THE CITADEL 8, EAST CAROLINA 6
GREENVILLE, N.C. ? Senior Justin Smith posted a strong outing for his sixth win of the year as sophomore Sonny Meade knocked in three to help lead The Citadel past No. 30 East Carolina, 8-6, in non-conference baseball action at Clark-LeClair stadium Tuesday night. The Bulldogs earned their second win over a ranked opponent this season after upsetting No. 1 South Carolina, 7-6, on Feb. 18 at Riley Park.
The Bulldogs improve to 26-21 on the year while the Pirates fall to 32-16. Senior Chance Smith and freshman Richard Jones paced the Dogs at the plate as they registered three hits each. Jones was only a triple shy of the cycle as he smashed his ninth home run of the season to give The Citadel an early lead in the first. Senior right fielder Joe Hoerter registered his first career hit with an RBI-single in the seventh as he made his first career start in the contest.
Ryan Wood had his first two home run outing and drove in four of ECU’s six runs. Wood was 4-for-5 on the night. The Citadel enjoyed 15 hits to the Pirates’ nine.
Justin Smith (6-3) enjoyed his longest outing since going seven against Columbia on March 11. The right-hander tossed 6.0 innings, holding the Pirates to only two runs on six hits while fanning four and walking three. Josh Ruhlman (4-1) suffered his first loss of the year as he went 3.2 frames, giving up six runs (four earned) on seven hits while striking out three.
The Citadel attacked first as Jones blasted his second home run in as many games to give the Dogs a 1-0 advantage in the second. The Bulldogs got two on in the third courtesy of consecutive, one-out singles by sophomore designated hitter Sonny Meade and senior first baseman Zach Brown. Pirate starter Mike Anderson was then lifted for left-hander Josh Ruhlman who forced a strikeout and a fly out to end the frame.
East Carolina went ahead with a two-out, two-run shot in the third as Wood enjoyed his fourth round-tripper of the season. Ryan Tousley followed that up with a bunt single and tried to score on a single to right off the bat of Stephen Batts but was gunned down at the plate by Hoerter to end the inning.
The Bulldogs evened it up in the fourth on an RBI-single off the bat of Chance Smith and then recaptured the lead with two runs in the fifth. A throwing error by Pirate first baseman Batts allowed junior left fielder Chris Swauger to race all the way to second to start things off. Swauger took third on a passed ball and came in to score on a groundout by Meade. Brown and Jones smacked back-to-back base hits, while Brown moved to second on another throwing error. Freshman second baseman Bryan Altman then knocked in Brown on a fielder’s choice.
Meade extended The Citadel advantage to four in the sixth as he punched one through the right side to plate two with two outs. Two RBI-singles by freshman shortstop Kyle Jordan and Hoerter gave the Dogs two more in the seventh to make it 8-2.
Wood notched his second home run of the contest in the seventh to add a run for the Pirates before ECU was able to pull within two with three runs in the eighth. The Bulldogs walked the bases loaded before a wild pitch allowed the first run to score. An RBI-groundout by Jamie Ray made it 8-5 before Wood drove in his fourth run of the evening with a base hit through the left side. The Dogs then called on freshman lefty Nick Sprowls to force the final out and get The Citadel out of the inning still up by two.
Altman extended his hitting streak to 11 games in the ninth with a one-out, ground-rule double that bounced over the left center field wall. He was the only runner aboard for the Dogs that inning as Jason Neitz took to the hill and caught two Bulldogs swinging.
Sprowls returned in the ninth to get two quick outs before surrendering a two-bagger that was just fair down the left field line. The freshman then forced pinch-hitter David Forbes to go down on strikes to earn his second save of the year and preserve the 8-6 victory.
The Bulldogs are now 2-4 versus ranked opponents in 2007 while the contest with the Pirates was the first time the Dogs faced a nationally ranked foe on the road. The Citadel will now go to Columbia, S.C. to take on No. 7 South Carolina on May 9 at Sarge Frye Field. First pitch is slated for 8 p.m.
WESTERN CAROLINA 7, OHIO STATE 3
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Western Carolina used three home runs, including back-to-back solo shots by juniors Blake Murphy and Steven Strausbaugh in the top of the ninth inning to power past the Ohio State Buckeyes, 7-3, Tuesday night in front of 615 fans at Bill Davis Stadium.
Leading by two, 5-3, entering the ninth inning, Murphy lifted the first pitch he saw over the fence in left field for a one-out solo home run ? his 10th of the season ? to push the advantage back to three runs, 6-3. The next batter, Strausbaugh, fought off multiple foul balls before blasting his eighth long ball ? and fifth in the past six games ? over the wall in left to provide the final tally.
Following the back-to-back round trippers ? the first home runs allowed by Buckeye reliever, Rory Meister, this season ? Meister proceeded to plunk the next batter, senior Kenny Smith, between the numbers and was immediately ejected from the game providing for an eventful finish.
Adding to the excitement was a two-out rally by Ohio State off WCU reliever, freshman Chris Masters, as the Buckeyes loaded the bases with two gone before junior Greg Holland was summonsed from the bullpen to shut the door.
Senior starter Brock Thornburg (3-2) allowed three earned runs while scattering five base hits with a walk and five strikeouts, one shy of tying his season-high, to capture his third victory of the season. Masters shut down the Buckeye hitters, allowing just two base hits and one walk while fanning a pair before OSU loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Yet, Holland came on and threw three pitches to record his 44th strikeout of the season to end the game, collecting his ninth save of the season to secure the victory. Holland’s nine saves this season tie his career-high and ranks second on the single-season saves chart. The Marion, N.C., native has 18 saves in his career, fourth all-time at Western.
After falling behind 1-0 on a solo home run by short stop Jason Zoeller in the home half of the third inning, Western (33-15) manufactured a run as freshman Nick Liles bunted his way aboard with one out. Two batters later, sophomore Mitchell Hatley singled to left field to put two aboard with two gone before junior Barrett Shaft lifted an RBI single to right center, scoring Liles from second to tie the game at one apiece.
In the top of the sixth, Western took the lead for good as Buckeye reliever, Theron Minium, gave up a one-out single to Kenny Smith, thus extending his current hitting streak to a season-long 15 games. Junior Jonathan Greene reached on a fielding error by the short stop on a bouncing ball that could have been turned into a double-play but instead extended the frame with two aboard. The next batter, senior John Ingram, laced a line drive at the third baseman, Tony Kennedy, who attempted to double-up Greene at first, but over threw Justin Miller at first with the ball bounding into the stands down the right field line entitling the runners to two bases, scoring Smith from second. Liles drove in Greene with an RBI single and later advanced to second on a wild pitch by Minium. Two batters later, Hatley drove in Liles for the three-run frame and a 4-1 lead.
Ohio State (28-16) countered with two in the bottom of the sixth, slicing the lead to one, 4-3, before the Catamounts broke the game open for good with a solo home run on the first pitch of the eighth inning by Ingram, followed by the fireworks of the ninth inning.
Four Catamounts posted multiple hit games, including 2-for-5 performances by both Strausbaugh and Shaft, as well as 2-for-4 showings from Liles and Hatley.
OSU starter, Eric Best, worked five innings for the Buckeyes, striking out a career-high seven before being lifted prior to the sixth inning and did not factor into the decision. Offensively, Zoeller was the lone Ohio State player with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with his eighth home run of the year.
Western and Ohio State wrap-up the two-game set on Wednesday afternoon in Columbus with the first pitch scheduled for 1:05 pm.
FURMAN 9, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 7
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Bobby Hubbard went 2-for-5 and drove in five runs to power Furman past Charleston Southern, 9-7, in non-conference baseball action Tuesday evening at Furman Stadium.
Hubbard, a junior third baseman from Fletcher, N.C., belted a three-run home run in the first inning and later added a two-run double in the fourth to help Furman (15-34) build a 9-2 lead en route to the victory.
Charleston Southern (17-31) scored five runs in the eighth inning and had the tying run on second base with one out, but the Buccaneers couldn’t take advantage and gain the two-game season series split with Furman, which claimed a 6-4 win in North Charleston on Feb. 27.
Connor Lind went 3-for-4 and scored a pair of runs for Furman, as did Marcus Rose, who also had two hits and two RBI. Paul Ortenzo joined Hubbard in the long ball column with a solo home run in a five-run Paladin fourth inning. The Paladins banged out 12 hits in the contest but were held hitless over the final four frames.
Charleston Southern’s Chris Krogmeier, Justin Fyle, Anthony Hayes, Stephen Herzog, and Keith Stewart collected two hits each for the Buccaneers, who finished with 13 base knocks in the game. Fyle and Herzog both went deep in CSU’s five-run eighth.
Furman’s early run support made a winner of J.P. Goldsberry (2-1), who tossed four innings and allowed seven hits, a pair of unearned runs, and a walk while striking out two.
Joey Timmerman (1-2) took the loss for Charleston Southern after yielding four runs, all earned, on six hits and a walk over 2 1/3 innings. He recorded two strikeouts.
Nicholas Karow struck out two batters and retired the Buccaneers in order in the ninth inning to earn his first collegiate save.
Furman jumped on top in the first inning when Lind and Rose led off with singles and Hubbard cracked a three-run home run to right center field, giving the Paladins a 3-0 lead.
Charleston Southern took advantage of a pair of Furman errors, a walk, and two hits in the second to narrow the lead to 3-2, but the Paladins came back with a run in the bottom of the inning on Rose’s sacrifice fly.
It remained 4-2 until the Furman fourth, when Ortenzo opened the frame with a solo home run to left field off Buccaneer reliever T.J. Green.
Joey Rodgers and Lind then delivered singles before Rose doubled to center field, scoring Rodgers. With two on, Hubbard stroked a two-run double down the right field line to giving the Paladins an 8-2 lead, and Will Stembridge closed the five-run rally with an RBI single to right field that plated Hubbard.
Furman’s Ian Parry replaced Goldsberry in the fifth and hurled three innings of no-hit ball before tiring in the eighth when CSU strung together six consecutive hits, highlighted by a solo home run by Fyle, two-run shot by Hayes, and two-run double by Stewart, to narrow the Paladin advantage to 9-7. Later, after a Ryan Smart sacrifice bunt moved a pair of runners into scoring position with one out, Paladin reliever Spencer Hale struck out Krogmeier swinging and retired Fyle, the Buccaneers’ leading hitter on a short fly to center field.
Furman returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to Clemson to take on the 18th-ranked Tigers in a 7:15 p.m. game. Last year Furman defeated the 6th-ranked Tigers in Clemson, 5-4.
APPALACHIAN STATE 14, DAVIDSON 4
DAVIDSON, N.C. ? David Rubinstein went 4-for-5 with a double while Andrew France stroked a pair of doubles as each drove in three runs to send Appalachian State to a 14-4 Southern Conference baseball victory over host Davidson on Tuesday evening at Wilson Field. The win for the Mountaineers (26-22, 11-11) gave head coach Chris Pollard, a 1996 Davidson graduate, the 200th of his coaching career. The Wildcats (17-30, 6-16), meanwhile, dropped their eighth straight contest and 19th in their last 21 games.
Pollard began his head coaching career at Pfeiffer, where he went 140-107 in five seasons. Now in his third campaign with ASU, the Mountaineers have improved their record each of the last two seasons. Pollard is one of five Davidson graduates serving as Division I head coach across the country; only two schools ? Connecticut and Oklahoma State ? have as many alumni serving in that capacity.
Senior Jonathan Reeder (3-1), a native of Matthews, N.C., pitched 6.2 effective innings, not allowing a run until the fifth when ASU had a 6-0 lead. He ended up yielding four runs on 10 hits and two walks with a pair of strikeouts, throwing 104 pitches.
The Mountaineers wasted little time in putting runs on the board, touching Davidson starter Matt Knight (2-7) for three runs in the first. Jason Altenhof opened the game with a double and Tom Prosser drew a walk. After a fly to center, Franco hit his first of two doubles to bring home the first run. Then with the bases loaded and two outs, Wes Hobson lined a single through the left side to score two and give ASU a 3-0 lead.
In the fourth, Chris Baker ripped a shot off a pine tree beyond the left-field fence, his third home run of the season.
Franco stroked a two-run double in the fifth, chasing Knight and giving the Mountaineers a 6-0 advantage.
Davidson countered with two runs of its own in the bottom of the fifth, beginning with a lead-off homer well beyond the right-field fence by freshman Tommy Piacenza, his second of the season. Senior Alden Crissey delivered a two-out RBI single to score sophomore Brett Shore from second.
But Appalachian State came right back with three more in the sixth, all with two outs. Tom Prosser whizzed an RBI single right past reliever Brian Packey’s head, and another run scored when the throw to third from center field skipped past the third baseman and into the dugout. Rubinstein followed with a run-scoring single as well, boosting the ASU lead to seven runs at 9-2.
Still the Wildcats did not give up. In the seventh, Shore hit his second single of the game and went to third on sophomore Zach Kayne’s second double of the evening. A walk loaded the bases, and Crissey ripped a shot to right-center, but right in the path of the center fielder for a sacrifice fly. When senior Rob Wilson lined a single to left to score Davidson’s fourth run, Reeder’s night was done. Zach Quate came on and got the final out without any further damage.
The Mountaineers left no doubt about the outcome by scoring five more runs in the eighth, featuring a pair of two-run two-baggers by Rubinstein and Isaac Harrow.
Eight of the nine Appalachian hitters in the starting lineup had at least two hits, led by four from Rubinstein and three from Baker. The Mountaineers tallied 19 hits overall in the game, including seven doubles.
Crissey had three of Davidson’s 11 hits in the game. Four other Wildcats each had two safties, including Kayne who extended his hitting streak to 13 games, equaling his longest this season.
The two teams will conclude their three-game series with a doubleheader tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m.
CLEMSON 12, WOFFORD 3
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Andy D’Alessio knocked two of Clemson’s five home runs while driving in three RBIs to lead the No. 18 Tigers to a 12-3 win over Wofford Tuesday evening at a neutral West End Field. The game drew 6,404 spectators to the playing field of the Greenville Drive, which is the largest attendance mark in Wofford baseball history.
D’Alessio went 3-for-4 with two homers and an RBI double while Taylor Harbin, Doug Hogan and Ben Paulsen all added bombs for the Tigers. Starter D.J. Mitchell held Wofford scoreless through five innings while giving up five hits and striking out five to pick up the win.
Senior first baseman John Brandt went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer for Wofford, which knocked 10 hits in the contest, but could not string together an inning of more than two runs. Catcher Keith Munns was 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and an RBI while Brandon Waring added a run and a single. Junior outfielder Sterling Dye went 2-for-3 with a run and also gunned down a runner at the plate from right field.
D’Alessio gave Clemson a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the first inning. The Tiger first baseman smashed a 1-0 offering off the top of the center field fence to drive in Wilson Boyd from second base after Boyd reached with a base hit through the right side.
Hogan followed with a solo homer in the bottom of the second to start a five-run rally that put the Tigers up 6-0. The catcher led off the inning with a solo shot over the green monster in left field, and Ben Paulsen and Alex Lee followed with back-to-back walks. J.D. Burgess then laid a sacrifice bunt down the first base line that Brandt lobbed just over the head of Eric Sturkie, who was covering the bag. The error allowed Paulsen to score and Burgess and Lee to advance to second and third. Addison Johnson then approached the plate and cleared the bases with a two-run double to left center field, prompting Wofford to call on left-handed reliever Chip Hunt. Hunt retired his first batter with a groundout, but surrendered a double to Marquez Smith that drove in Johnson from third. Following a walk that put runners on first and second, Clemson tried to add another run on a base hit through the right side by Harbin, but Dye gunned down Smith at the plate with a seed to catcher Keith Munns before Hunt fanned Hogan to end the inning.
Hunt went through the third without allowing a run, but gave up a leadoff home run to D’Alessio in the bottom of the fourth as Clemson took a 7-0 lead. Following the solo blast, the Terriers brought in sophomore right hander Reid McElveen, who forced a popup and two fly balls to right field to end the inning.
Senior right hander Austin Redwine made a rare relief appearance in the bottom of the fifth for Wofford. Redwine came in with two outs on the board, but inherited three base runners after a fielder’s choice ground ball and two consecutive walks from McElveen forced the Terriers to go to the bullpen. Redwine’s first pitch was in the dirt and slipped past Munns to allow a run to score, but his second pitch was good enough for a groundout to end the inning.
Wofford got on the board in the top of the sixth on a two-run homer from Brandt that narrowed the deficit to 8-2. Brandt’s blast to left center drove in Waring after the junior cleanup hitter was hit by a pitch for the 14th time this season. The homer was Brandt’s 12th of the year, which surpasses his previous season best of 11 set during his junior campaign in 2006. The homer was also the 85th of the season for the Terriers, who have added at least one bomb in each of their last 10 games.
The Tigers reclaimed one of the runs in the next half inning after Paulsen drove a 1-2 offering over the right center field fence. The homer was the only blemish on Redwine’s inning, however, as he struck out two of the four batters he faced in the sixth.
Wofford threatened to close the gap with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, but Smith saved several runs for the Tigers with a diving stab on a hard-hit ground ball by Waring to end the inning. Waring came to the plate with the bases juiced and two outs and roped a 1-2 pitch down the third base line, but Smith laid out to snag the ball and came up firing across the infield just in time to beat Waring to the bag. The play sucked the wind out of a Wofford rally that started with base hits from Munns and Gilmartin and a walk to Bradford Eaves that loaded the bases.
Munns cut the deficit to six runs with a sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth. With runners on second and third, Munns lifted a pop fly to right center field to drive in Dye from third after Dye singled and advanced two bases on a double by fellow outfielder Emre Caglayan.
Clemson regained the run and added two more in the bottom of the eighth, beginning with D’Alessio’s second home run of the game. The homer was the first of back-to-back shots for Clemson, as Harbin followed with a solo blast of his own over the left field fence. Hogan followed the consecutive blasts with a base hit and advanced to third on a double by Paulsen. Lee then drove in Hogan with an RBI base knock to give the Tigers a 12-3 advantage heading into the final inning. Clemson flame thrower Matt Zoltak retired the side in order in the top of the ninth to complete the win.
Charles Vartanian (0-3) took the loss for Wofford after surrendering six runs, five earned, on four hits before being pulled in the second inning. Wofford used six pitchers in the contest, including Hunt, who logged a team-high three strikeouts over two innings of work.
Wofford will return to Russell C. King Field this weekend for its final home series of the season. The Terriers will welcome Southern Conference powerhouse Western Carolina for a three-game spread beginning with a 6 p.m. meeting on Friday, May 11. The team will hold its senior day ceremony before the 1 p.m. game on Sunday, May 13, the final home game of the year for the Terriers.
COASTAL CAROLINA 8, COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 7
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- Dock Doyle's second hit of the ninth inning was a single to right and drove in Dom Duggan from third base with one out capping an incredible seven-run ninth inning as 15th-ranked Coastal Carolina beat 27th-ranked College of Charleston, 8-7, at Coastal Federal Field on Tuesday.
With the win the Chanticleers improved to 39-9, while the Cougars fell to 36-13.
In the ninth, Coastal's Tommy Baldridge hit a two-run homer to cut the margin to 7-3. The Chants added a single, two walks and two hit batters to close within 7-5. Chris Raber's two-run single tied the game at 7-7 setting up Doyle's game-winning hit off Charleston righty Mitch Besselievre.
Charleston tied the game in the fourth on Graham Maiden's ninth homer of the season, a solo shot to right with two outs, that evened the score at 1-1. The Cougars scored four runs in the sixth to take a 5-1 lead. Ben Lasater had a run-scoring double, Joey Bergman a two-run single and Gabe Marchant an RBI hit.
Lasater led off the eighth with a solo homer to left, his 14th of the season, and Jedd Cordisco added an RBI triple to stretch Charleston's lead to 7-1. Cordisco and Bergman had three hits each for the Cougars, who out-hit the Chants, 11-6.
Nick McCully (5-2) picked up the win working the final 2/3 of an inning. Mike Lynn (2-2) suffered the loss hitting Duggan with a pitch, the only batter he faced in the ninth.
Beliveau allowed only one hit, a solo homer by David Anderson in the third, while striking out seven. He left with a 5-1 lead in the seventh inning.
NORTH CAROLINA 9, ELON 0
ELON, N.C. -- A Latham Park record crowd of 1,811 fans came out to witness the Elon Phoenix take on the fourth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels for the first time in Elon since 1933, a span of 74 years. Behind 6.1 shutout innings from Adam Warren, the Tar Heels (38-10) blanked the Phoenix (27-24) by a 9-0 margin, the fifth shutout of the year for UNC. It was the second time this season that Elon was held scoreless.
North Carolina got on the board with two runs in the top of the second. With runner on the corners and no outs, Tim Fedroff singled to right, plating Josh Horton with the first run of the night. Chad Flack would later come in on Drew Poulk's sacrifice fly to push the margin to 2-0.
In the third inning, the Tar Heels tacked on another. Seth Williams lined a one-out double off the wall in left before advancing to third on a single from Dustin Ackley. Williams crossed the dish on a RBI ground out from Tim Federowicz.
The Phoenix threatened in the third as Chris Vasami led off with a single and went to second on a Chris Dove single to start the frame. Adam Weaver's 14th sacrifice bunt of the year put two in scoring position before Vasami was picked off of third. Warren then got Jordy Snyder to ground out to end the half inning.
A four-run seventh opened the game up for North Carolina. A hit batter, single and a walk loaded the bases with one out. Williams drew a 3-1 walk from Jesse Lewter, forcing home Fedroff. Ackley followed by hitting a single through the hole on the left side of the infield, driving in both Garrett Gore and Reid Fronk. Ackley crossed home with the final run of the inning on Federowicz's single.
Elon threatened again in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with a Drew Davis double, Ryan Addison single and a walk to Ryan Adams with one out. Relief pitcher Rob Wooten kept the Phoenix off the board, though as he fanned pinch-hitter Matt Hinson and got Weaver to ground out to first.
Single runs in both the eighth and ninth innings on solo homers from Flack and Williams, respectively, capped the scoring.
Jesse Lewter was tagged with the loss, falling to 3-3 on the year. The junior lefty allowed seven runs on seven its in 6.1 innings of work.
Warren improved to 9-0 on the season and ran his scoreless innings streak to 14.2. He lasted 6.1 innings and surrendered just three hits and a walk.
At the plate for Elon, five different players each had one hit: Snyder, Davis, Addison, Vasami and Dove.
UNC was paced by Ackley's 3-for-4, one-run, two-RBI night while Williams finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two driven in. Federowicz also knocked in two runs and Flack scored twice.
Elon will break for exams before returning to action at East Carolina on May 15 at 7:00 p.m. in Greenville, N.C.