An opposite-field single by Brandon Hager in the bottom of the ninth lifted the Arkansas State baseball team to a 4-3 come-from-behind win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Saturday at Tomlinson Stadium-Kell Field.
A-State (2-0) rallied from a 3-1 deficit with two runs in the eighth to tie up the ballgame at 3-all before setting up Hager’s heroics in the ninth. Wil French reached as a hit batsman to lead off the frame before advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt, then scored from second on Hager’s base hit.
The Red Wolves tallied nine hits, including two off Hager’s bat, while UAPB (0-2) scored three runs on seven hits – two by Drew Cates. Daedrick Cail reached base three times in four plate appearances.
Neither starter factored into the decision, but both hurled five-plus innings. A-State’s Hunter Draper tossed 5 2/3 innings in his debut, allowing two runs on five hits before handing off to the bullpen. After Arlon Butts got out of the sixth, Kyler Carmack tossed 1 2/3 innings. Coby Greiner forced a flyout to end the eighth, with Kevin Wiseman (1-0) working around a pair of base runners in the ninth and earning the victory.
UAPB starter Jacob Riordan struck out six in five innings, allowing just one run on four hits. Jordan Jones pitched 1 2/3 innings, with Jaxson Lucas (0-1) finishing the contest.
A-State struck first in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Kody Darcy that plated Blake Burris.
The Red Wolves’ one-run lead stood until the visitors scored a pair of runs in the sixth on an RBI single from Cates, who came around to score on a bases-loaded walk issued to Ben Van Maanen. UAPB tacked on another run in the eighth on another bases-loaded walk to hold a 3-1 lead entering the bottom of the eighth.
Darcy led off the home half of the eighth with a single, followed by a four-pitch walk to Cail. Jared Toler then drove in Darcy from second with a one-out double, then Cail touched home on a passed ball to tie it at 3-3, but Lucas got a strikeout to end the inning.
The Golden Lions threatened in the top of the ninth, but Wiseman stranded a pair to thwart the threat.
French began the bottom of the frame getting hit by a 2-2 pitch, then moved into scoring position on Burris’ sacrifice. Then, on the third pitch of his at-bat, Hager roped his single into right-center field, pushing French across home to clinch the series.
