App State and Louisiana advance to the quarterfinals of the Guardian Credit Union Sun Belt Baseball Championship on Saturday

BRACKET | CHAMPION MIDDLE

MONTGOMERYArea. App State and Louisiana advanced to the quarterfinals on Saturday in the 2023 Guardian Credit Union Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship presented by Troy University in Montgomery, Ala. Through playoff wins in Day Four play.

Well. No. 6 seed App State must beat No. 2 seed Southern Miss twice on Saturday to advance to the championship game, as will No. 4 seed Louisiana at No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina.

The Mountaineers and Golden Eagles meet first at 9:00 a.m. CT, followed by the Ragin’ Cajuns and Chanticleers at 12:30 p.m. CT. If necessary, the games would follow on Saturday night.

GAME 11 No. 6 seed application status def. Well. 3 seed Troy, 14-10

App State, which won its first Sun Belt baseball tournament two years ago, reached new heights as a program by advancing to the quarterfinals Saturday of the Sun Belt Baseball Championships with a 14-10 win over Troy in a two-fifths meeting. programs in the last nine days.

Junior outfielders Kole Myers and Ethan Kavanagh led off back-to-back singles and used a wild pitch, groundout and passed ball to score, giving the Trojans an early 2-0 advantage.

A double Trojan rally in the second spanned three more and made it 5-0 in favor of Troy. Junior shortstop Tremayne Cobb Jr.’s single to right brought home Kavanagh, who had reached on a walk, and senior second baseman Donovan Whibbs’ bases-loaded single to center allowed junior first baseman William Sullivan, who had also reached on a walk and Cobb Jr., to score.

App State called redshirt senior left-handed pitcher Eli Ellington out of the bullpen and Sullivan had the bases loaded in the top of the fourth. The junior drew a five-run walk to extend the Trojan lead to 6-0 and put Trojan tournament hero Cobb Jr., whose sacrifice fly scored Kavanagh’s third of the day, to make it 7-0.

The Mountaineers had their own lone, on-base opportunities in the bottom of the fourth when senior catcher Hayden Cross, redshirt sophomore shortstop Austin St. Laurent and senior designated hitter Alex Reed all singled. Troy grad right-handed pitcher Zach Fruit struck out junior outfielder Hunter Wilder but gave up a two-out walk to senior third baseman Andrew Terrell to cap the first App State run, 7-1. Sophomore outfielder CJ Boyd’s roped single to center scored two more to make it 7-3 and chase Fruit.

With two on and two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Trojan junior right-handed reliever Kristian Asbury fanned Reed’s 3-2 fastball to end the Mountaineer’s scoring threat.

App State’s double rally 10 runs in the bottom of the sixth with St. Laurent’s two-RBI single to left field, Reed’s two-RBI triple off the left field wall and Boyd’s two-run bomb. that left the confines of Riverwalk Stadium doing most of the damage. The Mountaineers scored all 10 runs with two outs to turn a 7-3 deficit into a 13-7 lead.

Troy got one back in the top half of the eighth. Senior catcher Clay Stearns led off with a double to right field, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a Myers sacrifice fly. Boyd stroked another home run over the left field wall in the bottom of the eighth to make it 14-8 Mountaineers.

A two-out, ninth-inning rally boosted the Trojans, but the comeback bid fell short, 14-10, when Kavanagh singled to center on a well-hit ball with two runners in scoring position.

GAME 12 Well. 4 seed Louisiana def. Well. 5 Texas State, 12-6

For the second time in the Sun Belt Baseball Championship and the fifth time this season, Louisiana edged Texas State. The reigning Sun Belt Tournament champion Ragin Cajuns scored early and often in a 12-6 victory over the Bobcats to avoid elimination.

Louisiana wasted no time getting on the board. After senior third baseman Max Marusak doubled in the first inning, the Ragin’ Cajuns used a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly to bring him home.

Freshman second baseman Chase Mora gave Texas State the tying run in the bottom of the frame with a double down the left field line in the men’s corners.

Sophomore shortstop Kyle DeBarge sparked a two-run rally for the Ragin Cajuns in the third inning. Junior outfielder Carson Roccaforte followed with a single to right field, and DeBarge scored on a fielding error. Sophomore outfielder Conor Higgs then reached and Roccaforte made a ground ball that went past the first baseman for the second consecutive Bobcat error.

The fourth proved fruitful for both teams as Louisiana scored three runs in the top half and Texas State responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame. Higgs did most of the damage for the Ragin’ Cajuns, driving in two doubles to right-center. Senior outfielder Jose Gonzalez’s single through right with two men on scored the run for the Bobcats.

Senior outfielder Heath Hood’s leadoff single and senior first baseman CJ Willis’ two-out double to left center made it 7-2 for the Ragin’ Cajuns in the fifth. Singles by Mora and redshirt junior August Ramirez to open the bottom of the inning led to a two-run frame for the Bobcats to close the gap to 7-4.

The teams were switched in the sixth and seventh runs, with Higgs driving third for the Ragin Cajuns and Mora finishing second for the Bobcats. The score is 9-6 and it goes to the last frame.

Roccaforte stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth and delivered a bases-clearing double into the left-center gap to give the Ragin Cajuns plenty of breathing room, 12-6.

It was Louisiana’s No. 1 game on the mound as Centerville, Ala., freshman left-hander Steven Cash earned his first varsity win and Sweet Water, Ala., product junior right-hander JT Etheridge picked up his first save of the season. .

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
on Saturday, May 27

Game 13 No. 2 Seed Southern Miss vs. No. 6 Seed App State, 9 a.m. CT
Game 14 No. 4 Seed Louisiana vs. No. 1 Seed Coastal Carolina, 12:30 p.m. CT
4:00 PM CT if necessary
7:30pm CT if needed

Sunday, May 28

Championship game at 1:00 PM CT