Northwestern State 10 Central Arkansas 3
Northwestern State 12 Central Arkansas 6
NATCHITOCHES – A day after the Northwestern State arms put the Central Arkansas Bear bats into hibernation in Friday’s 1-0 win, the Demon bats were resurrected in Saturday’s doubleheader for a combined 27 hits in 10-3 and 12-6 wins to complete a three-game Southland Conference baseball sweep.
The wins move the Demons to 21-22 overall and 13-12 in league play. UCA fell to 18-26 and 9-17 in the conference.
“That was the story of the day was our offense,” said head coach J.P. Davis whose team won for the fourth straight time. “We really saw the ball well. That was really the difference.”
Third baseman Joe Urtuzuastegui was one of many to have big sticks on the day. Urtuzuastegui went a combined 5-for-10 in the twinbill with a home run, double, three RBIs and four runs scored.
Shortstop Trent Grondin matched those numbers by going 5-for-10 with two RBIs and two runs scored. And first baseman Justin O’Neal finished the day 3-for-10 with three RBIs and three runs scored, including a 2-for-5 showing in game two with his eighth home run of the season.
Northwestern State Recap
Central Arkansas Recap
McNeese State 8 Lamar 4
Lake Charles, LA – McNeese State evened its Southland Conference series with Lamar here Saturday afternoon with an 8-4 victory as Matt Click and Jonathan Conrad teaming up on the pitching mound.
The win snapped a seven game Cowboy losing streak and kept them in the running for a berth in the league’s post season tournament. The two teams play the third game in their series at Cowboy Diamond on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m.
McNeese is now 20-24 overall and 9-17 in league play while Lamar is 31-18 and 15-11.
Click started the game and went 6.1 innings before giving way to Conrad who hurled the final 2.2 innings. Click got the win which evened his record at 2-2 and Conrad got the save, his first of the year.
“We got two good outings from Click and Conrad,” said Cowboy head coach Terry Burrows, “and that was really the key.”
Click gave up nine hits and three runs (both earned) while walking five and striking out six during his stint on the mound. Conrad came on to give up but two hits and one run while striking out two and walking one in his appearance.
McNeese State Recap
Lamar Recap
Stephen F. Austin 1 Sam Houston State 0
Sam Houston State 9 Stephen F. Austin 2
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – An RBI-single from Brian Ferguson in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader was enough to get the `Jacks a 1-0 win over Sam Houston, but the Bearkats rallied in the matinee to leave town with a 9-2 win.
The teams had moved up the series due to impending poor weather forcasted to roll through the Nacogdoches area on Sunday.
SFA (21-25, 12-15 SLC) has now won three of the four series it has played against Sam Houston (29-19, 15-12 SLC) since the `Jacks returned to the diamond in 2006. The 1-0 victory in Game 1 was also the first 1-0 victory for SFA since beating UTSA at Jaycees Field on April 22, 2007.
The `Jacks needed just the one run to get the win behind three pitchers, with Jared West going 6.0 innings to run his record to 3-2 on the season. He was not sharp, but was efficient as he allowed five walks but only three hits in keeping the `Kats at bay. Alex Moshier was on point in two innings of relief, striking out two while not allowing a baserunner, setting up Richard Folmer’s 11th save of the year.
SFA only managed seven hits off of Bearkat starter Jacob Howard, but were able to piece together one single scoring inning in the sixth. Tanner Hines extended his hit streak to 11 games with by grounding one down the third-bas line that eventually hit the bag for an infield hit with two outs. Sean Meyers was then hit by a 1-0 pitch from Howard before Brian Ferguson shot a two-strike pitch back up the middle to score the only run the `Jacks would need.
Stephen F Austin Recap
Sam Houston State Recap
Southeastern Louisiana 6 Nicholls State 5
THIBODAUX, La. – The Lions put together a late-inning rally for the second time in as many days, as a two-run ninth put the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team (30-17, 17-9 Southland Conference) ahead for good en route to a 6-5 win over the Nicholls State Colonels (18-27, 8-18 SLC) on Saturday.
The victory clinched a 2009 Southland Conference Tournament berth for the Lions, marking the first time in school history that Southeastern has earned trips to the Southland Conference Tournament in consecutive seasons.
The victory was also noteworthy in that the Lions set a new single-season school record for Southland Conference wins, came from behind to claim a win for the 19th time this season and extended their winning streak to seven games (tying a season-best mark set from March 13-24).
Southeastern Louisiana Recap
Nicholls State Recap
UT Arlington 10 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 4
ARLINGTON, Texas – The UT Arlington baseball program recorded its 700th home victory in a 10-4 win against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday afternoon at Clay Gould Ballpark in Arlington. The Mavericks (25-21, 16-10) grab a 2-0 lead in the series after senior Nathan Long struck out eight and allowed only three base hits in eight innings of work against the Islanders (17-32, 8-18).
The Mavericks and Islanders were scheduled to finished their SLC series with a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, but 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first game Saturday the rain came down to forced game three of the series to be played on Sunday, May 3, at 1 p.m.
Long, the SLC strikeout leader with 84, struck out at least one batter in seven of his eight innings on the mound. He issued only one walk and collected his eighth start of the season where he pitched at least seven innings.
The Mavericks jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the second inning, a lead they would never relinquish. Michael Choice hit his team-leading 10th homer of the season in the first and drove in two runs with a single through the left side in the second.
UT-Arlington Recap
Texas A&M Corpus Christi Recap
Texas State 11 UTSA 4
San Antonio, TX – Lance Loftin blanked UTSA’s scoring for four innings, all while going 4-for-6 at the plate epitomizing a two-way player and helping the Texas State Bobcats to an 11-4 victory in game two Saturday afternoon at Roadrunner Field.
The I-35 Maroon vs. Orange Rivalry Series is now tied at one game apiece with the rubber match slated for 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon at Roadrunner Field.
The Bobcats improve to 32-12 overall and 19-6 in Southland Conference play, while the ‘Runners fall to 26-20 and 15-11, respectively.
Zach Tritz earned his seventh win of the season in a five-inning stint on the mouth. Tritz allowed just four runs off six hits and fanned five batters in the decision.
Bret Atwood opened the game with a one-out bunt laid down the left line and Paul Goldschmidt drew a walk in the next at-bat. Spenser Dennis flew out to centerfield for the second out, but Loftin came through with the rally through the left side to score Atwood and shift Goldschmidt to the corner. The junior was brought home when Jason Martinson notched the RBI with a base hit up the middle.
UTSA managed one run in the bottom of the second, but Texas State expanded the tally with a five-run third to set the tone of the game. Again, a one-out hit came through for the Bobcats as Goldschmidt slammed Kris Ruepke’s first pitch hard over the centerfield wall. Back-to-back base hits from Spenser Dennis and Loftin followed and a misplayed ball in the outfield sent Dennis home for another run. A passed ball put Loftin on third and Martinson brought him home with a double to right center.
Texas State Recap
UT-San Antonio Recap
