Story courtesy of College of Charleston sports information
College of Charleston 7, Virginia 6 (17 inn.)
Mt. Pleasant, S.C. -- The longest game in College of Charleston history ended when Joey Friddle scored from second base on a fielding error by Virginia in the bottom of the 17th inning as the Cougars outlasted the Cavaliers, 7-6, before 616 frigid fans at Patriots Point Field on Sunday as part of the 2006 Charleston Challenge.
The Cougars improved to 7-2 on the season, while the Cavaliers fell to 8-2.
Friddle led off the bottom of the 17th with a walk, stole second, and scored the game-winner when Chris Campbell's liner skipped off the chest of Cavalier second baseman David Adams into shallow center for an error. Campbell battled Virginia's sixth pitcher of the game, Josh Myers, in a 12-pitch at bat before ending the 5-hour, 19-minute marathon.
The Cougars were one strike away from winning the contest in the ninth. Trailing 6-5, UVA's Greg Miclat reached on an one-out error, stole second, and scored to tie the game at 6-6 when Tim Henry laced a single to left on an 0-2 pitch.
Both teams got outstanding pitching from their bullpens. Josh McLaughlin, Quinn Monsma and Nick Chigges (1-1), who earned the win, combined to allow just a pair of unearned runs over the final 10 innings. The Cavaliers allowed just one unearned run over their final 10 innings of work out of the pen.
Chigges blanked the Cavaliers on just two hits with one walk and six strikeouts over the final 5 2/3 innings. Myers (0-1) suffered the loss surrendering an unearned run in the 17th frame.
Charleston, which had 17 hits in the game, got four hits from Phillip Coker and three hits from Oliver Marmol. Friddle drove in three runs for the Cougars. Patrick Wingfield paced UVA with two hits in seven at bats.
Charleston plays host to Clemson at Patriots Point at 5:00 on Friday, March 3rd.
Story courtesy of Auburn sports information
Elon 3, Auburn 2
Auburn 13, Elon 3
AUBURN, Ala. ? The Auburn baseball team split a doubleheader with Elon on Sunday, falling in the first game of the twinbill, 3-2, but rebounding in the second game with a 13-3 victory.
“The effort and the way we competed for 18 innings today was outstanding,” AU Head Coach Tom Slater said. “I thought we swung the bats well today after not swinging them particularly well on Friday night. I thought we pitched extremely well and for the most part defended very well today also. Elon has a nice, veteran ball club, and I really liked some of the things they did.”
Auburn used home runs by Andy Bennett (2-for-3, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI), Mike Bianucci (1-for-4, HR, R, 4 RBI) and Josh Donaldson (3-for-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI) to put the Phoenix away in game two. Bennett smashed his third four-bagger of the year, a solo shot to right, to give Auburn a 3-0 lead after three.
The Tigers than poured it on in the fourth, scoring eight runs off of four hits, two walks and a hit batsman. Bianucci’s one-out grand slam blast off of the brick pillar to the right of the scoreboard highlighted the inning. The grand slam was Bianucci’s third home run of the year and gives him 12 RBIs on the season.
Donaldson capped off the scoring for the Tigers as he put one over the wall in left in the eighth for his first home run of the season.
Evan Crawford (1-1) earned the victory for the Tigers, the first of his career, as he allowed two runs on eight hits with three walks and two strikeouts in five complete innings of work.
Steven Hensley (0-2) was the game two loser for Elon, allowing six runs in three innings.
The Tigers stranded a total of nine runners in the first game as Brett Butts (1-2) was out-dueled by Elon’s Matt Chastain (2-0). Butts allowed just three runs on six hits with three strikeouts in 5.0 innings but Chastain was just a little bit better, allowing two runs on nine hits in 7.0 innings.
Elon (7-4) scored single runs in each of the second, third and fifth innings to hold off the Tigers, who had 10 hits, including a 2-for-3 game from Donaldson.
The Tigers (7-5) return to the diamond on Tuesday afternoon for a matinee with Davidson. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. CT.
Story courtesy of Davidson sports information
Davidson 13, Niagara 11
DAVIDSON, N.C. ? Junior Gregory Zage went 3-for-5 with three runs and three RBIs, falling short of the cycle by just a double, to lead Davidson to a wild 13-11 victory over the visiting Purple Eagles of Niagara. The Wildcats have now won four consecutive games, and their 5-1 record is their best since starting the 2001 season 6-0. Niagara, meanwhile, dropped its third straight to fall to 2-4.
No player has ever hit for the cycle for Davidson, but Zage had an opportunity in his final at-bat to complete the task. After reaching base on an error in the first, he singled home a run in the second, laced an RBI triple to the left-center gap in the third and hit a towering home run to right to lead off the sixth, his second long ball of the year. In his final at-bat in the eighth, facing the same pitcher off which he homered, Zage grounded out to second on the first pitch.
Sloppy play dominated the first half of the game for both teams. The Purple Eagles committed four errors in the bottom of the first allowing five unearned runs to score, putting them in an early hole. But they took advantage of a pair of Davidson miscues in the second to get three of those runs back, two on an double by Chris Leendertse.
Five of the first six Wildcats in their half of the second banged out hits, including juniors Rob Wilson, Zage and Alden Crissey with RBI singles. Freshman Pat Brady brought home a fourth run in the frame on a grounder to first, giving Davidson a 9-3 lead.
The ’Cats tacked on two more in the third on a run-scoring single by senior Jay Heafner and Zage’s triple.
Niagara tallied three runs in the fifth, all with two out. Daniel Parsons singled, stole second and went to third on a grounder. after Wildcat starter Brant West fanned the next batter, Paul Solini lined a single to center to score Parsons. It appeared West would escape without any further damage when he got a high fly to right, but the ball was dropped for an error, allowing Solini to race home. Two batters later, Leendertse ripped an RBI single up the middle, but was thrown out at second trying to advance on a throw to third.
After Zage’s lead-off bomb started the bottom of the sixth, senior Alex Entrekin doubled for his third hit of the game. He then advanced to third on a comebacker and scored on a Brady grounder to first.
With a 13-6 lead in the eighth, the game appeared to be all but wrapped up. But the Purple Eagles loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk. Brian Clifford then worked his way back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk, forcing in a run. Davidson called upon senior Matt Meade from the bullpen, but his second offering was lined over the fence in left by Graham Skelhorne-Gross in his first official collegiate at-bat for a grand slam, cutting the deficit to two at 13-11.
But Niagara would get no closer, and Heafner pitched the ninth to earn his fourth save of the season, yielding just a lead-off double and striking out a batter in his inning of work.
West (2-0) was the victor for Davidson, tossing six innings and surrendering seven hits and six runs, but only two earned, while walking just one and fanning a career-high six batters.
Suffering the loss was Mark Wilson (1-1), who allowed eight hits and nine runs, only four earned, in two innings.
Davidson will play its first road game of the season at SEC power Auburn on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. (EST). Niagara travels to Cincinnati to play the Bearcats in a three-game series beginning on Friday, March 3 at 4 p.m.
Story courtesy of UNC Greensboro sports information
UNC Greensboro 6, Utah 5
COLLEGE STATION, TX -- Jermaine Mitchell’s RBI single to left field in the bottom of the ninth catapulted UNC Greensboro to a 6-5 win Sunday afternoon in the fifth game of the Domino’s Pizza Aggie Baseball Classic.
Mitchell, a native of Daingerfield, TX, deposited the first pitch he saw from Utah pitcher Brad Devore’s into leftfield to score catcher Adam Deleo from third base. Deleo opened the inning with a single through the left side and Greg Feltes advanced him to second with a sacrifice bunt. Logan Smith reached base with an intentional walk before Mike Mongiello was hit by a pitch to load the bases prior to Mitchell’s game-winning heroics.
UNCG (2-5) held a two run lead after eight innings, but the Utes rallied for two runs in the top if the ninth to tie the game at five runs apiece. Utah pinch hitter Scott Malone delivered a two-run double to left centerfield with two outs to even the score.
Greg Matson (1-0), who started the game as the designated hitter, garnered the win in relief for the Spartans after allowing no runs on one hit in an inning on the hill. Ryan Falcon, Nick Starnes and Clay Gibson each saw action on the hill as well. Falcon, UNCG’s starting pitcher, allowed no runs and no hits in two innings on the mound in his first appearance of the season.
Devore (1-1) took the loss for Utah after surrendering one run on four hits in 2/3 of an inning of mound duty.
Utah (5-7) took a 1-0 lead after its half of the third inning as the Utes produced a small two out rally. After UNCG recorded the first two outs of the inning rather easily, second baseman Tyler Kmetko smacked a double to right and Jay Brossman followed with a walk. Designated hitter Breeze Stringham plated Kmetko with a chopper that found its way into leftfield.
The Utes put two more runs on the board in the top of the fourth to take a 3-0 advantage. With runners on second and third, shortstop Ryan Khoury singled home both runners with a base hit up the middle.
UNCG struck for two runs in the home half of the sixth to get within one run at 3-2. After Deleo reached on a fielder’s choice and Feltes drew a walk, Smith plated Deleo with a single through the left side. Sophomore Roly Gonzalez then picked a perfect time to collect his first base hit of the season as the Miami, FL native drove home Feltes with a double to left.
The Spartans tied the game in the bottom of the seventh thanks to Clinton McKinney’s RBI double to right centerfield. The Greenville, SC native smacked a 2-2 breaking ball into the gap to score Guy Welsh from second base. Welsh started the frame with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Matson. After McKinney moved to third on a groundout on the infield, Feltes gave the Spartans a 4-3 lead with an RBI infield single to the shortstop.
Matson provided UNCG with an insurance run in the top of the ninth when he drove him David Adams from second with a smash up the middle. Adams started the threat with a two out walk and advanced to second on a single from Welsh prior to Matson’s RBI.
Mitchell finished the game going 2-for-5 with one RBI while Welsh also added a pair of hits. Joe Mazeleski and Khouri paced the Utes with two hits apiece.
UNCG returns to the diamond Monday evening at 8 pm ET when the Spartans cap the Aggie Baseball Classic with a rematch with host Texas A&M. UNCG fell to the Aggies 5-1 Friday evening in the first meeting between the two.
Story courtesy of Western Carolina sports information
Western Carolina 14, Illinois 13
DeLand, Fla. ? The Western Carolina baseball team scored 11 runs over the final four innings, including three in the bottom of the ninth, to claim a 14-13 victory over defending Big 10 champion Illinois in the final day of the Stetson Invitational at Melching Field. Junior college transfer Scott Ward, who hit his first home run of the season, led the Catamount offense by going 3-for-5 with three RBI, while sophomore Steven Strausbaugh was 2-for-4 with three RBI and JuCo transfer Donnie Wilson was 3-for-5 with two RBI.
Down 10-3 and starting the home half of the sixth, Tim Hallam started Western’s rally with a leadoff single and would eventually score on Strausbaugh’s one-out, RBI single. With two away, Ward delivered a two-run home run to right, making the score 10-6.
The Illini, who returned 24 players from last year’s championship team, regained the momentum by scoring two in the top of the seventh courtesy of a two-run single by Dave Schultz. However, Western responded with four runs in the bottom of the seventh, making the score 12-10 in Illinois’ favor. In that frame, Strausbaugh had an RBI single, Ward walked with the bases loaded to drive in a run and Blake Murphy had a two-run double.
Strausbaugh then cut Western’s deficit to one in the eight with an RBI ground out, plating Wilson on the play.
Illinois pushed its advantage back to two in the top of the ninth thanks to singles by Mike Rhode and Chase Kliment. Murphy kept the Illini lead at just two by throwing out pinch runner Joe Bonadonna, who was attempting to steal second, for the final out.
Murphy then started the bottom of the ninth with a walk and advanced to third when Trey McDaniel reached on a fielding error. Grey Gregory brought home Murphy with an RBI single to right field, moving McDaniel to third. New pitcher Aaron Saving allowed Gregory to advance to second on a wild pitch. Wilson singled to left field, scoring McDaniel. On the play, the ball got past the Illinois left fielder, allowing Gregory to score the winning run.
Bryan Tupper (1-1) was credited with the win. The senior pitched the final two innings, allowing three hits and one run. Senior Caleb McConnell started for the Catamounts. It was his first action since suffering a season-ending injury at Furman (April 15) last season. At Furman, McConnell struck out the first two batters in the second before suffering an injury which would force the Waynesville native to undergo “Tommy John” surgery. On Sunday, he pitched the first 3.0 innings. While he did allow five hits and four runs, only two runs were earned and he only walked one with four strikeouts.
McDaniel, who scored three times, hit his first home run of the season in the top of the second. Hallam and Murphy each added two hits.
Over the weekend, Western had 13 batters hit by a pitch, but left 46 runners on base. On the mound, the Cats’ starting pitchers combined to strikeout 15 batters and walk just two in 15 combined innings.
Western Carolina will return to action Tuesday (Feb. 28), hosting region rival UNC Asheville. First pitch at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium is set for 3:00 pm. It will be Western only home game before starting a nine-game road swing. The road trip includes three games at Charleston Southern (Mar. 3-5), two at UNC Wilmington (Mar. 7-8), three at Elon (Mar. 10-12) and one at Georgia (Mar. 15).
Story courtesy of Furman sports information
Furman 8, Miami (Ohio) 5
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Andrew Greene went 3-for-5 and drove in two runs in a decisive sixth inning to power Furman past Miami University 8-5 in wind swept college baseball action Sunday afternoon at Furman Stadium.
With the victory, Furman (3-4) claimed the rubber game of the three-game series with Miami (1-2), the defending Mid-America Conference champion and league preseason No. 1 pick.
Greene, a senior center fielder from Lilburn, Ga., headlined a 12-hit Furman attack that also featured third inning home runs by Spence Gibbs, Steven Hildreth, and Joey Rodgers.
Ryne Robinson and Jon Frazese had two hits each to pace Miami, which totaled eights in the contest.
Paladin senior lefthander Ryan Hodinka improved to 2-0 on the year after hurling 6 2/3 innings and surrendering eight hits, five earned runs, and one walk while striking out five.
The loss was charged to Red Hawks starting pitcher Graham Taylor (0-1), who yielded seven runs on 11 hits and a walk over 5 2/3 innings. The senior lefthander struck out five.
Miami used the long ball to take an early 3-0 lead off Hodinka. Franzese led off the second inning with a solo home run over the left fence, and Eric Radley followed with a two-out blast to left center.
Furman answered with the home run ball of its own in the third inning against Taylor. Hildreth’s lead off home run to left center sliced the Miami advantage to 3-1, and Rodgers followed with a roundtripper to center. Greene then reached on a bunt single, stole second, and came around to score on Gibbs’ two-run home run to left, giving Furman a 4-3 lead.
Miami went ahead 5-4 in the fifth on Geoff Orr’s two-out, two-run double to right center.
Furman tied it in the bottom of the frame when A.J. Davidiuk came home on Case Cassedy’s sacrifice fly.
The Paladins took a 7-5 lead in the sixth when Greene stroked a two-run double off Taylor to right center to score Rogers and Hildreth.
In the Miami seventh, Hodinka retired the first two Red Hawks before Robinson singled and Brandon Hillier walked. Jay Jackson replaced Hodinka and worked out of jam by getting Geoff Orr on a ground out.
Jackson led off the Furman seventh with a walk and later scored on a groundout to make it 8-5.
After retiring Miami in order in the eighth and the leaoff hitter in the ninth, Jackson issued back-to-back one-out walks to Radley and Jason Brown before recovering to get Robinson on a pop to second and Hillier on a game ending line drive that Paladin left fielder Joey Rodgers held on to after crashing into the left center field fence.
In all Jackson worked a scoreless final 2 1/3 innings to earn his second save of the season.
Furman returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to Conway, S.C., to take on Coastal Carolina in a 4:00 p.m. game.
Story courtesy of Appalachian State sports information
Appalachian State 4, Army 2
DAVIDSON, N.C. ? Freshman pitcher Jason Rook struck out 11 and didn’t allow an earned run over seven innings to lead Appalachian State University baseball to a 4-2 win over Army on Sunday afternoon at Wilson Field. With its 3-0 weekend in Davidson, Appalachian is off to its best start in 10 years at 4-1 on the young season.
Rook was especially effective early on, as he struck out the first two batters he faced and pulled off the rare feat of fanning four in the third inning alone. The right-hander from Greensboro struck out Army’s Barnes Connell to open the third, but White reached first after the third strike slipped past ASU catcher Kevin Butler. After a walk and a passed ball, Army had runners on second and third with nobody out, but Rook struck out three Black Knights in a row to escape unscathed.
Rook left the contest with a 3-2 lead and turned it over to fellow freshman Aubrey Edens, who tossed two perfect innings to earn his first career save.
Single runs in the second, third, sixth and ninth stanzas were all the Mountaineers needed to make the sterling pitching performances hold up. Junior Chris Baker went 2-for-3 with a walk and scored two of the Apps’ four runs and freshmen Wes Borden and Rand Smith each added 2-for-4 performances and scored a run apiece to help lead the Mountaineers at the plate.
Shortstop Kyle Scogin (2-for-4) was the only player with multiple hits for Army (0-6).
Appalachian’s 4-1 start is its best since it opened the 1996 campaign with five-straight victories. The Mountaineers go for four-in-a-row when they host Campbell at Ernie Shore Field in Winston-Salem on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.
Story courtesy of Georgia Southern sports information
Georgia Southern 4, Marshall 0
Georgia Southern 11, Marshall 8
STATESBORO, Ga. ? Georgia Southern came away with a baseball doubleheader sweep of Marshall on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 26) at J.I. Clements Stadium. The Eagles blanked Marshall 4-0 in the opener and capitalized on six Thundering Herd errors for an 11-8 win in the nightcap.
The opening game shutout was Georgia Southern’s first blanking since May 2, 2004 (11-0 at Georgia State), improving to 7-5 overall.
In the opener, Chris Hollis drew a walk to start the third inning then Brett Pelfrey slammed a shot into the trees beyond the left field fence, his second home run this year.
Justin Klinger hit a line drive, opposite field 2-run homer in the fifth extending the lead to 4-0.
The Thundering Herd (1-4) loaded the bases in the sixth with one out. Josh Lairsey struck out Adam Frederick, the last batter he faced, for the second out. A.J. Battisto got Brit Vincent looking to end the threat. Georgia Southern turned a double play in the eighth and ninth inning to stop Marshall’s comeback attempt.
Lairsey scattered four hits in 5.2 innings, walking one and striking out four while improving to 3-1. Battisto and David Cogswell finished off the shutout, scattering two hits over the final 3.1 innings. Klinger and David Richardson combined for four of the Eagles’ six hits.
Brian Chrisman (1-1) allowed four runs on five hits in 4.1 innings. He walked four but struck out seven Eagles. Rich Russell and Roddy Stieger had two hits apiece.
Marshall ended a 13-inning scoreless streak right away in the second game. Adam Ptacek hit a leadoff single and then went to third on a pair of wild pitches. Russell’s RBI groundout gave MU a 1-0 lead. Marshall put a pair of runners on in the second, but catcher Griffin Benedict threw out both runners when each tried to steal second base.
GS loaded the bases in the third with one out. Klinger hit a grounder up the middle but shortstop Aaron Levinson could not come up with the ball, allowing two runs to score. Pelfrey’s infield single (extending his hitting streak to 12 games) plated another run, making it 3-1.
The Herd staged a two-out rally in the fourth to tie the game. In the fifth, Marshall had runners on the corners with one out. Austin Chambliss came on in relief of Matt Shurley. The freshman hit the first batter he faced to load the bases but retired Brendan Murphy and Stieger on a called third strike to end the rally.
Pelfrey’s sacrifice fly in the fifth put the Eagles ahead for good 4-3. In the sixth the Eagles put runners on second and third with one out. Brian Pierce perfectly executed a suicide squeeze bunt, scoring Benedict. Two errors on third baseman Matt Helm led to another run, extending Southern’s lead to 6-3. A RBI double by Greg Dowling and a wild pitch made it 8-3, capping the four-run frame.
MU got two runs back in its half of the seventh, but Will Southwell delivered a RBI single and Pierce’s sacrifice fly extended the lead back to five runs, 10-5. The Herd loaded the bases in the eighth and eventually scored three runs. However, two additional errors by Marshall in the eighth led to another Eagle run.
The Eagles banged out 24 hits in the series and took advantage of 12 Herd errors to outscore Marshall 23-9.
Matt Miller, Dowling and Benedict had two hits apiece in the finale. Chambliss (2-1) got the win in relief, allowing two unearned runs off two hits in 2.1 innings. He walked one and struck out four. Cogswell earned his second save working the final two innings.
Levinson had three hits in the nightcap as the Herd out-hit Georgia Southern 14-9. Chris Koutsavlis (0-1) was charged for six runs (three earned) in 5.1 innings. He walked four and struck out three.
“We pitched pretty well most of the weekend,” said head coach Rodney Hennon. “Our defense was better and we did enough offensively to win the ballgames. It definitely feels good to string these wins together.”
Georgia Southern hits the road for just the second time this year, traveling to Mercer on Wednesday (March 1) at 6 p.m.
Story courtesy of The Citadel sports information
Towson 9, The Citadel 7 (10 inn.)
Charleston, S.C. ? The Citadel (5-3) rallied to erase a seven run deficit in the ninth, but could not hold on in the tenth as Towson (3-3) defeated the Bulldogs 9-7 in game six of the Sandlapper Real Estate Shootout presented by The Charleston Crab House Sunday afternoon at Riley Park. Shortstop Hans Falkenhan drove in the winning run to give the Tigers their third win of the season. Center fielder Kyle Skellchock scored what proved to be the game winner as he went 4-for-5 on the day, scoring four of Towson’s nine runs.
Citadel third baseman Matt Arnold rounded out the Bulldog rally as he drove in two runs to tie the game at seven and send it into extra frames. The Dogs just could not hold on in the 10th as an error led to two unearned runs to give the Tigers a two-run advantage. Josh Brown came on to shut down the Bulldog offense in their half of inning and preserve the 9-7 victory.
A fielding error put Towson on the board in the third as Skellchock scored on a ground ball that got past Arnold. In the fourth, the Tigers loaded the bases with one out on two singles and a walk. Citadel starter Ryan Owens struck out Skellchock for the second out before second baseman Brian Conley walked to bring Schreiter home. Owens then forced right fielder Demetrios Nomikos to groundout to first to end the inning.
The Tigers tacked on two more in the fifth as Tinnerella led off with a single to left center. Designated hitter Mike Santmyer blasted a triple off the wall in center to plate Tinneralla before Schreiter earned an RBI-groundout to bring Santmyer across the dish and put Towson up, 4-0.
Conley picked up his second RBI in the sixth to extend the Tiger lead to five. Skellchock doubled down the left line and then raced home on Conley’s single. Skellchock scored again in the eighth as he raced home on a throwing error by catcher Brady Mashak in an attempted pick off at third to make it 7-0.
The Citadel rallied in the ninth, scoring seven runs on an error, a sac fly, single and a pair of RBI doubles. Designated hitter Sonny Meade smashed a double to left to lead off and came around to score on a fielding error by Tiger third baseman Gary Helmick. Senior right fielder Matt Covington ripped a double to the gap in left to plate two before left fielder Chris Swauger hit a sac fly to right to drive in center fielder Chance Smith. Senior shortstop Matt Matulia ripped an RBI double to score Covington.
First baseman Zach Brown and Meade then worked the count for back-to-back walks to load the bases for Arnold who drilled a two-run single to knot it up, 7-7.
The last inning heroics by the Bulldogs fell short as Towson plated two in the ninth. Skellchock singled to begin the tenth. Conley then reached on a fielder’s choice, as Mashak pulled Matulia off the bag at second to allow Skellchock to move into scoring position. Falkenhan ripped a base hit through the right side to drive in both runners, giving Towson a 9-7 advantage.
Brown came on to preserve the two-run lead for the Tigers as he struck out the fist batter faced and forced Covington to ground out. Swauger smacked a double to left center, but was left on base as Matulia grounded out to first to end the game.
Citadel closer Link Saunders (1-1) suffered the loss as he tossed one inning, giving up two unearned runs on two hits and fanning two. Towson reliever Nate Curd earned his first win of the season, as he pitched one thirds of an inning with one walk. Josh Brown was credited with the save, also his first of the year, as he went one inning, allowing one hit and striking out one.
The Bulldogs will be back in action on Wednesday, March 1 as they play host to Le Moyne at 4 p.m. in Riley Park.