Story courtesy of UNC Greensboro sports information
UNC Greensboro 5, Princeton 2
GREENSBORO, NC ? Sophomore Clay Gibson picked up his first win of the season as the UNC Greensboro baseball team earned its first series sweep of the season with a 5-2 win over Princeton Wednesday evening at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
A native of Gastonia, NC, Gibson (1-0) allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out one in five plus innings on the hill. Senior Jonathan Nichols came on in relief and earned his first save of the season after limiting the Tigers to just one hit over the final four innings.
Princeton (3-9) starter Stephen Richter (0-1) took the loss after surrendering four runs on eight hits in just three innings on the mound.
UNCG (8-14) struck for three runs in the top of the first and never looked back. Greg Feltes led off by reaching base on an error on the infield and scored on the next play when Brandon Harvey’s single to rightfield was misplayed, allowing Feltes to touch home and Harvey to reach third base. Jermaine Mitchell followed with an RBI triple to center before Guy Welsh singled him home with a base knock through the left side.
The Spartans added a fourth run in the bottom of the third on a two-out triple by Wes McCall followed by a single from Mike Mongiello to right field.
Princeton cut the lead in half in the top of the sixth on an RBI groundout by Andrew Salini and an error on the Spartan infield that allowed Spencer Lucian to score from third.
Mongiello picked up his second RBI of the game in the seventh inning to put the Spartans out in front 5-2. After Sean Snell struck out and reached base on a wild pitch before stealing second, Mongiello singled up the middle to put the Spartans up by three.
Mongiello finished the night going 3-for-4 while McCall Harvey each recorded three hits as well. Lucian and Micah Kaplan both had two hits for the Tigers.
UNCG continues its season-longest nine-game homestand when the Spartans open Southern Conference play Friday evening against College of Charleston. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Story courtesy of Western Carolina sports information
Western Carolina 8, Gardner-Webb 4
Cullowhee, N.C. ? After going 5-for-7 with 10 RBI in a doubleheader Tuesday, Blake Murphy continued his solid play at the plate Wednesday night, going 3-for-4 with four RBI to lead the Catamounts to an 8-4 victory over Gardner-Webb. Western, who has won six straight during its current nine-game home stand, improves to 12-9, while the Bulldogs fall to 9-10.
In addition to Murphy, Tim Hallam contributed three hits, while Steven Strausbaugh added two. For the Bulldogs, Tyler Johnson had three of GWU’s nine hits. Ironically, Western’s Tyler Johnson picked up the win in relief. He improved to 2-0 in the season, allowing four hits and two runs (one earned) with a walk and five strikeouts over four innings of work.
Gardner-Webb jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first, scoring two runs on three hits and two Catamount errors. Brock Miller had a leadoff hit and Matt Higginson followed with a double. With one out, Matt Maloney doubled home Miller, but Higginson as thrown out at home.
However, Jeremy McCann would drive in Maloney one batter later.
In the home half, Western took advantage of two GWU errors to score three runs on two hits. Barrett Shaft walked and Strausbaugh had an infield single. With two outs, Murphy’s pop up landed between three Bulldogs, going down as single. Shaft scored and, thanks to an error, so did Strausbaugh on the play. GWU kept the inning alive for Western, committing an error which allowed Murphy to score.
In the third and Trey McDaniel on base, Murphy put Western up 5-2 with a two-run home run, his fifth round-tripper of the season.
Gardner-Webb answered back in the fourth, making the score 5-3. Daniel Cooke started the frame with a solo homer to left, his second of the season.
The Cats scored twice in the fifth to go up 7-3. Hallam led off with a double, but was thrown out at third trying to stretch it into a triple. However, Shaft singled and Strausbaugh doubled. After McDaniel was intentionally walked, Jason Haynes walked to bring home Shaft. The Bulldogs looked to end the threat, but an error extended to the and allowed Strausbaugh to score.
Gardner-Webb then took advantage of two WCU errors in the sixth to trim its deficit to three (7-4). With two outs, Johnson had an infield single, took second on a throwing error and scored on a second throwing error in the inning.
Western got that run back in the home half of the seventh to provide the final margin of 8-4. After a leadoff walk to McDaniel, Murphy doubled down the right field line.
The Catamounts kept Gardner-Webb off the scoreboard over the final three innings as Brian McCullen and Greg Holland did not allow a hit and struck out the final five batters they faced. McCullenn struck out two, while walking two, and Holland struck out the only three batters he faced.
Western Carolina will cap its nine-game home stand, hosting Wofford for three games this weekend. First pitch Friday is set for 7 pm.
Story courtesy of Elon sports information
Clemson 7, Elon 4
CLEMSON, S.C. ? Despite having only three hits on the day, the 10th-ranked Clemson Tigers capitalized on seven walks and five Elon Phoenix errors to pick up a 7-4 non-conference baseball victory on Wednesday afternoon from Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Clemson improved to 13-6 this season. Elon fell to 17-8 in 2006.
For the second straight day, Elon jumped out on top of the Tigers in the first inning. Donny Jobe began the inning with a double to right-center and advanced to third on Adam Weaver’s sacrifice bunt. Chris Price’s single plated Jobe with the game’s first run, but the Phoenix was unable to push across any more in its first at bat of the afternoon.
Clemson began its first at bat with a four pitch walk to Herman Demmink. Elon starter Justin Bors then plunked Brad Chalk to put runners on first and second with no outs. A balk moved both runners up before Taylor Harbin lifted a sacrifice fly to left-center to even the score at one. An error by the Phoenix put runners on the corners before a steal of second reset the runners at second and third. The Tigers took a 2-1 lead when Andy D’Alessio grounded out to first, plating Chalk with the go-ahead run.
Grant Rembert drew a walk to lead off the second inning for the Phoenix before advancing to second on a balk with one out. Jordy Snyder drew a walk to give Elon two men aboard for Ryan Addison. A walk to Addison loaded the bases as the Phoenix got back to the top of the order for Jobe. Jobe picked up an RBI when as he drew a four pitch walk, scoring Rembert to even the score at two. All three runners advanced, including Snyder with Elon’s third run of the day, on a wild pitch. Addison scampered home on the second wild pitch of the inning from Clemson pitchers.
The control problems continued for Bors in the second as he walked Stan Widmann on four straight pitches to start the inning. A failed pickoff attempt allowed Widmann to advance to third with one out. Widmann then scored on a groundout to short, cutting the Phoenix lead to 4-3. After Bors walked Demmink, Elon skipper Mike Kennedy turned the ball over to Jesse Lewter with two outs. Demmink swiped second and moved to third when the throw from Pat Irvine went into centerfield. Lewter also entered with control problems, walking Chalk on four pitches, but got the next batter to fly out to center to end the inning.
Clemson’s Alex Burg drew a two-out walk and then stole second before Widmann’s single to center drove him in with to tie the score at four in the third inning. The hit was the first of the day for the Tigers.
Elon’s fourth error of the game on a fly to right allowed Doug Hogan to reach third to lead off the fourth inning before a wild pitch allowed him to score with Clemson’s fifth run of the afternoon. Demmink reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a sac bunt. With two outs, he moved to third on a wild pitch. A walk to Tyler Colvin put runners on the corners for D’Alessio who flew out to center to end the threat.
In the top of the fifth, Price singled through the right side of the infield with his 200th career hit. He was then erased as Chris Vasami reached on a fielder’s choice. Pinch hitter Ryan Radford tallied a two-out single to put two men aboard before Rembert singled to load the bases. Paul Bennett then grounded into a fielder’s choice to leave the bases full.
In the seventh, Harbin reached on an Elon error to begin the inning. With one out, D’Alessio made the Phoenix pay for its error, blasting a two-run homer over the wall in left to give the Tigers a 7-4 advantage.
Lewter (0-1) took the loss for Elon, throwing 4.2 innings and allowing four runs (two earned) on three hits. Phoenix pitchers allowed only three earned runs on the day.
Picking up the victory for Clemson was Alex Martin (1-0). Martin did not allow a run on four hits over 3.1 innings of work in relief.
Price was the only Phoenix player to have a multi-hit game, posting a 2-for-4 day with one RBI. Vasami did not record a hit and had his 12-game hitting streak snapped.
For Clemson, D’Alessio drove in three in a 1-for-3 afternoon.
Elon will return home to face SoCon foe Appalachian State in a three-game series beginning Friday night at 7:00 p.m. from Latham Park.
Story courtesy of Wofford sports information
NC A&T 6, Wofford 3
SPARTANBURG, SC ? William Sunderland hit a grand slam in the fourth inning to lead North Carolina A&T to a 6-3 win over Wofford Wednesday night at Russell C. King Field.
Sunderland’s slam erased a 1-0 Wofford lead. The Terriers had broken on top in the second when Keith Munns singled and moved to second when the rightfielder bobbled the ball. After stealing third, Munns scored on a sacrifice fly by Chuck Eller.
Wofford closed the gap to 4-2 with a run in the fifth when J.D. Melton singled and moved to third on a single by Ben Austin. Melton scored on a single by Ben Austin.
The Terriers added another run in the sixth when Munns and Stephen Johnson hit back to back doubles to pull Wofford to within a run of the Aggies.
A&T touched Wofford reliever Ryan Beaton for a run in the seventh. Phillip Brewington was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and took third on a fielders choice. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Chris Gamble.
Gamble also plated A&T’s final run in the ninth with another sac fly. Nick Mayo singled with one out and stole second and third before scoring on Gamble’s fly to center.
Chip Hunt (0-2) took the loss for Wofford. He went 3 and one-third innings and allowed just four hits while striking out two.
Aggie starter Patrick Oates hurled six innings and scattered seven hits while walking two and striking out two. Michael Hauff allowed just one hit over the seventh and eighth innings before handing it to Chris Eggers who earned his first save of the year.
Wofford is now 15-10 on the year while North Carolina A&T improved to 11-12.
Wofford will travel to Western Carolina for a three-game series starting Friday night at 7:00 p.m.
Story courtesy of Georgia Southern sports information
Georgia Southern 18, Coppin State 3
STATESBORO, Ga. ? The Georgia Southern baseball team racked up a total of 18 runs on 17 hits, and freshman Chris Shehan was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle, as the Eagles knocked off Coppin State 18-3 in the two game series finale Wednesday evening.
Shehan earned a hit in each of his six trips to the plate, scored four runs and drove in two, as five GSU pitchers were used to silence the Coppin State bats.
Things did not begin too well for starter Matt Shurley (1-1), as he allowed hits to four of the first six batters he faced. With runners at the corners, Shurley then balked in a run; however he was able to strikeout Coppin State’s Carlos D’Costa to end any further damage, allowing three runs off of four hits.
The Eagles would push across one run in the bottom of the first and the score would remain 3-1 until the bottom of the third when Georgia Southern would take the lead for good. After Coppin State starter Bill Auch returned the favor of a balk with the bases loaded that scored freshman Brian Pierce, followed by senior Greg Dowling driving in centerfielder Matt Miller on a groundout to short, catcher Griffin Benedict hit a towering two run homer to center field that seemed to wake up Georgia Southern's bats.
The next inning, Shehan stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and promptly delivered his second double, and third hit of the game, which scored two more Eagles. Four batters later, junior Cam Caldwell, who was three for four on the night, doubled to left field to drive in three more runs. Georgia Southern pushed six runs across off of only three hits in the inning, due in large part to two batters being hit by a pitch, one walk and another balk.
Shurley worked five innings to earn the win, before giving way to Eagle relievers, Aaron Eubanks, Ty Whitaker, A.J. Battisto, and David Cogswell, who each worked one inning to close the game out. The five pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts, scattered eight hits, and allowed only two walks.
Georgia Southern will open Southern Conference play when they host a weekend series with The Citadel, starting Friday at 6 p.m. Saturday’s game will be broadcast live from J.I. Clements Stadium courtesy of CSS. First pitch for Saturday is set for 12 p.m.
South Carolina 11, Furman 3
COLUMBIA, SC -- Harris Honeycutt pitched six strong innings Wednesday night and South Carolina collected 14 hits and capitalized on six Furman errors for an 11-3 college baseball win at Sarge Frye Field.
The seventh ranked Gamecocks improved to 19-3 on the season while Furman dropped to 11-8. Honeycutt allowed six hits but only one run and struck out five with two walks to improve his record to 3-0. Patrick Arnett, 1-4, the first of five Furman pitchers, was charged with the loss.
Reese Havens had three hits, including a double, and drove in two runs. Chris Brown drove in three runs with a double and a single. Neil Giesler and Trent Kline each had two hits and two runs batted in.
Kline hit his second home run of the season in the second inning with Havens on base to break an early 1-1 tie.
Four relief pitchers followed Honeycutt on the mound for South Carolina and Furman's final two runs came on a two run home run by Case Cassedy off Jeff Jeffords in the seventh inning. It was Cassedy's first homer of the season.
Furman took an early 1-0 lead I the first inning when Andrew Greene singled and scored on a double by Jay Jackson. That was all the scoring allowed by Honeycutt. South Carolina tied it in the bottom of the first when Brown walked, moved to third on a hit by Campbell and scored on a sacrifice fly by Giesler.
Kline's two run home run in the second inning put South Carolina in the lead for good. The Gamecocks added one run in the fourth, four in the sixth and three in the seventh inning.
Cassedy had two of Furman's eight hits with two RBI. Six Paladins had one hit.
South Carolina's defense played its 11th errorless game in 22 outings while Furman committed six errors.
Furman returns to action on Friday when it opens Southern Conference play against Davidson in a three-game series in Greenville. Friday's first game is set for 7:00 p.m.
Appalachian State at East Tennessee State, ppd.