JONESBORO, Ark. — A pair of home runs along with a quality start by Chandler Coates lifted the Arkansas State baseball team to an 8-4 series-clinching win against Stephen F. Austin Sunday afternoon at Tomlinson Stadium/Kell Field.
Coates worked 7.0 shutout innings in his first start of the season for A-State (2-1), scattering five hits and walking one to go along with five strikeouts to earn the win. Three Red Wolves registered multi-hit days, led by Ben Klutts, who went 3-for-4 on the day with two runs scored.
SFA (1-2) used seven pitchers on the afternoon, with reliever Joseph Sgambelluri taking the loss in 0.1 innings pitched in which he surrendered the go-ahead grand slam by Jaylon Deshazier in the sixth.
SFA threatened in the second on a leadoff single by Jared Martin followed by a double by Dillon Eatman that put runners at second and third with nobody out, but the A-State defense buckled down and gunned out both runners at the plate. Martin was caught stealing before Sean Moore grounded into a fielder's choice that saw Eatman put out on a throw from Klutts to Cullen Ray for the second out. Coates then worked out of two-on, two-out situation with a flyout to right to keep it scoreless.
After surrendering a leadoff single in the third to Kyle Cullen, Coates retired 12 in a row before SFA broke up that trend in the seventh with an infield hit by Eatman.
SFA starter Jacob Stobart worked 5.0 shutout innings, scattering three hits while striking out eight Red Wolves and walking two before giving way to Sgambelluri.
With one out and runners on the corners in the sixth, Colten Nix broke the stalemate with an RBI double down the line to plate Klutts from third and send Sky-Lar Culver to third. Sgambelluri walked Tyler Duncan to load the bases and was lifted for Austin Roth. The new Lumberjack reliever was then greeted with a monstrous grand slam to left-center by Deshazier to make it 5-0 A-State through six.
The Red Wolves added another run in the seventh when Duncan plated Klutts from second on a two-out RBI single to center that chased SFA reliever Seth Campbell.
SFA closed the gap with four runs in the top of the eighth, with the first run coming on the second of two balks by Max Gehler. Pinch-hitter Gabe Irwin then drove home Cullen from third on a single up the middle to make it 6-2. After Jack Jumper came on and earned back-to-back strikeouts, Martin sent a 1-2 pitch over the left field wall to cut it to 6-4. Jumper ended the inning without further damage with his third strikeout of the frame.
A-State responded with two runs in its half of the eighth on a one-out, two-run homer to right by Liam Hicks – one of his two hits – to give Jumper an 8-4 lead going into the ninth. After allowing a leadoff double in the ninth, Jumper notched back-to-back strikeouts and then forced a pop-up to close it out.
Drew Tipton also registered two hits for the Scarlet and Black. Overall on the weekend, Duncan went 5-for-9 at the plate (.556) to lead A-State offensively. Defensively, the Red Wolves played errorless baseball the entire weekend.
The Red Wolves will be back in action at 4 p.m. Tuesday, traveling to Oxford, Mississippi, to take on 25th-ranked Ole Miss. Action at Swayze Field will be broadcast live on SEC Network+.
Arkansas State claims series with 8-4 Sunday win over SFA
A grand slam by Jaylon Deshazier in the bottom of the sixth broke the game wide open