FURMAN 10, UNC ASHEVILLE 6
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Joe Daysh went 2-for-5 and belted a first inning grand slam to power Furman past UNC-Asheville, 10-6, in baseball action Wednesday evening at Furman Stadium.
Daysh, who entered the contest with only seven RBI in 132 at bats on the season, keyed a six-run Paladin first inning with his second career grand slam, a line shot over the left field fence to help Furman overcome a 2-0 deficit en route to the win. The Paladin senior second baseman added a sacrifice fly in the third inning and doubled in the seventh.
The victory was the second in the last three games for Furman (11-26) but only the third in the last 15 outings for the Paladins, who banged out 15 hits for the second straight game. Furman collected 15 hits in a 12-7 loss at Tennessee on Tuesday.
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for UNC-Asheville (17-24).
Bobby Hubbard went 2-for-3 with three RBI, and Joey Rodgers, Tony Maccani, Jay Jackson, Will Stembridge, and Paul Ortenzo also collected two hits each for the Paladins.
J.P. Goldsberry (1-1) earned his first collegiate victory after working five innings and surrendering three runs on three hits. He walked two. The freshman righthander did not pitch in 2006 after undergoing Tommy John surgery his senior season at Tampa Preparatory School.
Ian Parry earned his second save after pitching the final three innings and allowing just one hit, a solo home run by Elliott Arrington in the eighth inning.
UNC-Asheville starter and losing pitcher Josh Lett (0-4) took the mound with a 2-0 lead in the first after Arrington’s two-out, two-run double, but the junior lefthander retired just one batter in the bottom of the first before getting chased. WIth one out, Rodgers reached on a bunt single, and Hubbard delivered a two-run home run to left field to tie the game at 2-2. Maccani, Jackson, and Stembridge followed with consecutive singles to load the bases, and Daysh then sent a Lett offering over the left field fence to cap the six-run frame.
Daysh registered his fifth RBI on the contest in the third after Jackson singled with one out and advanced to third on a Stembridge single before coming home on a Daysh sacrifice fly to center field.
Furman took advantage of a pair of Bulldog errors in the fourth to score three runs and stretch its lead to 10-2. Connor Lind walked to lead off, and Rodgers followed with a bunt that Bulldog pitcher Dan Weller fielded but threw wild of first base, allowing Rodgers and Lind to advance to second and third base, respectively. Hubbard followed with a fly ball that Bulldog left fielder Rob Vernon dropped, allowing Lind and Rodgers to score. Hubbard then advanced to third base on a passed ball and came home on a Maccani single up the middle through a drawn in UNCA infield.
A solo home run by Edmund Locklear in the fifth made it 10-3, and the Bulldogs used a another long ball, a two-run blast by Matt Henson in the sixth off Mason Smith, to slice the Paladin advantage to 10-5. After loading the bases with one out, Smith avoided further trouble before striking out Locklear and retiring Brett Robinson on an infield pop.
Parry came on in the seventh and retired the Bulldogs in order. After giving up a solo home run in the eight, he pitched around a Paladin error in the ninth to nail down the victory.
WESTERN CAROLINA 7, EAST TENNESSEE STATE 3
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina pounded out nine hits, including three home runs, on Wednesday night to down former Southern Conference foe, East Tennessee State, 7-3, in non-conference action at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium.
The win completes the two-game, seasonal series between the two schools as WCU also sank the Buccaneers, 7-4, in Johnson City, Tenn., back on March 6.
Tossing three innings of relief work, senior Brock Thornburg (2-2) earned his second victory of the season, scattering three base hits while allowing a pair of earned runs while striking out five. Starter Tyler Johnson went three innings giving one earned run on three hits with a pair of walks and four strikeouts, but did not factor in on the decision.
Freshman Chris Masters, who struck out a career-best five in the starting role the first time the two teams faced this season, fanned a pair in two innings of work with junior Greg Holland closing out the game in the ninth in a non-save situation, striking out one. All told, Catamount pitchers struck out 13 batters.
Three Catamounts hit home runs for Western Carolina (24-12), including a two-run shot by Asheville, N.C., native Kenny Smith to give the senior 12 on the season ? 10 of which have come at home. Junior Steven Strausbaugh finished 1-for-3 with his lone hit coming on a solo home run in the eighth inning, with Jonathan Greene giving WCU the early lead with a solo homer in the bottom of the first inning.
Junior Blake Murphy finished 2-for-4 with two RBI in the win, with classmate Barrett Shaft improving his average to a SoCon-leading .427 by also with a 2-for-4 showing at the dish for the lone WCU hitters with multiple hit games.
Greene’s two-out homer to left field gave Western the early, 1-0, lead in the bottom of the first inning. However, the Buccaneers rallied to tie the game on a sacrifice fly in the third inning, knotting the game at one apiece. The Catamounts reclaimed the advantage in the home portion of the same frame as freshman Dylan de Graaf, earning the start as the designated hitter, drew one of his two walks on the day and was moved around and scored on singles by Shaft and Murphy, respectively.
East Tennessee State (24-16) grabbed its first lead of the game in the top of the fourth off of Thornburg, capitalizing on three singles through the first four batters of the inning to load the bases. The tying run touched home on a sacrifice fly to right field, with the go-ahead run coming on a caught stealing where Murphy threw to second, catching the Buc runner in a run-down.
After giving up the lead in the top of the fourth, Western managed five unanswered runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to pull ahead for the win. Following back-to-back strikeouts in the home portion of the sixth, senior John Ingram singled to left field ahead of classmate Smith who launched a two-run home run to left. An inning later, pinch hitter Andy John drew a walk before Shaft and Murphy again combined to move the runner, with the latter garnering the RBI on a single to left field.
Western wrapped up the scoring in the eighth as Strausbaugh launched a two-out, 0-2 pitch over the fence in right field. Freshman Nick Liles singled up the middle then stole second before his classmate, shortstop Brent Greer, bounced one to second that was bobbled, allowing Liles to score the final run for the 7-3 tally.
For ETSU, Drew Story (2-3) matched his career-high with eight strikeouts in six innings pitched, surrendering four earned runs on five hits and a trio of walks. Right fielder Troy Mendez finished 2-for-3 with a sacrifice and a run scored as the Buccaneers managed eight base hits on the night.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 11, WINTHROP 9 (10 inn.)
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Graham Maiden's run-scoring single with one out in the top of the 10th inning scored Michael Harrington from second base lifting 30th-ranked College of Charleston to an 11-9 win over Winthrop in college baseball action before 592 at Winthrop Ballpark on Wednesday.
Charleston, which rallied from a 7-2 fourth inning deficit, improved to 29-9 on the season. The Eagles fell to 22-19.
Harrington led off the 10th with a single to left field and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ben Lasater. Maiden drove in the go-ahead run with his second hit of the night. Gabe Marchant's RBI grounder scored Maiden for the final margin.
Righty Brian Schlitter (3-3), Charleston's fourth pitcher of the game, picked up the win. Schlitter blanked the Eagles on three hits with three strikeouts over the final three innings. Owen Reid (1-2) suffered the loss surrendering two runs on two hits in one inning of relief.
Trailing by five runs entering the fourth, Alex Garabedian belted a two-run shot to right center that scored Maiden and cut Winthrop's lead to 7-4. It was his sixth home run of the season.
Charleston's Ben Lasater belted his team-leading 10th homer of the season, a three-run shot to center in the fifth that tied the game at 7-7. Garabedian added an RBI double later in the frame to give Charleston an 8-7 advantage.
After the Eagles got a two-run double from Chris Carrara in the bottom of the fifth to give Winthrop a 9-8 advantage, the Cougars tied it at 9-9 in the seventh on Stuart Haywood's RBI grounder that scored Michael Kohn.
The Eagles erased a 2-0 Charleston lead in the first on run-producing hits from Kevin Nolan, Billy Froehlich and Eddie Tisdale for a 3-2 lead. Tommy Lentz stretched the lead to 4-2 when he led off the second with a solo homer to left field, his third of the season. The Eagles added three runs in the third to chase Charleston starter Jake Goldberg.
The Cougars, who haven't scored fewer than seven runs in 11 games in April, pounded out 16 hits. Harrington, Lasater, Garabedian and Chris Campbell had three hits each. Lasater drove in four runs, while Garabedian added three RBI.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE 14, DAVIDSON 3
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Davidson squandered several early opportunities, going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, as #20 N.C. State defeated the Wildcats on Wednesday evening at Doak Field, 14-3. Tommy Foschi went 3-for-5 with two doubles and four RBIs to help the Wolfpack improve to 27-11 on the season. Davidson lost for the 11th time in the last 12 contests to drop to 16-22.
Dallas Poulk also had three of N.C. State's 15 hits, while Jeremy Synan went 2-for-3 with a triple, three runs and drove in a pair.
Seniors Rob Wilson and Blake Osborn provided one of the few highlights for the Wildcats with back-to-back homers in the eighth inning. For Wilson, it was his six long ball of the year while Osborn connected on his first.
Davidson got on the board first when lead-off hitter Brett Shore reached on an infield single, stole second, went to third on a grounder to second and sprinted home on a passed ball. It was just the eighth time in 38 games this year the Wildcats put a run on the board first.
Freshman left-hander Thomas Middour ran into a bit of trouble in the second when Ryan Pond hit a ball back through the box for a lead-off single, then stole second and went to third on an overthrow. Synan then hit his triple into the right-field corner to tie the game, and one out later scored on a fly to right for a 2-1 Wolfpack lead.
In the top of the third, the Wildcats were robbed of tying the score. With Matt Webb on third with two outs, Wilson laced a shot to center. But Marcus Jones raced in and made a terrific diving catch to take away an RBI single from Wilson and end the inning.
Middour exited after three innings, and N.C. State greeted reliever Matt Knight by scoring three runs in the fourth. Pond reached on a bunt single and went to second when Knight's throw to first was wild. Synan hit a grounder just out of the reach of a diving Zach Kayne at second for an RBI single. Two outs and a stolen base later, Foschi lined a single to score Synan. After a wild pitch, David Lindsay drove home Foschi with a single as well.
The Wolfpack got an unearned run in the fifth off freshman southpaw Chris Kennedy. Poulk dumped a single to left, stole second with one out, went to third on a passed ball and trotted home on a deep fly to center by Pond.
In the sixth, Ryan Howard and Foschi hit back-to-back doubles, and Marcus Jones provided a sacrifice fly to make the score 8-1 in favor of N.C. State.
After the Wildcats' back-to-back bombs, the Wolfpack tacked on six runs in the bottom half with two outs, capped by a two-run Roschi double.
Joey Cutler (2-0) earned the victory in relief of starter Nate Karns. Cutler came in to pitch in the third and tossed 2.2 innings of scoreless two-hit ball with six strikeouts.
Middour (4-4) was stuck with the loss after yielding two runs on four hits and a walk in three innings with a pair of strikeouts.
NORTH CAROLINA A&T 16, APPALACHIAN STATE 15
BOONE, N.C. ― North Carolina A&T belted six home runs, all in the final five innings, to defeat Appalachian State University baseball, 16-15, on Wednesday afternoon at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
N.C. A&T’s six homers were the most allowed by Appalachian in a single game in records dating back to 1972. All six came from the fifth inning on, as A&T (15-22) rallied from a 6-0 deficit to hand ASU (21-17) its sixth loss in eight games. The setback was also Appalachian’s first in 11 games this season versus teams with below .500 records.
Despite the Aggies’ offensive explosion, the game remained tight throughout, thanks to a superb effort at the plate from the Mountaineers as well. In all, the two teams combined for 31 runs, 34 hits, 12 doubles and seven home runs on the afternoon.
The lead changed hands five times in the final five innings, beginning with A&T’s eight-run fifth, which turned Appalachian’s 6-0 lead into an 8-6 deficit. ASU knotted the contest at 8-8 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth, but N.C. A&T grabbed an 11-8 lead with a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
The Mountaineers regained the advantage with four runs in the bottom of the seventh and handed the 12-11 lead into the seemingly sure hands of closer Garrett Sherrill (Kannapolis, N.C./A.L. Brown). However, in his 20th appearance of the season, the sophomore suffered the worst outing of his career, as he allowed five runs on five hits (including two homers) in just
1.1 innings to fall to 7-4 on the season.
Despite Sherrill’s struggles, Appalachian still had a chance to win. After N.C. A&T took a 13-12 lead on Patrick Oates’ two-run homer in the top of the eighth (his second long ball of the day), ASU answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the stanza to take a 14-13 advantage into the ninth. As was the case for the entire second half of the ballgame, A&T responded again in the top of the ninth, as it reached Sherrill for three more runs to take a 16-14 lead.
But the Mountaineers weren’t done, as David Rubinstein (Charlotte, N.C./South Mecklenburg) brought the Apps within a run with his first homer of the season in the bottom of the ninth. The Mountaineers went on to bring the winning run to the plate twice in the final frame, but Aggie pitcher Ronald Phelps recorded the final two outs to end the wild affair.
Rubinstein finished 4-for-5 with three doubles, ASU’s only homer and five RBI to lead Appalachian’s 16-hit output. With his second-straight four-hit performance, Rubinstein raised his season batting average to .396.
In addition to Oates, Neil Rosser also homered twice, both coming in the eight-run fifth, for N.C. A&T. Rosser added an RBI double in the seventh inning and finished the afternoon 3-for-4 with a team-high four RBI. A&T’s Charlie Gamble and Jeremy Jones also collected three hits apiece.
CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 9, THE CITADEL 6
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? A six-run fourth paced Charleston Southern to a 9-6 victory over The Citadel in non-conference baseball action Wednesday afternoon at Buccaneer Field. The Bulldogs fell behind, 8-1, in the fourth but chipped away at the Buccaneer lead to pull within three. The Bulldogs came up short in the late innings as they loaded the bases on one out in the eighth and ninth and were unable to push in any runs.
After two scoreless frames, Charleston Southern (16-27) put two runs on the board in the third. Mark Perry hit a soft line drive into shallow left on one out and then raced to third as Bulldog starter Nick Sprowls overthrew first base attempting a pick off. Lionel Green stepped in and registered a triple that fell just fair inside the right field line to plate Perry. Sprowls forced Wes Brundridge to pop up to second for the second out before Stephen Herzog drove in Perry with a single through the left side. Anthony Hayes then popped out to first to end the inning with the Bucs up 2-0.
The Citadel (22-14) cut the Buc lead in half in the fourth. The Bulldogs loaded the bases on no outs with a lead-off, infield single off the bat of sophomore right fielder Sonny Meade before Buc starter T.J. Green surrendered back-to-back-walks. Sophomore third baseman Trey Thomas knocked in Meade with a sac fly to left. Greene then forced consecutive groundouts to get out of the inning with CSU still ahead, 2-1.
The Bucs rallied for six runs in the bottom half of the frame as David Perkins tallied a one out single to left and moved to second as Chris Krogmeier drew a walk. Ryan Smart sent Perkins home with a single to the gap in right center. The Bulldogs then called freshman right-hander Raymond Copenhaver to take over on the hill. Perry notched a bunt single that Brown fielded at first and threw over to third attempting to get Krogmeier out, but instead allowed him to race home as the throw bounced off the base past Arnold at third. Greene followed that up with a base hit back up the middle that scored two. Brundridge was hit by a pitch before a fielder’s choice off the bat of Herzog put runners on the corners with two outs. Hayes hit a slow roller to short for an RBI-single, putting Herzog on third. Herzog then took off for home after Bulldog catcher Sid Fallaw threw down to second with Hayes stealing. Shortstop Kyle Jordan fielded the throw and fired it back to Fallaw, but Herzog was able to score as the ball popped out of Fallaw’s glove. The error by Fallaw capped off the scoring with the Bucs up, 8-1.
CSU added to their lead in the fifth with one unearned run. Bulldog reliever Matt Reifsnider hit the first batter to give the Bucs a base runner. Krogmeier then grounded a possible double-play ball to short, but shortstop Kyle Jordan lofted it over Bryan Altman’s head at second giving the Bucs runners at first and second on no outs. Smart sacrificed both runners over before Perry knocked an RBI-single to the gap in right center. Reifsnider forced Greene to ground into a 163 double-play to end the frame.
The Bulldogs pulled within six in the sixth as Brown was able to reach on a fielding error by Smart at second. Jones went down swinging for the first out before junior Matt Arnold smacked a pinch-hit single. Freshman Chris McGuiness then ripped a double to left center to plate Brown and put Arnold on third. Fallaw roped a single to left to push Arnold across the dish. Fallaw was caught in a rundown between first and second before Jordan went down swinging for the final two outs.
A two-out error by CSU in the seventh allowed the Dogs to post two more runs. Smart committed his second fielding error at second, allowing Meade to reach first. Brown then blasted the first pitch he saw over the fence in right for his team-leading 10th home run of the season, cutting the Buc lead to four.
The Citadel made it 9-6 in the eighth as McGuiness was hit by a pitch on one out and moved to second on a single off the bat of Fallaw. Jordan hit a high fly ball to left that Buc left fielder Justin Fyle appeared to lose track of as it fell on the warning track beside him, allowing McGuiness to race home. Altman worked the count for walk to load the bases on one out. The Bucs then brought closer Payton Tweddale to the hill who registered two strikeouts to end the Bulldog threat.
The Bulldogs loaded the bases on one out again in the ninth, but were unable to capitalize as Tweddale got out of the jam with two strikeouts again. Tweddale earned his fifth save of the season as he preserved the 9-6 victory for the Bucs.
Sprowls (0-1) suffered the loss for the Bulldogs in his first collegiate start as he tossed a career-long 3.1 frames, allowing five runs on five hits while striking out and walking two. Green (1-2) earned the win as he went 4.0 innings, giving up one run on one hit while also fanning and walking two.
Brown and Fallaw paced the Bulldogs with two hits a piece. Brown pushed his career-long hitting streak to 10 games while Fallaw hit safely in his sixth consecutive contest for a career-best. Perry led the Buc attack as he was a perfect 3-for-3 and knocked in a run while scoring twice.