Jonesboro, Ark. - Kyle MacDonald hit a walk-off RBI single to deep left-center field, scoring Drew Tipton as Arkansas State snapped a nine-game Sun Belt Conference losing streak with a 4-3 win over ULM in 12 innings at Kell Field at Tomlinson Stadium Saturday night.
The final score was the only time Arkansas State (23-20, 9-11 Sun Belt) had the lead in the game. ULM (18-24, 7-12) led 2-0 early, and again at 3-2 in the eighth and ninth innings before the Red Wolves tied the game to force extra innings.
After ULM's Masen Prososki was thrown out trying to score in the top of the 12th inning, Warhawk pitcher Kolton Childress returned to the mound to work his third full inning in relief. He wasn't able to wiggle out of trouble as he did in the ninth and 11th innings, as a single by Tipton and a walk to Andrew Leggo set the table for MacDonald's drive to the gap for the win.
"You hate to have him go through the lineup a second time," said head coach Michael Federico. "He got MacDonald out the time before, where MacDonald hit a ball back to him on the mound. That was a big moment there. He was laboring a little bit. I was hoping he could get through in that situation right there. It was a 2-2 count. You got to tip your cap to MacDonald. That's why he's one of the preseason First Team All-Conference guys."
ULM took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Joey Jordan scored on Ryan Humeniuk's fielder's choice. A controversial play cut the inning short, as Chad Bell was ruled to have left the base line when A-State shortstop Jake Jablonski tried to tag him out on Humeniuk's fielder's choice.
The Warhawks doubled the lead in the third inning. Jordan reached on an error and scored on Andrew Beesley's RBI double for the 2-0 advantage.
However, A-State tied the game up in the bottom of the third. Tyler Duncan reached on a walk to open the inning, and eventually scored on a throwing error by Chad Bell on Jablonski's bunt attempt. Jablonski reached third base and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Tipton to knot the game at 2.
The game stayed knotted at 2 until the eighth inning. ULM regained the lead Beesley picked up his third hit of the game, reaching on a single. He raced around to third on Humeniuk's single and scored on a fielder's choice by Logan Wurm for the 3-2 lead.
The Warhawks tried to expand the lead in the ninth inning. Prososki reached on a walk, and then advanced to second on a throwing error on a pick-off attempt. Prososki tried to advance to third on the play but was thrown out on a throw by MacDonald from the A-State bullpen to third base for the second out of the inning.
A-State forced extra innings in the bottom of the ninth. Sky-Lar Culver led off the inning with a single and was lifted for pinch-runner Karsen Reid. Alex Howard used a sacrifice bunt to move Reid to second, and a single by Duncan moved Reid to third. Pinch-hitter Will Huber then came through with an RBI single to right to tie the game at 3, forcing extra innings.
In the top of the 12th inning, ULM appeared poised to regain the lead. Prososki led off the inning with an infield single. Braedon Barrett's sacrifice bunt moved Prososki to second base. Joey Jordan then hit a single into right field. Prososki headed for home, but was thrown out by Leggo for the second out of the inning. After Bell was hit by a pitch, Beesley grounded into an inning-ending fielder's choice.
"It was disappointing," Federico said. "Kind of ran ourselves out of a couple innings. Had some bang-bang plays where things go into the umpires' hands and just didn't go our way tonight."
Beesley led the offense with his second-straight four-hit game, going 4-for-6 with a double, RBI and run scored. Prososki also had two hits for ULM.
"We squared some balls up," Federico said. "Laced one back to the pitcher, he doubles us up. Lace one back to the second baseman, he doubles us up. Humeniuk hit a couple of balls out there in the gaps that on another day the ball is probably at least a double if not a home run. I thought the effort was great by our group. I thought they were fighting and they were focused. It's just disappointing that we come up short again."
The Warhawks and Red Wolves play the rubber match of their series at 1 p.m. Sunday at Tomlinson Stadium in Jonesboro. Links to live video, audio and stats are available at ULMWarhawks.com.
