Arkansas State baseball (2-0, 0-0 SBC) scored six unanswered runs during their final three frames to rally past Omaha (0-2, 0-0 Summit) 7-5 on Saturday night at Tomlinson Stadium.
Arlon Butts got the start for A-State and finished with three earned runs allowed on two hits while striking out three in 3.1 innings pitched.
The Scarlet and Black finished with four hits as a team with Austen Jaslove accounting for two of them. The Designated Hitter also brought in two RBIs, matching Allen Grier for the team high.
The Red Wolves chipped away at Mavericks’ starter Charlie Bell in the first inning, forcing the righty to throw 31 pitches in his opening frame. Jaslove eventually sent a grounder into left field allowing Wil French to cross the plate uncontested as A-State closed the first with a 1-0 advantage.
Omaha broke through in the fourth inning when Joel Benes fired a grounder past third base and brought in two runs as a result. Cardel Dick capped off the top-frame with an RBI-double to centerfield as the Mavericks claimed a 3-1 advantage.
In the next inning Matt Goetzmann extended Omaha’s lead to three runs with an RBI-single into left field. After a failed pickoff attempt at first base, Haiden Hunt beat the throw home to make the score 5-1 in Omaha’s favor.
The Scarlet and Black found life in the sixth when Jaslove brought Blake Burris in to score with an RBI-single. The bases were loaded when Cason Campbell was hit by a pitch and Brayden Caskey was walked, bringing two in to score and cutting the deficit to one run.
Wil French led off the bottom of the seventh with a single and reached second on a fielder’s choice before stealing third and advancing home on a throwing error.
A-State had another bases loaded situation in the next inning following a walk and back-to-back HBPs from Matt Dreher (0-1). Grier got a fly ball to land in left field during the next at-bat, bringing in two runs and giving the Scarlet and Black their first lead since the fourth inning.
Bryce Schares took the mound to open the ninth and retired three of the next four batters to secure the save. Max Charlton (1-0) earned his first win of the season while Dreher took the loss as A-State looks to complete their second consecutive sweep dating back to last season.
Head Coach Tommy Raffo has a chance to make history tomorrow afternoon, needing only one win to pass J.A. Ike Tomlinson and become the winningest coach in Red Wolves history.
NEXT UP
Arkansas State will close the series against Omaha on Saturday, February 17 at Tomlinson Stadium. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. on ESPN+
