ARLINGTON, Texas (4/30/22) – A seven-run 10th inning that included back-to-back 400-plus-foot home runs proved to be the difference Saturday at Clay Gould Ballpark, moving the Arkansas State baseball team to a 9-2 win over UT Arlington.
Ben Klutts unloaded for his second blast of the day in the 10th, sending it 437 feet to break a 2-all deadlock for A-State (10-28, 5-14 SBC), then Brandon Hager launched a 427-foot shoot off the centerfield batter’s eye on the next pitch. The Red Wolves plated four more runs in that inning en route to evening the weekend series against the Mavericks (13-30, 5-15).
Klutts is KLUTCH!
He hits a 437-FOOT ?? to untie it! pic.twitter.com/OUeWhClLQb
— Arkansas State Red Wolves Baseball (@AStateBaseball) April 30, 2022
Klutts went 3-for-5 with five RBI, with four of those coming on a pair of extra-base hits in the 10th inning. Five Red Wolves registered multiple hits in A-State’s 14-hit day, with Jared Toler, Daedrick Cail, Hager and Jaylon Deshazier each recording two hits.
A-State’s Will Nash fired 5 innings in the start, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out three and walking four. Max Charlton pitched around trouble in his two innings, allowing three hits but not giving up a run before handing off to Tyler Jeans (3-4). Jeans tossed the final three innings, striking out two and not allowing a run on three hits.
Matt Novis (0-3) pitched five innings of relief for starter Michael Wong, who allowed one run on five hits in just four innings of work. Novis was lifted with nobody out in the 10th after Klutts’ two-run blast. Jack Hagan was then greeted with Hager’s solo shot on his first pitch and pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowing four runs on three hits. Trevor Pruitt recorded the final out of the 10th after allowing a run on two hits.
Both pitchers held the contest scoreless through three before A-State struck first in the top of the fourth. Hager led the inning off with a double, then was driven in by a Deshazier double to give the Red Wolves a 1-0 lead.
The Mavericks responded in the bottom of the inning with two runs, taking the lead on a two-run single by Matt Cavanagh that scored Zach Henry and Wilson Galvan to make it 2-1 UTA after four.
UTA threatened in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with two outs, but a diving catch by Deshazier ended the inning and kept the score intact.
Klutts knotted up the score at 2-all with a mammoth solo homer to left field that traveled over 412 feet.
After neither team scored in the eighth and ninth, A-State relied on contagious hitting in the 10th, sending 12 men to the plate. Cail led off with a single up the middle, followed by Klutts’ second deep fly of the day to break the tie. Hager then greeted Hagan with his third homer in as many games, sending a 427-foot shot off the batter’s eye to make it 5-2.
Deshazier then walked on 10 pitches before back-to-back flyouts put two outs on the board. An infield bunt single by Brandon Ulmer kept the inning going, then a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Wil French roped a 1-1 pitch through the right side of the infield, driving in both runners to prompt another pitching change.
A Toler single moved French from first to third, with Cail being plunked to load the bases. Klutts then recorded his second extra-base hit of the inning, roping a two-run double down the left field line to drive in French and Toler. A-State held a commanding 9-2 lead into the bottom of the 10th.
UTA led off the bottom of the inning with back-to-back singles before Jeans served up two straight flyouts to put his team to within one out of the victory. Cade Sumbler singled up the middle, but Galvan was tagged out after overrunning second base to end the contest.
NEXT UP
A-State looks to take its third straight Sun Belt Conference series on Sunday, facing the Mavericks at 1 p.m. The contest will be broadcasted live on ESPN+, while the radio broadcast can be heard on The Ticket Radio Network stations 95.3, 96.9, 104.1 and 970 AM.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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Original article source: https://astateredwolves.com/news/2022/4/30/baseball-seven-run-10th-inning-moves-a-state-past-uta.aspx | Article may or may not reflect the views of KLEK 102.5 FM or The Voice of Arkansas Minority Advocacy Council
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