LAFAYETTE, La. — Despite a lead-off home run and quality outing from Colin Schmid, Appalachian State University baseball fell in the series finale to No. 19 UL Lafayette on Sunday afternoon at Tigue Moore Field. The Mountaineers (15-33, 9-18 Sun Belt) gave up three runs in the eighth inning and dropped game three to the Ragin' Cajuns (31-17, 16-8 Sun Belt), 4-1.

The match up featured a battle of true freshman pitchers between App State's Schmid and UL Lafayette's Nick Lee. After both pitchers gave extra-base hits to the first batters they saw, Schmid and Lee settled in with neither pitcher allowing a run in the second through the seventh inning.

Schmid's day came to a close after 6.1 innings, allowing just one run on four hits. Schmid struck out three and walked two. Lee exited after seven innings with a career-tying eight strikeouts.

Tyler Stroup did not waste any time getting App State on the scoreboard as he blasted the second pitch of the game over the right-field wall. The homer was Stroup's fifth of the season, tying Matt Vernon for the team lead.

UL Lafayette also got started quickly with a lead-off triple from Hunter Kasuls off the right-field wall. Kasuls was batted in on a ground out to shortstop.

After Lee retired 12-striaght Mountaineers from the first through the fourth, App State had back-to-back innings with multiple base-runners. Both times Lee was able to escape with no damage done, striking out Beau Myers to end the fifth and forcing Conner Leonard into a 6-4-3 double play to end the sixth.

Reed Howell entered the game for Schmid in the seventh and issued a walk to load the bases but got out of the jam with a foul pop up and ground out to third.

After lead-off single for the Cajuns in the bottom of the eighth, ULL went to small-ball tactics with three-straight bunts. The first bunt slipped past Howell for a base hit. The second bunt was a sacrifice, moving the runners over to second and third. On the third bunt attempt, the flip home by Howell was not in time to stop the go-ahead run from reaching home plate.

After a stolen base put runners on second and third, Brad Anchak drove them in with a single through the left side of the infield. ULL's three runs in the bottom of the eighth put them up 4-1, a lead that they would not give up in the ninth inning.

App State will return to Smith Stadium next weekend for its final Sun Belt series of the season against UT Arlington. Game times are set for 6 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday.