HICKORY, N.C. – Trailing by six runs at the midway point of the series finale, App State Baseball scored seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the lead on their way to a 14-10 victory over UMass Lowell to sweep the three-game series at L.P. Frans Stadium.
Joseph Zamora delivered the most consequential swing of the afternoon, ripping the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the fifth inning deep over the right field fence for a grand slam to ignite the App State (4-3) comeback effort. Zamora finished with a three-hit game.
Trailing 9-3,
Juan Correa singled to begin the home fifth and
Tyler Figueroa and
John Kramer followed with a walk and a hit by pitch respectively to load the bases for Zamora.
The grand slam pulled the Mountaineers to within two runs, but the team was just getting started in the inning.
Riley Luft was then hit by a pitch and
Xavier Lopez singled to extend the rally. With one away, after a UMass Lowell (2-4) pitching change,
Tyler Lichtenberger singled up the middle to score Luft and get App State within a run. After a groundout pushed two runners into scoring position, Correa (batting for the second time in the frame) hit a ground ball deep in the hole at shortstop and was not only able to beat out an infield single to score the tying run, but a low throw allowed the go-ahead run to cross home plate as well, giving App State its first lead of the contest.
The Mountaineers had already overcome a multi-run deficit earlier in the contest. Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, App State tied the score with a three-run frame highlighted by a two-run double by
Graham Smiley off the right-center field wall.
App State scored 10 runs across the middle three frames. Leading 10-9 in the sixth, App State added three more runs in the home half of the frame. After Kramer and Zamora opened the inning with back-to-back singles, Luft belted an RBI double to the gap in right-center field to plate a run. App State continued their onslaught by scoring runs on a wild pitch and a sac fly later in the frame.
App State finished with 15 hits in the contest, led by a career-high four hit effort from
Juan Correa.
Carter Boyd (win, 1-0) earned his first career victory, tossing 2.2 innings in relief, giving up just one run.
Jordan Fisher got the final four outs of the contest, coming on with two outs and two runners in scoring position in the eighth inning and picking up a big strikeout to extinguish the threat.
Everette Harris struck out four batters across four innings in his second start of the season. The right-hander was able to minimize trouble in the fourth inning picking up a strikeout to escape a bases-loaded jam and end the frame.
App State pitching allowed just four walks in the contest, while striking out seven.
The Mountaineers will return to action on Tuesday when the team travels to ETSU for a 3 p.m. contest against the Buccaneers.
The 2025 App State Baseball season is presented by Chick-fil-A.
