MONTGOMERY, Ala. – In a tournament that has been characterized by offensive firepower, App State's pitching staff stepped into the spotlight Saturday morning during a 4-2 win over No. 16 Southern Miss, forcing an elimination game against the Golden Eagles at 5 p.m. ET to decide which team advances to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament final on Sunday.
The victory, helped by a two runs that broke a sixth-inning tie, was the 30
th of the season for the Mountaineers (30-25), matching their win total from 2013. It also marked the first time since 2016 that they have defeated multiple ranked opponents in the same season. App State knocked off No. 8 Coastal 11-0 on May 5.
Grey LaSpaluto (win, 2-2) came out of the bullpen to deliver four solid innings for the Mountaineers, allowing just one run on three hits in his third Sun Belt Tournament outing.
After
Seth Whitley struck out three batters in 2.1 innings in just his second start of the season, LaSpaluto bridged the gap to the back end of the Mountaineers' bullpen by tossing 59 pitches in his relief outing.
Skylar Brooks followed with three strikeouts in 1.2 scoreless innings, and then
Jackson Steensma slammed the door shut with a perfect ninth inning. He needed just 11 pitches to close out his seventh save of the season.
App State pitching struck out seven batters in the ballgame as the staff set a program record with 452 strikeouts on the year.
After Southern Miss got on the board first with a sac fly and a solo home run in the third inning, the Mountaineers answered immediately. In the bottom of the third,
Xavier Moronta doubled down the right field line and advanced to third on a flyout from
Luke Drumheller.
Hayden Cross then singled to right to score Moronta and make it 2-1.
App State tied the score in the fourth.
Andrew Terrell singled to left with one out, and
CJ Boyd followed with a double into the right field corner to push Terrell to third, leading to a sac fly from Moronta to knot the score at 2-2.
The Mountaineers grabbed the lead in the sixth.
Alex Reed and
Hunter Wilder began the frame with back-to-back singles, and Terrell reached on an error to load the bases. Boyd then ripped an 0-2 breaking ball into center field to plate a run, and later in the inning, Drumheller lifted a sac fly to make it 4-2 App State.
The Mountaineers finished the ballgame with 12 hits and now have 57 hits through four games in the tournament. Boyd led the way with a three-hit outing, extending his hitting streak to 18 in a row, while Moronta enjoyed a two-hit game and has now hit safely in 20 straight.
Before App State and Southern Miss play a rematch at approximately 5 p.m. ET, Coastal Carolina was facing Louisiana in another semifinal matchup. The winners of those two semifinal pairings advance to the Sun Belt Championship on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
