULL, allowing three runs on nine hits.

Troy pushed its lead to 6-3 in the sixth when Precise delivered a two-out single to score Watson, who had doubled. The Trojans had a chance to increase the lead even more, but left two runners on in the inning.

Troy added another insurance run in the seventh when Hoyle, who reached on his fourth hit of the game, scored on a single by Bryant.

The Trojans blew the game open in the eighth inning, scoring five times against a trio of ULL hurlers. Otwell’s single plated Steven Rosado with the first run in the inning and then, after a walk and a hit batter loaded the bases, Felix delivered a bases clearing triple to the gap in left-center.

Bryant followed with a two-out single to plate Felix for the final margin of victory.

In addition to Hoyle’s four hits, the Trojans got three hits each from Watson and Bryant and two hits apiece from Precise and Otwell. ULL got two hits each from Goulas and Hawkins.

The Trojans will be back in action this week with a home-and-home series against Auburn before hosting league-leading Middle Tennessee in a weekend Sun Belt Conference series.

“We have five big games this week against two teams that can really hit the ball, and hit it with power,” Pierce said. “Pitching will be at a premium for us to be successful, but these are also big games for our fans. We had some good crowds out for the games this weekend, but we’d like to see the stands continue to fill up for these big games this week.”

Tuesday’s game will be at Auburn’s Plainsman Park with the first pitch set for 6 p.m. The teams will meet again on Wednesday night at Riddle-Pace Field with a 6 p.m. scheduled first pitch.

Middle Tennessee 11, South Alabama 5

MOBILE, Ala. - Senior Nathan Hines hit for the cycle as he helped guide the Blue Raiders to an 11-5 win over South Alabama on Sunday to win the weekend series 2-1.

Hines completed the cycle after a two-run shot to left field in the seventh. Hines got the cycle in order, single, double, triple, home run and recorded just the second cycle in school history. Hines ended the day 4 for 5 with four RBI and scored two runs.

The last Blue Raider to hit for the cycle was Adam Warren who hit for the cycle on April 25, 2006 in a 12-5 win over Lipscomb at Reese Smith Jr. Field.

"Hines had a great day hitting for the cycle. When Nathan is hitting the ball to the opposite field he is unstoppable. What a wonderful day and it doesn't happen very often and I know he will remember it," head coach Steve Peterson said.

Middle Tennessee (30-12, 18-6) had 18 hits on the day with five doubles, a triple and two home runs. Sophomore Bryce Brentz also had four hits on the day as he had a double and scored one run.

Seniors Grant Box and juniors Drew Robertson, Blake McDade and Ben Darlington all had two hits on the day with Box and McDade each having two RBI.

Phillip Byrd faced one batter and threw exactly two pitches leaving the game due to an injury but took the loss after Box reached on a fielder's choice became his batter and since he scored the first run for the Blue Raiders

Junior Chad Edwards (7-1) took the win in his first Sun Belt start, allowed four runs on 10 hits in 5.1 innings of work.

Junior Brett Smalley and freshman Justin Guidry worked two innings in relief allowing one run on two hits between them.

Junior Coty Woods picked up his 10^th save of the season as he worked 1.2 innings allowing no runs or hits with three strikeouts. Woods entered the game in the bottom of the eighth with one out, bases loaded and struck out the two batters he faced looking.

"The bullpen did well with the wind blowing out to left. Justin kind of lost his concentration and everything went from being down to being up so that was really the only disappointing thing out of the bullpen," Peterson said.

South Alabama (21-22, 9-12) had 13 hits on the day with three for extra bases leaving 10 runners on base.

The Blue Raiders got on the board first as a single to right field by Robertson scored Box from third in the first inning.

In the second inning, Middle Tennessee continued to take care of business scoring six runs on six hits to take a 7-0 lead. Hines, Box, Brentz, Bishop and Darlington all had RBI hits with all of those being doubles with the exception of Box who singled.

USA added a run in the second after a double by Overstreet scored Drake from second, who was hit by a pitch to reach. Then O'Reilly added another run as he hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield allowing Hook to score cutting the MT lead to five runs.

Middle Tennessee added a run after Dennis scored from third on a single to shallow right center field by Box; 8-2 MT. Dennis singled and then reached third after a failed pickoff attempt by Baxter.

USA added two runs on two hits in the sixth to cut the Blue Raider lead to four runs.

The Blue Raiders will have two mid-week games at Reese Smith field before traveling to Troy, Ala., for its weekend series with Troy. Middle Tennessee will play host to Belmont on Tuesday, April 28 at 6 p.m. at Reese Smith Jr. Field.

FIU 7, ULM 6

MONROE, La - The Golden Panthers fell in a 4-0 hole after three innings, but battled back behind 4.2 scoreless innings from the bullpen to beat ULM by the score of 7-6.

Junior Arrojo and Tim Jobe provided most of the offense, driving in three and two runs, respectively.

ULM got off to a quick start as Boomer Blanchard led off the game with a home run to left field.

The Warhawks made the score 4-0 in the bottom of the third, plating three runs on a couple of doubles and a bloop single.

Tim Jobe cut the ULM lead in half in the top of the fourth, hitting a two-run home run to left. With Steven Stropp on first, Jobe crushed a ball over the scoreboard in left. It was the second time this series that Jobe put one over the scoreboard. Raiko Alfonso and Michael Vargas followed with a couple of singles before Lammar Guy drew a walk to load the bases. Junior Arrojo then swung at the first pitch he saw and hit it off the left field wall for a game-tying 2-run double.

The Golden Panthers took the lead in the top of the fifth plating two to make the score 6-4. Mike Martinez got the rally going by drawing a walk and Stropp followed with a chopper through the left side. Alfonso then lined a ball into right field and Martinez was safe at home after a collision with the catcher. Vargas then drove in the sixth FIU run on a single to right.

FIU re-took the lead in the top of the sixth   Guy led off with a triple to deep center and came home on a bloop single by Arrojo. Bermudez then doubled to center, putting runners on second and third with nobody out.

Daniel DeSimone came on in relief with one out in the fifth inning and threw 2.1 scoreless innings, striking out three to earn the win. He is now 4-3. Eric Berkowitz relieved DeSimone with two outs in the seventh and didn’t allow a run either through 2.1 innings to earn his second save of the year.

Tyler Townsend picked up an infield single in the top of the ninth to extend his hitting streak to 18 games. Michael Vargas went 3-4, while Junior Arrojo, Steven Stropp and Raiko Alfonso all picked up two hits.

With the win, FIU holds on to fourth place in the Sun Belt Conference standings with a conference record of 12-9. They are 27-15 overall. ULM drops to 25-18 overall and 12-12 in conference games.

The Golden Panthers return to action this week as they travel to Ft. Myers on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. matchup with Florida Gulf Coast. They will then go to Deland to play Stetson on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.

April 25, 2009

Louisiana-Lafayette 6, Troy 1

TROY, Ala. – The Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette continued their mastery of the Troy Trojans on Saturday evening, getting another sparkling pitching performance in a 6-1 victory over the Trojans.

The loss for Troy (24-16, 11-7) was the 13th in 19 all-time games against ULL (20-20-1, 10-12), which is the only Sun Belt Conference team the Trojans have never won a series from.

The Trojans will try to prevent the Cajuns from sweeping the series on Sunday when the teams meet for the final time at 1 p.m.

In addition to losing the series, the Trojans lost a game in the standings to league leaders Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee, both of which won on Saturday. Troy is now 3.5 games behind the league leaders.

“You have to find a way to make your own breaks sometimes in this game and we aren’t making any breaks for ourselves right now,” Trojans coach Bobby Pierce said. “They have gotten great pitching in two straight games, and we look a little slow at the plate, a little passive.

“Our effort is solid, but we need to relax, settle in and get back to doing what we need to do. We have to flush these two games and come out tomorrow and find a way to get the last game of this series.”

After getting a strong pitching performance from Kyle Osborne on Friday night in a 5-0 victory, ULL turned to junior Justin Robichaux (1-1) on Saturday. The Cajuns’ coaches son was up to the challenge, blanking the Trojans for the first six innings before allowing an unearned run in the seventh inning.

Luke Wagley worked the final two innings for ULL, striking out four.

The side-arming right-hander followed the same pattern as Osborne coaxing the Trojans into 14 ground ball outs in his seven innings of work allowing just four hits while walking two and striking out one. The converted closer, who was making just his second start of the year, threw 105 pitches.

Troy starter Jason Walls (3-3) pitched well, but was hurt repeatedly by the pesky ULL hitters, who got five of their eight hits off him on seeing eye balls through the infield. Sophomore Drew Hull worked the final three innings for Troy, allowing just two hits and striking out four.

The Cajuns scored in the first after Kyle Olasin, who has gotten on base seven times in the two games, drew a walk, moved up on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a single by Travis Whipple. ULL added two more in the second on a two-strike single by Thad Griffen, scoring Lee Smith, who had doubled, and Kyle Bostick, who walked.

Whipple added a run in the fifth when he hit a two-strike homer deep to right center, over Riddle-Pace Field’s 27-foot wall. The Cajuns added two more runs in the sixth when Olasin delivered a two-out double down the left field line past a diving Brett Henry.

The Trojans scored single unearned runs in the seventh and ninth innings thanks to a trio of ULL errors.

“When things are going well, you don’t pay attention when little things go against you,” Pierce said. “But, when things are going bad and you hit an at ‘em ball, it really takes the breath right out of you.”

For the second straight night, the Trojans managed just four hits while the Cajuns scattered 10, three from Whipple and two each from Smith and Griffen.

The Trojans will try to avoid the sweep on Sunday when they send senior left-hander Travis Burge (3-1, 5.04) to the mound to face ULL freshman left-hander Alex Fuselier (2-1, 5.79). The first pitch is slated for 1 p.m.                                   

“Every win from this point on means something,” Pierce said. “I know that is a cliche’, but it is the truth. We have to take each game one at a time, and tomorrow is the only game that is important right now.”

Middle Tennessee 14, South Alabama 1

MOBILE, Ala. - Middle Tennessee rebounded from its heartbreaking loss on Friday night to break out the bats and take a 14-1 win over South Alabama on Saturday afternoon.

Middle Tennessee (29-12, 17-6) had 15 hits in the game with three home runs and four doubles. Junior Drew Robertson guided the team at the plate going 3 for 4 with a double, home run, one RBI and scored three runs.

Senior Rawley Bishop, junior Blake McDade and sophomores Bryce Brentz and Tyler Burnett each had two hits in the game with Brentz driving in four runs while Burnett had three RBI.

Junior Kenneth Roberts (5-1) took the win as he allowed one run on six hits in eight innings of work. The one run given up was unearned and none of his hits were for extra bases.

Sophomore Marshall Mears entered the game in relief in the ninth allowed no runs or hits.

South Alabama (21-21, 9-11) ended the day with six hits as no one player had more than one hit and none of them were for extra bases.

Matt Jackson started the game on the mound for USA and took the loss after allowing nine runs on seven hits.

Hines hit a three-run home run to left field on the first pitch with two outs in the first inning to give Middle Tennessee a 3-0 lead.

Brentz hit a solo shot to left in the third to extend the Blue Raider lead to four.

Middle Tennessee broke the game open in the fourth inning scoring five runs on four hits. Robertson started the inning with a double and scored on a single by Burnett to start the scoring. With the bases loaded, Brentz hit a double to left centerfield bringing in all three runners. Then Bishop singled bringing in Brentz making it a 9-0 game in favor of Middle Tennessee.

The Blue Raiders added two more runs in the fifth after back-to-back singles by Dennis and Burnett.

Robertson hit a solo shot to lead off the seventh inning and put the Blue Raiders up 12-0.

USA scored its first run in the bottom of the eighth after a runner at third scored after a fielding error by Bishop.

The Blue Raiders put together three hits adding two runs to the board in the ninth.

Middle Tennessee will round out the series with the Jaguars on Sunday, April 25 at 1 p.m.

FIU 8, ULM 3

MONROE, La.—Florida International defeated ULM 8-3 Saturday afternoon at Warhawk Field to even the three-game Sun Belt Conference series at a game apiece.  

FIU (26-15, 11-9 Sun Belt) broke open a 3-3 game with six runs in the fifth and sixth innings to end ULM’s nine-game home win streak and move back in front of the Warhawks into fourth place in the league standings.

Tim Jobe provided the big blow for the Golden Panthers launching a three-run home run over the scoreboard in left-center field in the fifth inning.

Junior Arrojo gave the Golden Panthers a 1-0 lead on the second pitch of the game sneaking a ball over the wall in left field for a solo home run.

The Warhawks (25-17, 12-11) quickly answered thanks to a two-run double off the bat of Matt Collins in the bottom of the frame. Boomer Blanchard and Jon Prevost led off the game with back-to-back singles and moved into scoring position on a pair of wild pitches.

Collins was the lone Warhawk to record multiple hits on the night finishing 2-for-4. ULM ended the game with seven hits breaking a streak of six straight Sun Belt games with 10 or more base knocks.

FIU took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth inning thanks to a lot of help from the Warhawks. Following a one-out single by Jobe, Michael Vargas was hit by a pitch to put a pair of runners on and Greg Waddell singled back up the middle for the first run of the inning. ULM starter Jordy Poche then threw a pickoff attempt to second base into center field allowing Vargas to move to third base and one pitch later Arrojo executed a perfect suicide squeeze bunt for the second run of the inning.

As they did the first time they fell behind, the Warhawks responded quickly in their half of the inning. Ryan McMillan doubled down the line in left field to lead off the inning and moved to third on a groundout by Perry Smith. After falling behind in the count 0-2, Blanchard hit a deep fly ball to left allowing McMillan to score on the sacrifice fly.

The Golden Panthers chased Poche in the top of the sixth plating four runs, including the three-run blast by Jobe, to take a 7-3 lead. Jobe finished the game 3-for-4 with four RBIs after adding a run-scoring double in the eighth.

Tom Ebert (5-2) picked up the win for FIU allowing three runs on six hits over 5.2 innings of work. The junior struggled with his control walking three, hitting three batters and throwing three wild pitches after entering the game with just nine walks in 57.1 innings on the season.

Poche (2-4) took the loss for ULM allowing seven runs – six earned – on seven hits over 5.1 innings. The sophomore struck out two batters and walked three.

The teams play the rubber game of the series tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. The Warhawks will send senior southpaw Keith Christensen (4-2, 3.97 ERA) to the bump, while the Golden Panthers will counter with junior lefty Corey Polizzano (3-3, 6.00).

Sunday is always Kids’ Day at Warhawk Field as all children 12 and under will be admitted free and will have a chance to run on the field with their favorite player for the National Anthem.

WKU 8, Florida Atlantic 3

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Junior righthander Matt Ridings quieted the hot-hitting Florida Atlantic (24-17, 7-12 SBC) bats and allowed  the Hilltoppers to capitalized on scoring chances throughout the game as Western Kentucky University (29-12, 15-5 SBC) claimed an 8-3 decision on Saturday afternoon before 1,171 fans at Nick Denes Field. 

In the game televised on CSS, WKU bounced back from a tough 3-1 loss last night, which ended their school record 16-game home winning streak, to even the series heading into Sunday's finale.  The Hilltoppers maintain their one-game lead in the loss column over Middle Tennessee and Troy for first-place in the Sun Belt Conference standings. 

The Hilltoppers capitalized on seven walks and two hit batters by Owl pitchers, as well as two FAU errors, to push across four unearned runs.  Conversely, Ridings and reliever JB Paxson did not walk or hit a batter and the Sun Belt's best defense committed just one miscue, the team's first error in four games. 

WKU struck first as Matt Hightower led off the second inning with a single back up the middle.  He then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, setting up Jake Wells' RBI groundout to shortstop against a drawn-in infield.  Wells had his current team-best hitting streak of 10 games snapped with an 0-for-4 performance, but did drive in the game's first run.  Hightower, who pitched 6.2 quality innings in Friday night's game, went 3-for-4 with a game-high four RBI. 

After scoring in the third on a Florida Atlantic error, Kes Carter smacked an RBI triple down the right field line, plating Jared Andreoli who drew a lead-off walk to make it 3-0.  WKU had its lead-off batter reach base in seven of eight innings. 

Trailing 4-0 in the sixth, Florida Atlantic scratched across their first run on a sacrifice fly from Travis Orza.  The Owls made it interesting in the seventh with an RBI double to left field by Nick Criaris followed by a single to center off the bat of Troy Bubley, plating Criaris, to draw within 4-3.  But Matt Payton made a diving stop on a David Wilson ground ball to end the inning and prevent the game tying run from scoring. 

Criaris finished 3-for-4 for Florida Atlantic while Tom Hatcher and Colby Gratton added 2-for-4 afternoons. 

Hightower singled up the middle with one out in the home half of the seventh to make it a 5-3 game and then it was the senior from Cartersville, Ga. that delivered another two-out single back up the middle with the bases loaded in the eighth to drive in two more and break the game open 8-3. 

Ridings (6-1) scattered nine hits over 7.0 innings, allowing three runs, two earned, striking out three and not walking a batter in recording the win.  Paxson (2) picked up the save after tossing 2.0 innings of scoreless, two-hit relief. 

Mike Gipson (2-4) held the Toppers to only three hits over 5.0 innings, but walked three and hit two as WKU pushed across four runs, three of which were earned.  Gipson did strike out three in the loss. 

WKU will go for its 11th-straight weekend series win at home on Sunday when the Toppers and Florida Atlantic play the rubber game at 1:00 PM CT at Nick Denes Field.  It would be the Hilltoppers' eighth-straight home Sun Belt series win. 

New Orleans 13, Arkansas State 6

NEW ORLEANS, La. (04/25/09) - The New Orleans Privateers (17-25, 8-12) jumped out to a 4-0 first inning lead and Arkansas State never recovered as the Red Wolves (17-25, 8-13) suffered a 13-6 defeat Saturday afternoon at Privateer Park and Maestri Field.  With the win, UNO clinched the Sun Belt Conference series victory after posting a 4-2 victory in the Friday night series opener.

New Orleans used a three-run home run from right fielder Jay Morris and a double steal that scored third baseman Nick Schwaner to take the quick 4-0 lead after one inning of play, but the Red Wolves answered in the second with a two-run home run from catcher Kyle DeGrace to cut the Privateer lead in half at 4-2.

"We didn't get the game under control and that hurt us right away," said ASU Head Coach Tommy Raffo.  "They hit us with a four-spot and we came right back and scored two, but they started to expand the lead on us and we didn't play very good ball all day long."

UNO matched ASU's effort in the second with a two-run third inning, getting RBI hits from left fielder Roddarick Jones and second baseman Justin Edwards to regain the four-run lead at 6-2.

The Privateers sent eight men to the plate in the fifth to send home two more runs.  A two-run single from center fielder Ryan Eden did the damage and extended the UNO lead to 8-2.

Arkansas State had an opportunity to cut into the UNO lead in the sixth when DeGrace reached with two outs when hit by a pitch, followed by walks from second baseman Danny Riemenschneider and shortstop Jordan Kimball.  Left fielder Cody Pace sent a base hit up the middle that would have scored DeGrace, but Kimball was called out after making contact with the ball as he reached second base, ending the ASU scoring threat.

New Orleans added three more in the sixth, getting a two-run home run from designated hitter Alan Harris and an RBI single from shortstop Tyrone Wethers before the Red Wolves scored twice in the seventh to make it 11-4, UNO.

Center fielder Todd Baumgartner reached second on a two-base error and scored on a single from designated hitter Murray Watts, and Watts came home on the second UNO throwing error of the inning to score ASU's third and fourth runs.

New Orleans added two runs in the eighth before ASU scored twice in the ninth to set the final score at 13-6.  Baumgartner and center fielder Derrick Coleman drove in the final two runs for the Red Wolves. 

Arkansas State starter Andy Ferguson (3-4) struggled early, taking the loss after just two and two-thirds innings of work.  Ferguson did not strike out a UNO batter while giving up six runs (four earned) on six hits and walking four.  Ricky Ott (1-1) earned the win for the Privateers, striking out three and walking four in the first five innings while giving up two runs on five hits.

Brown, Watts and Coleman all had two hits to lead ASU at the plate while first baseman Nick Mitchell went 3-for-6 to lead UNO.

The Red Wolves and Privateers will wrap up the Sun Belt Conference series Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

UALR 5, Houston Baptist 4

UALR got all five of their runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and it proved to be enough as the Trojans earned their second straight victory over the Huskies of Houston Baptist.

Anthony Pryor improved his record to 2-4 on the mound after he threw six innings of quality ball. The junior right hander gave up four runs on seven hits and struck out six, while only walking one in the winning effort.

The UALR bullpen was impressive as Sean Potter pitched 1.2 scoreless innings behind Pryor before he gave way to JR Boling, who pitched 1.1 innings and struck out one to earn his second save of the year.

The Trojans scored all five of their runs on HBU starting pitcher Stephen Nikonchik, who was tagged with the loss. Nikonchick lasted 3.2 innings and walked six Trojan hitters while striking out three.

The Trojans offense, which only mustered four hits, scored their first run on a successful safety squeeze bunt by third baseman Anthony Gower. UALR then widened the gap to 3-0 on a two-run single by Kody Kroll, who finished 1-for-5 with a pair of RBI and a run scored. The Trojans closed out their scoring when Tyson Parks laced a two-run single up the middle, making it 5-0.

The Huskies battled back in the top of the fifth as they used a pair of home runs, each two-run shots, by Nick Homan and Leo Delgado, cutting the lead to 5-4. That would be all the scoring, however, as UALR held on for the victory.

Houston Baptist 5, UALR 2

Hunter Scott allowed just two runs and eight Trojan hits, earning his second victory of the year as Houston Baptist defeated UALR 5-2 at Gary Hogan Field on Saturday evening.

The Huskies took a 1-0 lead on a solo home run by Brian Franze in the second inning before striking again in the third inning for three more runs. In the top half of the third, Eric Shiro had an RBI double to left center and Andrew Taccolini made it a 4-0 lead with a two-run single to left field.

The Trojans fought back with one run in the bottom of the third on an Eric Hanlon home run, his second of the season.

HBU answered, however, as Franze hit is second home run of the game making the score 5-1. UALR scored just one more run in the sixth inning when Tim Emmons reached on an infield single that scored Matt Apfel.

Scott was able to strike out two-of-three Trojan hitters in the bottom of the seventh as he closed the book on UALR for the 5-2 win.

Alex Smith was hit with the loss for the Trojans. The junior righty hurled three innings and allowed five runs on six hits, while striking out six.

The two teams will meet for the series finale Sunday afternoon at Gary Hogan Field at 1 p.m.

April 24, 2009

UALR 15, Houston Baptist 4

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The UALR Trojans (10-26) scored at least one run in each of the first five innings, including a seven-run bottom of the fifth, and junior lefty Adam Champion tossed his first complete game of the year, allowing no earned runs, helping lift the Trojans to a 15-4 win over the Houston Baptist Huskies (8-29) Friday night at Gary Hogan Field.

Champion (2-6), who recorded the first complete game for any Trojan pitcher this season, allowed just three hits and four runs, none earned, while striking out nine and walking just two.

The Trojans, who got their 15 runs on 12 hits, were paced offensively by a four-hit effort from junior catcher Landis Wilson. Wilson chipped in a pair of RBI and scored a run as well. Four Trojans had two hits apiece and third baseman Anthony Gower did not record an official at bat but walked five times and scored twice.

Second baseman Josh Marazzito was one Trojan slugger that posted a pair of hits, finishing 2-for-4 with four RBI, including a three-run home run in the fifth. Shortstop Kody Kroll was 2-for-3 with three RBI and three runs scored. Kroll’s three runs batted in all came in the fifth inning when he hit an inside-the-park home run off of Huskies pitcher Brian Revels. Eric Hanlon also chipped in three RBI off his two hits and Tyson Parks had a two-RBI evening and also crossed the plate twice.

Zac Schiefen (0-7) was hit with the loss for Houston Baptist. The left hander allowed six runs, four of which were earned, on seven hits while walking six over four innings pitched.

The Trojans built a 3-0 lead after the second inning but Houston Baptist took a 4-3 advantage after a grand slam by left fielder Leo Delgado in the top half of the third. The Trojans tied the game at four in the bottom half of the inning and then the UALR offense added two runs in the fourth and never looked back, cruising to the 15-4 win.

The two teams will meet tomorrow at Gary Hogan field for a doubleheader which will begin at 2 p.m. The day’s first game will be a nine-inning game which will be followed by a seven-inning affair beginning approximately 30 minutes after the finish of game one.

Florida Atlantic 3, WKU 1

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - From Adam Morrison shutting-down one of the nation's best offensives to Tom Hatcher's clutch two-out double in the seventh, Florida Atlantic University proved something to themselves and sent a message to the rest of the Sun Belt Conference on Friday night.

Morrison kept Western Kentucky scoreless into the seventh as Owls beat the league-leading Hilltoppers 3-1. WKU had won 16-straight games on their home field. It was the seventh-straight win for Florida Atlantic (24-16; 7-11 Sun Belt) and kept the Owls in position to make a run at the SBC title in May.

Western Kentucky (28-12; 14-5 Sun Belt) - a team which entered the week top 10 among all NCAA DI teams in hits (420) and runs (349) - managed just three hits against Morrison through 6 2/3.

Morrison (2-2) struck out four and allowed one run on five hits in his first Friday start of the season. Morrison worked through two early jams and cruised into the seventh before Jeremy Coleman ended the shutout bid with a two-out single to center.

FAU touched-up Matt Hightower (5-1) - one of the league's premier starters - for 11 hits but would score just once and leave seven stranded before Hatcher's double ended his night.

Troy Bubley went 3-for-4 and knocked in Colby Gratton for the game's first run. Gratton had hit Hightower's first pitch off the fourth off the fence in the left-centerfield gap for a leadoff double.  

With FAU leading 3-1 with two-on and two-out in seventh, Chris Schmitt came on and got Wade Gaynor to pop up to end the threat. Schmitt pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, setting things up for closer Glen Troyanowski to work the ninth.

Troyanowski fanned pinch-hitter C.J. Wamsley to begin the inning en route to his sixth save.

Louisiana-Lafayette 5, Troy 0

TROY, Ala. – Zach Osborne stole the show in the Cajuns’ best game in weeks, as the right-handed junior college transfer pitched a complete game shutout and helped the Cajuns’ snap a five-game slide. Louisiana cruised to a 5-0 win over the Troy Trojans, moving to 19-20-1 overall and 9-12 in the Sun Belt.

Osborne had the Trojans at his mercy the entire game, carrying a two-hitter into the ninth inning with 115 pitches under his belt. He finished the game with just four hits, five strikeouts, no walks, no hit batsmen, no wild pitches and no balks. The start was by far the team’s best of the season, as Osborne notched the Cajuns’ first complete game of 2009, and first since May 23, 2008 versus South Alabama in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament when Brent Solich blanked the Jaguars.

Kyle Olasin stole his sixth bag of the year in the opening frame and Chad Keefer nabbed his fifth, bringing the UL's season-long total to 49. In the latest NCAA Division I statistical release, Louisiana stood at 45^th in the nation in stolen bases.

Olasin’s swipe was just a part of his stellar night, as he went 4-for-4 with an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Keefer was also a part of the offensive effort going 2-for-4 with three RBI to extend the Cajuns’ longest active hitting streak to six games, and Greg Fontenot had the only other RBI on 1-for-4 batting.

As part of a complete effort, the Cajuns registered 12 hits including three doubles and just one defensive error.

Osborne retired the first seven batters he faced on six straight groundouts followed by a fly out. His eighth batter reached on an error by third baseman Chad Keefer, but the feisty righty got back into rhythm and retired the next two on groundouts.

Osborne sat down the first batter of the Trojans’ fourth on a lineout to make it 3 1/3 straight innings without allowing a hit. The no-hit bid broke up in a tough way, as a laser shot back at the mound hit Osborne in the ankle and ricocheted into third-base foul territory, giving the Trojans their first hit of the game. Uninjured, Osborne stayed on the bump and got the next two on contact.

He kept the gem going with two groundouts and his first strikeout of the night in the fifth, a lineout and two groundouts in the sixth and a strikeout, groundout and lineout in the seventh. After retiring 11 straight, Osborne allowed a leadoff double in the eighth but it was just the second hit of the game for the Trojans. Osborne recovered with a strikeout, his third of the game, a groundout and a fly out to evade any damage and go to the ninth.

In the ninth, Osborne started the Trojans off with a swinging strikeout before allowing the Trojans’ third hit with a single into short left field. The next at bat was Osborne’s fifth strikeout, but was followed immediately with Troy’s fourth hit of the game up the middle.

Offensively, the Cajuns opened the scoring after putting two runners on in the top of the fourth. Les Smith grounded into a double play but advanced Travis Whipple to third, and Keefer lined an easy single into left field and scored Whipple to give the Cajuns a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the fifth, UL tacked another on the board as Kyle Bostick scored from third on a Kyle Olasin sacrifice fly.

Olasin singled aboard in the eighth and moved to third on a sacrifice by Matt Goulas, who reached on a throwing error. Scott Hawkins was hit by a pitch to bring up Chad Keefer with the bases loaded and two down. Keefer came through with a clutch single through the left side to score Olasin and Goulas. Greg Fontenot set a fly ball in no man’s land in short centerfield to score another, completing a three-run inning and extending Louisiana’s lead to 5-0.

The Trojans/Cajuns series continues Saturday with a 6 p.m. game, broadcast on NewsRadio 105.1 KPEL and KPEL1051.com, with live video and statistics available through RaginCajuns.com.

South Alabama 4, Middle Tennessee 3

MOBILE, Ala. - With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, David Doss knocked the first pitch he saw for a RBI single off the wall in left field to give the University of South Alabama a 4-3 walk-off win Friday night at Stanky Field.

USA (21-20, 9-10) got its sixth straight win, and with his second RBI of the night, Doss moved past Luis Gonzalez and into the all-time lead with 184 RBI in his career at USA.

“Zach Grichor’s at-bat really helped me out because he let me know how the ball was moving,” Doss said. “I knew I was going to get a fastball right there, so I made sure it was the pitch I wanted.”

Middle Tennessee (28-12, 16-6 SBC) battled back twice from one run down, but the Sun Belt Conference leaders were unable to mount any offense against reliever D.D. Hanks in the eighth and ninth innings.

Hanks earned the win with 2.0 perfect innings of relief, improving to 2-0 on the season. After getting two flyouts and a groundout in his first inning, Hanks struck out all three batters in the ninth to set up the walk-off win, and lowered his team-leading ERA to 1.74 in the process.

The Jags got on the board in the first inning when Zach Grichor and Adam Heisler singled to set up the first RBI from Doss on a fielder’s choice, but Middle Tennessee quickly tied the game in its next trip to the plate.

Nathan Hines hit a one-out triple off Jag starter Miles Ethridge, and Ben Darlington followed with a sacrifice fly that evened the score at 1-1.

Blake McDade gave the Blue Raiders their only lead of the night when he brought home Bryce Brentz with a RBI single in the top of the fourth.

Brentz entered the night leading the SBC with a .489 batting average, but Jag pitchers held him to a lone single in four at-bats.

Brentz also got the start on the mound for Middle Tennessee, but he was pulled after just 4.0 innings when the Jags regained the lead with a pair of runs in the fourth.

Ryan Bohanan and Matt Drake tied the score with back-to-back doubles, and Chris Davis’ sacrifice fly gave USA a 3-2 lead.

Darlington again tied the game when he hit a solo home run with one out in the sixth. Ethridge retired the next five batters he faced before handing the ball to Hanks to start the eighth with the game tied 3-3.

It was the third straight outing in which Ethridge has worked 7.0 innings. He has allowed six hits or less and no more than three earned runs in each of those three starts.

Middle Tennessee’s Brett Wilson took the loss after allowing a leadoff single to Derek O’Reilly in the bottom of the ninth. Wilson then turned the ball over to closer Coty Woods.

Chris Davis’ sacrifice bunt moved O’Reilly to second, then after Clint Reynolds was intentionally walked, Grichor advanced both runners with a grounder to the right side. The Blue Raiders chose to intentionally walk Adam Heisler and pitch to Doss, who had been 0-for-4 and was the only Jag starter yet to record a hit in the game.

The series resumes Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. Matt Jackson takes the mound for the Jags, and he’ll be opposed by lefty Kenneth Roberts.

Notes:  Derek O’Reilly’s single in the sixth inning extended his hitting streak to eight straight and 17 of the last 18. He has also reached base safely in a career-best 20 games, which ties Jake Overstreet and Chris Davis for the longest by any current Jag ... Ryan Bohanan has a career-long streak of 18 straight games reaching base safely, while Jake Overstreet has done so in his last 15 games ... Davis tied his career-best by extending his hitting streak to five straight, while Overstreet (six games), Adam Heisler (four games) and Clint Reynolds (four games) also extended hitting streaks ... USA now leads the all-time series 33-14, including a 21-8 mark in games played at Stanky Field.