Justin Medlin hurled a career-high seven innings before handing off to an effective bullpen to help the Arkansas State baseball team to a 4-3 victory against Troy Friday night at Tomlinson Stadium-Kell Field.
Medlin (1-4) struck out four and scattered six hits in the start for A-State (8-26, 3-12 SBC) before Brandon Anderson and Kevin Wiseman worked shutout relief innings to close it out against the Trojans (23-13, 9-7). Anderson worked around a one-out walk in the eighth, then Wiseman stranded the tying run at third with a strikeout looking to earn his third save.
A-State registered six hits, four coming from Ben Klutts and Jaylon Deshazier. Klutts reached base three times and went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs, including the eventual game-winning run. Deshazier recorded a pair of singles and an RBI. Cooper Tremmel reached base twice to extend his on-base streak to 15 games and Jared Toler homered in the second.
Troy starter Garrett Gainous (5-3) worked 6 1/3 innings and allowed six hits as well as five walks. Grayson Stewart pitched the final 1 2/3 frames, striking out three and not allowing a baserunner.
Jesse Hall recorded two hits and two RBI for the Trojans from the leadoff spot, while William Sullivan went 2-for-3 with a run. Catcher Clay Stearns also scored a run on two hits on the night.
Troy struck first in the top of the first when Sullivan dashed home from third on a stolen base by Kyle Mock to lead 1-0, but the Red Wolves quickly erased that lead in the bottom of the inning.
Deshazier sent a single through the left side of the infield to drive in Klutts to tie it up, and then a passed ball allowed Brandon Hager to score from third to make it 2-1 after one.
Toler’s second-inning solo shot to right pushed A-State’s lead to 3-1, then an RBI single in the third by Tremmel plated Klutts to make it 4-1.
The Trojans rallied in the fifth with a two-run single by Hall, but Medlin worked out of the inning without further damage, stranding a runner at third with an inning-ending double play.
Medlin made quick work of Troy in the sixth, retiring the side, before working around a one-out single to complete the seventh. Anderson walked a batter in the eighth, but recorded a strikeout and a groundout to strand him at first.
Wiseman trotted out of the bullpen in the ninth in search of his third save, recording the first out on a flyout in the left-center field gap. A one-out double put the tying run in scoring position, but Wiseman fired a strikeout for the second out. A passed ball moved the tying run to third, but the Axtell, Texas, native battled back from a 2-0 count to freeze Hall at the plate for the final out.
NEXT UP
A-State looks to clinch the series in a Saturday doubleheader against the Trojans beginning at 2 p.m., with the second game beginning 35 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. Both contests in the twinbill will be broadcasted live on ESPN+.
