WESTERN CAROLINA 6, CLEMSON 3
CULLOWHEE, N.C. ? Western Carolina plated five runs in the home half of the sixth inning to surge ahead of the sixth-ranked Clemson Tigers, and then held on over the final three frames to register its third victory over a nationally-ranked opponent this season, winning 6-3, Tuesday night at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium.
Closer Greg Holland pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh, and limited the potent Tiger line-up to just two base hits, striking out three, to post his fourth save of the season, earning starter Drew Saberhagen (2-1) the victory. Saberhagen went six solid innings, scattering three Tiger runs on just three hits with a strikeout and a walk, while Holland closed the game out with two hits in 2.2 innings pitched and three K’s.
The win ? Western’s third against Atlantic Coast Conference foes this season ? pushed Catamount head coach Todd Raleigh to 229 for his career in Cullowhee, tying him for second-place at WCU with former teammate, the late Keith LeClair. One year ago in the same game between the Catamounts and Tigers, Western honored LeClair in his final appearance in Cullowhee by retiring his number 23, forever immortalizing the former player and skipper on the “purple monster” in left field.
Down 3-1 entering the home half of the sixth, WCU (14-7) linked four of its seven hits for the game together to pile up the five runs to assume control, much to the delight of the 2,147 fans that filled Hennon Stadium and line the hill just beyond centerfield.
Using a hit batter, single and a walk, the Catamounts loaded the bases with one out for junior Blake Murphy, who belted a two-RBI single to left field to score freshman Brent Greer and pinch runner, Chris Ahearn who replaced pinch hitter Andy John. Clemson transfer, senior John Ingram, lifted an RBI single to right, plating Johnathan Greene who had reached on a walk for the third run of the inning. Another transfer, Asheville native Kenny Smith, cleared the bases with an RBI double to right center scoring Murphy and Ingram to give the Catamounts a 6-3 lead.
From then on, it was all about pitching for Western. Reliever Chris Masters struck out his first batter faced, but failed to record a second out as he walked three-straight Tigers to load the bases. With a 2-0 count on Clemson lead-off hitter Brad Chalk, Holland was summoned from the bullpen. After a first-pitch strike to pull the count to 2-1, Holland got Chalk to bounce to freshman Nick Liles at third, who threw home to Murphy for the force out. Holland struck out CU pinch hitter, Wilson Boyd, to end the threat and hold the Tigers scoreless.
Clemson managed two base runners over the final three innings off Holland, but could not advance a runner past second base, suffering just its fifth defeat of the season.
Murphy finished the night 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI while Smith was 2-for-3 with his eighth double of the season and three RBI to run team-leading total to 34. Ingram stretched his hitting streak to 11 games, which now leads the team as Liles had his 12-game streak snapped.
Clemson took an early lead in the top of the third inning as Chalk laced a two-out single down the left field line and scored when the next batter, D.J. Mitchell, lined a two-run home run by over the right field fence. The poke for Mitchell was his first career homer, giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
The Catamounts cut the lead in half in the home portion of the fifth. Murphy led off the frame with a single through the left side and was moved to second on a bouncing ball up the middle by Ingram that was fielded and thrown on to first in time. Smith then lifted a loop single to center field, to score Murphy. However, Liles grounded into a double-play at short to end the threat and strand Smith at third base.
Half an inning later, Clemson got the run back on a two-out seeing-eye single through the right side by D’Alessio scoring Harbin from second where he had advanced on a stolen base.
Western Carolina opens its Southern Conference slate this weekend with a three-game set at the College of Charleston. First pitch on Friday is set for 6:00 pm, with both Saturday and Sunday scheduled to begin at 1:00 pm at Patriots Point.
UNC GREENSBORO 13, CORNELL 12
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? Senior Guy Welsh’s game-winning single in the 10th gave UNC Greensboro the come-from-behind 13-12 victory over Cornell on Tuesday evening at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
After being down 12-4 in the fifth, the Spartans scored eight runs over five innings to push the game to extra stanzas. Sophomore Kory Judd pitched a scoreless tenth for UNCG and with the bases loaded, Welsh sent a two-out infield single to score junior Sean Snell for the game-winning run.
“It was a big win for us and a great game all together,” stated Welsh. “It felt good to win and everyone stepped up and did a great job.”
Welsh went a perfect 5-for-5 with three RBI to lead the Spartans. Snell went 3-for-3 with five RBI and a homerun, while Tim Carrier and Adam Deleo each finished with two hits.
UNCG (10-9) opened up the game and jumped out to the early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Welsh sent a two-out single up the middle to score junior Greg Feltes who had tripled earlier.
Cornell (3-5) quickly responded in the second with a RBI single. Adam Jacobs gave Cornell a 5-1 lead in the same inning with a grand slam over leftfield. Ry Kagan and Jimmy Heinz singled and Kyle Groth walked before Heinz hit his second homer of the season.
The Spartans added three runs in the bottom of the second to cut the Big Red lead to one. Snell blasted his third roundtripper of the season over the leftfield wall after Brandon Harvey doubled and Logan Smith walked, cutting the score, 5-4.
The Big Red tacked on three runs the third on a RBI single and a Spartan error. Cornell exploded for four runs in the fourth to take the commanding 12-4 lead. Groth doubled to center to bring Kagan home and one batter later, Heinz and Groth scored on another UNCG error. Jacobs scored Cornell’s final run of the inning on a double to left center from Domenic Di Ricco.
UNCG would not give up and scored three runs in the fifth. With the bases loaded, junior Ricky Orton singled to right field to score Feltes who walked to open the inning. After a hit by pitch allowed Welsh to score from third, Snell sacrificed to right to bring Schneider in, closing the lead the Cornell lead, 12-7.
Snell earned another RBI in the seventh after doubling down the leftfield line to score Joel Johnson from second. Carrier followed with a RBI single to center as the UNCG continued to cut away at Cornell’s lead, 12-9.
The Spartans came back and tied the game at 12 in the ninth. Two walks and a single loaded the bases before Feltes walked to score Snell. A hit by pitch brought Carrier in and a fielder’s choice by Ed Jayjack tied it up and sent the game into extra innings.
Judd (3-0) earned the win after only allowing three hits and striking out a game-high four batters in 2-1/3 innings of work.
Tom Laughlin (0-2) was credited with the loss for Cornell after allowing one hit and one run in one inning on the mound.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 9, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 1
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Freshman Hutson Dodds belted his first career homer and Curtis Dowling tossed five strong inning in relief lifting the College of Charleston to a 9-1 win over Charleston Southern in college baseball action before 411 at Patriots Point Field on Tuesday.
"I thought we had a very good offensive approach at the plate tonight," said Cougar coach John Pawlowski. "It was great to see freshman Hutson Dodds step up, and I also thought Curtis Dowling did an outstanding job for us out of the pen."
Dowling (1-0), a sophomore, came on in the second inning and allowed just one run on only five hits with six strikeouts.
The Cougars (15-6) jumped out to a 2-0 first inning advantage on Chris Campbell's fourth homer of the season, a towering two-run shot to left.
The Cougars got a two-run triple from Oliver Marmol and an RBI single from Stuart Haywood in the second inning that stretched their lead to 5-0.
The Bucs (11-15) cut the margin to 5-1 on Anthony Hayes two-out infield single in the third inning that scored Adam Brown.
Michael Harrington had an RBI single and Michael Kohn a two-run single in the fourth that increased Charleston's lead to 8-1. Dodds' solo homer down the left field line in the fifth closed out the scoring.
Mike Mead (1-3) suffered the loss allowing five runs in 1 2/3 innings of work.
THE CITADEL 8, WINTHROP 3
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? Freshman hurler Matt Reifsnider earned his first collegiate victory to help lead The Citadel past Winthrop, 8-3, Tuesday night at Riley Park. Freshman designated hitter Chris McGuiness tallied a two-run single in the fourth that gave the Bulldogs the lead for good, while senior first baseman Zach Brown and freshman second baseman Bryan Altman each smashed a home run in the contest.
The Dogs enjoyed their first win over an Eagle club since 2004 when they earned a 5-4 victory in Rock Hill, S.C. The last time The Citadel earned a win over Winthrop at Riley Park was in 2003 as the Bulldogs defeated the Eagles, 10-3. The Dogs extended their winning streak to seven, pushing their overall record to 15-5, while Winthrop falls to 13-12.
The Bulldogs struck first for the first time since March 11 against Columbia. Junior left fielder Chris Swauger drove in a run with a triple to center field. Sophomore right fielder Sonny Meade then plated Swauger with a sac fly to right, giving the Dogs a 2-0 advantage in the first.
Swauger’s three-bagger is his second of the season and 13th of his career, tying him for third place in career triples at The Citadel along with current assistant coach David Beckley and Billy Baker. Swauger is only one shy of the leader.
Winthrop cut the lead in half in the second on a sac fly by starting pitcher Mike Honce. The Eagles then claimed the lead in the third when left fielder Billy Froelich registered a solo home run to right to put the Eagles up, 3-2. Froelich was only a double short of hitting for the cycle.
The Bulldogs reclaimed a lead they would never relinquish in the fourth on a McGuiness single back up the middle that scored two. The Citadel then added on four more on a pair of home runs by Brown and Altman. Brown blasted a solo shot to right center in the fifth, while Altman drilled a three-run round-tripper over the scoreboard in left field to make the final, 8-3.
Reifsnider (1-0) was credited with the win as he tied his career-long 5.0 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out two and walking one. Reifsnider, freshman Raymond Copenhaver and senior Link Saunders combined to hold the Eagles scoreless through the final six frames, while Copenhaver did not allow a single hit in three innings of relief.
Honce (0-1) suffered the loss as he also tossed 5.0 frames, giving up five runs on eight hits while fanning two and walking one.
Altman paced the Dogs at the plate as he matched a career-best three hits, batting 3-for-4. The freshman also matched his personal-high three RBI in the contest and blasted his third home run of the year. McGuiness registered two RBI for the second time this season, another career-high.
Brown’s sixth round-tripper of the season came in the fifth and surpassed the total amount of five he had in his career prior to the start of 2007. Freshman catcher Richard Jones also extended his hitting streak to eight in the contest with a single in the sixth.
PRINCETON 19, DAVIDSON 9
DAVIDSON, N.C. ? Princeton scored eight times in the first inning and Spencer Lucian had five of the Tigers’ 21 hits in a 19-9 victory over host Davidson on Tuesday evening. Jack Murphy and Adrian Turnham each had four hits and four RBIs for Princeton (3-7), while starting pitcher Eric Walz faced just two over the minimum in his six innings on the mound.
Freshman Jay Honeycutt came off the bench and went 2-for-2 with three RBIs for the Wildcats (12-10), who have now lost seven of their last nine contests.
The Tigers waited out Davidson starter Rob Shenk (0-2), who hit the first batter of the game then walked the next three before being lifted in favor of junior Sam Alberts, making his first collegiate appearance. Murphy greeted Alberts with a two-run double, and one out later, Turnham laced the first of his three doubles. After an RBI single by Brian Berkowitz, Greg Van Horn launched a pitch over the trees in left for a two-run homer and an 8-0 lead.
Walz (1-0), who entered the game with an ERA of 16.20 in five innings, mowed through the Wildcat lineup. The only hit he allowed in his six innings came in the second on a Blake Osborn double that caromed off the third baseman’s glove. He also only walked one batter while striking out four.
Princeton scored three more in the second, another in the third, two in the fifth on Murphy’s second home run of the season, then four more in the seventh on a Turnham two-run double and a two-run homer in Jon Broscious’ first career at-bat.
All those Tiger runs made the score 18-0 by the time the Wildcats took their turn at bat in the eighth. Davidson plated five runs in the frame in a futile attempt to get back in the game as Honeycutt drilled a two-run single and senior Gregory Zage ripped a two-run double.
In the ninth, Princeton got one of those runs back on Turnham’s third double, but the ’Cats came right back with more in their half. Junior Hugh Eden sent an RBI double over the right fielder’s head and sophomore Zach Kayne followed with a two-run triple to left. Honeycutt lined a single to score Kayne, but that would be all Davidson could muster.
Honeycutt was the only Wildcat with two hits in the game, while Zage and Kayne each drove in two runs.
COASTAL CAROLINA 6, ELON 3
CONWAY, S.C. ? The 15th-ranked Coastal Carolina University baseball team (20-3) won its eighth straight game and 20th on the season in a 6-3 win over Elon (12-11) March 20 in Conway, S.C. Coastal broke a 3-3 tie with a three-run sixth to defeat the Phoenix for the second time on the year.
Coastal broke through in the second with two runs. Junior Tommy Baldridge (Fort Mill, S.C./Fort Mill) singled with one out and stole second. With two outs, junior Derek Martin (Barnwell, S.C./Barnwell) brought Baldridge home with a double down the left field line. He scored on a single off the wall by sophomore Tyler Bortnick (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor). Coastal added a run in the fourth with the help of three Elon errors. Sophomore David Anderson (Lexington, S.C./White Knoll) reached on an error by shortstop Chase Austin to open the inning. Baldridge hit a grounder that looked to start a double play, but the ball went under the glove of Matt Hill. Pat Irvine then had trouble in the outfield fielding the grounder, allowing Anderson to score. Elon would get out of further trouble by retiring the next three Chanticleers.
Freshman Nick McCully (Lakeland, Fla./Santa Fe Catholic) retired the first 12 Phoenix, but ran into trouble in the fifth. Chris Vasami doubled to open the frame. McCully retired the next two batters, including a diving grab by Baldridge to rob Irvine of a hit, but Ryan Addison took McCully’s first pitch over the left field wall to make it 3-2 Coastal. Austin doubled on the next pitch and scored on a Hill single to tie the game.
In the sixth, the Chants put runners on first and second with one out as senior Matt Rademacher (Bay City, Mich./Michigan) walked and Martin singled. Both runners moved up on a balk by Brian Ebert and Rademacher scored on an infield single from Bortnick. Senior Adam Vrable (Bay City, Mich./Grand Rapids C.C.) brought in Martin on a sacrifice fly and sophomore David Sappelt tripled to right center, bringing in Bortnick. Coastal would shutout the Phoenix the rest of the way for the eighth straight win.
Junior Dustin Koca (Papillion, Neb./Butler County C.C.) earned the win in relief, pitching two scoreless innings and allowing only one hit. McCully went the first five innings, striking out four and allowing five hits and three runs. The bullpen of Koca, senior Travis Risser (Palmyra, Pa./James Madison) and Anderson allowed only two hits and struck out a pair. Anderson earned his third save of the season by pitching a scorless ninth.
The loss fell to Ebert, who gave up three runs and four hits in 1.2 innings. Elon started J.D. Reichenbach, who gave up three hits and two runs in two innings.
Coastal had four players with two hits apiece (Sappelt, Baldridge, Martin and Bortnick). Bortnick drove in a pair of runs while Martin scored twice. For Elon, Austin had a pair of hits, while Addison drove in two.
EAST TENNESSEE STATE 8, APPALACHIAN STATE 6
HICKORY, N.C. -- Andrew Franco’s five RBI weren’t enough for Appalachian State University baseball on Tuesday evening, as East Tennessee State rallied from a 4-0 deficit and defeated Appalachian, 8-6, in 10 innings at L.P. Frans Stadium.
Franco finished 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles to go along with his five RBI in the defeat. The junior gave Appalachian (11-11) the lead twice in the ballgame, first with a three-run double that opened the scoring in the third inning and later with a two-run double that gave ASU a 6-4 advantage in the sixth. In all, Franco had a hand in all six Mountaineer runs, driving in five and scoring one.
However, East Tennessee State (16-7) rallied from a pair of deficits to claim the win. First, ETSU fought back from the early 4-0 hole with three runs in the fifth inning and one in the sixth to knot the game at 4-4. After Franco’s two-run double in the bottom of the sixth put the Apps back in front, the Bucs responded with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh to knot the contest at 6-6.
The score remained deadlocked until the top of the 10th inning, when ETSU’s Justin Aughey delivered a two-out, two-run double off ASU ace Garrett Sherrill. Appalachian made it interesting in the bottom of the 10th when a Franco single and a double from Hickory native Isaac Harrow put the tying run on second base. However, ETSU ace Caleb Glafenhein forced a groundout to end the game.
With the loss, Sherrill fell to 4-2 on the season, while Glafenhein upped his record to 7-1.
In addition to Franco’s three-hit effort, Harrow, Jason Altenhof and Frankie Lewis collected two hits apiece for the Mountaineers, which left 15 men on base in the loss.
The extra-innings setback was the second of the year for Apps at the hands of their longtime local rival. The Bucs also dealt the Mountaineers a heart-breaking, 13-12 defeat in 11 innings on March 7 in Johnson City, Tenn.
The two games between the squads this season have lasted a combined 7 hours and 59 minutes. Tuesday night’s affair went 3 hours and 49 minutes, not including a 54-minute rain delay in the bottom of the eighth inning. The teams meet for the third and final time this season next Tuesday in Johnson City.