University of Memphis Athletics
Baseball Takes Weekend Momentum into Midweek Play at Arkansas State
Mar 29, 2010 | Baseball
March 29, 2010
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Riding the energy of its first-ever C-USA series win over No. 18 Rice, head coach Daron Schoenrock and his Memphis Tigers baseball team will make the short trip to Jonesboro, Ark., to take on the Arkansas State Red Wolves in midweek non-conference action on Tues,. Mar. 30. First pitch at A-State's Tomlinson Stadium is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Pitching Matchups
Memphis - Ben Paullus, So., RHP (0-1, 4.24 ERA)
Arkansas State - Sam Jew, Jr. RHP (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Last Time Out
Memphis split a doubleheader with the then-nationally-ranked Rice Owls on Saturday. The Tigers had to rally for three runs in the bottom of the ninth to seal their first-ever series victory over the Owls via an 8-7 win. Rice salvaged the series finale, 13-4.
Game One
Rice (12-12, 0-2 C-USA) 100 005 100 - 7 12 2 Memphis (11-12, 2-0 C-USA) 401 000 003 - 8 10 2MEMPHIS, Tenn.--Adam McClain capped a three-run ninth inning rally with a game-winning single as Memphis clinched its first-ever series victory over No. 18 Rice with an 8-7 come-from-behind decision in game two of C-USA's opening weekend.
Trailing 7-5 in the final frame, Memphis used a strong rally to seal the conference series win. Pinch hitter Robby Graham started the rally with a flared single to center. With one at-bat left to extend his hit streak to 12 games, sophomore Drew Martinez did just that, drilling a double into the rightfield corner. Chad Zurcher knotted the contest at 7-all with a two-run double to right. After a single by Rick Russell, McClain came up big with the game-winning hit for the 8-7 win. McClain's single was his lone hit of the game.
Russell and Zurcher both went 3-for-5 to lead Memphis' 10-hit offensive with three hits each. Zurcher McClain and Trey Wiedman had two RBI each.
Tigers starter Ryan Fraser was strong in a no-decision outing. The senior struck out five and gave up six runs on six hits in 5.1 innings. Five of the six runs and three of the six hits came in Rice's five-run sixth. Fraser handed the ball over to freshman Dan Langfield and the hard-throwing freshman held the Owls to one unearned run on six hits in 3.2 innings to pick up the win and improve to 4-2 on the year.
Game Two
Rice (13-12, 1-2 C-USA) 253 200 100 - 13 23 1 Memphis (11-13, 2-1 C-USA) 020 020 000 - 4 12 2Rice scored two runs in the first and exploded for five runs in the second in the 13-4 rout of the Tigers in the series finale.
Memphis starter Ryan Holland was saddled with the loss after getting roughed up for seven runs on nine hits in 1.2 innings of work. Jared Rogers was the winning pitcher, going 7.1 innings and allowing four runs.
Scouting the Tigers
At 11-13, Memphis rides the wave of its first-ever series win over Rice this weekend. The Tigers have shown improvements over the last two weeks, winning six of the last eight.
Offense has been the strength of the Tigers' attack. The team hits a stout .305 as a team and has collected 10 or more hits in seven consecutive outings. Sophomores Chad Zurcher and Drew Martinez are the club's 1-2 punch, batting .422 and .379, respectively. Zurcher is working on a 16-game hit streak, while Martinez has hit safely in 10-straight.Junior college transfer Rick Russell bats .368 and senior outfielder Tyler Huelsing rounds out the squad's top hitters with a .351 clip. Huelsing has been the offensive leader with a team-high .701 slugging percentage, 34 RBI, 27 runs scored, nine doubles and a career-best seven home runs. Huelsing also paces the club with 14 two-out RBI.
On the mound, Memphis is paced by Brennon Martin and closer Dan Langfield, who both have 3.66 ERA's. Martin is the reigning C-USA Pitcher of the Week after tossing a complete-game victory in Friday night's series-opener against Rice. Langfield leads the staff with four wins. No. 2 starter Ryan Fraser leads the way with 48 strikeouts. Tuesday night starter Ben Paullus comes off of two-straight effective starts. The sophomore is 0-1 with a 4.24 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 17 innings. He holds opposing hitters to a .262 batting average
Scouting the Red Wolves
Arkansas State comes into the midweek contest with a 15-9 record after sweeping New Orleans in Sun Belt action last weekend. The Red Wolves are 8-5 at Tomlinson Stadium.
Red Wolves' hitters bat a robust .321 collectively. Seven regulars hit .300 or better, led by Ryan Emory's .368 average. Jordan Castaldo and Michael Faulkner both check in at .365. Castaldo leads the team with 10 doubles. Todd Baumgartner bats .355 and leads the A-State offense with 36 hits. He is joined by Giovanni Garcia as the team leaders with 20 RBI.
The Arkansas State pitching staff has been equally as tough, holding a 3.65 ERA and limiting opponents to a .273 batting average. Red Wolves will send junior righthander Sam Jew to the hill for his first career start. The Australian has pitched one inning in just one appearance. Reliever John Koch has anchored the ASU bullpen and maintains a 1.84 ERA with 16 strikeouts in nine appearances.
Last Time vs. Arkansas State
Arkansas State 8, Memphis 7 (10)
Memphis (12-19) 205 000 000 0 - 7 13 1 Arkansas State (13-18) 221 000 011 1 - 8 10 0JONESBORO, Ark.--Memphis out-hit Arkansas State 13-10 and led 7-5 after seven innings of play, but the Tigers were unable to hold off a late-game charge by the Red Wolves in an 8-7, extra-inning loss on at ASU's Tomlinson Stadium.
Memphis (12-19) earned a split in the season series with Tuesday night 16-8 win. Arkansas State moves to 13-18 on the year with the win.
With the scored tied and 7-7 with two outs and runners on second and third, Todd Baumgartner brought Giovanni Garcia in with the game-winning run.
Memphis put up five runs in the third to take a 7-4 cushion. Trey Wiedman's two-run single powered the inning. Tyler Huelsing, Cole Shelton and Chris Newsom also posted RBI's in the inning.
All-Time Series vs. Arkansas State
Memphis is 109-54-2 all-time versus Arkansas State. The series with A-State equals that of the Ole Miss series as the oldest rivalry in Memphis baseball history. The Tigers and Red Wolves have been playing each other since 1915. The 165 games played between the two institutions, and the 109 wins against ASU are the most in Memphis baseball history. The teams have split the season series in four of the last five years (2005-06, 2008-09). The Tigers won at Arkansas State in 2005 and 2008. Memphis swept the 2007 series.
On Deck
The Tigers will hit the road for the first time in C-USA play, when they head to West Virginia for a three-game weekend versus Marshall. The Tigers and Thundering Herd will play a single game on Fri., Apr. 2 at 6:30 p.m. Due to the Easter weekend, the two clubs will battle it out for the series win in doubleheader action on Sat., Apr. 3. First pitch on Saturday is slated for 10:30 a.m. CST.
