A ton of offense and stellar pitching allowed the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff to clinch its second baseball series win of the season on Saturday.
UAPB dominated Alcorn State 18-2 in seven innings to clinch the three-game set at the Torii Hunter Baseball Complex.
UAPB (12-17, 6-2 SWAC) scored in five of its six offensive innings, including six-run third and sixth innings. Alcorn pitchers struggled to find the strike zone, issuing 11 walks and hitting six batters with pitches. UAPB also tallied 13 hits, including two doubles and two triples.
Left fielder Jose Vasquez, hitting leadoff, walked four times and was hit by a pitch. Second baseman Konner Giddley scored a team-high four runs after walking three times and doubling. Third baseman Zach Wieder and first baseman Ian Smith had four RBI apiece to lead UAPB.
UAPB Coach Logan Stout said he was happy with the offense overall, though the scoreless fifth showed there’s still room to improve.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“We had a leadoff triple,” Stout said. “Popup on the infield, a punchout and a flyout. That can’t happen. It was a good learning lesson for the guys. You don’t take pitches off. You don’t take half-innings off, but overall, phenomenal, phenomenal approach at the plate. The results spoke for themselves.”
The first five UAPB hitters of the third inning reached on free passes, with three walking and two being hit by a pitch. Alcorn starter Kayden Sutton (1-5) left the game without an out in the third inning. He left the bases loaded, and those runners later scored. Sutton finished his start with eight runs on three hits and five walks with one strikeout.
For Alcorn (7-21, 1-7), reliever Nicholas Johnson retired the first two hitters he saw but issued a bases-loaded walk and allowed a two-RBI bloop single from UAPB right fielder Blake Coleman. UAPB took a 9-0 lead into the fourth.
UAPB kept the starting hitters in until there were two outs in the sixth inning, at which point outfielder Weston Gingerich made his first plate appearance of the season and was hit by a pitch. His pinch runner, Dane Small, scored later in the inning on Smith’s two-RBI single.
Stout said Gingerich was penciled in as UAPB’s leadoff hitter and starting center fielder coming into the season but was out with an injury. Stout was glad the dugout cheered Gingerich on as he finally got his turn at the plate.
“He got cleared yesterday,” Stout said. “So, it was good for us to finally get him in a game. I was looking for the right spot. I hated he didn’t get to swing the bat, but he got hit by a pitch. He got on base. That’s what leadoff hitters do, and that’s what he did.”
While the Golden Lions were stacking runs, starting pitcher Kenney Fabian (1-3) dominated the Braves on the mound. He took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning before centerfielder Rayfield Adams III led off with a double and later scored on a sacrifice fly by right fielder Keaten Hawk to end the shutout bid.
Fabian, who took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning last week against Florida A&M, pitched six innings of one-hit, one-run baseball. He struck out six hitters and walked one.
Fabian said he had to find ways to stay loose during the offense’s long innings.
“I just went over to our cages back here and started throwing,” Fabian said. “It was great having that run support, but it kinda sucks at the same time when you’re sitting there for 30 minutes waiting to go back out, but run support makes it even better.”
Emerson Lott pitched the final inning, allowing one run on two hits and a walk with two strikeouts. The UAPB bullpen used just two arms in the first two games of the series.
The series win is UAPB’s second in three weeks after sweeping Mississippi Valley State two weeks ago. The Golden Lions will look to complete the sweep on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.