SoCon Baseball Recaps for March 17, 2008
GEORGIA SOUTHERN 22, COLUMBIA 8
STATESBORO, GA. ? Georgia Southern’s bats exploded for the second time in the series against Columbia, defeating the Lions 22-8 to conclude the four-game series at J.I. Clements Stadium.
The Eagles (10-8 overall) registered 48 runs in their two wins, 56 throughout the series on 58 hits.
Justin Davis (Pulaski/Metter) made quick work of the Lions in the first inning, throwing just six pitches. Georgia Southern used the long ball to take a 2-0 lead in the third. Ty Wright (Montrose/West Laurens) and Phillip Porter (Marietta/Sprayberry) hit back-to-back solo home runs, the third round-tripper on the season for each.
Columbia came right back to score four runs and batted around in its half of the fourth. The Lions loaded the bases again, but Davis recorded a strikeout then Jeremy Beckham (Griffin/Griffin) made a diving over-the-shoulder catch in shallow right field for the final out.
The Eagles took the lead for good in their half of the inning sending 14 batters to the plate during the 10-run fourth. Will Southwell (Moultrie/Colquitt County), making his first start of the year, hit a RBI double. Beckham added a 2-run double down the left field line. Chris Shehan (Strasburg, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg), who earlier in the day was named one of Collegiate Baseball’s ?National Players of the Week’, drew a bases loaded walk.
Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) hit a sacrifice fly then two batters later Southwell added a 2-run single. A.J. Wirnsberger (Tuscaloosa, AL/Paul Bear Bryant) hit a 3-run shot during the next at-bat.
Shehan lined a 2-run double in the fifth then Benedict followed with a RBI triple, his second career triple. Jeremiah Parker (Carrollton/Carrollton) added a RBI single to extend the lead to 16-4.
David Richardson (Dahlonega/Lumpkin County) hit another pinch-hit home run, his second such HR in as many appearances, accounting for both runs in the sixth inning.
The Eagles scored four more times in the eighth. Chris Banker (Martinez/Lakeside) lined a RBI single. Wirnsberger hit a RBI double then Jake Ware (Statesboro/Statesboro) followed with a 2-run double. Columbia scored four times in the ninth, three coming off an error with two outs, for the final margin.
“We didn’t play very well as a team yesterday (in the loss). So to come back today and get good pitching and good hitting was the all-around great effort we needed. This will certainly help us tomorrow heading into the Mercer game and I also think into this weekend against Western (Carolina),” said Southwell. “I felt great at the plate. I got some good fastball to hit and I just tried to take advantage of that. Today I was hitting in the six hole and had some great hitters all around me.”
Southwell matched his career-high of three hits (in four at-bats), three runs scored and three RBI.
Seven Eagles in all had a multi-hit game. Wirnsberger matched Southwell with three hits while scoring three times and recording four RBI.
Davis (1-1) earned his first collegiate win. He gave up four runs while limiting the Lions to four hits in six innings. He walked five and struck out three. Columbia had recorded 54 hits during the first three games of the series before Davis held them to the four over six frames.
A.J. Gilbert (Marietta/Kell) struck out the side during a scoreless eighth inning.
Dan Bracey (0-2) suffered the loss. He allowed seven runs (five earned) on seven hits in three innings. Henry Perkins had two of the Lions (2-10) six hits.
The Eagles wrap up their stretch of five games in five consecutive days, traveling to Mercer Tuesday night (March 18). First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
UNC GREENSBORO 13, PRINCETON 2
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? Freshman third baseman Ray Quinones went yard in back-to-back at-bats to lead UNC Greensboro to a 13-2 victory over the visiting Princeton Tigers on Monday evening. Not only was the St. Patrick’s Day win the fifth straight at home for UNCG, but it also gave them their second sweep of the season. The first occurred February 29-March 2 when the blue and gold swept the Connecticut Huskies at UNCG Baseball Stadium, winning 18-1, 15-6, and 1-0.
In the final of a three game series, Princeton was held to just two runs in the fourth inning while the Spartans tallied 13 runs in the span of just five innings. At the plate, the Spartans recorded a season high five doubles and three home runs. Quinones tallied two while second baseman Tim Carrier hit his first of the season.
After out scoring the Tigers 30-9 in the past three games, UNCG is now 11-5; Princeton drops to 6-4.
UNCG jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the second inning. With runners on second and third, center fielder Corey Overholtzer doubled to right field for two RBI, but was picked off just short of reaching third base. In the next at-bat, left fielder Drew Gehringer doubled to right field. With him now in scoring position, Quinones got a hold of one and sent it high over the leftfield wall for his third home run of the season.
One run in the third inning gave the Spartans the 5-0 advantage.
At the plate, UNCG was led by Ray Quinones, Pedro Leon, and Greg Feltes. Quinones was 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and his back-to-back left field home runs. Leon went 3-for-4 with two runs, one RBI, and one double. Feltes was 2-for-3 with one run, and one RBI. The Tigers were led by Jack Murphy who went 3-for-4 with a double.
UNCG starter Clay Gibson (2-0) nabbed the win after 6.0 innings on the mound. Warren Slack and Matt Bjorkstrom each tallied three strikeouts. Bjorkstrom’s came in the final inning when he took the Tigers three up, three-down from the mound. Princeton’s Christian Staehely (1-1) took the loss.
On Wednesday, the Spartans will head over to High Point for a 7pm midweek game. To days later they hit the road for a Southern Conference opener with Appalachian State. The Spartans and the Mountaineers will meet up for a Friday-Saturday-Sunday series. Game times are 1pm, 3pm, and 1pm respectively.
HARTFORD 8, WESTERN CAROLINA 7
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina rallied from a one-run deficit, surging ahead by three, 5-2, entering the seventh inning before Hartford plated six runs in the top of the frame to grab a lead it would not relinquish. The Catamounts plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth, but could not overtake the Hawks, falling in game three of the non-conference series, 8-7, at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium.
Despite the loss, which prevented a three-game sweep of the Hawks, Western Carolina did claim its eight-straight, non-conference series victory with Sunday's sweep in the double-header. Including both conference and non-conference foes, the Catamounts have also won 10-straight, three-game series overall dating back to last season.
Following Hartford's six-run seventh inning, Western (6-10) had a golden opportunity to rally in the home portion of the eighth, loading the bases with no outs. But, back-to-back strikeouts with the bases full and a lazy fly ball out to center field ended the would-be threat.
In the ninth, trailing 8-5, senior Blake Murphy delivered his lone hit of the contest with a one-out single to right center field to score sophomore Nick Liles to trim the deficit to one, 8-6. After a wild pitch moved Murphy to second, junior J.C. Lyons lifted one to right field that the Hawks' Drew Sgro slide under as it was tailing away for the second out. The next batter, sophomore Brent Greer, doubled to left field to score Murphy from third, but it was as close as WCU would get as a strikeout ended the rally and game.
All told, the Catamounts stranded 17 base runners in the loss, leaving the bases loaded three times including the scoreless eighth.
Greer led the Catamounts on the day with a 2-for-3 showing with three walks and three of Western's seven runs scored. Lyons secured the only other multiple-hit game with a 2-for-6 performance, while sophomore Dylan de Graaf blasted his first career home run, clearing the "Purple Monster" with a two-run blast in the sixth inning.
Hartford (2-3) jumped on the scoreboard first in the top of the second inning as catcher Mike Amendola made Western pay for a leadoff walk, scoring on an RBI single by Adam Bowser for the 1-0 advantage. The Catamounts answered, though, in the home portion of the frame as Greer drew a leadoff walk and was later scored from third on a sacrifice fly by senior Jason Haynes to knot the game at one.
The Hawks reclaimed the lead in the third despite having one runner gunned down at the plate. With Matt Walker aboard with a double, Amendola tripled to right field. As the lead runner, Walker was gunned down at the plate from Matt Johns and the relay from Nick Liles to Murphy. Yet, Amendola would touch home on a wild pitch to give the Hawks the 2-1 lead after three.
Western's first rally of the night came in the fifth which opened with back-to-back singles to center from Lyons and Greer. Dylan de Graaf reached on a fielder's choice while trying to lay down a sacrifice bunt, but a throwing error by Hartford starter, Ben Sobocinski, which allowed two runs to scamper home. Yet, despite the strong start to the frame, Western could not capitalize and only managed the two runs, leading 3-2.
The Catamounts added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth off the bat of de Graaf to lead 5-2 before the six-run, five-hit seventh inning pushed the game out of reach, setting up WCU's eighth and ninth inning comeback bid.
Sophomore Chris Masters was saddled with his second loss of the season, tossing three innings in relief, allowing three earned runs on five hits while striking out five. Junior Corey Martin threw two innings in relief of starter Vance Chavis, who went four innings scattering four base hits and two earned runs in his first collegiate start. Chavis also fanned four against three walks, while Martin posted one K.
For Hartford, Sobocinski went four innings in the start with reliever Kyle Perry collecting the win with four innings in relief despite giving up four earned runs on five base hits. Perry did strikeout five Catamount batters, including two in the eighth after loading the bases with no outs. Bowser led the Hawks with a 3-for-5 outing including a double and three RBI.