Story courtesy of College of Charleston sports information
College of Charleston 9, High Point 3
Mt. Pleasant, S.C. -- Phillip Coker and Larry Cobb collected three hits each and Wes Braden pitched seven strong innings as the College of Charleston completed its three-game sweep of High Point with a 9-3 win in college baseball action before 410 at Patriots Point Field on Sunday.
With the victory, the Cougars improved to 3-0, while the Panthers fell to 2-4. Charleston opens a three-game series at East Carolina on Friday at 3:00.
The Cougars tied the game at 3-3 in the fifth on Chris Campbell's two-run single that scored Coker and Joey Friddle. After a wild pitch moved Larry Cobb to third and Campbell to second, Alex Garabedian's ground out plated Cobb for a 4-3 CofC advantage.
Charleston stretched its lead to 6-3 in the fifth with a pair of runs. The Cougars got a sacrifice fly from Jess Easterling and a two-run single by Michael Harrington in the seventh for the final margin.
Braden (1-0) picked up the win surrendering just five hits and three runs, two earned. He walked none and struck out two. Nolan Mulligan (0-1) suffered the loss allowing six runs on 11 hits over the first 5 2/3 innings.
High Point took a 3-1 lead in the third on a two-run homer to right center by Mark Shorey, his first of the season. Chris Norwood led the Panthers with two hits in four at bats.
Charleston, which banged out 13 hits in the game and 43 for the three-game series, got two hits and two runs scored by Friddle.
Story courtesy of Wofford sports information
Wofford 5-3, Liberty 4-3
SPARTANBURG, SC ? Wofford and Liberty split a college baseball doubleheader on Sunday at Wofford’s Russell C. King Field. The Terriers took the opener 5-4 while Liberty claimed the nightcap 4-3.
In the opening game, Liberty took a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Aaron Grijalva hit a solo homer. Wofford scored four times in the sixth, the big blast being a three-run homer by Brandon Waring.
Liberty’s Patrick Gaillard hit a two-run homer in the eighth and Paul Keller drove in a run with a base hit to help the Flames tie the game at 4-4. The Terriers won the game when Stephen Johnson doubled to lead off the bottom of the eighth and scored on an RBI single by Shane Kirkley.
Starter Charles Vartanian went seven strong innings for the Terriers, scattering five hits and striking out seven. Freshman Whit Kennedy claimed the win, coming on in the eighth and pitching two thirds of an inning to garner his first collegiate victory. Dustin Umberger was saddled with the loss for Liberty.
In the nightcap, Liberty’s Phillip Laurent staked the Flames to a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer in the first inning. Wofford went ahead 3-2 in the third on three consecutive doubles by Kirkley, Brandon Waring and Adam Wood.
Liberty tied the game in the fourth on a solo homer by Errol Hollinger. The Flames pushed across the winning run in the top of the seventh when Grijalva reached on an error, stole second, and scored on an RBI single by Gaillard.
Kennedy took the loss for the Terriers, giving up the unearned run in the seventh to even his record at 1-1. Liberty’s Tim John was credited with the win, yielding just two hits over four innings of relief while striking out three.
Wofford will play at home on Wednesday, Feb. 15 when it hosts High Point at 4:00 p.m.
Story courtesy of South Carolina sports information
South Carolina 8, Elon 3
COLUMBIA, SC -- Freshmen infielders Reese Havens and James Darnell drove in five fifth inning runs Sunday to lead South Carolina to an 8-3 win over Elon and a 2-1 advantage in the three game season opening baseball series.
Shortstop Havens singled with the bases loaded to drive in two and second baseman Darnell followed with a three run home run as the Gamecocks erased a 3-2 Elon advantage to lead 7-3. Senior catcher Ian Paxton homered in the eighth inning for the final Gamecock run.
Left-hander Forrest Beverly pitched five plus innings to earn the win. Elon starter Steven Hensley was charged with the loss.
Beverly allowed five hits, all of them in the third inning when Elon scored its three runs to take a 3-0 lead. Beverly retired the first seven batters that he faced but five of the next six hit singles. Chris Price drove in two with a one out bases loaded hit and Grant Rembert's infield single plated the final Elon run.
Beverly then retired the next seven Phoenix batters but was relieved by freshman Mike Cisco when Beverly walked Price to lead off the Elon sixth inning. Cisco, grandson of former major league pitcher and coach Galen Cisco, retired nine consecutive batters before leaving after the eighth inning.
South Carolina left four base runners stranded over the first three innings before scoring twice in the fourth to cut the Elon lead to 3-2. Michael Campbell walked and scored on a double by Havens, the first of three runs batted in by the freshman shortstop. Havens moved to third on a hit by Darnell and scored on a ground out by Trent Kline.
All eight of South Carolina's runs batted in were by the seventh, eighth and ninth slots in the batting order, three each by seventh and eighth hitters Havens and Darnell and one each by catchers Kline and Paxton, batting ninth.
Darnell played briefly as a substitute in the first two games of the Elon series but homered in his first collegiate start. He is from Danville, California. With Darnell at second base, Havens, from Sullivan's Island, at shortstop, and Justin Smoak of Goose Creek at first base, three fourths of South Carolina's starting infield Sunday were true freshmen.
South Carolina had 12 hits to six for Elon. Havens, Darnell and senior third baseman Neil Giesler each had two. Senior right fielder Mark Stanley had a double. Elon's six hits were by six different players. The only Phoenix extra base hit was a double by pinch hitter Jordy Snyder.
Story courtesy of Georgia Southern sports information
Georgia Tech 15, Georgia Southern 7
STATESBORO, Ga. ? Georgia Southern recorded 14 hits but stranded 16 base runners in a 15-7 loss to Georgia Tech on a chilly Sunday afternoon (Feb. 12) at J.I. Clements Stadium. The Eagles (1-4 overall) dropped their third straight.
Eight of the nine starters had at least one hit but the Eagles left at least one runner on base each inning, including the bases loaded in the third and fourth.
Everett Teaford struck out two batters in the first inning but with two down and a runner at second, Wes Hodges hit a RBI single. Jeff Kindel followed with a 2-run shot giving Tech an early 3-0 lead.
The Yellow Jackets scored four runs in the second inning, three coming with two outs. Hodges accounted for two of the runs thanks to a line drive that just cleared the fence down the right field line. Tech scored two more runs in the third with two outs off RBI singles to make it 9-0.
Georgia Southern got on the board in the third. Chris Hollis dropped a double to center field. Greg Dowling brought him home on a RBI single. A hit batter and walk loaded the bases. Freshman catcher Griffin Benedict drew a two-out walk to plate another run. Relief pitcher Jared Hyatt struck out Chris Shehan to end the bases loaded threat.
In the fourth, Hollis singled and the Eagles used two Tech errors to load the bases. Mike Economos and David Richardson each got a RBI off a walk, chasing Hyatt. Tim Ladd got Benedict to ground out ending the inning. Shehan and Jeremy Beckham singled to start the fifth. A wild pitch advanced both runners and Shehan scored on Hollis’ groundout, cutting the deficit to 9-5.
Whit Robbins got three of the runs back in the sixth, hitting a shot just inside the right field foul pole. Shehan delivered a RBI single in the Eagles’ half of the sixth. Hollis doubled again and eventually scored on Dowling’s single in the seventh, but the Eagles missed another golden opportunity not scoring when they put runners at second and third with one out.
An Eagle error in the ninth helped key the Yellow Jackets’ (2-0) three-run frame.
“We dug ourselves too big a hole early. Our guys battled and competed to get back into the game. But all weekend long we worked behind in the counts and good hitters will make you pay,” said head coach Rodney Hennon. “Offensively I thought we had a better approach than earlier this week at Jacksonville.”
Dowling and Hollis had three hits apiece while Hollis also scored three times. Shehan and Beckham recorded two hits each. Teaford (0-1) was charged with seven runs on seven hits in two innings of work. He walked two and fanned two. Austin Chambliss allowed five runs on five hits in three innings. The freshman right-hander walked four but struck out four. David Cogswell was cruising along until the ninth when he was tagged for three runs (two earned) on four hits. He struck out three in a career-high four innings of work.
Brad Rulon (1-0) picked up the win in relief, giving up just one hit in 1.2 innings. Starter Lee Hyde lasted just 2.2 innings, charged with two runs on four hits. He struck out four and walked three Eagles. Four Yellow Jackets had three hits apiece as the 1-6 hitters accounted for 15 of the 16 hits.
The Eagles continue their homestand this Friday (Feb. 17), hosting St. Joseph’s in a three-game series. Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.