Lions fall short
Arkansas-pine Bluff, thanks to an eighth-inning home run from Cornelius Williams, closed within a run of Arkansas State, but just like outfielder Jacob Whiteney (above), close was all the Golden Lions could get in a 7-3 loss to the Red Wolves at Dickey-stephens Park in North Little Rock on Tuesday.
ARKANSAS STATE 7, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 3
The ping of Cornelius Williams’ leadoff home run hitting the right-field foul pole ominously echoed around Dickey Stephens Park.
The Arkansas-pine Bluff center fielder cut Arkansas State’s lead to one run, and the Red Wolves’ momentum from a weekend sweep of South Alabama appeared in peril.
But UAPB starter Jordan Sechler gave up three runs in the bottom of the eighth to effectively end the upset bid as the Red Wolves won 7-3 Tuesday in the Arkansas Classic.
Catcher Stuart Levy started the Red Wolves’ final burst with a double to right to lead off the inning, and stole third before shortstop Dustin Jones slapped an RBI single to left to give ASU (26-19) a 5-3 lead.
A batter later, shortstop Zach Maggio took a first-pitch strike before lifting Sechler’s hanging slider over the head of right fielder Sherman Thomas for a triple that scored Levy for a 6-3 lead.
“There’s just been times where you don’t get those runs you need in the late innings,” said Maggio, who was 2 for 4 and scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Zach George. “The other team can come back to get you, and we’ve seen it happen. It was huge to get to those last couple runs.”
The breakdown for UAPB (8-38-1) and Sechler, who pitched 8 1 / innings and allowed
3 7 runs on 11 hits and struck out 2, came after he worked out a two-out, basesloaded jam in the bottom of the fifth by striking out Levy with a curveball.
Then when Williams homered off reliever Brandon Farely to start the eighth, UAPB Coach Carlos James said he thought the Golden Lions could stay close long enough to steal the victory.
“We had a chance at that point,” James said. “We’re like the Little Engine That Could. We could, could, but we can’t always make it up the hill.”
“No doubt,” ASU Coach Tommy Raffo said. “They’re a pesky group, and well coached. They don’t back down from anybody.”
Jones put the Red Wolves ahead 1-0 with a two-out single that brought in third baseman Alex Potts in the bottom of the second. But UAPB pulled even when second baseman Sean Samsa’s one-run double in the top of the third scored Jacob Whitney.
Daniel Short extended the lead to 3-1 — again with two outs — when George scored from second and Uxa all the way from first when he doubled to the left field gap.
“It was a big hit with two outs,” Short said. “Those can kind of get things jump-started and get us going, because with tough teams like this all it takes is one hit by them and it’s a different game.”
Arkansas State starter Cody Woodhouse (1-2) threw 41 of 51 pitches for strikes over 4 innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits and striking out 2.