Story courtesy of Elon sports information
Elon 8, Furman 2
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Steven Hensley tossed a complete game and Robert Rodebaugh went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI to deliver an 8-2 win over Furman in Southern Conference baseball action Sunday afternoon at Furman Stadium.
The victory completed the three-game series sweep for Elon (39-13, 19-5 SoCon), whose 39 wins ties North Carolina and Virginia for the most victories in the country. The Phoenix, winners of six straight, also moved into first place in the Southern Conference by percentage points over College of Charleston, which entertains Georgia Southern Sunday evening.
The loss was the fifth in the last six games for Furman (28-17, 13-8 SoCon).
Hensley (5-3), a freshman righthander from Asheville, N.C., surrendered only two runs on eight hits and two walks in the contest. He struck out eight en route to his second complete game of the season.
Rodebaugh, meanwhile, belted his third home run in as many games, to headline the Phoenix offensive attack, which registered 11 hits. Chris Vasami also homered for Elon as part of a 2-for-5, two RBI performance, and Adam Weaver had two hits and scored three runs.
Furman managed just eight hits in support of Paladin starting pitcher Ryan Hodinka (9-1), who suffered his first loss of the season. The senior lefthander gave up four runs on eight hits and pair of walks over 6 2/3 innings. He struck out five in the game but was hurt by a three-run Elon third, which included home runs by Vasami and Rodebaugh.
Elon took a 1-0 lead in the first against Hodinka. With one out Weaver walked and advanced to third on Vasami’s single. Rodebaugh followed with a single to right center field to score Weaver.
The Phoenix extended their advantage to 3-0 in the third on Vasami’s 11th home run of the campaign, a towering two-run shot over the center field fence. Rodeaugh followed with his third home run of the series and ninth of the season, a solo blast to right center to make it 4-0.
Furman got on the board in the fourth after A.J. Davidiuk singled, advanced to second on a sacrifice and to third on a stolen base before coming home on Matt Young’s groundout to cut the deficit to 4-1.
The Paladins loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth but managed to push across only one run against Hensley. After Joe Daysh walked to lead off and Marcus Rose and Berry Terry followed with singles, Hensley struck out Andrew Greene and yielded a RBI groundout to Case Cassedy before retiring Davidiuk on a grounder to shortstop.
With the score 4-2, Furman threatened again in the sixth by loading the bases with two outs, but Hensley handled a grounder off the bat of Ben Terry to end the frame.
Elon put the game away with four runs in the ninth. Jordy Snyder’s double off Paladin reliever Jay Jackson scored Ryan Addison, and Donny Jobe followed with a double off Furman’s Ryan Hudson to plate Snyder.
Rodebaugh later added an RBI single, and the Phoenix tallied the final run of the inning on a Paladin throwing error.
Furman returns to action on Tuesday when it travels to Gardner-Webb for a 3:00 p.m. game.
Story courtesy of The Citadel sports information
The Citadel 4, Appalachian State 3
Charleston, S.C. ? Senior Matt Covington registered a walk-off, base hit to give The Citadel a 4-3 victory over Appalachian State Sunday afternoon at Riley Park to clinch their fourth Southern
Conference series win of the season. Down by one going into the ninth, Covington drove in two runs to hand the Bulldogs the come-from-behind victory. The Dogs improve to 25-23, 10-11 SoCon while the Mountaineers fall to 19-25-1, 6-15 SoCon.
Covington was responsible for three of the Dogs’ runs as he went 1-for-3, scoring the first run of the ball game and droving in the final two scores. Senior shortstop Matt Matulia and sophomore third baseman Matt Arnold enjoyed a multi-hit afternoon as they tallied two hits a piece. Joey Robinson paced the Mountaineer offense as he was 2-for-3, including two RBI.
The Bulldogs trailed by two runs for most of the day, but a run in the eighth and two in the ninth lifted The Citadel past App State. Mountaineer starter Garrett Sherrill, who earned the win in Saturday’s contest, gave up a run in the first and then held the Dogs scoreless for six innings before surrendering another run in the eighth. Sherrill tossed 7.1 frames, allowing two runs on six hits, while striking out three and walking four.
Citadel starter Matt Crim was responsible for the Mountaineers’ three runs as he went 2.1 innings and gave up three hits while striking out and walking two. Freshman right-hander Sonny Meade and junior righty Justin Smith then combined to hold App State scoreless for the remainder of the game, only allowing two hits. Meade enjoyed the longest outing of his pitching career as he threw 5.1 frames and struck out a career-high four batters.
The Citadel did take the early lead as Matulia ripped an RBI-single up the middle to plate Covington. App State answered back in the second as Robinson notched an RBI-single of his own to even the score at one.
The Mountaineers then put up two more in the third. With the bases loaded and one out, Wes Borden registered a sac fly to left to drive in Ben Billingsley. Robinson tallied his second RBI of the game with a single to left to put App State up, 3-1.
The Dogs pulled within one in the eighth as Meade blasted a double to the gap in right center with one out. A balk by Sherrill put Meade on third before junior first baseman Zach Brown ripped a two-bagger to right to bring Meade home. Reliever Josh Fish got the Mountaineers out of the inning as Matulia lined out to second and Brown was doubled up on the play.
Justin Smith shutdown the App State offense in the ninth as he recorded three straight outs. With one out in the The Citadel’s half of the inning, App State reliever Calvin Teague took to the hill to face senior second baseman Tripp Cappelmann. Cappelmann walked and senior Trent Weathers came in to pinch-run. Sophomore center fielder Chance Smith singled to left before freshman Graham Couch was called on to pinch-hit for catcher Brady Mashak. Couch took a pitch to the back to load the bases for Covington. Covington then roped a single to left to drive in Weathers and Smith, giving the Bulldogs the 4-3 victory.
Justin Smith (6-1) was credited with the win as he held App State hitless and scoreless through 1.1 innings of work and fanned one. Teague (2-2) suffered the loss as he did not record an out, giving up two runs on two hits and walking one.
The walk-off victory marks the second time this season the Dogs have come back to win it after trailing by a run in the ninth. Senior catcher Brady Mashak ripped a two-out, RBI-single to give The Citadel a 4-3 victory over Western Carolina on April 23. The Bulldogs are now 10-10 in one-run contests and 4-7 in conference games decided by the slim margin.
Next up, The Citadel will host No. 19 South Carolina on Tuesday, May 9 at 7 p.m. at Riley Park.
Appalachian State will return home to host Longwood on Wednesday, May 10 at 3 p.m.
Story courtesy of Western Carolina sports information
UNC Greensboro 10, Western Carolina 6
Cullowhee, N.C. ? UNC Greensboro scored five runs in the fourth inning to avoid a weekend sweep and hand Western Carolina a 10-6 loss Sunday afternoon at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium. The Spartans (20-28, 9-12 Southern Conference) and Catamounts (27-21, 13-11 SoCon) saw the lead go back and forth over the first two innings until UNCG took command in the fourth.
The Spartans were led by Jermaine Mitchell with three hits, while Greg Feltes, David Adams and Roly Gonzalez each had two RBI.
Feltes got UNCG started on the right foot, hitting a leadoff triple and scoring on the play thanks to a throwing error. The second hitter of the inning, Adams, also got a hit, but Western got a line out, a pick off and a fly out to limit the damage.
Western responded in the home half with two runs. Tim Hallam reached on an infield single and moved to second due to a throwing error on the play. Barrett Shaft followed with a single past the first baseman, putting runners on the corners. A wild pitch allowed Hallam to score and put Shaft on third. Jonathan Greene then plated Shaft with a single through the left side of the infield.
The Spartans regained the advantage (3-2) in the second. With two out and two on, Gonzalez hit his first triple of the season, driving in Wes McCall and Adam Deleo.
Once again, the Catamounts responded in the home half to take a 5-3 lead. Mitchell Hatley had a leadoff double and Donnie Wilson put runners on the corners with an infield single. Ryan Wilson plated Hatley with an RBI double and D. Wilson scored on Andy John’s RBI ground out. With R. Wilson now on third, Hallam delivered an RBI ground out to short.
UNCG threatened in the third as the first two batters walked off new WCU pitcher Tyler Johnson. However, Johnson got a strikeout and a double play on a line drive to the WCU shortstop.
The Spartans kept the pressure on in the fourth, sending 10 men to the plate and scoring five runs for an 8-5 lead. McCall had a leadoff walk and, with one out, Shane Thompson, who had two hits, singled. Gonzalez loaded the bases with a single to center. Feltes followed with a two-run double and Adams had a sacrifice fly to left. Mitchell had an infield single, moving Feltes to third. Sean Snell, who had two hits, brought home the fifth run of the inning with a single to right.
Western was able to cut into its deficit in the bottom of the fourth. With two outs, Hallam had a bloop single and scored one batter later on Shaft’s double to center.
Mitchell gave UNCG a three-run cushion once again in the top of the sixth with a two-out, solo home run to right, his fifth round-tripper of the season. In the eight, the Spartans did some more two-out damage, going up 10-6. Thompson had a leadoff single and, with two outs, scored on an Adams’ single. Adams took second on the throw home and nearly gave UNCG an 11-6 lead, but he was thrown out at home on a single to center by Mitchell.
Jonathan Nichols, who relieved Clay Gibson to start the third inning, pitched 3.2 innings to pick up his first win of the season, improving to 1-2. He scattered six hits with one run, one walk and three strikeouts. Greg Martin pitched well in relief and was in line for the save, pitching 2.2 scoreless innings before Clinton McKinney came on to get the final two outs of the game.
Western’s Shaft had three hits and an RBI, while Hallam and Hatley each had two hits. Johnson suffered the loss, falling to 3-2 on the season. He allowed six hits and five runs with three walks and a strikeouts in 1.2 innings.
The Catamounts will return to action on Wednesday, going to Knoxville to face the Tennessee Volunteeers. First pitch is set for 7:00 pm. (This game was added to the schedule in mid-March due a rain out.)
Georgia Southern at College of Charleston, ppd. (DH at noon on Monday)