Baseball Southern Conference

Citadel, Charleston Advance In NCAA Baseball

The Citadel 10, Coastal Carolina 1

Columbia, SC - Jonathan Ellis threw a complete game five-hitter, his ninth complete game of the year, while Chip Cannon and Matt Covington connected for solo home runs to help the four seed The Citadel advance in the NCAA Regional with a 10-1 drubbing over No. 3 seed Coastal Carolina Saturday afternoon in front of 1,810 fans at Sarge Frye Field.

The Citadel (39-27) took an early 1-0 thanks to a solo homer off the bat of senior first baseman Chip Cannon. With the homer, Cannon, who blasted a 1-0 pitch over the centerfield wall, tied the Bulldog single-season home run record of 17, which is held by Philip Hartig who tallied 17 in both 1998 and 1999.





In the third, the Bulldogs added a run to extend their lead to 2-0. After reaching on an error to lead off the inning, sophomore shortstop Matt Matulia raced home from third on a sacrifice fly by junior third baseman Chris Ard.

The Bulldogs pushed their lead to 3-0 on sophomore centerfielder Matt Covington's first career home run. Covington, who connected on a 3-2 fastball, tallied his first career homer with a shot over the right field scoreboard.

With five runs in the sixth, The Citadel blew the game open 8-0. Junior third baseman Chris Ard connected for the big hit of the inning as he cleared the bases with a bases loaded double to right-center, while junior catcher Will Coker added a sac-fly with the bases full and Matulia plated Aughey on a RBI-single.

The Dogs added a run in the seventh to push their lead to 9-0 on a RBI by senior right fielder Andy Phillips. Phillips reached on an error by the Coastal Carolina second baseman that allowed Cannon to scamper home.

Coastal Carolina (40-23) managed four hits on the day and committed three errors. The Chanticleers scratched across their only run in the eighth on a RBI-groundout by Chris Raber.

In the ninth, The Citadel added an insurance run on a run batted in off the bat of Matulia. Sophomore designated hitter Mark Egleton raced home on an error by the Chanticleer shortstop that allowed Matulia to reach first safely.

Ellis (12-3) had a no-hitter going through six, but gave up back to back hits to lose the no-no. He fanned 13, a new career high, and walked only four. Ellis has now pitched four straight complete games in a row.

Coastal starter Steven Carter (12-3) took the loss after surrendering eight runs, seven earned, on nine hits in five and two-thirds innings of work.

The Citadel will face the loser of the North Carolina-South Carolina game at 7 pm, while Coastal is eliminated.

College of Charleston 2, Army 1

Left-hander Ryan Edell allowed just one run in 7 2/3 innings of work to lead the College of Charleston to a 2-1 victory over Army in an elimination game on Saturday in the 2004 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional at Alex Box Stadium, knocking the Black Knights out of the tournament sending the Cougars to the 7:30 p.m. game on Saturday versus the loser of Saturday's 3 p.m. game between host LSU and Southern Mississippi.

The Cougars (46-15) staved off elimination as Edell limited the Black Knights to only one run on nine hits, and Nick Chigges picked up his third save in relief of Edell, who struck out eight and walked none. Army starter Justin Kashner took the loss, dropping to 7-3 overall after going 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on only four hits. He walked three and struck out three.

Army, champions of the Patriot League, ended its season with a 37-15 mark.

Edell was sharp through the first four innings, as the lefty yielded just two hits while striking out five. Kashner was equally as effective through four innings, as he also allowed just two hits and fanned three, as neither team was able to muster much offense in the early going.

The Cougars finally broke the ice in the bottom of the fifth inning, as centerfielder Brett Gardner ripped a single to left just past Army shortstop Kyle Scogin to score Matt Kirkpatrick for a 1-0 lead.

After Kirkpatrick led off the frame with a walk, shortstop Anthony Fairchild laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached base safely when Army first baseman Walker Gorham's throw to second baseman Nate Stone covering the bag was high, pulling Stone off the base, and putting runners on first and second with none out.

Leadoff batter Phillip Coker bunted in an attempt to move the runners to second and third, but Kashner fielded the ball and got Kirkpatrick at third, but Garnder followed with the single to drive in his 51st run of the year.

Army reliever Wade Greenlee worked out of his own jam in the bottom of the seventh inning, retiring pinch hitter Matt Hallett and Bulger after the Cougars had put runners on second and third with only one out. With the infield playing in, Hallett, who was subbing for DH Brett Anderson, grounded to second, and then Bulger went down on strikes to end the inning, keeping the game at 2-0.

The Black Knights cut the Cougars' lead in half in the top half of the eighth as Gorham lined a double off left fielder Byron Barber's glove with two outs to score Milan Dinga and chase Edell from the game. Nick Chigges entered the game in relief and fanned Nate Stone to end the inning.

College of Charleston added a run in the sixth as Kevin Bulger, who reached on an error to lead off the inning, scored on Kirkpatrick's grounder to short which Scogin was unable to field cleanly.

Edell worked out of a jam in the seventh to keep the Cougars up by two. Army put runners on first and third with no outs but Edell got Nolan Cork on a strikeout and then Nate Stone, who began the inning with a single and went to second on a wild pitch, was tagged out between home and third by Kirkpatrick on Jeremy Stache's squeeze bunt attempt. Kyle Scogin then lined out to right to end the inning.

Army had the tying run on first in the ninth, but Chigges retired Scogin on a grounder to second base to end the ball game.