WESTERN CAROLINA 10, GEORGIA TECH 7
ATLANTA, GA. - Western Carolina (5-2) pounded out 15 hits en route to a 10-7 victory over 14th-ranked Georgia Tech (6-5) Tuesday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Jonathan Greene lit up the scoreboard in the first inning for the Catamounts, connecting on his third home run of the season, a solo shot over the center field wall.
The Catamounts put four runs on the board in the second, extending the lead, 5-0. Blake Murphy led off with a triple down the left field line - his first of the season - followed by freshman Nick Liles sixth RBI of the season, as he reached on an error by the Yellow Jacket short stop. With one out, John Ingram doubled down the left field line, scoring Liles from second. Barrett Shaft sent Ingram home with a two-out double and then scored on Donnie Wilson's single, stretching the Catamount lead to 5-0.
Murphy led off the third frame, driving a 3-2 pitch to left field for his second-hit of the game. He scored on a fielder's choice by Kenny Smith which team-leading 12th RBI.
Murphy started a two-run fifth inning with a lead off solo home run. With two away Ingram belted a double to left and Liles followed with an RBI single to give the Catamounts a 9-0 lead.
In the Yellow Jackets half of the fifth, starter Tyler Johnson retired the first two batters but then allowed three consecutive singles giving Georgia Tech its first run of the game. Freshman left-hander Chris Masters relieved the senior right-hander after 4 2/3 innings of work in which he gave up only one earned run while striking out seven. Wilson collected his second RBI on the afternoon by driving in Ingram who led of the eighth inning with a single to give the Catamounts a 10-1 advantage.
The Yellow Jackets scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth to cut the Western lead to 10-7, on four base hits, three walks, and one Catamount error.
WCU closer Greg Holland recorded the final two outs in the bottom of the eighth and struck out the final two batters in the bottom of the ninth to secure Western's fifth win of the season.
Western will remain on the road as they travel to Greenville, N.C., for the Keith LeClair Classic where it will face the 25th-ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack on Friday (Mar. 2, 1:00 pm), 13th-ranked Pepperdine on Saturday (Mar. 3, 11:00 am) and the host East Carolina Pirates on Sunday (Mar. 4) at 3:00 pm.
Jake Goldberg pitched eight strong innings and Oliver Marmol belted a solo homer pacing the College of Charleston to a 14-1 win over Savannah State before 128 in college baseball action at Grayson Stadium on Tuesday.
Win the win, Charleston's fourth in a row, the Cougars improved to 8-1 on the season. The Tigers fell to 8-7. The Cougars open a three-game series with Stony Brook on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at noon.
Goldberg (2-0), a junior, worked a career-high eight innings with three strikeouts. He blanked the Tigers on just two hits and a walk. James Mack (1-2) suffered the loss surrendering nine runs, five earned, on 12 hits over seven innings.
Marmol highlighted the Cougars' three-run first inning with a leadoff homer down the left field line, his second of the season. Marmol finished 3-for-4 at the plate to pace the Cougars' 20-hit attack.
Charleston's Gabe Marchant had three hits and two RBI, while teammates Ben Lasater, Clay McCord and Michael Harrington added two hits each.
For the Tigers, Brandon Javis had a pair of hits including a ninth inning solo homer, his third of the season.
FORMAN 6, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 4
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Tony Maccani belted a three-run home run in the second inning to lead Furman to a 6-4 win over Charleston Southern in baseball action Tuesday at Buccaneer Field.
Maccani, who delivered a two-run, game winning home run in the 10th inning in the Paladins’ 4-3 win over Charlotte last Wednesday, reached base four times and scored a pair of runs in helping Furman (2-3) to its second consecutive victory and fourth straight triumph over Charleston Southern (7-6).
Joe Daysh paced Furman’s 13-hit attack with a 3-for-5 performance while Paul Ortenzo, Bobby Hubbard, and Connor Lind added two hits each for the Paladins.
Furman starting pitcher Matt Klinker (2-1) picked up the win after allowing only two hits and no runs in two designated innings of work. He struck out four and did not issue a walk.
Charleston Southern starter Mike Mead (0-2) absorbed the loss after allowing five runs on eight hits and three walks over four innings.
The Buccaneers collected 10 hits in the contest, including a two-hit performance by Justin Fyle that featured a two-run home run.
Furman opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the second inning. Daysh led off with a single and stole second. With one out, he came around to score on an Ortenzo single. Ortenzo later scored on a groundout by Joey Rodgers.
The Paladins added three more runs in the third. With one out, Jay Jackson walked, and Daysh singled. Maccani followed with a three-run home run off Mead over the left field fence to stretch Furman’s advantage to 5-0.
Furman made it 6-0 in the fifth after Maccani reached on an error, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a single up the middle by Hubbard.
Charleston Southern got on the board in the sixth with a pair of runs against Paladin freshman righthander Richard Magrath. After retiring the first 10 Buccaneers he faced, Magrath issued a one-out walk to Wes Brundridge. Fyle followed with a two-run blast over the right centerfield fence to make it 6-2.
The Buccaneers loaded the bases with one out in the seventh against Paladin reliever Marc DeDecker. Butch Pucetas, who came on in relief of DeDecker, gave up a sacrifice fly to Fyle that cut the Furman lead to 6-3, but Pucetas limited the damage by getting Stephen Herzog on a comebacker to end the inning.
After retiring Charleston Southern in order in the eighth, Pucetas gave way to Nick Hollstegge in the ninth. Hollstegge surrendered a run and three hits in the final final frame before getting Herzog on a unassisted force play at third base to end the game and earn his first save of the campaign.
THE CITADEL 20, CAMPBELL 10
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? The Citadel scored 20 runs as they were fueled by a 25 hit attack to down Campbell, 20-10, Tuesday afternoon at Riley Park. The Bulldogs were led at the plate by senior first baseman Zach Brown and freshman shortstop Kyle Jordan, who boasted four hits each on the day.
Senior right-hander Justin Smith earned his second win of the season in the victory.
Campbell (1-8) struck in the first as Smith gave up a lead-off walk to center fielder Carlton Floyd. Floyd was thrown out at second on a fielder’s choice by left fielder Brandon Scott, while second baseman Ryan Hamme moved Scott over to third with a base hit through the right side. Scott then raced home on a grounder to third to put the Camels up, 1-0.
The Citadel (6-4) threatened in the first as sophomore center fielder Graham Couch was hit by a pitch to start the frame. Couch moved over to second on a balk by Camel starter Blake Herring. A grounder got between the legs of the third baseman, allowing sophomore right fielder Sonny Meade to reach second, while Couch was gunned down at the plate by left fielder Scott, preserving the Campbell lead.
The Camels took a five-run lead, putting up two in both the second and third innings. Scott pushed two runs across with a single back up the middle in the second. Freshman second baseman Bryan Altman called for a pop fly in shallow center that tipped off his glove, allowing two more to race home in the third.
The Bulldogs then exploded for eight runs in the third to take three-run advantage. Left-hander Matt Martinez took to the hill to begin the frame and caught freshman designated hitter Chris McGuiness swinging before the Dogs chased him from the mound with five runs on four hits. Swauger knocked in two with a double to the hole in left center. Brown notched a run-scoring single before Martinez was replaced by right-hander Chris England. England surrendered an RBI-single to both Altman and junior third baseman Matt Arnold before freshman catcher Richard Jones stepped in and ripped a base hit through the right side to score two. Jordan then capped off the scoring as he pushed one across the dish with a hit to right.
The Citadel retired the Camels in order for the first time in the contest in the fourth and came back to score four in the bottom half of the frame.
Brown smacked an RBI-double, Arnold plated Brown with a shot down the left field line and McGuinness notched a career-high two RBI with a single to left. The Dogs then tacked on another run in the fifth as Couch was able to score on a wild pitch.
Campbell put up three in the sixth thanks to an RBI-single by Floyd while Johnson was able to sprint home on a fielder’s choice. An error by Altman allowed another run to cross the plate.
Couch and Brown answered back in the bottom half of the inning as Couch laced a run-scoring base hit back up the middle and Brown registered his second RBI-double of the day, plating two. The Dogs then rallied for four more in the seventh as Jordan belted a bases-clearing double to plate three. Brown then made it 20-8 with a sac fly, pushing across a personal-best five runs on the day.
There was no scoring the eighth, but the Camels were able to squeeze out two more runs in the ninth on two outs. Blake Lowry doubled to the hole in right to for his first career RBI and was able to come around and score on a single off the bat of Floyd.
Smith (2-0) picked up his second win of the year as he tossed 4.0 innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on four hits while striking out four and walking three. Chris England (0-3) suffered the loss for the Camels as he went 0.2 frames, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits while fanning one.
The Bulldogs sent 18 different batters to the plate and used six different pitchers. Senior Aaron Beasley, sophomore Brian Shubsda and freshman Joey Welling each batted for the first time this year. Welling registered his first career hit with a double to right.
Freshmen Chris Boyce and Nick Sprowls each made their collegiate debut. Boyce tossed 1.0 inning and allowed one hit while giving up two runs, striking out one and walking two. Sprowls closed out the ninth and surrendered two runs on two hits while walking one.
Brown and Jordan led The Citadel offense as both batted 4-for-5. Brown belted two doubles and notched career-high five RBI. His four hits were also a personal best on the day with the previous high being three on 10 separate occasions. Jordan also had a career day as he plated four runs, including a double that scored three, and had a personal best four hits as well. Meade and Arnold both tied their career-high of three hits.
The last time the Dogs hammered out 25 hits was against Wofford on April 2, 2005. The record for most hits in a game is 32 against Davidson on April 5, 1982. The last time The Citadel scored 20 or more runs was the same game against Wofford as they tallied 21.
HIGH POINT 10, ELON 4
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? The High Point University baseball team pounded out 12 hits en route to a 10-4 win over Triad-rival Elon on Tuesday afternoon at First Horizon Park.
The Panthers (4-7) scored three runs in the first inning and never trailed posting their second straight win. The Phoenix (5-4) mustered just five hits in the game as their losing skid reached three games.
HPU’s first four batters of the game tallied hits against Elon starter J.D. Reichenbach (3-1). Robby Kuzdale led off with a single and moved to third on a double by Jeff Cowan. Chris Norwood followed with a single scoring Kuzdale, then Cowan crossed the plate on a double by Bill Manion. Billy Alvino added an RBI ground out scoring Norwood for the early 3-0 lead.
Elon got two back in the top of the second off HPU starter Eammon Portice (1-2). Drew Davis and Ryan Addison collected back-to-back one-out singles and moved up a base on a groundout by Matt Hill. Chris Dove slapped a single through the left side scoring both runners to make the count 3-2.
High Point answered with a run in the bottom of the frame executing a double steal of second and home by Cowan and Kuzdale, respectively.
The Phoenix knotted the score at 4 in the fourth inning with two runs. HPU had made a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt that allowed both runs. The Panthers regained the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth bringing home three runs. Singles by Randy Schwartz, Alfie Wheeler and Kuzdale loaded the bases then Cowan blasted a double to the wall in right center field to score a pair of runs. Kuzdale was thrown out in a run down between third and home allowing Cowan to reach third. After an Elon pitching change, Cowan trotted home on a wild pitch by reliever Will Romanowicz.
HPU added three more insurance runs in the sixth for the final 10-4 margin.
Portice picked up the win working six innings. He scattered five hits and struck out 10. RJ Chlebnikow and Jamie Serber each worked a perfect inning of relief for HPU with Artie Clyde and Mike Grosso combining for a scoreless ninth inning.
Cowan led the Panthers at the plate going 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. HPU also got multi-hit performances from Kuzdale (2-2), Manion (2-4) and Wheeler (2-3).
Ryan Addision finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored to pace the Phoenix offense. Reichenbach allowed nine hits and six earned runs in just 3.2 innings of work in the loss.
HIGH POINT 12, UNC GREENSBORO
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? The UNC Greensboro baseball squad dropped an early 7-3 lead and fell to non-conference rival High Point, 12-9, on Wednesday afternoon at First Horizon Park.
High Point (5-7) reliever Tom Boleska received the win after allowing one hit in 1-2/3 innings on the mound. Boleska knocked out a team-high three batters.
UNCG’s Clinton McKinney (2-1) suffered the loss in relief after giving up four hits and four runs in just one inning of mound duty.
The Panthers jumped out to the early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first off a Chris Norwood two-run homerun. The Spartans quickly responded at the top of the second with a pair of runs of their own. With the bases loaded, junior Ricky Orton sent a sacrifice fly to right field to bring freshman Scott Schneider in for the score. UNCG used another sacrifice fly to bring a run in.
UNCG (3-4) continued to pour on the runs in the following inning. After Schneider grabbed a walk, junior Joel Johnson blasted his first homerun as a Spartan over the fence for the 4-2 advantage. High Point added another run at the bottom of the third but UNCG went into the fourth with the 4-3 lead.
Leading off in the fourth, Orton sent his first homerun in the UNCG uniform for the two-run advantage. The Spartans used a sacrifice bunt and fly to tag on two more runs to take the 7-3 lead. High Point, however, tied the game up at seven in the bottom of the fifth. With the bases loaded, catcher Billy Alvino hit a double to bring two runs around home. With the help of a fly-out and a single, the Panthers grabbed two more runs going into the sixth.
The two teams exchanged runs in the following two innings going into the top of the eighth. UNCG’s Adam Deleo scored off an error by the High Point short stop. The Spartans entered the bottom of the eighth with the slim 9-8 lead. A Norwood single, however, tied the game back up again and a single from Alvino gave the Panthers the lead for good. High Point added two more runs to take the 12-9 win.
Orton and Johnson led the Spartans in batting, each tallying a homerun. Orton finished 2-for-4 from the plate with two RBI, while Johnson went 2-for-5 with two RBI as well. Schneider and Deleo each tallied two hits in the loss for UNCG.
High Point’s Alvino led the Panthers after going 3-for-5 from the plate with a game-high four RBI. He was followed by Matt Schlanger who finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and Norwood went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a homerun.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN 12, JACKSONVILLE 7
STATESBORO, GA. ? Chris Shehan (Strasburg, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) went
5-for-5 while Kyle Blackburn (Marietta/Walton) added four hits to support Drew Murray’s (LaGrange/LaGrange) performance on the mound as Georgia Southern defeated Jacksonville 12-7 Wednesday at J.I. Clements Stadium. The Eagles, snapping a four-game losing streak, improved to 9-6 overall.
Murray quickly got the first two outs of the first inning.
Jacksonville’s 3-4-5 hitters strung together consecutive singles, capped by Brad Simmons’ RBI, for a 1-0 lead.
Leadoff hitter Matt Miller (Canton/Woodstock) wasted no time getting the run back, starting a rally in which 10 Eagles went to the plate. He took Glenn Witkowski’s second pitch over the centerfield fence, his first home run this year and fifth of his career. Mike Economos (Atlanta/Marist) lined a two-out single then the freshman Blackburn hammered a 2-run homer, the first of his collegiate career.
Shehan doubled during the next at-bat, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. He scored on Griffin Benedict’s (Dunwoody/St. Pius) run-scoring single to right. Chris Hollis’ (Loganville/Faith Academy) single chased Witkowski. Brian Pierce (Roswell/Roswell) walked to load the bases but Chris Resler got out of the jam when Miller grounded out.
Shehan lined a two-out RBI single in the second inning, extending the lead to 5-1. JU put two runners on in the third thanks to a pair of singles. Murray responded by striking out Mike McCalister and Simmons to end the inning. The Dolphins used a single and hit batter to put two more runners on base again, but Murray came up with a key strikeout this time on Kevin Ferreira to end the fourth.
Economos hit his fourth home run, a solo shot in the fourth inning. Blackburn doubled and scored when Shehan hit a single up the middle and second baseman Logan James’ throw went into the JU dugout. Shehan scored on a wild pitch for an 8-1 lead.
The Dolphins scored twice in the sixth. Lopez hit a RBI double, then Shehan made a nice backhand play at third base to throw out Donnie Vickers but another run would score. Murray ended the frame with his season-high ninth strikeout.
In the seventh, Ryan McArdle lined a two-out single scoring two runs off A.J. Battisto (Pottstown, PA/Pottsgrove). Another single would bring the tying run to the plate. Head coach Rodney Hennon brought in Kyle Kamppi (Savannah/Benedictine). The sophomore threw one pitch and got an inning-ending ground ball.
The Eagles got two runs back in the seventh, all with two outs. Miller drew a walk and then stole second base. Jeremy Beckham (Griffin/Griffin) hit his second career home run, a shot into the trees beyond left field for a 10-5 lead.
A wild pitch from Jason Hooper and sacrifice fly from Miller in the eighth scored two more runs. JU (5-8) scored a single run in the eighth and ninth for the final margin.
“This was a great team effort, especially after last weekend when we lost three (at the Wiregrass Classic). We went out and swept a team that we lost to twice last year, that’s a great feeling,” said Shehan. “We played well, pitched well and played good defense. This boosts our confidence heading into a big weekend.”
Murray gave up three runs on 10 hits in six innings. He did not walk a batter while striking out a season-high nine. According to Hennon, “This was Drew’s best outing so far. He didn’t walk a batter in six innings, and that has been sort of his Achilles this year. He did a great job of getting ahead in the counts.”
It was Shehan’s third career game of five or more hits, and first this season. Blackburn’s four hits were a season-high, finishing a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
Economos added two hits and scored two runs as both teams actually finished with 17 hits. Shehan sctwice and had the two RBI. Miller and Beckham both scored twice and drove in a pair of runs. Burt Barto (Columbus/Columbus) earned his first save of the season, pitching the final 1.1 innings.
Pete Clifford and McArdle had four hits apiece while Chuck Opachich had three. Witkowski (0-2) gave up four runs on six hits in two-thirds of an inning.
EAST TENNESSEE STATE 5, FURMAN 3
JOHNSON CITY, TENN. -- Justin Aughey’s seventh inning, two-out triple plated the tying and go-ahead run as East Tennessee State scored four times in the inning, rallying from a two run deficit, to post a 5-3 victory over Furman Wednesday afternoon at Cardinal Park.
With the win, East Tennessee State improves to 7-3 while the loss drops Furman to 2-4 on the season.
Trailing 3-1, the Buccaneers sprang to life in the seventh, pounding out four hits and pushing across four runs. Danny Petro was hit by a pitch to open the frame, eventually coming home on Troy Mendez’s groundout, cutting the Paladins lead to one. With two outs and the bases empty, C.J. Lee collected his second hit of the day, a single through the left side, and Anthony Russell kept the inning alive with an infield single to bring Aughey to the plate. Aughey’s triple down the right field line scored two runs, and he finished off the frame by coming home on a balk by Paladin reliever Butch Pucetas.
ETSU’s decisive seventh inning rally came primarily against Paladin reliever and losing pitcher Mason Smith (0-2), who surrendered all four runs in the inning on three hits. Smith’s rocky seventh spoiled a second straight solid pitching performance by Paladin starter Jay Jackson, who worked six innings, allowing five hits and one unearned run before being lifted with a 3-1 lead.
Buccaneer reliever Darren Caldwell (2-0) was the beneficiary of East Tennessee State’s four-run seventh. He worked two innings and gave up a run on a pair of hits.
Caleb Glafenhein worked a scoreless ninth to earn his second save of the campaign.
Furman opened the scoring with a run in the second inning. With one out Tony Maccani and Nicholas Karow delivered back-to-back doubles to put runners at second and third. Chris Cowart followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Paladins a 1-0 lead.
East Tennessee State tied the game with a run in the bottom of the second, using an error and a pair of singles, the Buccaneers loaded the bases with no outs. Furman pitcher Jay Jackson then struck out Bubba Herbold and retired Justin Tramble on a RBI groundout and Mendez on a line out to end the threat.
The Paladins regained the lead in the fourth on Cowart’s second RBI of the contest, an infield single that plated Joe Daysh.
Furman made it 3-1 in the seventh after Bobby Hubbard led off with a pinch hit single, advanced to second on a Connor Lind sacrifice, and scored on Campbell Lewis’ two-out single to center field.
DAVIDSON 9, GARDNER-WEBB 3
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. ? Davidson scored three times in the seventh to break a 3-3 tie, then tacked on three more in the final two frames to defeat Gardner-Webb on Wednesday afternoon, 9-3, in the Wildcats’ first road game of the season. Seven Wildcat pitchers held the Bulldogs to three runs and six hits to help Davidson (6-0) extend its winning streak to start the season to six, it best start since the 2001 squad opened the season 6-0. The Bulldogs dropped their second straight to fall to 5-7.
Sophomore Matt Webb went 2-for-4 with three runs and a solo homer in the ninth, his second of the season, to lead the Wildcat offense. Senior Rob Wilson was a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate with a double, two walks and a sacrifice fly, while sophomore Chris FitzPatrick also had two hits with a double. Seven different ’Cats drove in runs, and senior Blake Osborn was the only one with two RBIs. Davidson also drew 11 walks from Bulldog pitchers.
With the score tied at three in the top of the seventh, senior Alden Crissey drew a lead-off walk against reliever Webster Beal (1-2) and went to third on Wilson’s double. Senior Gregory Zage came through with an RBI single to break the deadlock, and Osborn followed with an RBI single of his own. FitzPatrick then welcomed Tim Thomas to the mound by lofting a sacrifice fly for a 6-3 Wildcat lead.
In the eighth, Thomas walked the bases loaded with nobody out. Wilson drove home one run with a sacrifice fly and Osborn found a hole for his second RBI single of the game. Webb finished the scoring with his solo blast in the ninth with two outs.
Gardner-Webb jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, scoring solitary runs in the first two innings. Matt Rizzuto tripled with one out and scored on a grounder by Josh Drewery. A Nate MacDonald double and two fly balls in the second got the Bulldogs their second run.
Davidson put single runs on the board in the fourth and fifth, but G-W took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth. Sophomore Zach Kayne tied the game for the ’Cats in the sixth with a sacrifice fly.
With the first conference series of the season beginning Friday, Davidson Head Coach Dick Cooke limited his pitchers to no more than two innings. Freshman Mac Read started on the mound and allowed two runs on three hits with a strikeout in his two frames.
Read was followed by senior Matt Knight who tossed a pair of no-hit innings, striking out two. Freshman Thomas Middour (1-0) struck out the side in the sixth to earn his first career victory, and Bobby DeMuro, Kayne and Webb closed out the game with a shutout inning. Kayne even escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the eighth.
Bulldog starting pitcher Taylor Brooks allowed just two hits and two runs, one earned, in 4.1 innings, but control was his downfall as he walked seven batters.
APPALACHIAN STATE 14, NORTH CAROLINA A&T 5
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? Appalachian State University baseball fell just short of school and Southern Conference records with 10 doubles in its 14-5 triumph over North Carolina A&T on Wednesday afternoon at War Memorial Stadium.
The Mountaineers’ 10 doubles fell just one shy of the school and SoCon record of 11, set by ASU in a 26-3 rout over VMI on April 14, 1985. Left fielder David Rubinstein led the way with three of the 10 two-baggers, while shortstop Jason Altenhof and right fielder Jason Rook chipped in with two apiece.
Appalachian (5-4) scored in all but one inning and led by as many as 12 runs on two occasions en route to its fifth victory in six games played in the state of North Carolina this season.
Rubinstein finished a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with two RBI and two runs scored to pace ASU’s offensive explosion, while Altenhof registered a game-high four RBI.
In his first start of the year, sophomore Aubrey Edens surrendered just one run in four innings of work to earn his first victory of the campaign.
N.C. A&T (1-5) racked up 15 hits but left 12 men on base in the loss.