Strong offensive start helps Arkansas State knocks off No. 10 Louisville

EMERSON, Ga. -- Arkansas State used a six-run third inning to help knock off the tenth-ranked Louisville by a score of 8-2 Friday afternoon in frigid conditions that featured some snow at the Perfect Game Park South Complex in Emerson, Georgia.

A-State (3-1) was able to jump on Louisville (2-2) starter Kyle Funkhouser in the top of the third inning after he hit two batters and walked another to load the bases with one out and the Red Wolves already on top 1-0. Joe Schrimpf extended the lead to 3-0 with a line drive single to center field and Jeremy Brown reached on a fielder’s choice that the Cardinals did not get an out on due to a bad throw from shortstop to second base to load the bases again.

Ty White stepped up to the plate and ripped a 1-0 pitch down the first base line that Louisville first baseman Danny Rosenbaum was able to dive and keep on the infield, but couldn’t glove that allowed Tanner Ring scored for a 4-0 advantage. Tim Seldomridge lined out to shortstop for the second out of the inning to bring up Austin Baker. Baker hit a hard ground ball back up the middle to plate two more A-State runs and White scored on an error to set the score at 7-0.

Louisville was able to get on the board in the fifth inning when Sutton Whiting drove home Rosenbaum with a one-out single, but A-State starter David Owen was able to limit the damage to just one run. Owen worked himself into trouble again in the sixth inning and walked one run home with two outs. Coulton Lee relieved Owen and struck out Louisville’s Corey Ray on a 3-2 pitch to preserve A-State’s 7-2 edge.

The Red Wolves added another run in the top of the eighth when Seldomridge scored on a Stuart Levy sacrifice fly to put the score at 8-2. Lee pitched a scoreless bottom half of the eighth and was relieved by Colton Kibler in the ninth. Kibler walked the first guy he faced, but induced a 6-4-3 double play and fly out to center field to end the game.

Arkansas State jumped on Funkhouser early with Baker hitting the first pitch of the game into right field for a hit. Levy singled to left field and Matt Burgess walked to load the bases with one out. Ring smoked a 0-1 pitch into right field to plate Baker for the 1-0 lead, but Funkhouser struck out the next two Red Wolves to limit the damage.

Owen earned the win for A-State on the mound after pitching 5.2 innings and allowing only two runs on eight hits with five walks and four strikeouts. Lee pitched well out of the bullpen for the second straight outing as he threw 2.1 innings and only allowed one hit with three strikeouts and one walk.

Ring led the Red Wolves with three hits, while Baker and Zach George each had two apiece. Baker and Schrimpf drove in two runs each and every A-State player in the lineup scored one run except for George. Baker, Ring, and White each stole their second base of the season.