ARKANSAS STATE 5, APPALACHIAN STATE 3

Arkansas State University (21-21, 9-11 Sun Belt Conference) scored four runs in the fourth inning Saturday to beat Appalachian State University (1825, 7-13) and even the weekend series in Boone, N.C.

Tyler Stroup hit a sacrifice fly in the first inning to score Matt Vernon that gave the Mountaineers a 1-0 lead before the Red Wolves took control in the fourth inning. Garrett Rucker singled to start the inning and moved to second on Jeremy Brown’s walk. The runners advanced a base on Alex Howard’s sacrifice bunt and they scored when Jake Bakamus hit a single to center field, giving ASU a 2-1 lead. Bakamus advanced to third on Drew Tipton’s single through the right side and Derek Birginske drew a full-count walk to load the bases with one out. Grant Hawkins struck out after a 10-pitch at-at bat for the second out before Joe Schrimpf’s double down the left-field line scored Bakamus and Tipton for a 4-1 lead. Birginske was thrown out at the plate on the play.

Bradley Davis had an RBI single in the sixth and an RBI double down the rightfield line in the eighth to account for Appalachian State’s final two runs. Brown added an RBI single for Arkansas State in the seventh to score Justin Felix.

Bakamus and Birginske both went 2 for 3 to lead the Red Wolves, who finished with 11 hits and left 8 runners on base, while Hawkins finished 2 for 5.

Bradey Welsh (3-1) earned the victory after allowing 2 earned runs on 5 hits with 4 walks and 3 strikeouts over 51/3 innings. Tyler Zuber got his sixth save after allowing 1 hit with 5 strikeouts over the final 2 innings.