Lance Loftin went 2-for5 with three runs scored and three RBIs in tonight's win over Nicholls.
Texas State 11 Nicholls State 9
SAN MARCOS – Ben Theriot proved to be Texas State’s saving grace Friday night at Bobcat Field, knocking in the game-tying run in the bottom of the ninth before belting a walk-off two-run home run to give the Bobcats an 11-9 extra-inning victory over the Nicholls Colonels.
Down 9-8 heading into the bottom of the ninth, Jason Martinson led off the frame with a base hit to third that rushed passed Zach Tisdale. A sacrifice bunt from Kyle Livingstone shifted him to second base and Theriot, who was 0-for-3 on the night, slapped a long double to the right center gap to plate Martinson for the tying run.
Nicholls fought back on two outs in the top of the tenth with a single up the middle from Chris Murrill, but Theriot and Martinson connected again for the putout on Murrill’s attempt to steal second to hold off the threat.
Michael Russo retired the side in Nicholls portion of the eleventh frame and Texas State’s bats went to work. Lance Loftin, who finished the night 2-for-5 with three runs scored, led off the inning with a base hit through the left side and moved to second on a familiar sac bunt routine. Livingstone grounded out to third base for the second out, but Theriot needed just one pitch to belt his sixth home run of the season for the victory.
Texas State Recap
Nicholls State Recap
Photo Gallery
Northwestern State 8 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 7
CORPUS CHRISTI – Northwestern State designated hitter Lance Lacoste drove in five runs, including a three-run, first inning home run, and Chad Sheppard picked up his ninth save of the season as the Demons defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 8-7 in Southland Conference baseball action Friday afternoon.
The win was the fourth straight conference win for NSU as it improved to 22-23 overall and 14-12 in league play. TAMUCC fell to 17-34 overall and 8-20 in the conference.
Demon starting pitcher Ryan Zimmerman (2-3) won his second straight Friday start after he threw 7-2/3 innings and gave up six runs on 10 hits with six punchouts. Sheppard finished off the game with his ninth save – one shy of the school’s single-season record of 10 set by Daniel Desclouds in 2005. He allowed one run in 1-1/3 innings with a strikeout.
Islander reliever Brett Gibson took the loss after he gave up three runs, all unearned, in 1-2/3 innings of work.
Lacoste finished the game 2-for-5 with a career-best five RBIs and two runs scored. It was his three-run homer in the first, his third of the season, that put the Demons on top early.
Northwestern State Recap
Texas A&M Corpus Christi Recap
Sam Houston State 7 Central Arkansas 2
CONWAY, AR – Sam Houston State pitchers Sean Weatherford and Guillaume Duguay combined to strike out 22 batters as the Bearkats defeated Central Arkansas 7-2 Friday night in a Southland Conference baseball game.
The 22 strike outs is the most in one game by Sam Houston, breaking a 35-year old record was set in 1974 when Ron Kainer fanned 20 batters vs. Adams State.
Weatherford (6-5) was the game-winner, striking out 12 of the 25 batters he faced in the first five innings. Duguay earned his first save of the season, striking out 10 batters in the final four innings.
Weatherford’s 12 strike outs ties as the third highest individual single game figure in Sam Houston history. Also striking out 12 batters in one game were Greg Kubes and Daniel Boedeker in 1997 and Ryan Baily in 1998. Jesse Marshall stuck out 13 vs. Lamar in 2005.
Sam Houston State Recap
Central Arkansas Recap
Stephen F. Austin 6 Southeastern Louisiana 4
HAMMOND, La. – Two home runs apiece by Jarid Scarafiotti and Ryan Priest was enough to power SFA past Southeastern Louisiana, 6-4, in Friday’s series opener at Alumni Field.
The `Jacks (22-25, 13-14 SLC) have now won six of their last seven Southland Conference games, and reduced its magic number to two to clinch a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament, pending McNeese State’s result against UTSA.
The win snaps a nine-game win streak for the Lions (32-18, 18-10 SLC), who has already qualified for the upcoming SLC Tournament and is now battling for seeding. Southeastern entered the night in sole possession of second place in the league.
SFA never trailed on Friday with starter Erich Lehmann going 6.0 innings to take his sixth consecutive win and move to 7-3 for the year. He struck out five, only walking one batter. But he was not quite as sharp as in recent outings, as is evident by his two hit batters after having only hit two batters on the entire season entering Friday’s contest. Lehmann allowed three of the four Southeastern runs, but all were unearned.
He outdueled Lion ace Ryan Boudreaux, who only allowed seven hits on the night, but five of them went for extra bases including all four of SFA’s home runs. Boudreaux fell to 6-3 on the season.
Richard Folmer pitched a perfect ninth inning, including two strikeouts, to secure his 12th save of the year and take sole possession of first place in that category this year in the SLC. He is 12 for 12 in save opportunities this year.
Stephen F Austin Recap
Southeastern Louisiana Recap
UT Arlington 9 Lamar 4
BEAUMONT, Texas – Andrew Kainer went 4-for-4 with four RBI and Mitch Putman hit a three-run blast to homer for the third straight game to lead UT Arlington to a 9-4 victory over Lamar on Friday night at Vincent-Beck Stadium in Beaumont, Texas. The Mavericks (28-21, 18-10) scored three runs in the third and five in the fifth inning while posting 11 hits and nine runs off Cardinals (32-19, 16-12) ace pitcher Eric Harrington to win their fifth straight game and fourth straight during league action.
The Mavericks move into a tie for second place in the Southland Conference with the victory, as Southeastern Louisiana dropped its game 6-4 on Friday night against Stephen F. Austin in Hammond, La. The Mavs and Southeastern are both 18-10 in league play.
UT Arlington starting pitcher Ryan Robinson notched his team-leading sixth win of the season while pitching eight innings and allowing four runs (two earned), 11 hits and one walk with five strikeouts. Robinson is now 5-1 with 29 strikeouts and three walks in 52.2 innings during conference play.
Kainer continued his tear at the plate going 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles and four RBI. He improves his hit streak to 36 games – the longest streak in the nation this season – and tied the UT Arlington single-season doubles record while collecting his 21st and 22nd double of the season.
UT-Arlington Recap
Lamar Recap
UTSA 15 McNeese State 10
LAKE CHARLES, La. — UTSA clubbed six home runs, including two from sophomore Ryan Hutson, and senior All-American Michael Rockett became the Southland Conference’s all-time leader in RBIs in a 15-10 comeback victory at McNeese State on Friday night. The win was the 500th in the Roadrunners’ 18-year history.
The Birds (27-21, 16-12 SLC), who launched the second-most homers in school history for the second consecutive conference series opener, got back-to-back solo shots from Hutson and senior Aaron Powell with one down in the second, a two-run tater from Rockett an inning later, a grand slam from Hutson with two out in the fifth, a two-run long ball from freshman Jason Mohn in the seventh and a solo shot from junior Lance Brown one frame later.
Rockett’s homer pushed his career total to 198 and he broke the SLC record of 197 shared by the Louisiana-Monroe pair of Corey Taylor (1995-98) and Willie Core (1998-2001). It is the fourth league mark he has set this season, as he already established new standards for at-bats, hits and total bases earlier this spring. The Sugar Land native, who is one double shy of tying Jordan Foster’s (Lamar) record of 63 set from 2001-04, finished the night 3-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 13 games in addition to driving home three and scoring three times.
UT-San Antonio Recap
McNeese State Recap
