TECH BASEBALL DROPS HOME GSC DOUBLEHEADER
TO NO. 1 SOUTHERN ARKANSAS

        RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – The Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys baseball team dropped a pair of Gulf South Conference baseball games Saturday afternoon at Tech Field to the No. 1 team in the nation, the Southern Arkansas Muleriders, by the scores of 11-2 and 16-9. SAU improved their record to 32-4 (11-0 GSC) with the wins, while Tech dropped to 18-15 (6-4 GSC).

Game 1 – Southern Arkansas 11, Arkansas Tech 2

          SAU’s Cody Jones improved his record to 9-0 on the year as he only allowed five Tech hits and two runs while throwing a complete game. Jones was all around the strike zone, striking out nine hitters while only being guilty of three walks.

          Tech’s Justin Bollig (Moore, Okla.) had one of Tech’s five hits and accounted for both of the Wonder Boys runs as he belted a 2-run homerun in the bottom of the seventh inning. The shot over the left field fence was Bollig’s second on the year.

          Jantzen Black (Greenwood, Ark.) extended his hitting streak to 30 games with a 1 for 3 outing. Black’s hit, a double, came in the seventh inning before the Bollig homerun.

          The Muleriders were led by catcher Brandon Graves, who hit his ninth homerun. Graves finished the contest going 3 for 5 with four runs scored and two RBIs. David Aubrey and Tim Dellwo each had three hits and one and two RBI’s respectively. Centerfielder Tyler Maag also drove in a couple of runs as he was 2 for 4.

          As a team, SAU pounded out 17 hits, including 13 off of Tech starter Zach Weiss (Barnhart, Mo.). Weiss was hit with the loss and his record fell to 4-4 on the year. Weiss allowed eight runs, a walk, and recorded two strikeouts in four and two thirds innings of work.

Game 2 – Southern Arkansas 16, Arkansas Tech 9 (8 innings)

          The second game of Saturday’s double header got a little wild and the, originally scheduled, seven inning game took an extra frame to decide the winner.

          The Muleriders took a 7-0 nothing lead into the bottom half of the seventh inning before the Wonder Boys got their first run of the contest. Tech’s run came after Josh Holloway (Booneville, Ark.) doubled to left field and third baseman Tony Sanchez (Mesquite, Texas) singled up the middle which plated Holloway.

          The Wonder Boys got three more the next inning after four straight singles with one out, including an RBI single off the bat of Tech freshman Austin Gwatney (Sherwood, Ark.) drove in Bollig. After a strikeout, Holloway blooped a single down the right field line, which scored Robbie Hohler (Searcy, Ark.) and Brad Green (Cabot, Ark.).

          Tech used patience in the bottom half of the sixth inning to tie the game at 7-7. After a two walks and a hit batsmen forced SAU to look to relief pitcher Brendan McDonald, their third pitcher of the contest, Hohler came to the dish for Tech and drew another walk which cut the Mulerider lead to two. Freshman outfielder Tyler Tate (Fort Smith, Ark.) then tied the game up with a two-out single that scored Green and Bollig.

          The tie would not last long, however. After SAU began the next inning with a walk, David Aubrey sacrificed the runner, Graves, to second on a bunt. After a walk to Maag, Tim Dellwo singled to push SAU back in front, 8-7. A single off the bat of leadoff hitter Pat Robey then made the score 9-7.

          Tech would answer back in the bottom of the seventh when Black drew a one out walk and then freshman designated hitter Jonathan Houston (Conway, Ark.) hit a massive 2-run homerun over the fence in right-center field to tie the game again at nine.

          SAU would then show why they are ranked No.1 nationally, as they kept their poise and put together a seven run eighth inning which was highlighted by a grand slam homerun by Robey. Robey finished the game going 4 for 6 with a HR, six RBIs and two runs scored.

          Tech’s bats were silent in the bottom of the eighth, and SAU picked up the 16-9 extra inning victory.

          Brandon Wellborn got the win for SAU, improving to 2-1 on the year. Josh Floriani (Malvern, Ark.) picked up the loss in a relief effort for the Wonder Boys. His record fell to 2-2 on the season.

          Tech looks to salvage at least one game of the three game set tomorrow as these same two teams are set to faceoff in a nine inning contest which begins at 1 p.m.  

-- Tech Athletics --