Stephen F. Austin
Central Arkansas
SFA Falls to UCA Twice on Saturday
3/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Central Arkansas 9, Stephen F. Austin 8 (10 innings)
Jaycees Field • Nacogdoches, Texas
Records: SFA (4-11, 0-2 SLC); UCA (6-3, 2-0 SLC)
Central Arkansas 11, Stephen F. Austin 1 (8 innings)
Jaycees Field •Nacogdoches, Texas
Records: SFA (4-12, 0-3 SLC); UCA (7-3, 3-0 SLC)
Up Next: at New Mexico • Tuesday, March 10 • 7 p.m.
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin dropped another extra inning heartbreaker to Central Arkansas Saturday, then saw the Bears roar to a convincing win as UCA sweeps SFA in the three-game Southland Conference opening series at Jaycees Field.
SFA falls to 4-12 on the year and 0-3 in SLC play while extending its losing skid to four games. UCA improved to 7-3 overall and 3-0 in conference action.
In the opening game of the Saturday doubleheader, SFA experienced a bit of déjà vu watching Central Arkansas manufacture a pair of runs over the first four innings to build a 2-0 lead while the Lumberjacks were held hitless over that span.
The Lumberjack bats woke up in the fourth inning, however, using singles from Matthew Dickey and Nick Ramos and a walk from Conner Fikes to load the bases with no outs. Dan O'Neill would rip a two RBI double to right center, followed by a sacrifice fly to right by Hunter Wilson to give SFA the 3-2 lead.
But the `Jacks weren't done as Kyle Thornell pulled a triple down the right field line into the corner, bringing home two more runs as the `Jacks extended its lead to 5-2. Eric DeJesus then sent a single up the middle, scoring Thornell as SFA matched its most productive inning of the year, leading 6-2 after four.
An RBI single by Tyler Boxwell in the bottom of the sixth scored Garrett McMullen extended SFA's lead to five at 7-2, giving starter Dillon Mangham a comfortable cushion following his six innings of work.
But the seventh inning proved disastrous for the Lumberjacks as Central Arkansas rallied for five runs in the frame to pull even with SFA at 7-7, negating the strong start by Mangham. The Bears added another in the eighth to take the lead 8-7, but SFA responded as a Boxwell ground out was enough to push O'Neill home, tying the game at 8-8 after eight.
After a scoreless ninth, SFA and UCA went to extra innings for the second-straight day with the Bears adding a run in the top half of the 10th to take the 9-8 lead. SFA was then unable to muster any momentum towards a rally, recording a strikeout, ground out and pop out to end the game.
O'Neill and McMullen each recorded a pair of hits for the `Jacks as O'Neill, Boxwell and Thornell all recorded a pair of RBIs. On the mound, Mangham went 6.0 innings allowing two runs on three hits, but recorded a no-decision. Grant Page was credited for the loss after pitching the 10th inning for SFA.
Game two belonged to Central Arkansas from the opening pitch as the Bears raced out to a 6-0 first inning lead and never looked back. SFA was able to muster a run in the bottom half of the first as Ramos drove in Dickey following a leadoff walk, but that was all the offense SFA could muster, registering just five hits in game two.
Starter Eric Polivka lasted just 1.2 innings, allowing nine runs on seven hits to fall to 0-2 on the season. The Lumberjack bullpen gave up just two runs on three hits the rest of the way, but UCA ended the game early building up a 10-run lead in the eighth inning.
SFA now takes a step out of Southland Conference play, traveling to Albuquerque, N.M. for a two-game series against the Lobos on Tuesday and Wednesday, beginning at 7 p.m. and 3 p.m. respectively. SFA then makes the long 1,200 mile trek to New Orleans, Louisiana, for a three-game SLC series against the Privateers next weekend.
-SFA-
