Martin's Go-Ahead Homer in Eighth Propels 'Jacks to 4-2 Opening Day Win over Arkansas State

Friday, February 15

Nacogdoches, Texas

6:30 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

1-0

Arkansas State

0-1

Arkansas State

Stephen F. Austin

Photo by: SFA Athletics

Martin's Go-Ahead Homer in Eighth Propels 'Jacks to 4-2 Opening Day Win over Arkansas State

2/15/2019 11:18:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Grabowske gets the win on the hill, Starks picks up the save

By: Charlie Hurley | Director of Athletic Media Relations

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Securing a win in its season opener required the upperclassmen and the underclassmen on the SFA baseball team to know their roles.

The role of veterans among the pitching staff kept Arkansas State's bats at bays while the young guns in the lineup provided all the offensive pop the 'Jacks needed to finish a comeback.

Sophomore Jared Martin launched a go-ahead solo homer in the bottom of the eighth, freshman Brandon Uhse drove in his second run of the night on an RBI double to pad SFA's lead and the 'Jacks notched their first win in a season opener since 2017 with a 4-2 triumph over Arkansas State.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Getting the ball on opening night, junior right-hander Alex Palmer ran into just one rough spot during his four innings of work for SFA. That patch came in the third inning.
• Palmer hit three batters in the frame and Sky-Lar Culver made him pay by punching a two-run single through the 'Jacks' infield with one out in the frame.
• After that, Palmer settled down and did a fine job of damage control. After that two-run single, the junior fanned Jaylon Deshazier and ended the frame with a bases-loaded strikeout of Karsen Reid.
• SFA had a great deal of difficulty getting anything going against Arkansas State starter Zach Jackson. The junior righty surrendered just a single baserunner to the home team through the first four innings of action. Jordan Monacy was that baserunner as he led off the second with a single.
• Palmer exited after facing four batters in the fourth, earning a no-decision with a final line of five strikeouts, three walks, three hit batters, three hits and two earned runs in four innings of work.
• Jeremy Rodriguez took over for Palmer in the fifth and notched a strikeout after ending an early threat with a double-play ball. In the sixth the junior got out of a situation with runners on the corners by calmly fielding a weak dribbler off the bat of Alex Howard and tossing to Monacy at first to end the frame.
• Finally, in the home half of the sixth, SFA struck. Jake Georgiades reached on a hit-by-pitch with one out and after Jackson struck out Josh Campbell he was pulled in favor of Zech Jarrard.
• Arkansas State's relief arm walked Monacy on five pitches and gave up an infield single to Martin to load the bases with two outs.
• Manny Vasquez then reached on Arkansas State's lone error of the night to keep the inning going. Georgiades scored on the error and with the bases loaded Uhse received credit for his first collegiate RBI by wearing a 1-2 offering from Jarrard.
• That hit-by-pitch by the freshman tied the game and Cody Adams got the first two outs of the Arkansas State seventh before senior Tony Grabowske stepped to the mound for the first time since 2017.
• With the bases loaded, Grabowske fanned pinch hitter Will Huber with the bases loaded to get the 'Jacks back at the plate.
• Grabowske got out of another bases-loaded situation in the eighth when get forced Culver into an inning-ending groundout to Antonio Lima at second.
• Three of the 'Jacks' six hits came in the home team's two-run eighth. Martin's first 2019 homer came on an 0-2 offering from Jarrard while Uhse's double that brought home Vasquez came on a 1-2 pitch.
• Senior Tyler Starks came on to work the ninth and faced just four batters to get credit for his first save of the season.

KEY PERFORMERS/STATISTICS OF NOTE
• Grabowske (1-0) got credit for the win while Starks needed just 19 pitches to notch his first save of the season. Grabowke had two of SFA's nine strikeouts during his 1 1/3 frames of action.
• Martin and Vasquez each went 2-for-4 at the dish and scored a pair of runs.
• Arkansas State left 16 runners on base through the nine-inning affair and got two hits apiece from Culver, Deshazier and Drew Tipton.

COMING UP NEXT
• Hoping to secure a series win Saturday afternoon at Jaycees Field, SFA sends junior right-hander Joseph Sgambelluri to the hill against the Red Wolves. The Benbrook, Texas, product will be making his SFA debut once he tosses the game's first pitch which is set for 2:00 p.m. He'll hope to help lead the 'Jacks to their first season-opening series win since 2010.

-SFA-