LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — App State clinched a big Sun Belt road series victory Sunday with a 5-0 win at Little Rock.
Trey Tujetsch recorded his first career win by allowing just four hits and striking out four batters in six shutout innings.
Eli Ellington retired nine of the 10 batters he faced, allowing just a tough-luck infield double on a pop-up lost in the sun, to earn a three-inning save.
In taking two of three games from the Trojans (20-26, 10-11), the Mountaineers (18-28, 9-9 Sun Belt) opened the series finale with a run in the top of the first inning on
Tyler Leek's RBI single and finally gained some separation with a two-run top of the sixth before adding single runs in each of the last two innings. They managed enough offense despite leaving a season-high 14 runners on base.
App State is one of only six teams in the 12-team Sun Belt with at least a .500 record in league play. Following
Tyler Tuthill's complete game in a 2-1 win Friday and a 4-2 loss Saturday, the Mountaineers allowed only five runs over three games in Arkansas. They last accomplished that in a three-game series during a 2018 road sweep of UTA.
Eight of App State's nine starters delivered at least one hit Sunday and every starter reached base, with
Robbie Young going 3-for-4 and
Andrew Terrell going 2-for-4. Young reached base four times, and
Hayden Cross (1-for-3) walked twice.
Tujetsch retired the side in order in the first, third and sixth innings, and he faced only three batters in the fifth thanks to Cross, the catcher, throwing out an attempt to advance on a pitch in the dirt.
Tujetsch gave up back-to-back singles to open the bottom of the second but recorded a 3-2 strikeout and forced a flyout to center after a sacrifice bunt moved two runners into scoring position with one away.
After striking out two batters in a 1-2-3 third inning, Tujetsch again faced a one-out jam with two runners in scoring position in the fourth. A strikeout and flyout to right ended that threat.
The game began inauspiciously enough, as
Bailey Welch advanced all the way to third on a dropped flyball in the gap, but an appeal resulted in the umpire ruling he missed second base.
Luke Drumheller reached on a throwing error in the next at-bat, moved to third on Young's single and scored on Leek's single to left.
The score remained 1-0 until a sixth-inning breakthrough triggered by
Phillip Cole's one-out double. He advanced to third on a balk and scored on a single by Terrell. Two more singles by
Alex Leshock and Welch loaded the bases, and Drumheller's RBI sac fly scored Terrell.
The Mountaineers increased their lead as Welch walked to open the eighth, moved to second on a wild pitch, reached third on a Drumheller single and scored on a double-play groundout. Cross then led off the ninth with a walk and later scored from third on a wild pitch.
App State closes its midweek schedule Tuesday at South Carolina and wraps up the regular season with a Sun Belt home series starting Thursday against South Alabama.
