JONESBORO, Ark. (2/25/19) – Arkansas State defeated Valparaiso 4-1 to complete a series sweep of the Crusaders Monday afternoon at Tomlinson Stadium.

A-State (5-2) took an early lead third inning on a two-run home run by Kyle MacDonald. Jacob Jablonski reached led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch and MacDonald followed one batter later with a blasts than landed under the scoreboard in right field.

The Red Wolves added to their lead in the eighth inning thanks to a pinch-hit, sacrifice fly by Andrew Leggo and an RBI single by Drew Tipton to push the advantage to 4-1.  

Valpo (1-4) got a run back in the sixth inning when Sam Shakin led off the inning with a triple and Blake Billinger singled later in the inning to cut the deficit in half at 2-1.

The run was the only blemish of the afternoon for Nate Alberius who turned in a quality start. The senior allowed just one run on five hits and struck out six in his second outing of the season. He gave way to Payton Lannon who went 1.1 and allowed just one hit, while Jack Jumper tossed 2/3 of an inning and did not allow a batter to reach.

Kollin Stone worked a perfect ninth for his second save of the season.

A-State returns to action Tuesday afternoon for the start of the two-game series against Mississippi Valley State at Tomlinson Stadium. First-pitch is set for 6 p.m.

For the latest on A-State baseball follow the team by logging onto the Arkansas State Baseball Facebook page or by following the team on Twitter (@AStateBaseball) and Instagram (arkansasstatebaseball).