THE CITADEL 7, SOUTH CAROLINA 6
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? The number one team in the nation fell at the hands of The Citadel Sunday afternoon as the Bulldogs downed South Carolina, 7-6, in front of a crowd of 5,055 at Riley Park. Freshman second baseman Bryan Altman led the Bulldog offense as he belted a three-run home run in the seventh to pull The Citadel within one. Freshman reliever Raymond Copenhaver earned his first collegiate victory as he came on in the sixth and shutdown the Gamecocks, allowing only one hit and striking out three.
The Bulldogs (4-2) overcame a five-run deficit to take the win as they were down 6-1 in the fifth. Exactly a year ago today, The Citadel upset No. 3 Nebraska, 8-5, at Riley Park in the Homewood Suites Shootout. The last time The Dogs defeated South Carolina was in 2003 as they enjoyed a 7-4 victory over the 19th ranked Gamecocks in Columbia.
Altman went two-for-four in the contest, including his three-run blast, and has now hit safely in all six games this season. Freshman designated hitter Richard Jones was responsible for what proved to be the game-winner in the eighth as he plated junior outfielder Chance Smith on a deep fly ball to center that allowed him to tag up at third.
Copenhaver pitched three solid innings as he held South Carolina (5-1) scoreless in only his fourth appearance in a Bulldog uniform. Senior closer Link Saunders took over in the ninth to preserve the one-run victory for his first save of the season. The Irmo, S.C. native caught two Gamecocks looking while he fielded the final out of the game on a grounder back to the mound.
There were a combined five home runs in the game as South Carolina took an early four-run lead in the second on three round-trippers. First baseman Justin Smoak started the scoring with a lead-off homer to left center. Center fielder Andrew Crisp reached on an error before third baseman James Darnell hit one over the fence in left. Shortstop Reese Havens then lifted one over the right field wall.
Bulldog right fielder Sonny Meade answered back with his own solo shot as he jumped on the first pitch he saw and blasted it over the scoreboard in left field. The Gamecocks put up two more in the fifth on a bases loaded walk and a fielder’s choice to take a five-run lead.
The Citadel would not back down as they chipped away at the South Carolina lead, scoring six in the final three frames. Senior first baseman Zach Brown roped an RBI-single in the sixth before Altman teed off on a 1-0 offering by Gamecock reliever Jeff Jeffords to drive in three in the seventh.
Brown was hit by a pitch to lead off the eighth and moved over on a sac bunt off the bat of junior third baseman Matt Arnold. A throwing error by Gamecock second baseman Travis Jones allowed Brown to race home, putting Chance Smith on second. Smith moved over to third as freshman Matt Reifsnider blooped a single into left, setting up the sac fly by Jones. Reifsnider batted a perfect 2-for-2 in his first game at the plate.
The Gamecocks threw five pitchers at the Bulldogs, but right-hander Wynn Pelzer (0-1) suffered the loss as he gave up the sac fly to Jones. The junior tossed 0.2 innings, giving up one unearned run on one hit while striking out one. Copenhaver (1-0) was credited with the win as he threw a personal best 3.0 innings, holding South Carolina scoreless and only allowing one hit while fanning three.
Relive the The Citadel’s thrilling 7-6 victory over the Gamecocks on Bulldog Insider at CitadelSports.com as all the action from today’s game will be archived along with play-by-play called by Darren Goldwater.
Next up, The Citadel prepares for the Homewood Suites Shootout this coming weekend, Feb. 23-25 as Virginia Tech, Minnesota and UNC Asheville visit Riley Park.
DAVIDSON 24, GEORGETOWN 14
DAVIDSON, N.C. ? After allowing 10 runs in the second inning and trailing 12-2 in the third, Davidson scored 18 times over the next five frames to rally for a wild victory over visiting Georgetown for the second straight day, 20-14. Senior Rob Wilson went 4-for-5 with a homer, four runs and four RBIs to lead the Wildcats (2-0), while the Hoyas fell to 0-2 to start the 2007 season.
Both teams braved through another afternoon of howling wind blowing out at Wilson Field. Davidson won the first game of the series on Saturday afternoon, 16-15. The two victories mark the first time the ’Cats have won consecutive games when allowing at least 10 runs since beating Armstrong State and Slippery Rock in March of 1981. The 10-run deficit was the largest overcome by Davidson since trailing 11-1 in the sixth in a 12-11 win over UNC Asheville on March 5, 1998. And it was the first time the Wildcats scored at least 20 runs in almost seven years.
The comeback began in the bottom of the third when Wilson and senior Gregory Zage hit back-to-back doubles. Senior Blake Osborn reached on an error, allowing Zage to score, and sophomore Chris FitzPatrick followed with a home run to left, his second in as many days, cutting the deficit to six at 12-6.
Back-to-back doubles by senior Alden Crissey and Wilson got things going for Davidson in the bottom of the fourth. Two batters later, Osborn dropped an RBI single down the left-field line to make the score 12-8.
Georgetown got one of those runs back in the fifth when Matt Ianetta was plunked by a pitch with the bases loaded, one of five innings the Hoyas would fill the bases. But the Wildcats responded with four more runs in the fifth. Sophomore Brett Shore led off the inning with a pinch-hit triple, and sophomore Zach Kayne belted a two-run homer to right-center, his second of the season. After a one-out walk to Crissey, Wilson launched his first homer this year just inside the right-field foul pole to make it a one-run game, 13-12.
Fielding woes on bunts cost the Hoyas five runs in the sixth as Davidson took a 17-13 lead. FitzPatrick started the inning with a line single to right. Senior catcher Doug Grunwald, making his first career start, reached base when his sacrifice bunt was thrown into center field by pitcher Cary Piligian (0-1), allowing FitzPatrick to scamper to third. Another bunt on a safety squeeze turned into an RBI single for Shore, and Kayne also laid down a bunt that was thrown into the right-field corner by Piligian, plating both runners and sending Kayne to third. Sophomore Matt Webb and Wilson each had RBI singles to cap the inning.
The Hoyas got an unearned run in the seventh but could not push across any more while leaving seven men on in the last three stanzas.
Davidson led 2-1 after the first inning thanks to a pair of unearned runs, but Georgetown crossed the plate 10 times in the second, knocking Wildcat hurler Rob Shenk from the game. Matt Harrigan lined a lead-off homer to right and Sean Baumann finished off the scoring with a grand slam to dead center. But after tallying a run on a double-play grounder in the third, the rest of the game belonged to the ’Cats.
Senior Matt Knight (1-0), coming off surgery that cost him the entire 2006 season, earned the victory in his first appearance on the mound since May 21, 2005. In three innings, he surrendered just one unearned run on two hits and four walks while striking out three.
Nine Wildcats accounted for Davidson’s 17 hits, including Kayne who was 2-for-4 with four runs, three RBIs and his two-run bomb, plus FitzPatrick who was also 2-for-4, scoring three times and driving in two with his long ball. In addition, the defense turned five double plays, setting a new Davidson record.
Harrigan had four of Georgetown’s 12 hits and is now 9-for-11 in the first two games of the three game series.
The two teams finish the series tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 p.m.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 13, TOWSON 11
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. ? Chris Campbell belted a pair of homers and Michael Kohn added a two-run shot as the College of Charleston held on for a 13-11 win over Towson and a sweep of its college baseball three-game weekend series before 278 at chilly Patriots Point Field on Sunday.
Charleston, which improved to 4-0 on the season, plays at Charleston Southern at 2:00 on Tuesday. Towson fell to 0-3.
Campbell’s first homer was a two-run shot to right field that gave the Cougars a 4-1 lead in the third inning.
In the fourth, Towson scored five runs, capped by A.J. Tinnirella’s two-out, two-run double that gave the Tigers a 6-4 advantage.
After the Cougars tallied a run in the fifth to cut the margin to 6-5, CofC scored three times in the sixth to grab the lead for good at 8-6. Oliver Marmol’s RBI double tied the game at 6-all. Gabe Marchant and Alex Garabedian added run-producing hits in the inning.
Campbell’s solo homer to left center and Kohn’s fourth homer of the season highlighted a four-run eighth inning that stretched the Cougars’ lead to 13-6.
In the ninth, Kyle Skellchock opened the inning with a solo homer to left that cut Charleston’s lead to 13-7. The Tigers scored four more times in the inning using four hits and four CofC errors before Hans Falkenhan grounded into a 1-6-3 double play to end the game.
Campbell, Garabedian, Kohn and Ben Lasater had three hits each to pace Charleston’s 18-hit attack. The Tigers tallied 14 hits including three hits by Aaron Gabrielian in five at bats.
Mitch Besselievre (1-0), the third of five CofC pitchers on the day, picked up the win allowing a run on just two hits over four innings of work with four strikeouts. Spencer Patton (0-1) suffered the loss in relief allowing four runs on five hits over two innings of relief.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN 17, NEW JERSEY TECH 2
STATESBORO, GA. ? John Ducey (Augusta/Westside) pitched six hitless innings helping Georgia Southern complete a sweep of NJIT, 17-2 Sunday afternoon (Feb. 18) at J.I. Clements Stadium. The Eagles (8-2 overall) won their seventh straight while NJIT fell to 0-3.
Georgia Southern, off to its best start since 1981 (9-1), out-scored the Highlanders 56-7 in the sweep: winning 34-1 Friday night and 5-4 on Saturday afternoon.
Ducey (2-0) hit a batter in the third, and walked a batter in the fourth and sixth inning but no one advanced past first base. He threw 73 pitches, 44 for strikes, fanning six batters.
In the seventh, Burt Barto (Columbus/Columbus) came on in relief. Chris Shehan (Strasburg, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) made a diving stop on Austin DeRogatis’ shot down the third base line. He got up in time to throw him out, preserving the no-hitter. However, during the next at-bat Kwesi Mitchell broke up the bid with a double to left field. Mike Turner lined a RBI single to erase the shutout.
“Sure I thought about it (the no-hitter), going through the game you know what’s going on. You are the one throwing the game and as a pitcher you know the situations you’re in. I wanted to go out every inning and throw just like the last inning and try to keep in rhythm,” said Ducey.
“We knew we could not take this team for granted, we wanted to keep playing hard.”
Mike Economos (Atlanta/Marist) put the Eagles on the scoreboard to start the second inning. The senior right fielder skied a shot against the wind down the left field line, crossing over the foul pole for his third home run of the season and a 1-0 lead.
Jeremy Beckham (Griffin/Griffin) drew a one-out walk in the third. Matt Miller (Canton/Woodstock) hit a shot into the left field gap. Beckham scored for a 2-0 lead, but Miller was nailed trying to stretch his team-leading eighth double into a triple.
Georgia Southern sent 13 batters to the plate during an 8-run fourth inning to blow the game wide open. Jeremiah Parker (Carrollton/Carrollton) lined a leadoff single. Brian Pierce
(Roswell/Roswell) dropped down a sacrifice bunt, but pitcher Matt Melody could not field the ball which put both runners aboard. They advanced on a wild pitch then scored on Beckham’s 2-run single. That chased Melody for relief pitcher Bobby Wyrwa.
Later in the inning, all with two outs, A.J. Wirnsberger (Tuscaloosa, AL/Paul Bear Bryant) hit a 2-run single and Shehan lined a RBI double.During his second at-bat of inning, Parker ripped a 2-run double. Phillip Porter (Marietta/Sprayberry) lined a RBI single to cap the scoring.
The long layoff did not affect Ducey as the senior right-hander got a groundout and two strikeouts during a 1-2-3 fifth inning.
“I did my best to stay loose between innings, I didn’t get tired or cold at all. It made it a lot easier to pitch with that big of a lead. Our hitters went out and did a great job,” stated Ducey.
Miller drew a leadoff walk in the fifth, eventually scoring on no hits. He took second on a balk, third base on a flyout and scored on a groundout by Wirnsberger for an 11-0 lead.
After NJIT scored in the seventh, GS responded with four of its own. Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) delivered a RBI single, then Shehan followed with a run-scoring double. Third baseman Turner could not get a clean throw to first on Will Southwell’s (Colquitt/Moultrie County) grounder, allowing two more runs to cross the plate.
In the eighth, Chris Hollis (Loganville/Faith Academy) lined a RBI triple, then Shehan tied the GS record hitting his third double of the game, another RBI. Shehan, becoming the third Eagle in the last eight days to tie the single-game doubles record, drove in a game-high three runs.
GS out-hit the Highlanders 18-6, led by Shehan’s 3-hit effort and two hits apiece froEagles scored two runs. Wirnsberger joined Shehan with three RBI of his own.
Six different NJIT players accounted for the six hits. Of the 27 base hits GS was tagged for on the weekend, Mitchell’s double was the only extra-base hit allowed by the Eagles pitching staff.
Melody (0-1) was charged for five runs (three earned) on seven hits in 3.1 innings. He walked two and struck out five.
Georgia Southern travels to Kennesaw State Tuesday (Feb. 20), first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m.
ELON 8, SAINT JOSEPH’S 5
ELON, N.C. -- For the second consecutive game, Elon senior Chris Vasami drove in a career-best five runs to lead the Phoenix to a non-conference baseball victory over visiting Saint Joseph’s. On Sunday, Vasami’s five-RBI performance lifted the Phoenix to an 8-5 win and a three-game series sweep over the Hawks.
Elon (4-2) jumped on top 2-0 in the first inning. With one out, Adam Weaver doubled and Robert Rodebaugh walked. Both runners advance on a wild pitch before Vasami knocked both runner home with a single.
Saint Joseph’s (0-6) rallied back in the second, scoring three times to take the lead. David Valesente led off with a double and went to third on a Mike Gentile single. Dewey Oriente grounded a ball to short and reached on a fielder’s choice as Elon attempted to make a play at second. The throw was wide and the Hawks plated their first run and still had runners on the corners with no outs. Chris Cashman lifted a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Gentile to even the score at two. The Hawks then loaded the bases with a single and a walk before Mike Blahusch singled down the line in right, scoring Oriente with the go-ahead run.
In the third, the Hawks extended their lead to 4-2 when Oriente’s sacrifice fly allowed Jeremy Jakubowski to score.
Elon evened the score at four in the bottom of the third. With one out, Rodebaugh walked and scored on Vasami’s double to the gap in right. Vasami advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Chase Austin’s single.
Vasami’s double down the leftfield line in the bottom of the fifth delivered Weaver, who had led off the frame with a double, to put the Phoenix on top for good.
The Phoenix added three more in the seventh. Vasami’s single plated Jordy Snyder before Pat Irvine belted his first homer of the year for the final two Elon runs of the game.
Saint Joseph’s added one in the eighth when Jakubowski’s single up the middle delivered Tim Smith.
On the day, Vasami finished 4-for-4 with two runs scored and five RBI. Weaver ended the afternoon 2-for-3 with two runs scored while Chris Dove also had a multi-hit outing, posting a 2-for-4 day for the Phoenix.
The Hawks were led by Valesente’s 3-for-5, one-run performance at the plate. Ben Wendle (2-for-5), Jakubowski (2-for-4) and Gentile (2-for-4) also had multi-hit games.
Elon’s J.D. Reichenbach improved to 2-0 on the season, earning the victory in relief of Phoenix starter Zach Booker. Reichenbach went 2.1 innings and allowed four hits. Booker threw the first 4.1 innings and surrendered four runs (three earned) on six hits. Ryan Basham earned his first save of the season after striking out two in the ninth inning.
Chris Prescott fell to 0-1 on the year. Prescott took the loss after lasting 4.0 innings in relief of Pat Monaghan. Prescott and Monaghan each allowed four runs on five hits.
The Phoenix will return to the diamond on February 23 when it travels to Miami for a three-game set. Friday’s game will start at 7:00 p.m.
WOFFORD 19, IPFW 14
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Wofford baseball team built an early 17-run lead and held off a late-inning comeback by the IPFW Mastodons to earn a 19-14 victory Sunday afternoon and a sweep of the visiting Mastodons at Russell C. King Field.
Wofford (7-2) outscored IPFW 43-16 in the three-game spread. Sunday’s win was the sixth straight for Wofford, which has swept its last two opponents in consecutive three-game series at home.
The Terriers began by continuing the offensive onslaught that they started in the previous two games, scoring eight runs in the first inning. Wofford loaded the bases early for senior John Brandt, who singled through the left side to clear the bases and give Wofford a 3-0 lead. Bradford Eaves continued the offensive blitz by singling in Mike Gilmartin to earn the first of his three RBI in the game. Sterling Dye capped the inning with a three-run shot to left field for his second home run of the series.
Brandon Waring added two more runs for Wofford in the bottom half of the second inning on an opposite field homer, his fourth of the series. Following the long shot, Waring hit a base-clearing triple to score two in the next inning. Waring finished the game with four RBI and three runs on a 2-for-4 performance at the plate. For the series, Waring was 7-for-10 with four homers, 10 RBI, nine runs, a triple and a double. He tied two school records in the first game against IPFW by hitting two round-trippers in one inning and crossing the plate five times in one contest.
Wofford continued to turn the wheel in the fourth when freshman designated hitter Kyle Behrendt slammed the first four-bagger of his college career, a three-run shot to straight-away center field.
IPFW (0-3) scored its first run in the third on an RBI single from Quentin Brown, but Wofford starter Zack Parmer (2-0) held the Mastodons without another score until the sixth when center fielder Jared Davis connected for a two-run shot to left field.
The IPFW offense came alive after Davis’ homer as the Mastodons strung together 11 more runs in the final three innings. After cutting the deficit to 19-7 entering the top of the ninth, the Mastodons took advantage of two Wofford errors and scored seven runs in the final inning, six of which came with two outs on the board.
Parmer picked up the win for Wofford after scattering eight hits and three runs over six innings of work. Whit Kennedy, Chip Hunt and Dawson Smith also contributed from the bullpen to seal the win for Wofford.
Wofford welcomes the Army Black Knights next weekend for a three-game series beginning on Friday at 4 p.m. at Russell C. King Field.
AUBURN 4, UNC GREENSBORO 1
AUBURN, ALA. ? UNC Greensboro fell to Auburn in game three of a three-game series as the Tigers claimed a 4-1 win and the series sweep on Sunday afternoon at Plainsman Park.
Auburn starter Evan Crawford (1-0) was credited with the win after allowing just five hits and one run in five innings of work. Crawford also struck out five batters while on the mound. Scott Shuman put in two innings to record the save. He struck out two and did not allow a hit.
Spartan starter and junior right-hander Matt Gibbs (0-1) took the loss after seeing 4-2/3 innings on the hill. The Modesto, CA native allowed three runs on three hits.
UNCG (0-3) had a chance to get on the board with the bases loaded in the fourth, but were unable capitalize. Scott Schneider reached base with a one-out single to center and junior Scott Snell followed with a single through the left side. Matt Gaski answered with another single to left field with Adam Deleo due to bat next. Deleo, however, lined into a double play to leave two runners stranded on base.
An inning later, the Spartans took the one run advantage on a RBI single from third baseman Guy Welsh. Corey Overholtzer reached first on an Auburn pass ball and then reached second and third on consecutive fielder’s choices. Welsh smacked an infield single to bring Overholtzer around to score.
Auburn (6-1) quickly responded in the bottom of the fifth and took the 3-1 lead with the help of a couple of Spartan errors. Robert Brooks advanced to second on two UNCG fielding errors before Ross Smith singled to center to score Brooks. After Smith stole second and Dustin Spruill walked, Eric Skinner sent a single to center field to tack on another run. Spruill scored the Tigers’ final run of the inning on a fielder’s choice one batter later.
The Tigers picked up an insurance run in the bottom of the eight to take a 4-1 lead going into the ninth. With runners on second and third, leftfielder Mike Bianucci’s fly out to centerfield allowed Ben Jones to come home for the run.
UNCG returns to the diamond Friday afternoon at 4 pm when the Spartans play host to Marist in the season-opener at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
KENTUCKY 13, FURMAN 4
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Ryan Wilkes delivered a two-out, two-run single in the sixth inning to break open a close game and propel 26th-ranked Kentucky to a 13-4 win over Furman in baseball action Sunday afternoon at Furman Stadium.
The win gave Kentucky (3-0), the defending Southeastern Conference East Division champion, the three-game series sweep over Furman (0-3).
Wilkes’ line drive hit to left field off Paladin freshman reliever Marc DeDecker scored Matt McKinney and Sean Coughlin, giving the Wildcats a 5-2 lead. Kentucky blew the game open in the seventh, scoring five runs, highlighted by Coughlin’s two-run home run to right field and a two-run double by Sawyer Carroll.
Furman out-hit Kentucky 11-10, but the efficient Wildcat offense stranded only two runners in the contest while the Paladins left 10 on base.
Kentucky starting pitcher Greg Dombrowski (1-0) picked up the win after working six innings and allowing eight hits and only two runs. He struck out four and did not walk a batter.
Furman starter Mason Smith (0-1) absorbed the loss. After a shaky first inning that saw him surrender a pair of runs, including two walks and a hit batsman, Smith settled down to retire 13 of 14 Wildcat hitters until running into two-out trouble in the sixth inning. After issuing a walk, two singles, and a run with two outs, he was lifted in favor of DeDecker, who then surrendered the key two-out, two-run single to Wilkes.
Furman was paced at the plate by Joe Daysh, who went 3-for-4 and scored a pair of runs, and Joey Rodgers, who went 3-for-4 out of the leadoff slot. Tony Maccani belted a two-run home run in the fourth inning to tie the game at 2-2 until Kentucky retook the advantage with a three-run sixth.
Antone DeJesus, Carroll, and Coughlin led Kentucky’s attack with two-hits each, and Brock Wright delivered a pinch-hit home run in the ninth.
Furman returns to action on Tuesday when it entertains Charlotte in a 5:00 p.m. contest.
KENNESAW STATE 5, WESTERN CAROLINA 3
KENNESAW, GA. ? Junior Steven Strausbaugh blasted his first home run of the season, a two-run shot in the top of the sixth inning to give Western Carolina a 2-1 lead. However, five Catamount errors, including two in a four-run bottom of the seventh, led Kennesaw State to a 5-3 win, preventing a WCU sweep at Stillwell Field on Sunday afternoon.
After falling behind 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, Western rallied to take its first lead of the game in the visitor half of the sixth. With two down in the frame, junior Barrett Shaft doubled down the left line and the next batter, his classmate Strausbaugh, drove one over the fence in right center field to give WCU the advantage.
Western (2-1) held the lead until the bottom of the seventh when the Owls rallied with four unearned runs to pull ahead 5-2. Lead off man Clint Roques reached on an error and was sacrificed to second put a runner in scoring position with one out. A second error in the frame put runners at the corners when relief pitcher Chris Masters gave up a two-run triple down the left field line to push KSU ahead, 3-2. The Owls added an RBI single and a run scored on a passed ball to surge ahead by three.
The Catamounts rallied in the ninth inning as both transfer John Ingram and junior Jason Haynes drew one out walks and were moved to second and third, respectively, when freshman Kenny Smith reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases. The next batter, freshman Tyler Kirkpatrick, grounded out to third, scoring Ingram from third to pull Western to within two. But KSU relief pitcher Justin Freeman got freshman Nick Liles to fly out to left to end the game.
Shaft finished the day 3-for-4 with a double to lead Western, with Strausbaugh’s home run giving the junior a game-high tying two RBI.
Sophomore Drew Saberhagen suffered his first defeat of the season, allowing three unearned runs in 6.2 innings of work with four strikeouts and one walk. Junior Ryne Nelson faced two batters to record the final out in the seventh inning with freshman Daniel Ottone tossing one inning in the eighth.
Western Carolina opens the home portion of its schedule this weekend, hosting the Connecticut Huskies for a three-game series at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 pm on Friday afternoon, with both Saturday and Sunday’s games slated to begin at 1:00 pm.
APPALACHIAN STATE 19, COPPIN STATE 3
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. ? Buoyed by a pair of eight-run innings, Appalachian State University baseball completed a three-game series sweep of visiting Coppin State with a 19-3 victory on Sunday afternoon at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium.
All but two of Appalachian’s 19 runs were unearned, thanks to seven Coppin State errors. Despite the CSU miscues, ASU still banged out 18 hits and left 10 men on base in the mercy rule-shortened six-and-a-half-inning affair.
First baseman Isaac Harrow led the onslaught, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, a triple, three RBI and two runs scored.
As they’ve done in all four games this season, the Mountaineers got on the scoreboard in the first inning, plating a pair of runs to take an early 2-0 advantage. It appeared that the lead would remain at 2-0 when the Eagles got the first two outs of the second inning without letting a run cross the plate. However, the next nine ASU batters reached base on three singles, a double, two walks and three errors and the Apps scored eight times with two outs to stretch the lead to 10-0.
Appalachian (3-1) sent 13 batters to the plate in the fourth and scored eight more times to take an 18-0 advantage. Freshman Jake Faggart, playing near his hometown of Concord, N.C., had two doubles in the fourth stanza alone.
The Mountaineers tacked on a single run in the fifth and the Eagles scored their only runs of the afternoon with two in the fifth and one in the seventh to account for the final tally.
Jason Rook bounced back from a shaky start in Tuesday’s season opener at Gardner-Webb with four innings of no-hit work on the mound. The sophomore struck out five to even his record at 1-1 on the season.
CSU starter Teon Richburg allowed 18 runs on 17 hits in just 3.2 innings of work to suffer his first loss of the season. Just one of the 18 runs he allowed was earned.
For the weekend, Appalachian outscored Coppin State (0-3) by a total of 59-5, en route to the three-game sweep.
The Mountaineers return to action with four-straight games versus ACC powers this week. They travel to Wake Forest for a 2:30 p.m. contest on Tuesday before making the long trip to Tallahassee, Fla. for a three-game set versus nationally ranked Florida State next weekend.