ELON 24, APPALACHIAN STATE 2
HICKORY, N.C. -- Appalachian State University baseball opened Southern Conference play on a sour note Friday, as defending league champion Elon routed the Mountaineers, 24-2, at L.P. Frans Stadium.
Elon (11-9, 1-0 SoCon) scored early and often, as it opened up a 7-0 lead after just two innings and put runs on the board in all but one stanza. The 24 runs were the most allowed by ASU since a 29-7 loss to Elon in 2005.
Appalachian (10-9, 0-1 SoCon) managed just eight hits in the ballgame, including just four through seven innings off 2006 SoCon Freshman of the Year Steven Hensley. The Phoenix held the Apps scoreless until the ninth, when David Towarnicky (New Bern, N.C./New Bern) and Jason Altenhof (Santa Fe, Fla./Santa Fe) drove in the Mountaineers’ only runs of the game.
Towarnicky and Tom Prosser (Etowah, Tenn./McMinn Central) had two hits apiece for ASU and David Rubinstein (Charlotte, N.C./South Mecklenburg) registered his 13th double of the season.
Nine different players recorded hits for Elon, which banged out 21 hits as a team. Adam Weaver led the offensive outburst with a 5-for-7, four-RBI, five-run performance. No. 9 hitter Ryan Addison fell just a single shy of hitting for the cycle and finished 3-for-5 with two RBI and four runs scored.
THE CITADEL 19, EASTERN ILLINOIS 14
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? Juniors Chris Swauger and Matt Arnold each smashed two home runs in The Citadel’s 19-14 victory over Eastern Illinois Friday night at Riley Park. Freshman Richard Jones registered his first collegiate round-tripper, while sophomore Sonny Meade notched a career-high four hits in the slugfest. The Bulldogs improve to 12-5, while Eastern Illinois falls to 4-8.
The Bulldogs enjoyed their fourth consecutive win and posted their eighth come-from-behind victory on the season after falling behind 4-0 in the second inning. The Dogs and Panthers exchanged the lead twice before The Citadel pulled away with it for good in the fifth. The Bulldogs have now overcome at least a four-run deficit on six occasions.
Swauger and Arnold were responsible for 11 of The Citadel’s 19 runs as Swauger matched a career-high six RBI and Arnold drove in a personal-best five runs. It was a night of many career firsts as Jones belted his first dinger, Meade had a career-high in hits and Swauger scored a personal-best five runs. Senior Joe Hoerter knocked in his first collegiate RBI.
The Dogs also went back-to-back for the second time in as many games as Arnold and Jones both went deep in the third. Jones extended his hitting-streak to five games, while Swauger roped his 12th career triple to claim the fifth spot all-time in three-baggers at The Citadel. The left fielder is only two shy of the career leader.
There were a total of seven round-trippers in the contest as the Panthers had two of their own. First baseman Erik Huber extended his hitting streak to 10 games as he led EIU, batting 4-for-6, including a home run and three RBI. Catcher Kory Peppenhorst registered his first collegiate jack as he went 3-for-5, including four RBI.
Sophomore right-hander Wes Wrenn (3-1) was credited with the victory as he tossed 6.0 innings, giving up nine runs (five earned) on 13 hits while striking out and walking two. Righty Alex Guttosch (0-2) suffered the loss, throwing 3.1 frames and allowing eight runs (seven earned) on seven hits while fanning one and walking two.
The Panthers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first two innings thanks to an RBI-single by Peppenhorst and a base hit that pushed across two by shortstop Adam Varassi. The Dogs cut the lead to one in the bottom half of the second as freshman shortstop Kyle Jordan smashed a two-out double, sophomore Bryan Altman was hit by a pitch before Swauger stepped in for a three-run shot.
EIU plated one in the third as Richie Derback sprinted home on a fielding error. The Dogs evened it up at five in their half on back-to-back jacks by Arnold and Jones, before the Panthers retook the lead on a run-scoring single by Brett Nommensen.
The Citadel reclaimed the lead for good in the fourth as Meade notched an RBI-single. A passed ball allowed Swauger to score while Brown plated a run with a base hit through the left side. The Dogs then put up a five-spot in the fifth, all on two outs. Swauger and Arnold both ripped their second round-tripper of the evening as Swauger pushed across two and Arnold enjoyed a three-run blast to give the Dogs a 13-6 advantage.
The Panthers pulled within four, scoring three in the sixth on Peppenhorst’s home run. The Dogs retaliated with four of their own in the seventh on an Arnold RBI-single and two RBI-groundouts before freshman designated hitter Chris McGuiness sent another run across the dish with a single up the middle.
Huber singled in the eighth to provide EIU with another run as The Citadel added a couple more insurance runs as Swauger just barely missed his third jack of the night, bouncing a triple off the center field wall to plate one. Meade then pushed across another one with a double down the right field line.
EIU rallied for four in the ninth on a sac fly by Nommensen, an RBI-single by Chagnon and a two-run blast by Huber. Senior hurler Stephen Williams entered the game to get the final out as he forced Derbak to groundout.
WESTERN CAROLINA 10, COLUMBIA 9
CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- Freshman Adam Baker hit a game-winning two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh and Greg Holland pitched the final 1 2/3 innings of hitless relief as Western Carolina (11-7) held on to beat Columbia, 10-9, Friday Afternoon at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium.
Baker’s home came on a 0-2 pitch in his first start as a collegiate player. In the seventh, Columbia starter Henry Perkins allowed a lead-off double to John Ingram followed by a Kenny Smith single and a two RBI double by Nick Liles, before giving up the Baker homer.
Baker, starting as the designated hitter, finished the day 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored.
Columbia (4-7-1) opened the scoring in the first with four hits including a Perkins single to drive in Ron Williams from third putting the Lions up 1-0.
Western answered in the second on back-to-back single from Ingram and Liles followed by an RBI single from Baker to knot the score at 1-1.
The Catamounts put two more on the board in the third on a Blake Murphy two-run home run ? his third on the year ? giving Western a 3-1 advantage.
In the fourth inning the first seven Columbia batters reached base and WCU starter Tyler Sexton was relieved after giving up six earned runs on 11 hits in only three and a third innings pitched. Bryan Corbett got Perkins to fly out and Mike Roberts to ground out to end the inning trailing 7-3.
Liles and Baker each added singles in the fourth and scored on a two-run single by Jason Haynes to pull the Catamounts to within two, 7-5.
Western cut the lead to one on Ingram’s solo homer run in the fifth inning. All of his five home runs have come in the last five games.
After both team remained scoreless in the sixth, Columbia loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk. Kyle Roberts then singled to drive in two runs extending the Lions lead to 9-6.
Western rattled off five hits and four runs in the seventh which proved to be enough as reliever Chris Masters improved to 3-0 on the year and Holland picked up his third save on the season.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN 9, LIPSCOMB 1
STATESBORO, GA. ? Sophomore right-hander Drew Murray (LaGrange/LaGrange) went the distance, leading Georgia Southern to a 9-1 win over Lipscomb Friday night (March 16) at J.I. Clements Stadium. The Eagles (14-9) snapped a two-game losing streak.
Murray scattered nine hits, and after an inning-ending double play in the sixth, retired seven straight including striking out the side in the seventh. Murray (3-3) fanned five and did not walk a batter throwing 102 pitches.
Georgia Southern wanted to switch around its batting line-up to jump start the offense, which looked to be a difficult task against Lipscomb starting pitcher Rob Smithson who had a 0.60 ERA in 30 innings heading into the game.
In the first inning the Eagles did just that, sending 10 batters to the plate. Jeremy Beckham (Griffin/Griffin), batting leadoff for the first time this season, doubled on the first pitch and scored when Matt Miller (Canton/Woodstock) singled through the left side. Chris Shehan (Strasburg, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) executed a hit-and-run to put runners on the corners. When the left fielder bobbled the ball, Shehan hustled down to second base. Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) walked to load the bases.
A.J. Wirnsberger (Tuscaloosa, AL/Paul Bear Bryant) was hit by a pitch to bring home the second run. Two batters later Mike Economos (Atlanta/Marist) was grazed on the helmet for another RBI. Chris Hollis (Loganville/Faith Academy) delivered a RBI groundout then Brian Pierce
(Roswell/Roswell) lined a run-scoring single, spotting the Eagles a 5-0 lead. That would be more than enough offense for Murray.
Ryan Wilkins lined a RBI single in the second. The Bison (13-8) threatened in the fifth. With runners at second and third with two outs, Casey Bond hit a chopper in front of the plate. Murray pounced off the mound and threw out Bond by a half-step to end the inning. After another single from Wilkins with one out in the sixth Branden Cadavid grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Murray would actually strike out the next four batters he faced. Wilkins collected his fourth hit of the game in the ninth but two fielder’s choice plays ended the game.
Wirnsberger got hit by a pitch to start the third. Kyle Blackburn (Marietta/Walton) hammered a shot over the centerfield fence, his second long-ball of the season, extending the lead to 7-1.
The Eagles scored two more insurance runs in the seventh. Blackburn walked to start. Pinch-runner Phillip Porter (Marietta/Sprayberry) stole second and took third on the catcher Caleb Joseph’s throwing error. Hollis lined a RBI single through the drawn-in infield. A walk to Pierce and Beckham loaded the bases. Miller lined a sacrifice fly for the final margin.
“Tonight I was working ahead in the count, pounding the zone and trying to get easy outs. Lately I’ve been working on staying on top of my fastball, trying to get it on a downward plane more where the hitters pound it into the ground,” said Murray who recorded only four flyball outs. “It’s huge to get run support and know you’re pitching with a lead. You can go at the batters more instead of pitching around them.”
Miller finished with three hits and Hollis added two as the Eagles held a 10-9 edge in hits. Miller, Hollis and Blackburn drove in two runs each.
Smithson (3-1) was charged for seven runs on nine hits in six innings.
He walked three, hit three batters and struck out four. Joseph joined Wilkins with a multi-hit game with two, including his team-leading 14th double.