Story courtesy of Elon sports information
Georgia Southern 4, Elon 3
ELON, N.C. ? Georgia Southern scored three sixth inning runs to grab the lead and held off Elon to snap the Phoenix’s 14-game home winning streak with a 4-3 decision in Southern Conference baseball action on Friday night. The loss, only the third loss at Latham Park all year for Elon, dropped the squad to 33-13 and 14-5 in league play. The Eagles climbed to 25-19, 11-5.
Elon jumped on top in the second inning with two outs. Jordy Snyder got it started with a single through the left side of the infield and scored on Donny Jobe’s triple to right-center.
Georgia Southern evened the score in the fifth on the fifth homer of the season from Mike Economos.
The Phoenix struck for another two-out run in the bottom of the fifth with back-to-back base hits from Jobe and Paul Bennett. Jobe singled and moved to second on a balk before Bennett doubled down the line in left, plating Jobe with Elon’s second run of the game.
In the sixth, the Eagles evened the score at two when Chris Sheehan reached on a fielder’s choice, moved to second on a single from Greg Dowling and scored on Griffin Benedict’s double off the wall in center. GSU loaded the bases when Jeremiah Parker walked before the second out was recorded. A looper over the outstretched arm of Bennett at short off the bat of Brett Pelfrey delivered two runs and gave the Eagles their first lead of the night at 4-2.
Elon trimmed the lead to 4-3 early in the eighth inning. Bennett was hit by a 3-2 pitch and scored on a double to the rightfield gap off the bat of Chris Vasami. Vasami was thrown out trying for his fourth triple of the year on the play.
Everett Teaford (7-3) earned the win with his third complete game of the season. The junior lefty allowed three runs on nine hits.
Elon’s Lance Cole (8-2) took the loss. He lasted 6.2 innings and surrendered four runs on eight hits.
For Elon, Rembert extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a 1-for-4 outing while both Jobe and Vasami notched two hits.
GSU’s Dowling, Economos and Pelfrey each had two hits for the Eagles with Pelfrey driving in two.
Elon and Georgia Southern will play game two of this three-game set on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. from Latham Park.
Story courtesy of Western Carolina sports information
Western Carolina 6, Davidson 0
Cullowhee, N.C. ? Western Carolina pitcher Bryan Tupper struck out a career-high eight batters, while Barrett Shaft and Trey McDaniel each had three hits to lead the Catamounts to a 6-0 victory over Davidson Friday night at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium. Western (24-19, 10-9 Southern Conference) and Davidson (15-26, 4-15 SoCon) will play game two of their three-game set on Saturday with first pitch set for 4:00 pm.
Tupper, getting his second start of the season, pitched a career-high 5.2 innings, allowing not runs, three hits and one walk to go with his eight strikeouts. He senior improves to 3-1 on the season. Brian McCullen (1.1 innings), Greg Holland (1.0 innings) and Corey Martin (1.0 innings) closed out the game as they combined to retire all 10 batters they faced.
In the second, a leadoff walk to Jonathan Greene led to a 1-0 Western Carolina lead. After Greene’s walk, he moved to second on a Scott Ward single and advanced to third on Donnie Wilson’s sacrifice bunt. Mitchell Hatley then plated Greene with a sacrifice fly to center.
The Catamounts padded their advantage, scoring two runs in the third. Shaft had a leadoff single and moved to third on Steven Strausbaugh’s double. McDaniel drove in Shaft with an RBI ground out and Strausbaugh would score on Blake Murphy’s sacrifice fly to center.
Western took advantage of three Davidson errors in the seventh to score its final three runs. McDaniel singled off first base and got to second on Davidson’s first error. Greene had one out hit, moving McDaniel to third, and D. Wilson kept the inning alive, reaching on an error and allowing McDaniel to score. Pinch hitter Ryan Wilson singled, driving in Greene. An error on the play allowed D. Wilson to score as well.
For the Wildcats, starter Rob Wilson suffered the loss, falling to 4-6. He allowed 11 his and six runs, but just three were earned. Ronnie Shore, Gregory Zage and Alden Crissy accounted for Davidson’s three hits.
Story courtesy of Wofford sports information
Wofford 5, The Citadel 4
SPARTANBURG, SC -- Wofford's Adam Wood went 3-for-4, including a single in the ninth as part of a come-from-behind rally, to lead the Terriers to a 5-4 win over The Citadel Friday evening at Russell C. King Field in Spartanburg, SC.
With the win, Wofford improves to 18-28, 4-15 in the SoCon while the Bulldogs drop to 21-21, 6-10 in SoCon action. The 18 wins is the second most for Wofford since making the move to Division I in 1996.
The Citadel got on the board in the first inning when Trent Weathers took the second pitch over the centerfild wall for his first homerun of the season and the 1-0 lead. Matt Covington reached on a base on balls before Zach Brown drove Covington in on a single to the right side for a 2-0 Bulldog lead.
Matt Matulia knocked in a run for The Citadel in the third inning, scoring Brown who doubled to center field. Matt Arnold started off the fourth inning for the Bulldogs with a single to left center and advanced to second on a Sidney Fallow sacrifice bunt. Arnold then scored on a Terriers error for a 4-0 lead.
Wofford cut the lead in half in the fifth inning. Eric Sturkie reached on a fielder's choice and stole second before scoring on a Zach Pittman double. Pittman advanced to third on a Bulldog error and scored when Shane Kirkley singled to left field.
The Terriers added a run in the sixth inning, cutting the Bulldogs lead to one. Chuck Eller doubled down the right field line and advanced to third on a sacrifice fly to deep right center filed by John Brandt. Adam Wood knocked a single down the right field line to drive in Eller.
Wood took a pitch down the right field line to reach base. Stephen Johnson came in to pinch run for the Terriers, stealing second. Sturkie was then hit by a pitch to give the Terriers two base runners. Wofford then scored on an error by The Citadel when Arnold bobbled a ball and overthrew first to score both Johnson and Sturkie for the Terrier win.
J.D. Melton picked up the win for Wofford, tossing the final two innings and improving his record to 5-3. Link Saunders came into the game in the ninth inning and took the loss for the Bulldogs, dropping his record to 4-5. Terrier starter Austin Redwine went seven innings, giving up four runs and throwing six strikeouts. The Citadel's Wes Wrenn tossed five strikeouts in six innings of work, giving up three runs.
The two teams will take the field in game two of the series on Saturday, April 29 at 1:00 p.m.
Story courtesy of UNC Greensboro sports information
Furman 5, UNC Greensboro 4
GREENSBORO, NC ? Will Stembridge’s RBI bunt single in the top of the ninth inning lifted Furman to a 5-4 win over UNC Greensboro in Southern Conference baseball action Friday evening from UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Case Cassedy reached base in the inning with a one-out double to left-centerfield and advanced to third one batter later on a pass ball. Stembridge then stepped to the plate and took the first pitch for a ball before laying down a perfectly placed bunt in no man’s land, and beat pitcher Wes McCall’s throw at first base by a step, allowing Cassedy to score easily with the go ahead run.
The Spartans put the game tying run on in the bottom of the ninth, but were unable to plate him to tie the game. David Adams led off with a sharp single through the left side and then stole second three pitches later. One batter later, Adams advanced to third on a pass ball, but was stranded there after a groundout to the right side and a shallow pop to centerfield to end the game.
UNCG (17-26, 6-10 SoCon) took an early 1-0 lead after the Spartans put together three straight singles in the bottom of the first to tally the game’s first run. David Adams started things off with a one-out single to centerfield before Jermaine Mitchell followed with a single through the right side to put runners on first and second. Guy Welsh put the Spartans on the board when the Tucson, AZ native deposited the first pitch he saw right back up the middle to score Adams from second for his team-leading 30th RBI of the season.
Furman (27-12, 13-3) took a two run lead after scoring three runs with two outs in the top of the third. After UNCG starting pitcher Nick Starnes walked Tony Maccani to start the inning, he then retired the next two batters with relative ease before leadoff hitter Ben Terry reached with a single to leftfield. Andrew Greene then reached base with a bunt single to Starnes before Case Cassedy produced an RBI single through the left side. A.J. Daviduk capped the inning with a bloop single into shallow rightfield that plated another two Paladins.
The Paladins tacked on another run in the top of the fourth to take a 4-1 advantage when Terry smoked a pitch directly off Starnes’ leg, plating Maccani and chasing Starnes from the contest.
Welsh struck again in the bottom of the seventh inning as he tallied another two RBIs to leave the Spartans trailing by just a run. Logan Smith started the rally with a one-out double to leftfield before Greg Feltes walked to put a pair of runners on. Adams followed with a single that found its way into left-centerfield before Welsh laced a single through the left side to make the 4-3 in favor of the visitors.
The Spartans plated the equalizer an inning later when Feltes delivered a two-out single through the left side that scored Harvey from second base. Harvey opened the inning with a single to rightfield for his second hit of the evening.
Nick Hollstegee (1-0) earned his first win of the season after allowing no runs on two hits in 1-1/3 innings of work. Starter Matt Klinker picked up a no decision after allowing just one run on six hits in six innings on the hill.
Clay Gibson (2-2) took the tough luck loss after allowing one run on one hit in 2/3 on the hill.
Welsh led the Spartans at the plate after going 3-for-4 with three RBI while Adams also added three hits.
UNCG and Furman continue a three-game series Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. from UNCG Baseball Stadium.