Walks and errors cost the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff baseball team against an in-state foe on Tuesday.
UAPB dropped its home opener 10-3 to Central Arkansas at the Torii Hunter Baseball Complex’s Bill Jones Field.
First-year UAPB coach Logan Stout said winning is hard for any team that issues 10 walks and commits four errors, as the Golden Lions (0-8) did Tuesday.
“It’s hard to get offensive momentum when you’re standing out there watching ball four, ball eight, ball 12,” Stout said. “And then all of a sudden, the ball’s hit to you. It’s just difficult. When you look at the first inning, they scored 2 runs on an error.”
Left fielder Zeb Allen and second baseman Keon Moseni led off the game with singles for UCA (3-4). Allen scored on an errant pickoff attempt which allowed Moseni to advance to third. He then scored on an RBI groundout by shortstop Nate Negre to quickly give the Bears a 2-0 lead.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Negre later hit a 3-RBI double in the fourth inning after UCA chased UAPB starter Chris Bedgood (0-1). The senior right-hander lasted 3 1/3 innings in his first start of the season, allowing 3 runs, 1 earned. He gave up 4 hits and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts.
Negre, coming off his walk-off hit against Eastern Michigan on Monday, hit 2 for 4 with 4 RBI on Tuesday. Allen hit 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and 3 runs. The Bears scored 4 unearned runs thanks to UAPB’s errors.
Eight of UCA’s nine batters drew at least one walk or were hit by a pitch. Nine-hole hitter Blaine French walked three times.
Stout said UAPB’s pitchers need to throw with more conviction, something they have done in practice.
“We have data on the whole fall and the spring intrasquads, where we’re throwing 67 percent strikes,” Stout said. “Every one of our pitchers. When the lights turn on and there’s people in the stands, I think there’s some early season jitters from guys that have not played at this level before. … I just think it’s a learning moment.”
UCA starter Jacob Pannell (1-0) went 5 innings in his first appearance of the season. He struck out four while allowing four hits and two walks. Relief pitcher Nate Titlow finished the game, allowing 2 unearned runs on two hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Three UCA errors led to all 3 UAPB runs.
With UCA leading 5-0 in the top of the fifth inning, two runners on base and one out, UAPB turned to junior righthanded pitcher Nate Monceaux. He gave up a pair of hits, including a 2-RBI single from Allen, but settled in afterward.
Monceaux had struggled in his two starts this season, pitching a combined 1 2/3 innings, but he held UCA off the board in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. He gave way to Harish Balachandran with two outs in the ninth after pitching 4 1/3 innings. He allowed 2 runs, 1 earned, on four hits and three walks with one strikeout.
Stout said Monceaux will move to the bullpen full time with Brant Voth, who started the series finale over the weekend against Stephen F. Austin, taking over as a weekend starter.
Monceaux said he and Stout agreed on that change.
“We just both felt that for this team and for me personally that the bullpen would kind of be a better role,” Monceaux said. “Just to get my adrenaline going, go straight into the game. It allows me to just go out there, not think, and throw the ball.”
Voth, playing first base, had half of the Golden Lions’ hits, hitting 3 for 4. Pinch runner Kentavious Veal scored for him in the ninth after Voth hit his second double of the game. Voth was 1 of 7 entering the game after hitting .087 last season.
The rest of the team hit a combined 3 for 27.