Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – Arkansas State (25-15) erupted in the fourth inning with a monstrous 16-runs in the 20-10 victory over Central Arkansas (22-19) on Tuesday evening at Tomlinson Stadium-Slayton Family Field.
The fourth inning’s 16 runs represent the most runs by an A-State team in an inning since at least 2011. Of Arkansas State’s 3395 games leading into Tuesday’s game, only 38 had ever reached 16 or more runs.
Central Arkansas crossed the plate first with a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the first inning. A Cougar Cooke RBI-single pulled the Red Wolves back within one in the bottom of the second.
The Bears mounted a 5-1 lead off a trio of hits and a fielding error in the top of the third frame before A-State added a pair to their score on a wall-scraping Evan Griffis homer to set the stage at 5-3 in favor of UCA moving into the fourth inning.
It was all Red Wolves in the fourth with the first three batters reaching on a pair of hits and a walk to fill up the pond. The carousel began turning after a Bears pitching change and the first out of the inning with back-to-back-to-back batters making it to first on hit-by pitches for the Red Wolves to take the lead, 6-5. UCA hit the pen again, but A-State kept rolling, a Cason Campbell single scoring two before a fielder’s choice scored another and left all runners safe. Another runner reached on a fielding error to score for the 11-5 A-State lead. An AJ Mustow RBI-single cleared the rest of the bases, with another hit and HBP reloading the bases with only one out. Lane Walton sent two more home on a hit into the outfield, with another run plating on a wild pitch. Another four singles were split with a groundout, the second out of the inning. Cooke made his third plate appearance of the inning and mirrored his first with a two-RBI double to clear the bases, representing the final hit of the inning before the game entered the fifth inning with a 19-5 A-State advantage. Cooke, Mustow, Joey McLaughlin III, and Lane Walton all crossed home twice, with Cooke stealing a base on two separate trips around the diamond.
Across the inning, A-State logged 20 plate appearances with 10 hits, just two of them for extra bases. Another four batters landed on first after getting plunked, and one reached on a walk.
The Bears’ resolve held as they notched a double and two singles to add two runs on their side of the scoreboard. Central Arkansas then added another three runs in the sixth, finding all four baserunners of the inning with two outs looming over them. Three of the four circled all the way home to chip the score back to a 19-10 game, with A-State going down in order in the bottom of the inning.
A lone double from the UCA offense in the top of the seventh was the only thing keeping the Bears from going down on strikeouts in order, with Houston Tomlinson commanding 1.1 innings, all three outs in the sevenths coming by way of looking strikeouts.
Cooke led off the seventh with a walk, representing the game-ending run. A single from Cross Jumper moved Cooke just 90 feet away, with Lane Walton dropping a single into right field to set the game in stone; Red Wolves 20, Bears 10.
Win: Jelle van der Lelie (2-0)
Loss: Luke Lorence (0-1)
UP NEXT
A-State jumps back into conference play with a series against Louisiana. First pitch on Friday, April 24 is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Tomlinson Stadium-Slayton Family
