BOONE, N.C. – With a 4-5, four RBI night, junior Tyler Stroup became the second player in 14 years to bat the cycle (getting a single, double, triple and inside-the-park home run) to help Appalachian State University baseball down Radford, 13-9, on Tuesday in a slugfest.
The junior joins teammate Colin Schmid in snapping a 13-year drought without a recorded cycle. Schmid doubled, singled and then hit a three-run homer against Quinnipiac in the second game of a doubleheader on Feb. 27, 2016.
For the fourth time in six games, the Mountaineers (10-11, 1-2 Sun Belt) had 11-plus hits for a season-best 13 runs against the Highlanders (8-12, 0-0 Big South), snapping their five-game win streak.
Stroup's eighth-inning home run is just the second inside-the-park home run in Smith Stadium history and the first since 2010. On April 6 against North Carolina A&T, Doug Jones hit a game-tying, two-out shot to right center that led to two RBI. Teammate David Towarnicky also had an inside-the-park home run that year, however, it took place in a game against Rider that was held in Hickory at L.P. Frans Stadium.
The inside-the-park home run is just the second to happen in the close-to-10-year history of Smith Stadium (Doug Jones – April 6, 2010). His and Drake Zupcic's four hits are also the most by Mountaineers in a single game since April 30, 2016 (Brian Bauk at Arkansas State).
In a back-and-forth affair that featured four lead changes, Appalachian was actually the team who plated anyone first in the second when a two-out a laser to left field by Stroup brought in Bauk before Zupcic hit one to opposite field to bring home Brad Davis. Stroup and Zupcic finished the game with four and two RBI, respectively.
The Highlanders responded mightily in the third inning, putting up a four-spot to take the lead. The Black and Gold would inch closer on a Jason Curtis moonbeam to left field – his second in four days.
Radford extended its lead further to 7-3 in the fourth inning, all of which were unearned due to an infield error.
Appalachian would retake the lead in the fifth when a Curtis walk, a Matt Vernon double and a Conner Leonard walk set up a two-RBI double for Chandler Seagle with no outs. Leonard then was able to take home on a wild pitch before Stroup got his double of the game to right field to bring home Seagle. Zupcic then took a 2-2 pitch to the outfield to bring home Stroup to take the lead, 8-7.
Keeping the game close, Radford plated two in the sixth to go back up 9-8 – the Highlanders' final lead of the night.
The bats continued to roll for the Mountaineers in the seventh inning when Stroup tripled to left as leadoff to eventually be brought home by Calev Grubbs, who fired a bullet through the left side to reach first. Vernon then continued his strong week at-bat by jacking his fourth home run of the season to bring home two and take the lead once and for all.
After having late-inning drama in multiple games this season, Appalachian was determined to keep this game in its control, adding to the lead in its final at-bat in the eighth. Bauk singled up the middle before being advanced to second on designated hitter Schmid's groundout. Stroup's dramatic inside-the-park homer brought them both run after the outfielder believed the ball to have been over the fence.
Five Appalachian pitchers took the mound on Tuesday for the midweek tilt, beginning with southpaw Bobby Hampton, who went 3.0 innings. Sean Mason and Matt Schaeffer filled the middle innings for App State before Tristan Helms came in to go 1.1 innings and allow just one hit to keep his 0.00 ERA, earning his first career decision win.
Matt Brill also came in to close out the final half-inning, seeing three batters, striking out one and needing just 12 pitches to secure the win for the Diamond Apps.
The Mountaineers continue with their five-game homestand on Friday, March 24 as they host their first Sun Belt Conference team, Texas State. The three-game series is scheduled to have first pitches at 5 p.m., 2 p.m. and 11 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
