Story courtesy of Elon sports information
Elon 10, Duke 6
DURHAM, N.C. -- Paul Bennett was 2-for-4 with a homer, a triple and four RBI to lead Elon to a 10-6 non-conference baseball victory over Duke on Wednesday afternoon. With the win, Elon improved to 5-3 on the year and swept the two-game season series with the Blue Devils. Duke dropped to 2-5.
Duke grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a solo homerun off the bat of Brett Bartles. The Blue Devils added two more in their next at bat when Matt Williams tripled home Jonathan Nicolla and then scored on a sacrifice fly from Adam Murray.
Elon answered with a single run in the third when Ryan Addison's sacrifice fly plated Chris Vasami.
The Phoenix then struck for four runs in the fifth frame. With one out, Adam Weaver reached on a single and advanced to third on an error which also allowed Addison to reach. Donny Jobe's single through the infield drove in Weaver. Bennett then struck for three of his RBI with his first homer of the season to cap the scoring in the inning.
A solo homer from Tim Sherlock got one run back for the Blue Devils in the bottom of the fifth.
In the seventh inning, Elon again exploded for four runs to push its advantage to 9-4. With one out, Bennett tripled to right center, allowing Jobe, who had walked, to come home with the first Phoenix run of the inning. After an intentional walk to Chris Price, Grant Rembert drove in Bennett with a single to right that left runners on the corners. Robert Rodebaugh's single to center plated Price with the third run of the frame and a passed ball later allowed Rembert to score.
Elon tacked on a single run in the eighth when Jobe scampered home on a passed ball.
Duke tried to rally in the ninth inning, scoring twice, but came up short. A Jonathan Anderson infield single drove in Williams to trim the Elon lead to 10-5. Murray would later score on a sacrifice fly from Sherlock. Phoenix closer Tom Porter shut the door at that point, striking out Bartles to end the game.
Ryan Basham (2-0) picked up his second victory of the season, both over the Blue Devils. Basham hurled 7.0 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk. The sophomore fanned five. Porter recorded two outs and picked up his first career save.
Jimmy Saris (0-1) took the loss after giving up five runs (four earned) on six hits. Saris walked two and struck out four.
Including Bennett, five Phoenix players tallied multi-hit outings: Weaver (3-for-5, run scored), Jobe (2-for-4, three runs scored, RBI), Rembert (2-for-5, run scored, RBI) and Vasami (2-for-4, run scored). Elon outhit Duke by a 12-10 margin.
Duke's offense was led by a 4-for-4 day with two runs scored and an RBI from Williams. Anderson turned in the only other multi-hit game for the Blue Devils, finishing the day 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Elon hits the road to take on the Auburn Tigers in a three-game set this weekend. Friday's game one is set to begin at 5:00 p.m. EST from Plainsman Park.
Story courtesy of The Citadel sports information
The Citadel 4, Hofstra 3
Charleston, S.C. ? A sacrifice fly off the bat of senior Matt Covington proved to be the game-winner as The Citadel slipped past Hofstra, 4-3 Wednesday afternoon at Riley Park. Pride right fielder Dave Cole smacked an RBI-single in the ninth to pull within one, but Citadel closer Link Saunders notched his third save of the year to preserve the Bulldog win.
The Citadel (4-2) took an early 1-0 lead in the first. Hofstra (0-8)
starter Ryan Dunn hit center fielder Trent Weathers with a pitch to lead off the inning. Weathers swiped second and then moved over to third on a sac bunt off the bat of second baseman Conrad Kellahan. Left fielder Chris Swauger smacked a RBI-single to plate pinch-runner Chance Smith.
The Pride answered back in the top of the second frame as Michael Walsh
bunted for a lead-off single. Sarno and Legrigni then hit back-to-back
singles to bring Walsh home and knot it up, 1-1.
The Diamond Dogs took the lead back in the third as Smith beat out the throw from shortstop Josh Stern for a single. First baseman Felix Adamkiewicz bobbled a ball, which allowed Swauger to reach first and advanced Smith to second. Shortstop Matt Matulia hit one deep to center that let Smith tag up and go to third. Smith then scrambled home as Dunn overthrew first base trying to get Swauger out to make it 2-1.
The Citadel tacked on two more on an RBI-single by Matulia in the fifth.
Senior Matt Covington came on to pinch-hit in the sixth and smacked a sac fly to center to plate designated hitter Sonny Meade and give the Dogs a three-run lead.
Tom Legrigni worked the count for a walk in the Hofstra seventh. Legrigni swiped second and moved to third on a groundout. Right fielder Dave Cole then singled through the left side to send Legrigni across the dish.
The Pride threatened in the ninth with two outs as pinch-hitter Chris Menstrasti singled to right and then moved over to second after Saunders overthrew first base on a pickoff attempt. Cole roped an RBI-single to right to bring Menstrasti and cut the Bulldog lead to one. Saunders then sat down Caltabiano on three straight pitches to get the save and give The Citadel a 4-3 victory.
Freshman starter Matt Crim (1-0) earned the win in his first collegiate start. Crim tossed six frames, allowing only one run on four hits and striking out one. Dunn (0-2) suffered the loss as he went two and one-thirds innings before being ejected for running into Swauger in the base path. Dunn surrendered two runs on two hits and fanned one.
Saunders registered his third save of the season in his fourth appearance.
The junior righty tossed the final frame as he scattered two hits and struck out two. Saunders has tallied nine strikeouts in six innings of work this year.
Cole paced the Pride as he went 2-for-3 with two RBI, including an RBI-single that put Hofstra within one run of the Bulldogs in the top of the ninth.
Next up, The Citadel will host the Sandlapper Real Estate Shootout presented by The Charleston Crab House at Riley Park. Ball State and Towson will face off at noon while the Bulldogs play Le Moyne at 4 p.m.
Story courtesy of College of Charleston sports information
College of Charleston 14, Savannah State 1
Mt. Pleasant, S.C. -- Chris Campbell drove in four runs and freshman lefty Jeff Beliveau pitched seven strong innings as the College of Charleston downed Savannah State, 14-1, in college baseball action at Patriots Point Field on Wednesday.
The Cougars improved to 5-2 on the season, while the Tigers fell to 6-5.
After Antonio Richmond staked the Tigers to a 1-0 first inning lead with a leadoff homer, Campbell, Alex Garabedian and Ben Lasater had run-scoring hits in the bottom of the frame that gave CofC a 3-1 advantage.
Campbell added a two-run single that scored Larry Cobb and Joey Friddle in the second inning that helped the Cougars to a 7-1 lead.
Charleston added a single run in the fourth, three runs in the seventh, then capped the scoring with Steve Trask's three-run homer to left in the eighth, his first of the season, for the final margin.
Beliveau (1-0) settled down after allowing three hits, a homer, and pitching out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the first. He blanked the Tigers on just two hits with five strikeouts over his final six innings. All total, he allowed just five hits while striking out six and walking two.
The Cougars play host to Hofstra at 5:00 as part of the 2006 Charleston Challenge.