A junior college baseball team which previously beat a SWAC team this fall was no match for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in the Golden Lions’ second and final fall exhibition.
UAPB cruised past the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain 11-1 and 16-2 on Wednesday at the Torii Hunter Complex.
Across 18 innings, the Golden Lions outhit the Bucks 29-4. UAPB committed four errors to Rich Mountain’s nine.
Graduate transfer right-handed pitcher Jalen Porter started Game 1 on the mound for UAPB. He struck out eight hitters in three innings with one walk and one hit.
Head Coach Logan Stout said Porter is the type of player UAPB looks for.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“What I love the most about Jalen is the kind of leader he is,” Stout said. “He’s got insane talent. We’re honored to have him here, but man, he’s just a phenomenal teammate. To have a guy with that kind of skillset and a four-pitch mix, but he’s humble, you never hear him take credit for anything. He’s all about his players and his teammates.”
Porter struck out the first five hitters he faced, with only one working a full count before Rich Mountain sophomore Andrew Stancin doubled on a 2-1 pitch with two outs in the second. The next hitter walked before Porter ended the inning with his sixth strikeout. He finished his outing retiring the side in the third.
The Houston native, who spent his first four collegiate seasons at NAIA program Wiley University in east Texas, has drawn interest from MLB scouts. National cross-checkers, who scout the nation’s top prospects as first identified by area scouts, attended the exhibition to see him pitch. Stout said Porter topped out at 99 miles per hour on Wednesday.
Porter said the transition from NAIA to Division I has gone well for him so far.
“I have the same mindset, but I just got better guys behind me, better coaching, so it’s really been developmental,” Porter said. “Before I got here, I was topping at (95 mph), but I topped at (99) today. Numbers don’t lie, as they say.”
Out of the 48 pitches Porter threw, Rich Mountain put two in play: the double by Stancin and a fly out to right in the third inning.
Freshman left-hander Joe King relieved Porter and threw three innings without allowing a base runner. He struck out two hitters. Three other pitchers combined to allow one run on one hit over the final three innings of Game 1 with four strikeouts and three walks.
Senior right-hander Kenney Fabian, who was named first team All-SWAC last season as UAPB’s Friday night ace, started Game 2. He pitched three scoreless innings and allowed three walks but no hits with five strikeouts.
Stout said as of now, he expects Porter to be the Friday starter in the spring with Fabian likely starting on Saturdays. The Sunday spot is still up for grabs, and Stout said the Golden Lions have so many options, choosing the other starters will be tough.
“We’ve got a lot of guys in the mix,” Stout said. “You have Reagan James, he came in and did what he did. Jack Hasten came in and did what he did. We got a lot. I don’t want to leave any names out. … Major (Spence) is nursing a little injury. He was our Saturday guy last year, and he’s come out amazing in the fall, up to 90, sitting high 80s.”
James allowed 1 run on 1 hit and 1 walk with 4 strikeouts in 2 innings, while Hasten pitched 2 no-hit innings with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts. Spence did not pitch on Wednesday. Stout also said King is a potential starter.
Rich Mountain’s first three pitchers in Game 1 held UAPB to 1 unearned run over the first 4 innings before the bats came alive. The Golden Lions scored 2 runs in the fifth inning, 3 in the sixth, 3 in the seventh and 2 in the eighth.
The Golden Lions stayed hot to start Game 2, scoring 5 runs before an out was recorded. UAPB added 3 runs each in the second and third innings before Rich Mountain freshman Sam Graham and sophomore Quinton McAtee combined for three scoreless frames. UAPB bounced back afterward with 2 runs in the seventh and 3 in the eighth.
Rich Mountain previously split an exhibition doubleheader against SWAC foe Mississippi Valley State, losing 10-9 before winning 9-7 in Itta Bena, Miss., on Oct. 11. Stout said scoring 27 runs in 18 innings against the Bucks was a great outing at the plate.
“Other than a couple of (at-bats), our two-strike approaches were great,” Stout said. “Our advantage counter approaches were great. That team’s a good team. They actually beat teams this fall in our conference, so our offense made good pitchers look very mediocre, and that’s a good sign.”
UAPB shortstop Konner Gidley hit 3 for 4 with 2 RBI and a run in Game 1 before adding 2 runs in Game 2. Catcher Vinny Saumell hit 2 for 4 with a team-high 3 RBI and a run, and first baseman Easton Andrews drove in 2 RBI and scored a run on 1 of 5 hitting, both in Game 1.
In Game 2, first baseman Blake Coleman led with 3 RBI and a run after hitting 3 for 5. Right fielder Joe Adams hit 3 for 4 with 2 RBI and 3 runs.
Eight of nine starters tallied a hit in Game 1, and seven starters did so in Game 2.