Story courtesy of Wofford sports information
NC A&T 11, Wofford 10
GREENSBORO -- It's not always how a game is started, but how it is finished. N.C. A&T can attest to that, as they have won four games this season in their last at bat. Raul Santiago hit a double to bring home Marcus Mack with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth as N.C. A&T defeated Wofford, 11-10, at War Memorial Stadium.
In the ninth, William Sunderland drew a leadoff walk from losing pitcher J.D. Melton (2-3). Mack, pinch-running for Sunderland, moved to second base when Melton threw a wild pitch. Santiago then drove a 1-2 fastball to the rightfield wall, and Mack beat the relay throw at the plate to give the Aggies the win.
Wofford took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first when John Brandt hit a three-run homer off Aggies starter Joe McIntryre. N.C. A&T scored a run in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI single from Patrick Oates.
McIntyre helped his own cause in the fourth inning by blasting a pitch over the centerfield wall for a home run, his second in two days, to bring the hosts within 3-2. Wofford got an RBI single from Shane Kirkley and an RBI double from Brandt to take a 5-2 lead in the fifth.
N.C. A&T eliminated the deficit with a four-run fifth. Darris Sawyer drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a single from Phil Brewington. Charlie Gamble doubled to score Sawyer, and Oates hit a two-run double to left to tie the game. McIntyre gave the Aggies the lead with a single up the middle to score Oates and give the Aggies a 6-5 lead.
Wofford scored a run in the sixth and added two more in the seventh on a two-run double by J.D. Melton to take an 8-6 lead.
N.C. A&T tied it in the bottom of the seventh when Patrick Oates hit a deep two-run homer, his fifth of the season. McIntyre followed with his second homer of the day for a 9-8 Aggies lead. Santiago smashed a double and came around to score on Sawyer's single to cap a four-run inning and a 10-8 edge.
Wofford countered in the eighth with a RBI triple from Steven Fusaro and an RBI groundout from Shane Kirkley to tie the game for the sixth time at 10-10. Aggie ace Michael Hauff came in relief and got the key out of the game, striking out Keith Munns with two runners on to end the threat.
Hauff (4-1), the reigning MEAC Pitcher of the Week, retired all three batters he faced in the ninth to earn the victory. Oates went 3-for-5 with 5 RBI and two runs scored to lead the Aggies. Gamble also finished 3-for-5, driving in three runs and scoring once. Santiago went 3-for-5 with a run scored.
McIntyre pulled double duty, striking out four batters in 5.2 innings. He finished 3-for-5 at the plate with 3 RBI and two runs scored.
The Terriers return home this weekend for a three-game set against Southern Conference foe Elon. First pitch for the series opener is set for 6 p.m. Friday.
Story courtesy of Georgia Southern sports information
Georgia Tech 7, Georgia Southern 4
ATLANTA, Ga. ? Georgia Southern broke up a no-hit bid in the seventh inning and tied the game, but Georgia Tech came back to pull out a 7-4 win Wednesday (April 5) at Russ Chandler Stadium. The Eagles (16-16 overall) loaded the bases in the ninth but could not complete the comeback.
Chris Shehan got his second hit of the game to lead things off. Greg Dowling walked for the third time and pinch-hitting Griffin Benedict singled through the right side. Matt Wieters (1-1) struck out Jeremiah Parker for the first out. Mike Economos grounded out to shortstop Michael Fisher, but a run scored on the play. Wieters got Brett Pelfrey looking on a 2-2 pitch to end the game.
Tech, scoring an unearned run in the second, loaded the bases with one out in the fourth. Josh Lairsey came up with a key strikeout versus Mike Trapani, but he walked Andy Hawranick then gave up a RBI single to Michael Fisher. A groundout ended the threat, however not before the 9th-ranked Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 3-0 lead.
Shehan broke up David Duncan’s no-hit bid to leadoff the seventh, also extending his personal-best hitting streak to 11 games. Dowling drew a walk. A fielder’s choice put runners at the corners then Parker lined a single to left for the Eagles first run.
A passed ball by Hawranick behind the plate advanced both runners into scoring position. Economos lined a single up the middle to tie the game.
That was short lived for Georgia Southern as Danny Payne lined the first pitch of Tech’s half of the seventh over the right field fence. They would load the bases with one out off relief pitcher Mike Chiciak. Steven Blackwood drew a bases loaded walk that prompted head coach Rodney Hennon to bring in David Cogswell. Trapani brought home another run on a groundout to Shehan at third base, regaining a 3-run lead.
Lairsey (3-3) pitched six innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits. He walked one and struck out six. Shehan scored twice and Economos finished with three RBI.
Whit Robbins had three hits for Tech (23-7). Wieters gave up one run on three hits in 2.2 innings, walking one and striking out four.
The Eagles host Southern Conference foe Western Carolina this weekend. Friday night’s (April 7) game is scheduled for 7 p.m. then 1:30 starts on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. The annual Clements Crazies cookout will take place on Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. The public is invited to attend.
Furman 16, Georgia State 5
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- A.J. Davidiuk went 3-for-3 and drove in six runs to power Furman past Georgia State 16-5 in baseball action Wednesday at Furman Stadium.
Davidiuk, the reigning Southern Conference Player-of-the-Week, hit a three-run home in the third inning and delivered a bases clearing double in the fourth to help Furman (18-9) to its seventh victory in its last eight games. Case Cassedy, meanwhile, belted a grand slam in the eighth inning, and Andrew Greene collected a pair of hits to extend his hitting streak to 21 games. Tony Maccani, the Southern Conference’s leading hitter, went 1-for-4 and an RBI and is now hitting .468 on the campaign with a 14-game hitting streak.
Georgia State (13-18) was paced by Ryan Newman, who went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs.
Furman tallied 13 hits in the contest to give starting pitcher Jay Jackson (1-0) his first collegiate victory. The former Christ Church Episcopal School standout yielded five hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings before leaving the mound with a 7-4 lead. He also delivered a two-run double and scored two runs.
Tyler Allen (0-1) took the loss for the Panthers after giving up five hits and seven runs, though only three were earned, and walking four over 3 2/3 innings of work.
Georgia State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning when Newman connected off Jackson for a two-out, three-run blast that cleared the left field fence.
The Panthers made it 4-0 in the third on Charlie Pelt’s solo home run to right field.
Furman answered with three runs in the bottom of the frame on Davidiuk’s fourth home run in his last five games ? a three-run clout down the left field line to make it 4-3.
The Paladins scored four unearned runs in the fourth. With two outs, Joey Rodgers reached on an error and Marcus Rose delivered an RBI double down the left field line. Ben Terry then walked and Andrew Greene was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Davidiuk followed with a bases clearing double to left to give the Paladins a 7-4 lead.
Furman blew the game open with five runs in the sixth, highlighted by a Jackson two-run double down the left field line and Joe Daysh’s two-run single through the left side.
The Paladins tacked on four runs in the seventh on Cassedy’s grand slam off Panther Aeden McQueary-Ennis.
Furman returns to action on Friday when it travels to Charleston to open a three-game Southern Conference series against The Citadel beginning at 5:00 p.m. at Joseph P. Riley Park.
North Carolina 23, Davidson 7
UNC Asheville at UNC Greensboro