Story courtesy of UNC Greensboro sports information
UNC Greensboro 10, Furman 9 (10 inn.)
GREENSBORO, NC ? Rightfielder Sean Snell’s one-out single up the middle in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted UNC Greensboro to a thrilling, 10-9, come-from-behind victory Sunday afternoon at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Jermaine Mitchell led off the 10th with a four pitch walk and Guy Welsh followed with a sacrifice bunt attempt that turned into a single as the Paladin infield was unable to retire Welsh at first. Wes McCall then reached on a fielder’s choice as his sacrifice bunt attempt was taken by the pitcher and thrown into leftfield in an attempt to erase Mitchell at third, leaving the bases loaded with nobody out. After Mitchell was retired at home on a force out on the next play, Snell followed with the game-winner as the Charlotte, NC native laced a single right just past the drawn in infield to score Welsh from third.
UNCG (19-26, 8-10 SoCon) led by a run after eight, but Furman scored a run in the ninth on an RBI single from catcher and league leading hitter Tony Maccani. Case Cassedy walked to start the inning and stole second base before Maccani singled to center with the game-tying run.
Furman (27-14, 13-5 SoCon) tallied the first run of the game in the top of the first on an RBI groundout by Cassedy that scored Andrew Greene who reached on a one-out fielder’s choice.
The Spartans grabbed the lead in the bottom of the second on RBI singles from Adam Deleo and David Adams, but Furman tied the game at two runs apiece in the top of the fourth on an RBI single from Marcus Rose.
UNCG regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth as the Spartans scored a pair of runs to take a 4-2 lead. Greg Feltes led off with a single through the left side before Adams singled to put runners on first and second. After Feltes was erased at third on a fielder’s choice by Mitchell, Welsh singled to right to load the bases before Adams scored on a pass ball with the inning’s first run. McCall accounted for the second run with an RBI groundout on the infield that scored Mitchell.
The visitors answered with six runs in the top of the sixth to take an 8-4 lead as Furman took advantage of a pair of Spartan errors. Steven Hildreth produced a two-run single while Greene and Cassedy also picked up an RBI in the frame.
Adams tied the game at eight runs apiece in the bottom of the eighth when the senior smoked the first pitch he saw from Paladin closer Nick Hollstegge down the leftfield line for a two-run double. Like Furman had done in the sixth, UNCG capitalized on two Paladin errors en route to a five run inning. Brandon Harvey got things started as he reached on a one-out error on the Paladin infield. Snell followed with a single before Deleo singled to load the bases before Shane Thompson reached on a second error charged to shortstop A.J. Davidiuk, allowing Harvey to score. Feltes added an RBI with a groundout on the infield prior to Adams’ tying the game with his shot to left. After two more Spartans had reached to load the bases, McCall put UNCG in front by a run as the Gastonia, NC native drew a walk to drive home the ninth run.
Senior Patrick Currin (7-2) won for the second straight day as the Chapel Hill, NC product allowed just one hit in two innings on the hill. Currin has now won his last six consecutive decisions. Clay Gibson, who made his first SoCon weekend start of the season, pitched well as he allowed five runs (three earned) on eight hits in five innings of work.
Jason Feather (0-2) suffered the loss for Furman after being touched for a run on two hits in 1/3 of an inning. UNCG was unsuccessful in handing Paladin starter Ryan Hodinka (9-0) his first loss of the season as he too earned a no decision after lasting five innings and yielding four runs on seven hits.
Adams paced the Spartans at the plate after going 3-for-5 with three RBI while Welsh and Snell also recorded three hits apiece. Deleo and Feltes chipped in with a two hits apiece while Maccani led Furman with a 3-for-5 showing.
Sunday’s win over the Paladins marked the seventh consecutive three-game series the Spartans have taken from Furman since joining the league in 1998. Furman’s only series win came during the 1999 season in Greenville.
Story courtesy of Western Carolina sports information
Western Carolina 5, Davidson 3
Cullowhee, N.C. ? Western Carolina sophomore relief pitcher Greg Holland (Marion, N.C./McDowell HS) struck out a career-high eight batters and the Catamounts threw out a Davidson base runner at the plate three times to claim a 5-3 victory over the Wildcats Sunday afternoon at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium.
Holland, who pitched the final four innings to earn his sixth save of the season, retired 12 of the 13 batters he faced, allowing just one walk with his eight strikeouts. Offensively for Western (25-20, 11-10 Southern Conference), Jason Haynes delivered a two-run single in the fifth, which proved to be the winning runs.
Davidson (16-27, 5-16 SoCon) used three hits to push a run across in the top of the first. Ronnie Shore and Alex Entrekin had consecutive leadoff singles and moved up on a sacrifice bunt. Gregory Zage plated Shore with an infield single. With runners on first and third, the Wildcats tried a double steal, but Entrekin was throw out at home. WCU starter Brock Thornburg followed with a strikeout to limit the damage.
In the third, the Wildcats also scored a run on three hits. In addition, like the first inning, Western limited the damage with an out at the plate. Shore had a one-out hit and scored on Entrekin’s double to left-center field. Jay Heafner put runners on the corners with an infield single. Zage tried to bring home Entrekin with a fly ball to left, but Entrekin was thrown out at home by Donnie Wilson for an inning-ending double play.
The Catamounts built on that momentum in the bottom of the third, tying the game at 2-2. Blake Murphy had a leadoff double and Wilson was hit by a pitch. A wild pitch moved the runners up and Mitchell Hatley drove in Murphy with an RBI ground out. A balk moved Wilson to third and Barrett Shaft followed with a sacrifice fly to center.
Western scored two in the fifth to take its first lead of the game, 4-2. With the bases loaded and two outs, Haynes singled to center to score Muphy and Wilson.
Davidson cut its deficit to one (4-3) in the top of the sixth. A double, error and walk loaded the bases for the Wildcats, chasing Thornburg. Holland got a ground ball, with Entekin being throw out at home on the fielder’s choice, and nearly got Western out of the inning unscathed, but Heafner scored on a wild pitch. Holland went on to strikeout the final two batters and get out of the inning.
Thornburg was credited with the win, improving to 3-3 on the year. He scattered seven hits with three runs (two earned), one walk and six strikeouts.
Western added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to provide the 5-3 final. Steven Strausbaugh singled with one out, moved to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a Scott Ward single. Murphy welcomed new Davidson pitcher Matt Meade with a sacrifice fly to right.
Strausbauh and Murphy each had two hits for Western, while Haynes had two key RBI. For the Wildcats, Shore and Entrekin accounted for five of Davidson’s seven hits. Shore had two hits and scored twice, while Entrekin had three hits, including two doubles.
Brant West (4-6) suffered the loss for Davidson. He allowed eight hits and five runs over 5.1 innings with a walk and a strikeout.
Western Carolina will take the next five days off for exams, returning to action next Friday as UNC Greensboro comes to Cullowhee for three games. Friday’s contest is set for 7:00 pm, as is Saturday’s due to Western’s graduation ceremony that day. Davidson will host Gardner-Webb on Tuesday (May 2) at 6:00 pm.
Story courtesy of Elon sports information
Elon 24, Georgia Southern 6
ELON, N.C. ? The Elon Phoenix picked up its 35th victory of the year, the most since moving to NCAA Division I play, as it erupted for a season-high 24 runs on a season-best 22 hits in a 24-6 Southern Conference victory over Georgia Southern on Senior Day from Latham Park. Elon now sits at 35-13, 16-5 in league play, while Georgia Southern now owns a record of 25-11, 11-7.
Georgia Southern got things going in its first at bat of the day. Back-to-back one-out hits from Chris Shehan (double down the line in left) and Greg Dowling (single through the right side) put runners on second and third when Dowling moved to second on a throw to the plate. Shehan put the Eagles ahead 1-0 when he crossed the plate on Griffin Benedict’s RBI groundout.
A one-out single from Brett Pelfrey was followed by a walk to Chris Hollis to put men on first and second for Georgia Southern in the second inning for Brian Pierce. Pelfrey crossed the plate to push the lead to 2-0 on a double from Pierce. Hollis was then plated on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Matt Miller.
The first two Phoenix hitters reached in the bottom of the second as Grant Rembert extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a single that was followed by a single from Ryan Addison. A walk to Pat Irvine loaded the bases for Adam Weaver who tapped a ball down the line towards third base that Eagle pitcher Matt Shurley fielded and threw home for the force. Donny Jobe’s single to right cut the lead to 3-2 as both Addison and Irvine scored. Robert Rodebaugh continued to deliver for Elon when he lined a two-out single to right to tie the score at three when Weaver beat the throw to the plate. Chris Price’s double down the line in right knocked home Jobe with the fourth run. On the play, however, Rodebaugh was gunned down at home to end the inning.
Ryan Addison’s sacrifice fly in the third pushed the Elon advantage to 5-3 as Chris Vasami scored after reaching on an error. Rembert’s single allowed Vasami to move into position to score on that sac fly. With one out, Jordy Snyder drew a walk to put men on first and second before the Eagles turned the ball over to Mike Chiciak. Chiciak walked Weaver, the first hitter he faced, to load the bases. Rembert scored run number six on a wild pitch that also allowed both other runners to advance. Following a strike out, Paul Bennett drew a walk to reload the bases before GSU turned to Josh Lairsey. Rodebaugh came through again for Elon in the third when he put a ball off the wall in right for a bases-clearing double to give the Phoenix a 9-3 lead.
Pierce’s second RBI double of the game knocked in Hollis to trim the deficit to 9-4 for the Eagles in the fourth frame.
Elon got that one run back in its half of the inning when Snyder doubled home Addison who had reached on a fielder’s choice and swiped his 18th base in 18 attempts earlier in the frame.
Price notched his second RBI of the day when he singled home Rodebaugh, who had laced his second double of the afternoon to reach, in the bottom of the fifth that put the score at 11-4.
The Phoenix exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to push its lead to 20-4, the second time on the year that Elon has hit the 20-run mark in a game.
The lead grew to 24-6 in the eighth inning when Kevin Pratt blasted his first career grand slam.
For the second consecutive day, Rodebaugh knocked in five runs. On Sunday, he went 3-for-4 and scored twice. Price concluded his senior day with a 4-for-7 performance with three RBI and Rembert posted a 5-for-6 day with three runs scored for Elon. Addison also had a 3-for-4 day with three runs scored and three driven in.
Georgia Southern’s offense was led by a 2-for-4 day from Pierce.
Steven Hensley (4-3) picked up the win after hurling 7.0 innings and allowing four runs on five hits while fanning six.
Matt Shurley (1-2) took the loss after surrendering seven runs (five earned) on seven hits in 2.1 innings of work.
Georgia Southern scored two in the eighth when Jeremiah Parker hit a two-run shot over the wall in center, his fifth of the year.
Elon next plays on Tuesday night when the Phoenix visits UNC Wilmington for a 7:00 p.m. start. Georgia Southern is off until next Saturday evening when the Eagles travel to College of Charleston for a 6:00 p.m. tilt.
Story courtesy of Wofford sports information
The Citadel 7, Wofford 6
SPARTANBURG, SC -- Sonny Meade went 2-for-4 with a career-high four RBI to lead The Citadel to a 7-6 in over Wofford on Sunday afternoon at Russell C. King Field in Spartanburg, SC.
With the win, The Citadel improves to 23-21, 8-10 in the SoCon, while the Terriers drop to 18-30, 4-17 in league games.
Meade also recorded a double in the Bulldogs win. Matt Covington, Chris Swauger and Tripp Cappelmann all added RBIs. Wofford’s Eric Sturkie was 1-for-3 with two RBI while Adam Wood went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Zach Pittman added a homerun for the Terriers.
On the mound, Justin Smith (5-1) got the win for The Citadel, going four innings and tossing seven strikeouts. Link Saunders picked up his 14th save of the season, making him the Bulldog’s all-time single-season saves leader. It was also his 18th career save. Ryan Belton (0-2) took the loss for Wofford, pitching one and two-thirds innings.
Trent Weathers was hit by a pitch to start things out for the Bulldogs and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Covington. Meade drove in Weathers on a single up the middle for the 1-0 Citadel lead in the first inning.
Wofford took the lead in the fourth inning, starting with Shane Kirkley drawing a walk, advancing to second on Bradford Eaves’ sacrifice bunt. Wood brought him in on a double to right center field to tie the game. Ben Austin flied out to right field, which brought in Wood, followed by a two-run double by Sturkie, plating John Brandt and Keith Munns for the 4-1 lead.
The Citadel answered in the sixth inning, plating five on two hits. Arnold reached on a base on balls, scoring on Cappelmann’s double to center field. Weathers and Cappelmann advanced on a balk and Cappelemann scored when Swauger was hit by a pitch. Meade drove in three more for the Bulldogs on a double to right field, scoring Swauger, Covington and Weathers.
Munns doubled to left center field to start the sixth inning for Wofford. Austin walked and Munns advanced to third on a Sturkie fly out to center field. Austin then ran on the pitch, getting caught halfway between first and second before Citadel’s Mashak attempted to throw out Munns at home, cutting the Bulldog lead to one. Wofford tied the game again in the bottom of the seventh when Zach Pittman took the second pitch over the left center wall.
The Citadel took a one run lead in the eighth. Weathers walked to lead off the inning and scored on a Covington double down the right field line to secure the win.
Wofford returns to the diamond on Wednesday, May 3 as the Terriers host South Carolina. The Citadel travels to Winthrop on Wednesday for a 6:00 first pitch.
Story courtesy of Appalachian State sports information
Appalachian State 5, East Tennessee State 4
BOONE, N.C. ? Wes Borden’s RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning broke a 4-4 deadlock and gave Appalachian State University baseball a 5-4 win over local-rival East Tennessee State on Sunday afternoon at Red Lackey Field.
Borden’s game-winning hit capped a two-out rally for Appalachian in its final at-bat. Chris Baker got things started for ASU in the eighth when he drove a hot shot up the third base line that East Tennessee State third baseman Ben Allen couldn’t handle. Baker advanced to second on a wild pitch and came around to score on Borden’s base hit up the middle. Borden was thrown out at second trying to stretch the single into a double, but not before Baker brought home the winning run.
The victory came in come-from-behind fashion for the Mountaineers, who trailed 3-0 after two innings but rallied for three runs in the third and one in the fifth to take a 4-3 lead. Run-scoring singles by Joey Robinson, David Rubinstein and Bryan Ford accounted for the runs in the third and Kevin Butler doubled to right center to give the Apps the lead in the fifth.
The Buccaneers made a comeback of their own in the top of the sixth when Blake Church tied the contest with a long home run to straight-away center field. The score remained knotted until Borden’s heroics in the eighth.
The game-winning single was Borden’s only hit of the game and one of 10 for the Mountaineers. Butler, Ford and Nick DeRose each had two hits and Robinson scored a pair of runs in the winning effort. Freshman Garrett Sherrill (4-5) allowed just one hit in three innings of relief, including a perfect ninth, to pick up the victory.
Church and shortstop Chuck Hargis had two hits apiece for the Bucs. ETSU reliever Caleb Glafenhien (0-2) allowed the unearned run in the eighth and was saddled with the tough-luck loss.
With its 18th triumph of the season, Appalachian (18-23-1) reached its second-highest win total in 10 years and snapped a six-game losing streak to former Southern Conference-rival ETSU (22-21).
The Mountaineers return to conference action on Friday when they begin a three-game series at The Citadel. Game time is set for 6 p.m. at Riley Park in Charleston, S.C.