BOONE, N.C. – Despite a 4-for-4 outing at the plate from Brian Bauk and fine pitching, Appalachian State University baseball was unable to tie up the series, falling 5-2 on Saturday afternoon at Smith Stadium.
The Mountaineers (12-19, 3-8 Sun Belt) came out of the games with purpose, holding the Mavericks (16-16, 6-4 Sun Belt) to three scoreless innings to start the game.
UTA would strike first in the top half of the fourth, however, the Black and Gold would respond in the bottom half with Matt Vernon and Matt Brill singles through the middle and left side put them in scoring position. Bauk then sent a shot through the middle to get his lone RBI on the day.
After two more scoreless, the Mavs put up two in the sixth to retake the lead, but Appalachian would remain within striking distance with a one-run response in the sixth. A Brill walk and Bauk's second hit of the day put runners in scoring position before Tyler Stroup batted them around to second and third with a sacrifice bunt. Conner Leonard got his RBI of the day, bringing home Brill, on a sacrifice fly.
The game was put out of reach in the seventh when UT Arlington scored two more in the seventh.
At the plate, four Diamond Apps were able to get extra-base hits on the night with Bauk leading all. Brill continued his hot-hitting, going 2-3 on the day while Calev Grubbs, Jason Curtis and Drake Zupcic all finished with doubles on the day.
On the mound, Colin Schmid got his usual Saturday start and had a fine outing, going 6.1 innings and allowing just four hits, three earned runs and striking a tied-season-high batters. Reed Howell, Tristan Helms and Matt Schaeffer.
The Mountaineers will return for the series conclusion on Sunday, April 9 at Smith Stadium against UT Arlington. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
