Senior pitcher Jeremy Cloud
This is the Southland Conference recap as all 12 teams started action a day earlier due to the Easter Holiday.
Central Arkansas 7 Nicholls State 2
CONWAY, Ark _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears broke open a tight game with four runs in the seventh inning Thursday night to take a 7-2 victory over Nicholls State in Southland Conference baseball action at Ray E. Didier Field.
The Bears (16-14, 8-8) got singles from Zack Dickson and Beau Geren and Dickson came around to score on Dillon Smith’s RBI single down the left-field line. Senior Jonathan Yerby then got the big blow with a two-run double off the top of the left-field fence to score the next two runs.
Lamar 13 Sam Houston State 6
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Lamar jumped out to an eight-run lead and answered every Sam Houston rally as the Cardinals defeated the Bearkats, 13-6, in the first game of their Southland Conference series at Don Sanders Stadium Thursday night.
Anthony Moore made his first start in three weeks and capitalized on the opportunity by collecting three hits, including a pair of two-run doubles in the first two innings and scored twice to lead the Lamar attack. Chris Dunkin, who belted his fourth home run of the year, also had three hits and scored three times.
If Lamar (23-11, 10-6 SLC) was hurting following its one-run loss to third-ranked Rice from a night earlier, it sure didn’t show it by jumping on the scoreboard for six runs in the first and three more in the second for a 9-1 lead. Moore’s two-bagger in the first brought in Jeremiah Sammy and Wade Mathis for a 5-0 lead.
Sam Houston got one run back in the bottom of the first when Braeden Riley and Nick Zaleski hit consecutive singles to put runners at the corners with one out. Seth Hammock’s sacrifice fly to Moore allowed Riley to come home.
An inning later, the Cardinals were back at it, score three more runs, highlighted by another Moore double that scored Dunkin and Ryan Saldivar.
Lamar Recap
Sam Houston State Recap
UT Arlington 8 McNeese State 7
UTSA 7 Northwestern State 4
SAN ANTONIO — UTSA got eight strong innings from junior right-hander Red Patterson and the Roadrunners used a pair of three-run frames to get past Northwestern State, 7-4, in Thursday’s opener of a three-game Southland Conference series at the Bird Bath.
UTSA won for the second time in the last three days to improve to 18-15 overall and 9-7 in league play, while the Demons (14-15, 8-7 SLC) dropped their fourth decision in the last half dozen games.
Patterson (4-2) gave up just a pair of runs (one earned) on seven hits and two walks, while striking out six in winning for the third time in his last four outings. It was the second start in a row that the Frisco native tossed eight panels and his third quality start this spring. Meanwhile, junior righty Zach Calhoon helped the Birds wiggle out of a ninth-inning jam to record his fourth save in eight opportunities this season.
The Roadrunners took an early lead with three runs in the first off Northwestern State’s Ben Rodriguez (0-3), who was making just his third start of the year.
UT-San Antonio Recap
Northwestern State Recap
Texas State 9 Southeastern Louisiana 3
SAN MARCOS – Kane Holbrooks pitched 8 2/3 innings and improved to a perfect 7-0 on the season, while Paul Goldschmidt launched his tenth home run of the season to elevate the Texas State Bobcats into first place in the Southland Conference with a 9-3 win over Southeastern Louisiana Thursday night at Bobcat Field.
Texas State improves to 21-10 overall and 11-5 in league action, while SLU falls to 20-11 and 10-6, respectively.
Holbrooks collected five strikeouts in his stint on the mound, allowing just eight hits and three runs, two of which were earned.
“I am proud of him obviously, especially after this performance tonight,” said head coach Ty Harrington. “He did all he could do and had an outstanding night.”
The senior retired the side to open the game and Texas State’s offense jumped out to a 2-0 lead to open the bottom of the first.
Bret Atwood laid down a bunt to reach first and shifted to third base on Keith Prestridge’s two-out single to right center. With runners on the corner, Spenser Dennis drove in Atwood with a base hit to left center and Ben Theriot followed with a single up the middle to drive in the Prestridge for the early lead.
SLU answered back with one run in the top of the second and knotted the game in the top of the fourth. On two outs, Cody Gougler rallied with a single to the right field gap and a Bobcat error shifted him to second before Justin Boudreaux notched the RBI single up the middle to tie the game at 2-2.
In the top of the fifth Holbrooks shut down the side to hold off the Lions and the Bobcats launched a three-run effort to close out the fifth.
“ I thought coming in to the game that I would throw well and I did,” said Holbrooks. “But I also want to give credit to the defense because they played very well behind me tonight. It gives me a lot of confidence to know that those guys are there on offense and defense. They are strong at the plate and that pretty much speaks for itself.”
The offense came through in the bottom of the fifth to take a 5-2 lead. Atwood led off with a base hit to right field but came home shortly on Goldschmidt’s homer to right center. The pair of RBIs lifted Goldschmidt’s career total 10 141, making him the all-time career RBI leader at Texas State.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 11 Stephen F. Austin 9
The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi baseball team scored five runs in back-to-back innings including a grand slam by Stephen Flora and held off a late charge by Stephen F. Austin to claim the first meeting in the three-game series 11-9 at Chapman Field on Thursday afternoon.
With the win, the Islanders moved to 12-21 overall and are now 4-12 in the Southland Conference. Stephen F. Austin falls to 5-10 in the league and 12-18 on the year.
After Brian Ferguson drove in Sean Meyers with a two-run double in the first, A&M-Corpus Christi scored five in the bottom of the second inning to lead 5-1.
In the bottom of the second the Islanders took advantage of wildness by Erik Gregersen, who hit two batters and walked two more to lead to the first run. With two outs, Flora belted his first career grand slam and seventh home run of the season off the SFA starter, who left at the end of the inning.
Texas A&M Corpus Christi Recap
