BOONE, N.C. – Great weather and a terrific crowd set the stage for the App State on Sunday, and the offense delivered an incredible opening act, batting around in each of their first two innings on their way to a 19-2 drubbing of the Thundering Herd to claim a series win.
Austin St. Laurent notched a four-hit game to lead the App State (17-8, 5-4) attack, opening the scoring with an RBI double two batters into the ballgame to score
CJ Boyd. With one out in the inning,
Braxton Church doubled home St. Laurent, and
Adam Quintero and
Kameron Miller followed with RBI hits of their own in a five-run first inning.
In the second it was more of the same. With the bases loaded and one out,
Drew Holderbach came through with a two-run single, and Miller followed with a two-run double two batters later. Miller finished the ballgame with a career-high three hits and six RBIs.
Joseph Zamora kept the scoring going with an RBI double, his seventh consecutive game with a two-bagger, and later in the inning, St. Laurent delivered a two-run single, his second hit of the frame. All-in-all the Mountaineers scored 10 runs in the second inning to lead 15-0.
Meanwhile on the mound,
Jackson Steensma was untouchable early. The sophomore retired the first seven batters he faced in the ballgame and did not surrender a hit until two outs in the fifth. Steensma ultimately tossed six innings, giving up two runs on three hits to earn his third win of the year.
Dante Chirico came out of the bullpen to toss a scoreless seventh inning in a run-rule victory.
After being quieted through the middle innings, the App State offense erupted one final time in the sixth. After St. Laurent doubled to begin the inning,
Banks Tolley crushed his team-leading 11
th home run of the season. After a walk to
Tommy Walker, who entered as a defensive replacement, Miller launched an opposite-field two run home run, his second in as many days, to push the score to 19-2.
The Mountaineers will continue their homestand on Tuesday as they face the High Point Panthers at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The 2024 App State Baseball season is presented by Chick-fil-A.
