BOONE, N.C. — Extending its longest winning streak in eight years, App State Baseball wrapped up a two-game home series against Siena with a 9-8 victory on Wednesday.
A large Field Trip Day crowd of students created a festive atmosphere and contributed to a late-morning crowd of 873 fans at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium as the Mountaineers officially improved to 10-6 — they are leading 6-2 with the bases loaded in the ninth inning of a suspended game that will resume Tuesday before a full game is played against North Carolina A&T in Boone.
With the victories on back-to-back days against Siena, App State has won six straight games for the first time since the record-breaking 2012 team put together separate winning streaks of six, seven and 12 games.
On Wednesday, the Mountaineers overcame an early 3-0 deficit and established a 9-4 lead by scoring in five straight innings. Siena used a four-run top of the eighth to cut its deficit to 9-8 before
Jack Hartman escaped a bases-loaded jam by recording a strikeout and inducing a lineout to right.
The first two batters of the ninth reached against Hartman, and a sacrifice bunt put two runners in scoring position with one away. Hartman struck out the next batter and secured his fourth save when catcher
Jack Lipson secured a foul tip on a 3-2 strikeout.
Andrew Papp relieved starter
Shane Roberts in the fourth inning and had two strikeouts in 2.2 scoreless innings to earn the win.
App State's offensive leaders included
Luke Allison (3-for-3, three runs, two RBIs),
Luke Drumheller (2-for-4, two RBIs),
Andrew Greckel (2-for-4),
Robbie Young (1-for-3, two runs, one RBI) and
Hayden Cross (1-for-2, two runs, one RBI).
App State tied the game at 4-all with a two-run bottom of the fourth inning, as Young scored on Allison's RBI double and Allison crossed the plate on Cross' RBI single. The Mountaineers moved ahead for good on
Kendall McGowan's RBI single that brought home
Tyler Leek in the fifth inning.
App State added two runs apiece in the sixth and seventh innings, pushing the margin to 7-4 on
Andrew Terrell's sac fly and Drumheller's RBI triple. Young's RBI double and Allison's RBI single produced a five-run lead heading to the eighth inning.
Before next week's home action against North Carolina A&T, the Mountaineers begin Sun Belt Conference play this weekend at Texas State.
App State Baseball would like to thank AutoStar Nissan of Boone for serving as the presenting sponsor of the 2020 season.
