The 2019 Conference USA Baseball Championship, presented by The First, resumes play on Friday with a pair of elimination games. Marshall matches up with Rice at 3 pm CT, followed by UTSA against WKU at 6:30 pm CT. Florida Atlantic and Southern Miss, the top two seeds, each advanced to Saturday's semifinals with victories on Thursday. All games through Saturday are on ESPN+ and live stats through Stat Broadcast are available on the C-USA Baseball Championship Central page.
Championship Central
RICE 6, MARSHALL 3
BILOXI, Miss. - Perhaps the old adage about learning to walk before one can run can be aptly applied to Rice’s 6-3 victory over Marshall Friday afternoon in The First 2019 C-USA Baseball Championship presented by Air Force Reserve at MGM Park.
The seventh-seeded Owls gratefully accepted 13 bases-on-balls from Marshall pitching, mixing in seven hits and a hit batsman to generate enough offense to claim a 6-3 victory over the Thundering Herd.
With the win, Rice (26-32) emerges from the elimination bracket to take on second-seeded Southern Miss in the championship’s semifinals. The Owls would have to defeat the Golden Eagles (36-19) twice Saturday to reach Sunday’s championship game.
USM rallied to defeat 6-4 in 10 innings in Wednesday’s opening round.
The Owls defeated third-seeded Louisiana Tech 4-3 to stay alive while eliminating the Bulldogs from the championship, and then spotted eighth-seeded Marshall (29-27) a 1-0 lead before seizing the lead for good in the third inning.
“We’re proud of our guys,” Rice coach Matt Bragga said. “It was a great battle.”
“We lose a couple of days ago, came back and battled, and fought and won a good game (Thursday). Won a good game (Friday) as well.”
Tucker Linder, who would drive in all of the Herd’s runs, gave Marshall the lead with a two-out single, but the Owls scored twice in the third inning.
An out after Aaron Beaulaurier doubled off the wall in left field, Bradley Gneting blooped a double into short-center field. Gneiting moved to third base on a wild pitch and scored on an error.
Rice added two more runs in the fifth inning on Andrew Dunlap’s run-scoring single and a bases-loaded walk, but Linder’s two-run single in the bottom of the inning pulled Marshall within 4-3.
But that was the last of the runs for the Herd as Kendal Jeffries (3-4) came out of the bullpen to pitch 4 2/3 scoreless innings for the Owls. He allowed four hits, walked two and struck out five.
Cade Edwards’ two-run single in the eighth inning salted away the win.
Marshall starter Ryan Capuano (1-3) took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits over 4 1/3 innings. He walked five and struck out four.
“I’m just so proud of the whole team and the way they fought at the end,” Marshall coach Jeff Waggoner said. “They were so resilient through the whole year, especially my seniors. This has been an unbelievable group that’s graduating.
“They were fun to be with for four years. They had a chance to come to a couple of conference tournaments and play for a championship.”
Gneiting had just the one hit, but walked three times and wound up scoring three times.
Trei Cruz had two singles, walked twice and scored twice.
Shane Hanon and Linder had two hits apiece for Marshall.
UTSA 15, WKU 8
(8) UTSA 15, WKU 8
BILOXI, Miss. - In a baseball game that meant win or go home, WKU put up a whole bunch of runs early.
Trouble was, UTSA put up a whole lot more later.
The Roadrunners batted around in both the sixth and seventh innings, scoring nine runs in the process on the way to a 15-8 victory Friday night in an elimination game in The First 2019 C-USA Baseball Championship presented by Air Force Reserve at MGM Park.
“It was a little but sloppy right there in the middle, and we took advantage of some of the mistakes we got,” UTSA coach Jason Marshall said.
UTSA’s survival means the Roadrunners (28-29) will take on top-seeded Florida Atlantic (39-18) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the semifinal round.
The loss spelled the end of the season for the fourth-seeded Hilltoppers (26-29-1), who went 1-2 in their first appearance in the C-USA baseball postseason.
“What we accomplished this season was not always easy,” WKU John Pawlowski said. “Losing is never easy, and when it’s final, it’s very difficult.”
“A lot of players were emotional, which is expected. I’m just proud of the way they competed.”
The teams combined for 23 runs on 30 hits. The one error in the game did not occur until the eighth inning as both pitching staffs were pummeled until UTSA found a stopper from the pen.
Bradley Griggs (1-1) allowed only a run on three hits over the final four innings, walking two and striking four.
“Fortunate for us, we got somebody to go out there, and Bradley Griggs threw the last (four) or so,” Marshall said. “He threw the ball really well.”
After UTSA grabbed a 1-0 lead on Dylan Rock’s single in the first inning, WKU busted out with a four-run third inning, including RBI singles by Sam McElreath and Nick Brunson.
The Roadrunners got two runs back on Nick Thornquist’s double in the bottom of the inning, but the Hilltoppers matched that with a two-spot in the fourth.
UTSA got a run back in the bottom of the fourth inning, answered by WKU’s single score in the fifth inning to grab a 7-4 lead.
Hunter Grimes ignited the comeback, leading off the sixth inning with a solo homer to spark a four-run rally that left UTSA up 8-7.
Grimes led off the seventh inning with a double, igniting a five-run outburst that left the Roadrunners up 13-7.
Three WKU hitters combined 10 of the Hilltoppers’ 14 hits. Jake Sanford had four hits with two runs scored and one driven in. Jack Wilson and Richard Constantine had three hits apiece. Ray Zuberer III scored three runs, including launching his seventh homer of the season.
Grimes, who led off three consecutive innings with a hit, led UTSA with four hits and four runs scored. Rock and Ryan Stacy had three hits for the Roadrunners.
Game Schedule
Wednesday, May 22 (available on ESPN+)
Game 1 (6) Marshall 6, (3) Louisiana Tech 4 (12 inn.)
Game 2 (2) Southern Miss 6, (7) Rice 4 (10 inn.)
Game 3 (1) Florida Atlantic 6, (8) UTSA 5
Game 4 (4) WKU 7, (5) Old Dominion 4
Thursday, May 23 (available on ESPN+)
Game 5 Rice 4, Louisiana Tech 3
Game 6 UTSA 3, Old Dominion 2
Game 7 Southern Miss 10, Marshall 5
Game 8 Florida Atlantic 6, WKU 1
Friday, May 24 (available on ESPN+)
Game 9 Rice 6, Marshall 3
Game 10 UTSA 15, WKU 8
Saturday, May 25 (available on ESPN+)
Game 11 Southern Miss vs. Rice 9:00a
Game 12 Florida Atlantic vs. UTSA 12:30p
Game 13 Same teams as Game 11 4:00p (if necessary)
Game 14 Same teams as Game 12 7:30p (if necessary)
Sunday, May 26 (televised by CBS Sports Network)
Championship Game 1:00p
All Times Central