Story courtesy of Western Carolina sports information
Western Carolina 5, College of Charleston 4
Cullowhee, N.C. ? Western Carolina scored three runs in the eighth to claim a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over 17th-ranked College of Charleston Sunday afternoon at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium. The Catamounts got two hits each from Blake Murphy and Steven Strausbaugh, including a home run by each, to improve to 20-16, 8-7 in the Southern Conference. The Cougars, who had 14 hits but left 15 runners on base, fall to 30-7, 12-3 SoCon.
In the eighth, Western’s Strausbaugh threw out a Cougar base runner at the plate to end the top half to keep the score 3-2 in Charleston’s favor. Then, the Catamounts started the home half of the eighth by getting three consecutive walks. Murphy would tie the game with an RBI single, driving in Shaft and keeping the bases loaded. Donnie Wilson followed with a sacrifice fly, plating Strausbaugh. An error on the play allowed Trey McDaniel to score what proved to be the winning run.
McDaniel’s run proved key as the College of Charleston plated one run in the top of the ninth on a Michael Harrington sacrifice fly and had runners on first and second. However, WCU closer Greg Holland got a ground ball to end the contest and improve to 2-2 on the season. The sophomore pitched the final three innings, scattering five hits with one run, two walks and three strikeouts.
The Cougars manufactured a run in the top of the first. Phillip Coker walked, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Oliver Marmol’s sacrifice fly to left. Charleston would get runners on second and third before WCU starter Brock Thornburg got a strikeout to escape with just one run and one hit.
Charelston padded its advantage in the second, scoring two runs on three hits. After a one-out double by Ben Lasater, Larry Cobb and Phillip Coker had back-to-back, two-out RBI singles. After allowing runs in the first two innings, Thornburg kept the Cougars off the scoreboard over his next four innings. Overall, Thornburg allowed nine hits, three runs, four walks and three strikeouts in six innings.
The Catamounts got on the board in the bottom of the fourth as Murphy hit his eighth home run of the season.
Western then used another solo homer, which was the 15th on the season by sophomore Steven Strausbaugh, in the sixth to make the score 3-2.
For the Cougars, Cobb and Campbell each had three hits, while Easterling and Garabedian each contributed two. Quinn Monsma, who entered the game in the eighth, suffered the loss, falling to 4-1. He allowed three walks without recording an out. CofC starter Graham Godfrey pitched seven solid innings, allowing five hits, two runs and two walks with eight strikeouts.
Western Carolina will stay in Cullowhee to host former SoCon foe East Tennessee State on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 7 pm. The College of Charleston will stay on the road to face Coastal Carolina Tuesday at 6 pm.
Story courtesy of Elon sports information
Elon 11, The Citadel 10
ELON, N.C. ? The Citadel erased a six-run deficit in the eighth and ninth innings only to see Elon pick up its second win of the series in its final at bat of the game as the Phoenix knocked off the Bulldogs 11-10 in Southern Conference baseball action from Latham Park on Sunday afternoon with a Jordy Snyder bases loaded single. Elon ran its winning streak to a season-long seven games and now sits at 29-11 overall and 12-3 in SoCon play. The Bulldogs fell to 18-18, 4-8 after the three-game series sweep.
For the first time in the series The Citadel jumped out on top. In their first at bat, the Bulldogs’ Trent Weathers led off with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. After stealing third, Weathers scored on a single from Chris Swauger before Phoenix starter Steven Hensley got Sonny Meade to ground into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Elon grabbed the lead in the bottom of the second when Paul Bennett touched off his third homer of the season, a two-run shot to left-center that also delivered Grant Rembert.
The Citadel evened the score at two in the fourth inning when Matt Arnold hit his second home run of the year, a solo shot over the wall in right.
Robert Rodebaugh began the bottom of the fourth by drawing his second walk in as many trips to the plate. He moved to second on a wild pitch before Ryan Addison hit his second homer in as many games to put the Phoenix ahead 4-2. The blast was his seventh on the season. Paul Bennett then greeted reliever Justin Smith with a single up the middle and came around to score on Snyder’s double to center. Snyder would later score on a RBI groundout from Ryan Radford.
Tripp Cappelmann and Weathers began the fifth with back-to-back singles and moved to second and third on a sac bunt from pinch-hitter Matt Covington. Cappelmann came home to cut the deficit to 6-3 on a sacrifice fly from Swauger. Weathers then scored to make the score 6-4 when Meade doubled to left.
Chris Price singled to begin the Elon seventh before moving to second on a walk to Chris Vasami. Both runners advanced on Rembert’s sacrifice bunt and would score on Rodebaugh’s double to center which upped the Phoenix advantage to 8-4. After Bennett walked, both runners advanced on a passed ball and scored on a Snyder single to cap the four-run inning.
In the eighth, Swauger led off with a single. That was followed by a ball that went into the corner in right for a ground rule double from Meade that was questioned by The Citadel who thought the ball would go for an inside the park homer. Arnold then singled to left, plating Swauger, before Elon turned to Kory Radford. Zach Brown’s single drove in Meade to cut the lead to 10-6. A walk loaded the bases and Elon’s Mike Kennedy turned to Chad Tilley who earned his fifth save of the year the night before. A groundout from Conrad Kellahan drove home Arnold with the third run of the inning and the seventh of the game for the Bulldogs before Cappelmann’s sac fly to center delivered Brown as the Elon saw its lead whittled to 10-8. Tilley then fanned Weathers to end the inning.
After Tilley retired the first hitter in the ninth, both Swauger and Meade reached on infield singles. A walk to Arnold loaded the bases for the Bulldogs before Brown doubled to left, scoring both Swauger and pinch-runner Chance Smith to tie the score at 10. Elon intentionally walked Matt Matulia to load the bases and Tilley retired the next two hitters to end the scoring threat.
Rembert began the ninth with a double to the leftfield gap. The Citadel intentionally walked Rodebaugh to set up the double play. A wild pitch moved both runners up before the first out was recorded. Bennett was intentionally walked to load the bases for Snyder.
Snyder finished his day with a 4-for-4 performance, scoring once and knocking in four. Paul Bennett (2-for-3, three runs scored), Ryan Addison (1-for-4, run scored) and Robert Rodebaugh (1-for-2, two runs scored) each drove in two runs.
Brown was 3-for-4 with three driven in and one scored on the afternoon for The Citadel. Swauger scored twice and knocked in two while going 3-for-4.
Tilley (4-0) earned the win after throwing 2.0 innings and allowing two runs on three hits. Hensley left with a lead after 7.0 innings of work. The freshman gave up four runs on seven hits while fanning seven.
Link Saunders (3-4) took the loss for the Bulldogs. He hurled 1.1 innings and gave up one run on two hits. Starter Matt Crim lasted 3.0 innings and surrendered four runs on four hits.
Elon will return to the diamond on Tuesday night when the Phoenix hosts High Point in a 7:00 p.m. start. The Citadel will visit South Carolina on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.
Story courtesy of UNC Greensboro sports information
Davidson 9, UNC Greensboro 6
GREENSBORO, NC ? Davidson scored eight runs over the final six innings as UNC Greensboro fell short of claiming its first series sweep of the season as the Spartans fell 9-6 to the Wildcats Sunday afternoon at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
UNCG (16-22, 6-6 SoCon) scored a run in the first inning when Jermaine Mitchell smoked a triple to right-centerfield and Guy Welsh followed with a single through the right side for his team-leading 27th RBI of the season.
Davidson (13-23, 3-12 SoCon) quickly tied the game in the next half inning on a sacrifice fly from designated hitter Rob Wilson to score Gregory Zage who doubled to open the inning.
The Spartans tallied two more runs in the bottom of the third to take a 3-1 lead after scoring on a groundout on the infield and a wild pitch. The Wildcats, however, regained the lead in the top of the fourth after scoring three runs on RBI singles from Wilson, Blake Osborn and Hugh Eden.
Osborn put the visiting Wildcats in front 6-3 with a two-run homerun over the left-centerfield wall in the top of the sixth. After the wildcats put another run on the board in the eighth on Wilson’s third RBI of the game, Adam Deleo left the Spartans trailing but just one after the sophomore catcher crushed a three-run homerun over the rightfield wall. Wes McCall singled to open the frame and David Adams followed with a double before Deleo connected for his second roundtripper of the season.
Jay Heafner, the SoCon preseason player of the year, answered with his own homerun in the top of the ninth to give the Wildcats a pair of insurance runs. Ronnie Shore singled to start the inning and moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt from catch Alex Entreking before Heafner laced a ball of the leftfield foul pole.
Heafner, who pitched a perfect ninth inning, earned his seventh save of the season after allowing one run on two hits in two innings of work.
Starting pitcher Brant West (4-4) earned the win after giving up three runs on nine hits while striking out two in 6-2/3 innings of mound duty.
Sophomore Wes McCall (1-7) suffered the loss for the Spartans after being touched for four runs on six hits while striking out one in 3-1/3 innings on the hill.
Sean Snell extended his hitting streak to 14 games after going 2-for-4 on the afternoon while Greg Feltes and Welsh also added a pair of hits. Deleo, who finished with a season-high three RBI, paced the Spartans in that department.
UNCG returns to the diamond Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. when the Spartans welcome the second-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels to UNCG Baseball Stadium.