Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – Arkansas State (5-2, 0-0 SBC) held Eastern Illinois (4-3, 0-0 OVC) scoreless over the final eight innings Sunday afternoon with Dylan Farley and Kole Turner commanding the mound to take the weekend at Slayton Family Field at Tomlinson Stadium.
Eastern Illinois loaded the bases in the opening frame, scoring two with a single through the infield for the lead. The Red Wolves responded with a leadoff double from Ashton Quiller and a decisive home run from Lane Walton to even things at two runs heading into the second.
Farley’s final two outs of the first inning was the start of a streak with Farley sitting down 15 batters in a row reaching all the way to the sixth inning. He finished the day with 6.0 innings, three hits, two runs, and five strikeouts.
A-State turned up the heat in the second inning, loading the bases and scoring one on an RBI-walk before Patrick Engslov slapped another run in off a single. Aidan Houseworth also scored both runners in scoring position with a ball that dropped into shallow center field for a 4-run inning and a 6-2 Red Wolf lead.
The Red Wolves worked a two-out rally together, Cole Manuel landing on second base before being replaced by Quiller in a double to right center. Lane Walton continued the streak with a booming triple in the right-side power alley, A-State up 8-2.
The score held from the fourth through the sixth, only one batter for each team hitting the base path. A single and an infield error gave A-State another opportunity, with a wild pitch letting Joey McLaughlin III stride the final 90 feet for the ninth run.
Turner replaced Farley on the mound, tossing 3.0 innings, allowing three hits and no runs while adding one strikeout to his season total to earn his second save of the season.
Win: Dylan Farley (2-0)
Loss: Dalton Boruff (0-2)
Save: Kole Turner (2)