JONESBORO, Ark. –
Banks Tolley blasted two home runs, his third multi-homer game of the season, leading App State past Arkansas State 12-3 to clinch a series win on Saturday.
The two home runs give Tolley a league-leading 17 dingers on the season, tying Daniel Kassouf (2012) and
CJ Boyd (2023) for the most in single season program history.
Tolley wasted no time getting the Mountaineers (22-14, 8-9) out to an early lead. After
Drew Holderbach extended his on-base streak to 36 consecutive games with a one-out double in the first inning, Tolley followed with a two-run shot to left to give App State a 2-0 lead.
Arkansas State (17-22, 4-13) answered with a three-run home run in the second inning to briefly take the lead, but that would be the only offense that Mountaineer pitching would surrender in the ballgame.
Tolley reclaimed the lead in the third with another two-run shot to put the Mountaineers in front for good.
Jackson Steensma (win, 5-2) was impressive on the mound again, notching his fourth quality start in ten outings this year. Steensma worked a career-high 6.1 innings, striking out six. The right-hander yielded just five hits and did not walk a batter.
The Mountaineers continued to pull away in the middle innings. In the fifth,
Austin St. Laurent was hit by a pitch, and after stealing second base, Holderbach drove him in with an RBI double. Holderbach finished with a 4-for-4 performance, including a pair of doubles. Later in the inning
Xavier Moronta plated Holderbach with an RBI groundout.
Moronta finished the game with four RBIs, hitting a bases-clearing double as part of a four-run sixth inning to push the lead to 10-3.
The Black and Gold scored twice more in the seventh.
Joseph Zamora singled through the right side and St. Laurent followed with an RBI triple. Holderbach plated St. Laurent with a sac fly later in the inning to cap the scoring for the Mountaineers.
Tyler Tuthill came out of the bullpen to induce an inning-ending double play in the seventh. He would stay on for the eighth and strike out a pair and did not allow a base runner in 1.2 innings.
Everette Harris tossed a scoreless ninth inning striking out two more to cap off the victory.
Through two games the Mountaineers have racked up 32 runs on 28 hits, including five home runs.
App State will go for its first sweep of Sun Belt play on Sunday, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. ET in the finale.
The 2024 App State Baseball season is presented by Chick-fil-A.
