ARKANSAS STATE 21, GEORGIA STATE 4 (7)

Derek Tipton was 2 for 2 — including a fifth inning grand slam — with 2 runs scored and 5 RBI on Thursday, and Jeremy Brown was 2 for 2 with 3 runs scored and 2 RBI as Arkansas State University (27-26) scored 11 runs in the fifth inning alone to score the second-most runs ever in a Sun Belt Conference Tournament game in a victory over Georgia State (22-33) at J.J. Clements Stadium in Statesboro, Ga.

The 21 runs are the second most by the Red Wolves since a 27-7 victory over Murray State in 2014. The 11-run fifth inning tied for the most since an 11-run inning in ASU’s 19-12 victory over Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in 2009.

The Red Wolves scored on two bases-loaded walks, a wild pitch, a two-run single from Joe Schrimpf, an RBI single from Alex Howard and Tipton’s grand slam, his fourth home run of the season. ASU built a 3-0 lead in the second inning when Derek Birginske reached on one of two Georgia State errors, which scored Howard and Brown. Birginske scored on Tipton’s RBI double down the left-field line.

Georgia State scored on a sacrifice fly before Howard added a three-run home run, his fourth of the season, in the third inning to give the Red Wolves a 6-1 lead. Garrett Rucker had an RBI double in the fourth and scored on another RBI double from Schrimpf to take an 8-1 lead.

Howard finished 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored and 4 RBI for ASU, which advances to face the University of Texas at Arlington at 11:30 a.m. today. Schrimpf was 2 for 5 with 3 RBI. Reliever Tyler Zuber (5-1) earned the victory after replacing Tyler Mitzel, who began the fifth inning with consecutive walks. Zuber went 11/3 innings and had 1 strikeout. Starter Brady Welsh gave up all four Georgia State runs on 3 hits with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts over the first 4 innings.