STATE DIVISION I BASEBALL ROUNDUPS

SUN BELT

ILLINOIS STATE 12, ARKANSAS STATE 8

Illinois State (4-2) scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to hold off Arkansas State (3-3) on Saturday in Jonesboro.

The Redbirds fought back from an early 4-1 deficit to take a 8-6 lead after seven innings. ASU scored once in the eighth to trim the deficit to 8-7 before Illinois State gained some distance with the four runs in the ninth.

The Red Wolves put two runners on in the bottom of the ninth, scoring once on Hunter Thomas’ double to make it 12-8. After Allen Grier walked to load the bases, Illinois State reliever Jared Hart got a strikeout and ground out to close out the victory.

Kyler Carmack led the ASU offense with three hits and an RBI.

Daedrick Cail and Brandon Hager had two hits apiece, while Kody Darcy added two RBI for the Red Wolves.

Illinois State’s Shay Kubo went 4 for 6 with 2 RBI, while Adrian Flores had 3 hits and Auggie Rasmussen had a home run among his 2 hits.

SWAC

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY ST. 12-8, UAPB 5-11

Mississippi Valley State ( 2- 4, 1- 1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) pushed across eight runs over the first two innings to run its way to victory in the first game of a doubleheader in Itta Bena, Miss., but the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (1-5, 1-1) roared back in the nightcap by scoring six of the game’s final seven runs to win.

Davon Mims had three hits and Davione Hull drove in four runs for the Delta Devils, who scored five runs in the bottom of the first and three in the second to erase an early 3-0 deficit in Game 1. Edwin De La Cruz went 4 for 5 and Brandon Simon had a three-run home run for UAPB (0-5, 0-1).

In the second game, the Golden Lions trailed 7-6 in the seventh before scoring five runs in the eighth to take control. Brad Mican had 3 RBI, and Andre Greene struck out four in 32/ innings to 3 get the win in relief for UAPB.

ASUN

MISSOURI STATE 4, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 3

For the second day in a row, the University of Central dropped a onerun decision to Missouri State (4-2) in Springfield, Mo.

UCA (3-3) lost the series opener 1110 in 14 innings on Friday night, then couldn’t recover from a three-run deficit on Saturday.

Down 4-1 in the top of the seventh inning, the Bears got a RBI double from Drew Sturgeon that scored Noah Argenta to make it 4-2. Evan Hafley’s run-scoring groundout scored Mason King to trim the deficit to 4-3 in the eighth.

UCA put a runner on with two outs in the ninth, but Sturgeon’s groundout to first base ended the Bears’ chances.

Jessse Barker (1-1) took the loss for UCA. He allowed 7 hits and 4 earned runs in 42/ innings while striking out 7.

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Sturgeon, King and Tanner Leonard led UCA with two hits apiece.