App State baseball traveled to Montgomery, Alabama to play in the Sun Belt tournament. The Black and Gold were the No. 3 seed in the tournament but failed to win both games they played in.
The first game came against the No. 6 seed Texas State University Bobcats, who they did not play in the regular season.
The Mountaineers got on the board first after an RBI groundout from freshman catcher Colton Denton in the bottom of the second inning, but the Bobcats quickly tied it and took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third.
After Texas State took the lead, junior designated hitter Kameron Miller hit a ball deep to center. The Bobcats’ center fielder took the home run away but was unable to make the catch, and Miller got to second for a double and drove in a run.
Texas State scored 3 runs in the top of the sixth inning with a two-run double and a single right after. App State got one back with the first home run of the game from redshirt junior first baseman Jalen Seward.
The Bobcats tacked on a run in the top of the eighth inning, but the Black and Gold rallied in the bottom half of the inning. Freshman left fielder Nico Soul hit a pinch hit, double to score a run, but Denton popped out on the following batter with 2 runners in scoring position to end the threat.
App State scored one on a double from sophomore infielder Ethan Puig in the bottom of the ninth inning, but Miller grounded out to end the game with the Bobcats winning 6-5.
The Mountaineers would have to win through the losers bracket, and game two came against the No 2. Seed, Coastal Carolina University, who swept them in the regular season.
Coastal Carolina got on the board first after a throwing error and a single in the bottom of the third inning. They followed that up with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to go up 3-0.
App State got on the board in the top of the fifth inning with an RBI groundout from graduate student infielder Steven Smith. Miller drove in Puig with a groundout in the top of the sixth to make it a one run contest.
The Chanticleers ran away with it from there, as they were able to chase redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Nick DiRito in the sixth inning, scoring 2 runs in the inning. In the following frame, they scored 3 runs, making it 8-2, and winning by the same score.
After a strong season for the Mountaineers, finishing third in a strong Sun Belt conference, they ended their season 0-2 in the Sun Belt tournament.
