HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – For a third consecutive start,
Caleb Cross was nearly untouchable. The redshirt senior delivered a complete game shutout in App State's 6-0 victory over Marshall on Friday at Jack Cook Field.
Cross allowed a runner past first base just twice on the night. He scattered seven hits and a walk across a career-high nine innings, striking out four to earn his fifth victory of the season.
Over his last three starts Cross has combined to go 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA, allowing just two runs in 24 innings, while twirling two complete games. Prior to that stretch, the right-hander had never thrown more than six innings in a contest.
The App State (18-15, 8-5) offense provided Cross some early run support. After missing the last 14 games due to injury,
Jonathan Xuereb made his return to the lineup for the Mountaineers and led off the third inning with an opposite field home run for his first of the season. Later in the frame,
Kameron Miller hit his ninth home run of the season, plating
Dillon Moquin, to give the Mountaineers a 3-0 lead.
The Black and Gold added another run one inning later.
Juan Correa led off the fourth inning with a double, advanced to third on a flyout, and scored on a sacrifice fly to push the advantage to 4-0.
The App State defense was impressive too.
Joseph Zamora made a sensational diving catch in foul territory down the right field line in the fifth inning.
Riley Luft made a sliding catch in left field to end the seventh inning, and
Tyler Figueroa dove into the gap in right-center to steal away extra bases and preserve the shutout in the eighth.
The Mountaineers plated a pair of insurance runs in the top of the eighth inning, doing so without the benefit of a base hit. Marshall hit two batters, committed an error and walked three, including
Braxton Church and
Tyler Lichtenberger with the bases loaded to push the App State lead to 6-0.
Lichtenberger reached base three times, including a pair of hits, extending his on-base streak to 32 consecutive games, and pushing his hitting streak to 12 in a row.
The shutout was App State's third of the season as a team, and Cross joins
Caleb Marks to throw a complete game shutout this season.
App State takes aim at a series win on Saturday, with first pitch from Huntington set for 5 p.m. The 2025 App State baseball season is presented by Chick-fil-A.
