SoCon Baseball Recaps for March 12, 2008
APPALACHIAN STATE 4, AUBURN 2
AUBURN, ALA. ? One night after Auburn torched Appalachian State University baseball for 17 runs on 16 hits, ASU received sterling pitching performances from Aubrey Edens, Adam Mills and Garrett Sherrill to claim a 4-2 triumph over AU at Plainsman Park.
Edens, Mills and Sherrill combined to strike out eight while holding Auburn’s potent lineup to just nine hits. Edens scattered five hits over five innings and allowed just two runs, including an unearned tally. After being tagged with the unearned run in the sixth, Edens was was lifted in favor of Mills. Mills maintained Appalachian’s 4-2 lead by striking out the first two batters he faced and forcing the third into a groundout, ending the sixth with AU’s Ben Jones stranded at third base.
From there, Mills went on to hold the Tigers scoreless over the seventh and eighth innings before turning the ball over to Sherrill, who struck out the side against the heart of the order in the ninth for his second save of the season. Sherrill’s save was the 10th of his career, moving the right-handed junior into a tie for second on Appalachian’s all-time list, while Mills’ three innings of flawless relief stretched his string of consecutive scoreless innings to 12.2. The right-handed senior has not surrendered a run since last year’s season-ending loss to Elon.
The Mountaineers scored all four of their runs in the third and fourth innings. Right fielder Jason Rook blasted a three-run homer to left in the third and first baseman David Towarnicky registered an RBI groundout in the fourth to account for the scoring.
The win was the first for Appalachian (8-7) in six all-time meetings versus Auburn (11-5) and snapped an eight-game losing streak to Southeastern Conference opponents, a skid which dated back to a win over Kentucky on the opening weekend of the 2001 campaign. The Tigers’ only other losses of the season have come at the hands of No. 3 Florida State.
Edens earned the win for ASU to move to 2-1 on the season. Auburn’s Taylor Thompson suffered the loss to fall to 1-2.
The Mountineers remain in Alabama for a three-game weekend series at Jacksonville State (6-8). The set begins Friday at 3 p.m. CDT (4 p.m. CDT) and concludes Saturday with a doubleheader slated for noon CDT (1 p.m. EDT) at JSU’s Rudy Abbot Field.
FURMAN 8, UNC-ASHEVILLE 7
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Campbell Lewis delivered a lead off, walk-off home run in the bottom on the ninth inning to power Furman to an 8-7 comeback win over UNC-Asheville in baseball action Tuesday night at Furman Stadium.
After falling behind 7-0 after two innings, Furman battled back and tied the game in the eighth before Lewis led off the ninth with a blast off UNC-Asheville’s Ben Buchanan over the right field fence to complete the comeback. It was the first career home run for the junior right fielder from Atlanta, Ga., who went 2-for-5 and scored a pair of runs.
The victory improves Furman to 8-4 on the season while UNC-Asheville falls to 6-9.
Furman found trouble from the outset as UNC-Asheville belted around Paladin starting pitcher J.P. Goldsberry for seven runs on five hits in just 1 1/3 innings. He exited in the second with the Paladins trailing 5-0, and by the time the inning ended the Bulldogs owned a 7-0 advantage
From that point Furman started chipping away, scoring four runs in its half of the second when UNC-Asheville starting pitcher Carso Mclean surrendered a pair of one out singles and three straight walks. He was relieved by Dillon Waters, who promptly walked Marcus Rose to force in another run before yielding an RBI single to Connor Lind, whose grounder caromed off first base, allowing Matt Hemingway to score.
The Paladins’ comeback was fueled by excellent work by the bullpen, which allowed no runs and only three hits over the final seven innings.
Freshman Jay Friedman was superb after coming on the second in relief of Goldsberry. The Paladin right-hander kept the Bulldogs’ bats at bay over five innings, surrendering just three hits and one walk while striking out four. Barry Benton tossed two innings of shutout ball, and Nick Karow (1-0) came on to record the final two outs in the ninth and pick up the victory.
Buchanan (0-3) absorbed the loss for UNC-Asheville.
Connor Lind went 4-for-5 and drove in three runs. His RBI single in the fourth made it a 7-5 game, and an inning later Reese Wade doubled down the left field line and came around to score on pinch hitter Ryan Lee’s double to right field that pulled the Paladins within a run.
Furman tied the game in the eighth on Lind’s fourth hit of the game, a single up the middle that plated Joey Rodgers.
Furman, which out-hit UNC-Asheville 12-9, got a 3-for-4 performance from Wade that included a pair of doubles.
Kevin Mattison, Beau Zinman, and Catlin Carter each tallied two hits to lead the Bulldog attack.
Furman returns to action on Friday when it opens a four-game weekend homestand against High Point. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN 17, USC UPSTATE 8
STATESBORO, GA. ? Brian Pierce (Roswell/Roswell) record a career-high four hits for the second straight game as Georgia Southern defeated USC Upstate 17-8 Wednesday (March 12) at J.I. Clements Stadium. The Eagles (8-6 overall) won for the seventh time in the last nine games.
Pierce finished the game 4-for-4 with a career-high six RBI. In the two-game sweep, Pierce was 8-for-8 with two runs and six RBI. The junior shortstop’s batting average has jumped from .200 to .404 over the past eight days. His eight consecutive base hits are the most since Chris Shehan (Strasburg, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) had seven consecutive during the 2006 season.
The Spartans (5-10) struck first. With one down USCU got back-to-back singles then Phillip Morgan lined a double to centerfield. A.J. Clark scored on the play but Matt Miller’s (Canton/Woodstock) throw to Pierce then relay to catcher Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) nailed Andrew Runion at the plate. Starter Charlie Strohecker (Alpharetta/Milton) got a groundout to get out of the inning.
Much like the previous night’s game when they scored six runs without recording an out in the seventh inning, the Eagles accomplished the same feat in the first inning.
Leadoff hitter Miller worked the count full during his first at-bat, but fouled a pitch off his leg and had to leave. Jonathan King (Athens, TN/McMinn County) entered as a pinch-hitter and walked. Phillip Porter (Marietta/Sprayberry) hit his first home run of the year for a 2-0 lead. Shehan singled, stole second and scored on Kyle Blackburn’s (Marietta/Walton) single.
A.J. Wirnsberger (Tuscaloosa, AL/Paul Bear Bryant) and Jeremiah Parker (Carrollton/Carrollton) walked to load the bases. Benedict walked to bring home another run and chase starter Robert Stegbauer. Pierce lined a 2-run single as the first eight batters reached safely. Two batters later King added a sacrifice fly to cap the 7-run frame.
The Eagles added four more runs in the second. Parker hit a RBI single, Pierce added a 2-run single then King hit another sac fly for an 11-1 lead.
Ty Wright (Montrose/West Laurens) hit a 2-run homer in the third, a shot that easily cleared the scoreboard in left field. It was his first career home run as an Eagle. The Spartans scored twice in the fourth then hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth, making it 13-6.
GS plated four more runs in the sixth to put the game away. Shehan singled and eventually scored on a throwing error by pitcher Brian Dempsey. Pierce recorded his eighth straight base hit, a 2-run single, then pinch hitter Kevin Bowles (Statesboro/Statesboro) hit a sacrifice fly ? his second career RBI.
USC Upstate scored a run in the eighth and ninth inning for the final margin. Georgia Southern held a 14-11 edge in hits and also took advantage of three errors and 12 walks issued by the Spartans.
Shehan also finished 4-for-4 while matching his career-high of four runs scored. Wright finished the game with two hits, two runs and two RBI. Wirnsberger and Parker scored three runs each (both matching a personal-high) and Benedict scored twice.
Strohecker (1-0), on a pitch count, picked up his first win of the year allowing one run on three hits in three innings. Tony Chisman (Conyers/Salem), one of five pitchers on the day for the Eagles, threw two scoreless innings.
Stegbauer (0-2) was charged for seven runs on three hits and four walks, all without recording an out. Runion had three hits, two runs scored, two RBI and pitched two scoreless innings.
Georgia Southern begins a four-game homestand against Columbia, starting Friday night (March 14). First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 17, WINTHROP 6
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Michael Kohn belted his seventh homer of the season and drove in four runs and freshman righty Casey Lucchese pitched seven strong innings leading the College of Charleston to a 17-6 win over Winthrop in college baseball action before 699 at Winthrop Ballpark on Wednesday.
Charleston, which opens a four-game series with Indiana State at 5 p.m. on Friday, improved to 11-4 on the season. The Eagles fell to 3-10.
Billy Froehlich's run-producing grounder and John Murrian's two-out RBI single staked Winthrop to a 2-0 first inning advantage.
The Cougars scored seven times in the second inning to take a 7-2 lead. Kohn had a two-run homer to left that tied the game at 2-all. Kohn's two-out, two-run single to left scored Mike Hentz and Gabe Marchant to cap the inning.
Mike Hentz's sacrifice fly to right in the third inning scored Stuart Haywood and stretched Charleston's lead to 8-2. The Eagles got a two-out RBI single from Froehlich in the fifth that cut Charleston's lead to 8-3. Lucchese worked out of the fifth inning jam when he got Eddie Rohan to ground out to third with the bases loaded.
The Cougars added eight runs in the seventh inning. Austin Morgan had a two-run double, Marchant a two-run triple, Brandon Sizemore added an RBI double and Jeremie Tice capped the frame with a three-run double for a 17-3 Charleston lead.
Froehlich, who finished 2-for-5 with three RBI, added a solo homer in the eighth.
Lucchese (2-0) picked up the win allowing three runs on six hits with two strikeouts. Dave Carbonell (0-2) suffered the loss surrendering seven runs on three hits over the first 1 1/3 innings.
ELON 5, CAMPBELL 1
BUIES CREEK, N.C. ? The Elon Phoenix overcame a sluggish start to pick up a 5-1 non-conference baseball victory over the Campbell Fighting Camels from Taylor Field on Wednesday night. The Phoenix, which has scored at least five runs in all 16 contests this season, improved to 15-1 on the year and carried a shutout into the ninth inning. Campbell dropped to 6-7 on the season and stranded 11 runners, including nine in scoring position.
Elon claimed the lead in the top of the third when Cory Harrilchak laced a one-out double down the line in right and came around to score on a Chris Dove single to left.
Brian Gana led off the bottom of the fourth with a single and moved to second when Mike Causey walked. Both runners moved up a bag on a Bryan Braswell sacrifice bunt. John Watlington tried to reach on another bunt, but was gunned down at first and the Camels did not score on the play. J.D. Reichenbach induced a ground ball to short by Graham Fronk for the third out of the inning, ending the Campbell threat.
Neal Pritchard started the Elon fifth with a double to right, went to third on a fly out and scored on a wild pitch to push the Phoenix lead to 2-0.
With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Ellis Lowe was safe on an infield single. Lowe advanced to second on a walk to Ryan Hamme. The runners moved to second and third on a sac bunt from Brandon Scott. With two away, Gana was fanned by relief pitcher Ken Ferrer.
Elon got its first two men on in the top of the sixth with a Pat Irvine single and a walk to Bennett Davis. Reliever Carlton Floyd then fanned the next two Phoenix hitters. Pritchard delivered a 3-1 pitch to center, plating Irvine with the third Phoenix run of the night. Lobaz drew a walk to load the bases up for Harrilchak. The count went full to Harrilchak who fought off two pitches before drawing a walk to force in Davis. Trevor Smith came on and got Dove to fly out to center and Elon left the bases loaded.
Davis added to Elon’s run total with two outs in the seventh by launching a 3-2 pitch into the night over the left-centerfield wall for his team-leading fifth homer of the season.
Campbell made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth. Pinch-hitter Andrew Caron reached on Elon’s second error of the night before Graham Fronk put a single down the line in left and moved to second on the throw to third base. Daniel Britt punched out Zach Johnson for out number one. Lowe lifted a sac fly to center to end the shutout as pinch-runner Matt Gardner scored an unearned run.
Ferrer (3-0) picked up the victory in relief. The freshman threw 3.2 scoreless innings, striking out six and giving up just one hit. Reichenbach lasted 4.1 innings and walked four and allowed four hits.
Josh Fish (0-2) took the loss by giving up three runs on five hits in 5.0 innings of action.
Pritchard and Dove tallied three hits apiece to pace the Phoenix’s offensive attack. Elon had 10 hits on the night, marking the third consecutive game with at least 10 hits for the squad.
All six of Campbell’s hits were singles and came from different people. The Fighting Camels have now gone three consecutive games without an extra-base hit.
The Phoenix returns to Latham Park this weekend to begin Southern Conference play. The Citadel Bulldogs come to town in a three-game series that will begin at 4 p.m. on Friday afternoon.
THE CITADEL 4, INDIANA STATE 3
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? The Citadel gave up four runs in the first two innings and could not complete a rally late in the game as the Bulldogs dropped a 4-3 decision to Indiana State in front of 540 at Riley Park Wednesday night. Kyle Jordan led the Bulldogs offensively, going 3-for-4 and driving in two of The Citadel’s three runs.
Chris McGuiness (0-1) was credited with the loss after allowing the Sycamores to score four runs on five hits in 2.0 innings of work. McGuiness walked three and struck out three as he faced 11 batters.
Brett Bull came on in relief of McGuiness and tossed a career-long 6.0 innings while striking out a career-high five. Bull did not allow a single Sycamore batter to reach base in his final three innings of work.
Nathan Inman (1-1) earned his first win of the year after throwing 2.1 innings and only allowing one hit during his time on the mound for Indiana State (2-8). Inman was one of six Sycamore pitchers to take the mound in the game. Chad Dawson (1) earned the save despite allowing Jordan to get into scoring position in the ninth. Dawson entered the game with a 27.00 ERA to his credit.
ISU scored in the top of the first as Brian Oliver hit a two-out, two-on single to right center, scoring Chris Schmidt from second and sending Brady Shoemaker to third. Nick Ciolli followed Oliver with a double to left center, sending Shoemaker home before McGuiness would strike out Bronco Lafrenz to end the inning.
The Sycamores added two more runs in the second inning as Schmidt hit a fielder’s choice to short with the bases loaded, scoring Pascual Del Real and sending Brian Ramirez who then scored on a throwing error by Bryan Altman.
The Bulldogs cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fourth as Matt Arnold singled through the right side with one out and McGuiness on first, sending him to second. Conrad Kellahan, pinch hitting for Sid Fallaw, laid down a sacrifice bunt to the mound to send Arnold to second and McGuiness to third. Arnold and McGuiness both scored as Jordan hit a hard groundball to the shortstop, making it a 4-2 ballgame in Indiana State’s favor. Jordan was then thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning.
The Citadel tacked on another run in the bottom of the seventh as Arnold walked on four straight pitches before Matt Reifsnider singled up the middle, sending Arnold to second. Jordan safely reached base after laying down a bunt down the first base line and no Sycamore infielder covered first when first baseman David Brumagin charged in to field the ball.
After Indiana State brought in Josh Varno to pitch, Brian Shubsda grounded into a double play to short but scored Arnold from third. Chris Swauger flied out to left to end the inning and end his streak of 13 consecutive plate appearances where he safely reached base. Swauger also grounded out to the mound in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and one aboard to end the game.
The Citadel opens up Southern Conference play on Friday, kicking off a three-game series at Elon. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. All of this weekend’s action at Elon will be aired on CNN 1450AM in Charleston with Darren Goldwater calling the play-by-play. That broadcast will be simulcast worldwide on Bulldog Insider at CitadelSports.com.
VANDERBILT 11, WESTERN CAROLINA 4
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Senior Blake Murphy gave Western Carolina an early, 2-0, lead with his team-leading fifth home run of the season in the top of the first. However, No. 4 Vanderbilt answered in the home half of the inning, adding three runs in the second and two in the third en route to an 11-4 win over the Catamounts at Hawkins Field Wednesday afternoon.
Murphy led WCU (4-9) with a 2-for-4 showing with the homer and a double, driving in two of the Catamounts' four runs. Classmate Barrett Shaft posted a double to drive in his third run of the two-game series, with Nick Likes snapping a 0-for-6 start with two singles to finish 2-for-3 in the loss.
Senior Tyler Sexton had a rough outing, allowing seven earned runs in two and a third innings pitched. The left-hander scattered five base hits while striking out three, but also walked a pair and hit one batter to suffer his second loss of the season. Sophomore Chris Masters was Western's most successful reliever on the afternoon, tossing four, two-hit innings and holding the Commodores to one, unearned run.
Western Carolina returns home after its 10-game road swing for a three-game, non-conference series against Hartford. The two will play a double-header on Saturday at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium with the first pitch scheduled for 1:00 pm.
CLEMSON 6, UNC GREENSBORO 5
CLEMSON, S.C. ? UNC Greensboro held a nine-inning lead over No. 24 Clemson, but with one out away from a Spartan victory, the Tigers slipped in a left field hit and took game two, 6-5.
Unlike Tuesday’s game, the Wednesday match-up between the Spartans (8-5) and the Tigers (9-4) started out in the hands of UNCG. After two scoreless innings, a leftfield single by shortstop Matt Gaski brought catcher Adam Deleo in from second to give the Spartans their first lead ever against Clemson.
The UNCG defense kept the Tigers silent with a leftfield grab by Pedro Leon and a double play turn from Gaski to Ricky Orton at first base.
Orton opened up the fourth inning with his third right-side homerun of the season. The solo edged the Spartan lead up to 2-0.
Clemson notched its first point of the day with an unearned run to closeout inning four.
UNCG’s second homerun of the game put them ahead of CU, 4-1. Designated hitter Greg Feltes cranked homerun No. 4 over the centerfield fence to score third baseman Ray Quinones. The Spartans took the Tigers three up, three down with a putout and two strikeouts to hold onto the three-point lead going into the fifth inning.
Quinones led off the seventh inning with a double to right center. A sacrifice bunt down the leftfield line by Tim Carrier put the New York native on third base and in scoring position. Gaski tallied his second RBI of the game with hit through the right side to bring in Quinones and put the Spartans up, 5-1.
A solo homerun by Clemson in the bottom of the eighth inning cut the Spartan lead down to three. Another solo in the ninth and a two-out, three-run shot to left field gave the Tigers the 6-5 edge over the Spartans.
At the plate, UNCG was led by Matt Gaski, Ricky Orton, and Ray Quinones who all went 2-for-4. Gaski added two RBI, Orton a run and an RBI, and Quinones two runs. Three Clemson batters were 1-for-3.
The Tiger’s Matt Zoltak (2-0) after coming to the mound in the ninth. UNCG Rob Gilliam (1-3) took the UNCG loss.
The Spartans are back at home Saturday afternoon for the first game of a three-game series against Princeton. First pitch for game one is set for 1pm. Sunday’s game will start at 1pm with a 6pm start to follow on Monday.