LITTLE
ROCK, Ark. (05/15/09) ? Arkansas State sophomore Todd Baumgartner's
two-run home run in the eighth inning broke a 7-7 tie and the Red
Wolves went on to defeat the Trojans of UALR 10-7 in game one of a
doubleheader at Gary Hogan Field in Little Rock.
In
game two, Red Wolves sophomore Andy Ferguson struck out nine UALR
(25-34, 6-21) batters in six innings of work, and first baseman Brandon
Eller went 3-for-4 with an RBI as ASU clinched the Sun Belt Conference
series between the two teams with a 6-2 victory.
With
the win, Arkansas State improves to 23-29 overall and 12-17 in Sun Belt
play and remains in contention for a berth in next week's Sun Belt
Conference Tournament in Troy, Ala. The Red
Wolves need to complete the series sweep when the teams meet Saturday
at 1:00 p.m. and hope for a Louisiana-Lafayette victory over New
Orleans or a Florida International victory over Florida Atlantic
Saturday to advance to the tournament.
The
lead changed hands six times in game one before Baumgartner's home run
put the Red Wolves on top 9-7 in the eighth, and ASU added an insurance
run in the ninth on a sacrifice fly from right fielder Derrick Coleman
to close out the 10-7 victory.
Senior
Chris Bullington (2-3) picked up the win in the series opener, with
senior Jett Jones earning his second save of the season. Bullington gave up one run on two hits, with four strikeouts and a pair of walks in two and two-thirds innings of work. Jones did not give up a run or a hit and did not record a walk or a strikeout, working the final two innings of the game.
J.R. Boling (2-3) took the loss for the Trojans, giving up three runs on two hits in one and one-thirds innings on the mound.
Coleman was 2-for-5 with four RBI and Baumgartner went 2-for-6 with three RBI to lead ASU at the plate.
Arkansas State
never trailed in game two, taking a 1-0 lead in the first when first
baseman Brandon Eller delivered a sacrifice fly to right field to put
the Red Wolves on the board.
ASU added two more runs in the second to go up 3-0. Second
baseman Giovanni Garcia walked and eventually scored on a passed ball,
and third baseman Guy Brown, who reached on his first nine at-bats,
singled to drive in the Red Wolves' third run of the game.
A
two-run home run in the fifth from designated hitter Murray Watts
stretched the ASU lead to 5-0, and an RBI single later in the inning
from catcher Kyle DeGrace sent home the Red Wolves final run. UALR scored once in the fifth and once in the sixth to complete the scoring.
Along with Eller's 3-for-4 effort, Watts had two hits and drove in two runs, and Brown added two hits and two RBI. Adam Champion took the loss for UALR, giving up all six ASU runs on seven hits in six innings of work.