APPALACHIAN STATE 6, GARDNER-WEBB 1
BOONE, N.C. ? Jonathan Reeder surrendered just one run in 6.2 innings and Andrew Franco belted a three-run homer as Appalachian State University opened Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium with a 6-1 victory over Gardner-Webb on Tuesday afternoon.
Appalachian (20-14) led just 2-1 heading into the seventh inning, but Franco’s three-run bomb to right field, the first homer in Smith Stadium history, highlighted a four-run ASU seventh.
Reeder scattered nine hits over his 6.2 innings of work, but struck out five and didn’t walk a batter to up his record to 2-1 on the campaign. The outing was the longest of the season for the Mountaineers’ only fifth-year senior.
ASU trailed 1-0 after Gardner-Webb’s Jamall Kinard drove in the first run at Smith Stadium with an RBI double in the top of the third. However, Appalachian responded with a run-scoring single by David Rubinstein in the bottom of the stanza to knot the game at 1-1.
The score remained deadlocked until the sixth when David Towarnicky drove in the go-ahead run with a single up the middle.
Rubinstein had a triple and a bunt single to go along with his RBI base hit, finishing 3-for-3 to raise his team-leading batting average to .383. Towarnicky added a sacrifice fly in the four-run seventh to register two RBI on the afternoon.
Jeremiah Lokken and Justin Loyd had two hits apiece for Gardner-Webb (13-23).
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 10, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 2
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Ben Lasater hit a pair of homers and Jake Goldberg pitched eight strong innings as 27th-ranked College of Charleston downed Charleston Southern, 10-2, in college baseball action before 191 at Buccaneer Field on Tuesday.
With the win, Charleston's 500th since resuming baseball in 1991 (500-378-2), the Cougars improved to 25-8. The Bucs fell to 14-25. The Cougars took three-of-four in the season series.
"Winning the 500th game is a tribute to all the great players who have been a part of this program since 1991," said Cougar coach John Pawlowski, who improved his eight-year CofC coaching mark to 285-161-1.
Charleston's Micheal Harrington led off the third inning with his fifth homer of the season that tied the game at 1-1. Graham Maiden gave Charleston a 4-2 advantage when he blasted a solo homer to center leading off the sixth inning.
Lasater's first homer was a towering shot to center with one out in the seventh that gave Charleston a 7-2 lead. He belted a solo shot off the scoreboard in left leading off the eighth for a 9-2 Cougar advantage.
"I thought Jake (Goldberg) did a super job today and Ben Lasater hit a pair of homers to lead us offensively," added Pawlowski. "Any time you don't walk a batter you give yourself a chance to be successful on the mound."
CSU got a run-scoring single from Chris Krogmeier in the first and a solo homer from Anthony Hayes in the fifth, his third of the season.
Stuart Haywood's two hits and four runs batted in paced Charleston's 12-hit attack. Hayes had three hits in four trips while Krogmeier and Justin Fyle added two hits each for Charleston Southern.
Jake Golberg (5-0) picked up the win scattering nine hits over the first eight innings of work. Goldberg walked none and struck out four. Joey Timmerman (1-1) suffered the loss surrendering four runs on five hits over five innings of work.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN 5, NORTH FLORIDA 4
STATESBORO, GA. ? Georgia Southern jumped out to an early lead then A.J. Battisto (Pottstown, PA/Pottsgrove) slammed the door as the Eagles defeated North Florida 5-4, Tuesday night (April 10) in front of a regional television audience on CSS.
The Eagles (19-18 overall), in the middle of a seven-game homestand, won their second straight game.
Georgia Southern missed on a golden opportunity in the first inning. Matt Miller (Canton/Woodstock) got hit by a pitch, but was caught stealing for just the second time in eight attempts. Jeremy Beckham (Griffin/Griffin) walked, and then A.J. Wirnsberger (Tuscaloosa, AL/Paul Bear Bryant) doubled to put a pair of runners in scoring position.
Justin Klinger (Hatfield, PA/North Penn) reached on a fielder’s choice but Beckham was nailed at the plate. Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) walked to load the bases. However a groundout ended the frame. GS scored four times in the next inning though.
Miller lined a RBI double, Beckham brought home two runs on a single to centerfield then two batters later Benedict singled home a run. During the third inning Jeremiah Parker (Carrollton/Carrollton) lined a RBI double, scoring Mike Economos (Atlanta/Marist) to extend the lead to 5-0.
John Ducey (Augusta/Westside) gave up just one hit through the first three innings, but ran into trouble in the fourth. A single, double and walk loaded up the bases for UNF with no outs. Brian Wilson lined a 1-2 pitch into the right field gap and cleared the bags. That brought in relief pitcher Burt Barto (Columbus/Columbus). Wilson later scored on a sacrifice fly making it a 5-4 game.
The Ospreys (15-21) threatened to take the lead in the fifth, using three walks to load the bases. However, Barto got Wilson on a called third strike to end the frame.
GS loaded the bases in the seventh on a double by Benedict, single from Chris Shehan (Strasburg, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) and two-out walk by Brian Pierce (Roswell/Roswell) but could not get an insurance run home.
Preston Hale lined a two-out single in the eighth, chasing David Cogswell (Toccoa/Stephens County). Battisto walked the first batter he faced, then during the next at-bat uncorked a wild pitch to put both runners in scoring position. The senior right-hander struck out leadoff hitter Mycal Jones to end the threat. In the ninth Battisto struck out the side to earn his fourth save.
“I didn’t want to let the team down again like I did last weekend. It feels good to put back-to-back wins together,” said Battisto. “Our pen stepped up today. (Burt) Barto coming in and solidifying the middle innings has helped Cogswell, (Kyle) Kamppi and I. This will continue to build our confidence heading into a key SoCon series.”
Ducey was charged for four runs on four hits in three innings. Barto (1-0) allowed one hit in three scoreless innings, walking three and striking out three to earn his first win as an Eagle. Cogswell allowed three hits in 1.2 innings.
Benedict finished with three hits. Beckham, stealing his SoCon-leading 22nd base, drove in two runs while Economos scored twice. The Eagles held a 10-8 edge in hits, although both teams combined to leave 20 runners on base.
Chad Knight and Jimmy Glanville had two hits apiece for the Ospreys. Andrew Stilley (0-2) gave up two runs on two hits and three walks in an inning. Travis Martin scattered four hits in five scoreless innings of relief.
WESTERN CAROLINA 12, UNC ASHEVILLE 6
ASHEVILLE, N.C. ? Capitalizing on six base hits, including three doubles, four free passes and a UNC Asheville fielding error, Western Carolina scored eight runs in the first two innings and never looked back as the Catamounts pounded out 13 base hits in the 12-6 victory over their mountain-rival Tuesday night at McCormick Field. Freshman Chris Masters worked five solid innings, scattering four hits and striking out four to pick up his fifth victory of the season for WCU.
The win, Western’s seventh-straight on the season, also clinched the first-ever Parkway Series for the Catamounts, 8-5, with just two points remaining to be awarded. Western secured points this season in the head-to-head competition in women’s soccer, men and women’s basketball, men and women’s indoor and outdoor track & field and one of the two baseball points.
Western (21-11) opened the game with back-to-back base hits from leadoff hitter Barrett Shaft and a double down the left field line by junior Blake Murphy to put two on with no outs. Three batters later, senior transfer Kenny Smith drew a two out walk to load the bases when junior Steven Strausbaugh bounced one towards the Bulldog shortstop, Matt Henson, who booted the ball allowing two runs to score and the inning to continue. The next batter, junior Jason Haynes, smashed a double off the 36-foot wall in right field to plate the third run of the opening frame for a 3-0 Catamount advantage.
Freshman Brent Greer opened the top of the second with a walk before scoring on an RBI double to left field by Shaft for a 4-0 lead. Two strikeouts sandwiched around junior Jonathan Greene being hit by a pitch, followed by Smith drawing his second walk of the game loaded the bases for Strausbaugh. The Venice, Fla., native crushed one that ricocheted off the 45-foot high scoreboard in play in right-center field, clearing the bases with three RBI.
Haynes, who led all hitters with a perfect 4-for-4 showing at the plate, ended the scoring barrage with his second RBI hit of the game, shooting one through the right side of the Bulldog infield to score Strausbaugh from second for the 8-0 advantage.
UNC Asheville (13-23) added one run in the home portion of the fourth inning, but the Catamounts countered with a four-spot in the top half of the sixth to push the game back out of reach. Rallying with two out in the inning, senior John Ingram singled up the middle before his classmate, Smith, doubled to left to score the first run. Smith came home on Haynes’ third RBI hit of the game, pulling one down the left field line for the second run of the frame. Freshman Tyler Kirkpartrick, making just his fourth start of the season, concluded the Catamount scoring by smacking a two-RBI double to right center to score both Haynes and Strausbaugh.
After WCU pulled all but one of its starters, the Bulldogs scored three runs in the eighth and two in the bottom of the ninth to cut Western’s advantage in half, providing the final tally, 12-6.
Catamount starter, Masters, continued his recent strong pitching streak. The Marietta, Ga., native allowed three walks, but struck out four Bulldog batters in the victory. Senior Brock Thornburg returned to the hill for Western, tossing two innings of hitless and scoreless relief on under 10 total pitches.
WAKE FOREST 14, UNC GREENSBORO 3
WINSTON-SALEM, NC ? Wake Forest pounded out 14 runs on 14 hits and scored nine runs in the last three innings as UNC Greensboro dropped a 14-3 contest to the Demon Deacons on Tuesday afternoon at Hooks Stadium.
Kirby Wedekind (1-0) picked up the win after allowing just one hit in two innings of work. Starter Joel Ernst struck out a game-high five batters for Wake Forest.
Junior Clay Gibson (2-1) took the loss after giving up two runs on two hits in two innings on the mound.
UNCG (17-16) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the visitor half of the first. Tim Carrier led off with a walk and was followed by a single from Matt Gaski. Each advanced on a sacrifice bunt and Carrier was brought home on a groundout. Greg Feltes laced a single to left to score Gaski for the Spartans second run of the game.
The lead didn’t last long as Wake Forest (19-16) added three runs in the second to take a 3-2 lead. Tyler Smith hit a two-run home run over right-center to tie the game and Evan Ocheltree scored an unearned run off a wild pitch. The Demon Deacons pushed two more runs across in the fourth for the 5-2 advantage.
Dustin Hood sent a sacrifice fly out to centerfield to score Ocheltree in the sixth for Wake Forest, 6-2. A RBI single from Spartan junior Adam Deleo in the seventh cut the lead to three. Wake Forest, however, responded with two runs in the same inning to take the 8-3 lead.
The Demon Deacons struck for six runs in the eighth beginning with a two-run RBI double from Ben Terry. Smith followed with a RBI double and Ocheltree brought him home on a triple to centerfield. Ocheltree scored his fourth run of the day on a wild pitch. Andy Goff produced another run for Wake with a RBI single up the middle.
Carrier finished the game 2-for-2 with one run score and Deleo went 2-for-3 with a RBI.