SoCon Baseball Recaps for March 18, 2008
APPALACHIAN STATE 22, WAKE FOREST 6
BOONE, N.C. - On the strength of a school-record 27 hits, Appalachian State University baseball completed a season sweep of local-rival Wake Forest with a resounding 22-6 victory in Tuesday's home opener at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
Thirteen different players banged out hits for Appalachian (11-8), which completed its first season sweep of Wake Forest since 1996. When ASU defeated Wake, 18-8, on Feb. 27 in Winston Salem, its 18 runs were the most ever scored against an Atlantic Coast Conference foe. However, Appalachian well surpassed that mark on Tuesday en route to outscoring WFU by a combined 40-14 in two matchups this season.
Jason Altenhof (Santa Fe, Fla./Santa Fe) led the onslaught and extended his ASU season-long hitting streak to 11 games with a 5-for-6, five-run performance. Jason Rook (Greensboro, N.C./Western Guilford) added a 4-for-4, four-RBI, four-run effort and Wes Hobson (Winston-Salem, N.C./North Forsyth) and Andrew Franco (Niceville, Fla./Niceville) chipped three hits apiece. Franco, Isaac Harrow (Hickory, N.C./Hickory), Jason Wallace (Greensboro, N.C./Ragsdale) and Adam Beasley (Hendersonville, N.C./Hendersonville) all homered for the Mountaineers, who had hit just 11 home runs as a team through 18 games coming in.
Despite the record-breaking offensive performance, the key to the game was the pitching performance turned in by Appalachian's bullpen trio of Nick Terry (Senola, Ga./Starr's Mill), Adam Mills (Asheboro, N.C./Southwest Randolph) and Garrett Sherrill (Kannapolis, N.C./A.L. Brown).
ASU was clinging to a 6-5 lead in the fourth inning when Terry entered the game in relief of starter Aubrey Edens (Greenville, N.C./D.L. Conley). The southpaw put an end to the see-saw battle by limiting Wake to just one run on three hits over 3.2 innings of work and earned the win to move to 2-0 on the campaign.
Mills tossed 1.1 innings of hitless relief to up his string of consecutive scoreless innings to 16.1 and Sherrill registered a scoreless ninth to close out the Mountaineers' third win in their last four meetings with the Demon Deacons.
After losing 44 of their previous 45 matchups versus ACC competition coming into the 2008 season, the Apps have taken 3-of-5 games from the baseball-rich ACC so far this year. They have one remaining game against a member of the ACC during the regular season, April 2 at No. 3 North Carolina.
Appalachian continues a six-game homestand this weekend when it hosts UNC Greensboro in the first SoCon series of the year for both squads. The three-game set begins on Friday at 5 p.m. at Smith Stadium.
DAVIDSON 3, COLUMBIA 2
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Davidson's Jay Honeycutt slid by the tag of Columbia catcher Dean Forthun in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Wildcats to a 3-2 baseball victory over the Lions Tuesday night at Wilson Field.
With the score tied in Davidson's last at-bat, Honeycutt led off the inning with a double down the right-field line. Danny Weiss moved Honeycutt to third with a sac bunt, and he scored on Tommy Piacenza grounder to first base.
Hugh Eden and Chris FitzPatrick led the Davidson offense with two hits apiece. Henry Perkins was 2-for-3 to lead the Lions.
The Wildcats got on the board first when Sam Payne stroked a two-out double, and Eden followed with an RBI single in the third inning.
Mike Roberts led off the fifth inning with a solo home run as Columbia tied the game. The Lions moved ahead in the sixth when Jason Banos drew a one-out walk and scored on a Roberts sacrifice fly.
Brett Shore tied the game in the bottom of the inning for Davidson by scoring on an error after reaching on a one-out double.
Mike Frongello picked up the victory on the mound, throwing a scoreless inning of relief. Davidson used six pitchers in the game.
The Wildcats and Lions will meet again Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Wilson Field.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN 17, MERCER 3
MACON, GA. ? Georgia Southern scored early and often against Mercer, jumping out to a nine-run lead then defeating the Bears 17-3 Tuesday night (March 18). That game for the Eagles (11-8 overall) was the 10th in a 10-day span.
The Eagles capitalized an error on what could have been a double play ball to break loose in the second. Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) and Will Southwell (Moultrie/Colquitt County) singled to start then A.J. Wirnsberger (Tuscaloosa, AL/Paul Bear Bryant) was hit by a pitch to load the bases. David Richardson (Dahlonega/Lumpkin County) hit a grounder up the middle. Shortstop Billy Shaughnessy let the ball go under his glove which brought home two runs.
Brian Pierce (Roswell/Roswell) singled home a run, Ty Wright (Montrose/West Laurens) delivered a RBI single then Phillip Porter (Marietta/Sprayberry) had a RBI groundout. Chris Shehan (Strasburg, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) ripped a 2-run single up the middle that forced Mercer starting pitcher Scott Patterson to hit the deck and give the Eagles a 7-0 lead.
Richardson hit his third home run in as many games played, a 2-run shot as the Eagles went ahead 9-0 in the third inning. Another Mercer error, this time by catcher Casey Stuart, led to three more runs during the seventh inning. Wright brought home two of those three runs on a 2-run double down the left field line.
Stuart hit a solo home run with one down in the seventh to wreck the shutout.
Richardson added to his career-high RBI total with a 2-run double with two outs in the ninth. The senior outfielder finished with a season-high three hits (two doubles, one home run) in six at-bats. He drove in a career-high five runs and scored three times.
The Eagles out-hit Mercer 20-10 as six different players had at least two hits. Wright and Benedict had three hits apiece along with Richardson.
Kyle Kamppi (Savannah/Benedictine Academy) made his first start of his Georgia Southern career and pitched a career-best four shutout innings. Kamppi (2-1) walked one and struck out two while scattering three hits.
Tony Chisman (Conyers/Salem) pitched two scoreless innings. A.J. Gilbert (Marietta/Kell) struck out two batters in a scoreless inning of work.
Patterson (0-1) gave up seven runs on seven hits in 1.1 innings. Matt Crawford and John Moreland had two hits apiece.
The Eagles begin their Southern Conference schedule this weekend, playing host to defending co-champion Western Carolina. First pitch on Friday (March 21) is scheduled for 7 p.m. at J.I. Clements Stadium.
THE CITADEL 5, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 3
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? Matt Simonelli made a diving catch running in from center field as Charleston Southern had two runners on base to record the final out in the ninth as The Citadel preserved a 5-3 victory over Charleston Southern Tuesday night in front of 937 at Riley Park. Simonelli’s catch helped Matt Reifsnider earn his fourth save of the season.
The Citadel (12-6, 1-2 Southern) scored five runs on eight hits and only left five runners on base. Charleston Southern (6-12, 0-0 Big South) scored three runs on 15 hits, left 15 on base and committed three errors.
“Tonight was a rival game and it is never over until it’s over,” said The Citadel head coach Fred Jordan. “Jason [Murray] is doing a great job. They’ve got a good team.”
Timmy Martin (2-0) recorded his second win after replacing Brett Bull. Martin pitched 1.2 innings and gave up only three hits and no runs, striking out one. Five pitchers took the mound in the game for The Citadel striking out a total of 10 Buccaneer batters. Reifsnider (4) earned his fourth save after pitching 2.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits and striking out three.
Matt Talley pitched one inning for The Citadel, allowing one hit and striking out three while Bull, in his first career start, allowed two runs on six hits, walking two and striking out two in 3.0 innings pitched. Chris Boyce took the mound following Martin, throwing for 1.1 innings and allowing three hits, fanning one.
“I was pleased with our bullpen tonight,” said Jordan. “Our pitchers threw strikes and Matt Talley looked nice on the mound. We are throwing strikes but we are still making poor pitching decisions in positive count situations. We just need to keep getting better.”
Anthony Markham (2-3) took the loss for Charleston Southern after pitching 6.1 innings, allowing five runs ? four earned ? on seven hits and striking out four.
CSU took the early lead after scoring two runs in the top of the second. Tom Burkett led off the inning with a home run to right field, giving the Bucs a 1-0 advantage. Following two quick outs, Taylor Black doubled to right field and immediately scored on a Mark Perry full count RBI single to center.
The Citadel came back in the bottom of the fourth as Sonny Meade led off with a single to right field. After Richard Jones struck out, Chris McGuiness singled through the left side to send Meade to second. Bryan Altman sent Meade across the plate with an RBI double to left field, sending McGuiness to third. Matt Arnold then hit an RBI single to left center, scoring McGuiness and sending Altman to third. Altman then scored on a Sid Fallaw ground out to short. Kyle Jordan ended the inning with a two-out groundout to third base.
The Citadel added another run in the fifth as Chris Swauger, who got on base with a one out double to right, scored as Black’s throw to first to get Meade out went wide of the first baseman.
Swauger knocked in the Bulldogs’ final run of the game with an RBI single through the right side, scoring Jordan who reached base after being hit by a pitch.
CSU threatened in the ninth, scoring one as pinch hitter Michael Obuchowski hit an RBI single to center field. With two outs and runners on first and second, Black hit a fly ball to shallow center field that a diving Simonelli caught to end the game.
SOUTH CAROLINA 13, COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 1
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - James Darnell belted three homers and Nick Godwin pitched eight strong innings as No. 8 South Carolina beat the College of Charleston, 13-1, in college baseball action before 2,011 at Patriots Point Stadium on Tuesday.
With the win, the Gamecocks improved to 12-5 overall. The Cougars fell to 13-7. Charleston opens a three-game series at Southern Conference foe Davidson at 7:00 on Friday.
Darnell, who finished 5-for-6 with three runs scored and five RBI, hit a one-out solo homer to left center in the sixth inning, a two-run shot to right center in the eighth and a two-run homer to right in the ninth that capped the scoring.
South Carolina's Kyle Enders added a solo homer to left center in the sixth, and Reese Havens belted a two-run shot off the left field foul pole in the seventh inning.
Godwin (2-2) allowed only one run on just two hits with six strikeouts. Freshman Casey Lucchese (2-1) suffered the loss surrendering six runs over 5 1/3 innings.
WOFFORD 6, RIDER 4
RIDER 5, WOFFORD 4
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Wofford College baseball team split a Tuesday doubleheader with Rider at Russell C. King Field. Wofford won the first game 6-4, but Rider won the second game 5-4.
Wofford is now 14-5 on the season, while Rider is 7-6. The Terriers were led by Jake Williams with two home runs in the first game. Stereling Dye was 3-of-4 in the second game. Wofford left eleven runners on base in the second game. The Terrier pitching staff combined for ten strikeouts on the day.
In the first game, the Terriers got on the scoreboard early when Mo Seay hit a double in the bottom of the first to score Michael Gilmartin. A single by Neil Robinette scored Shane Kirkley and a ground out by Ryan Toniolo scored Mo Seay for a 3-0 lead.
After two scoreless innings, the Brocs scored two runs in the top of the fourth when David Hayes hit a double to bring in runners from second and third. The Terriers answered when Jake Williams hit a two run shot over the left field wall for a 5-2 lead.
The Terriers tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Jake Williams hit his second home run of the game for a 6-2 lead. In the top of the seventh, the Brocs got back in the game with a double from James Hayes to score a run, then Steve Galella hit a single to score a run and make it a 6-4 game. With two on and the go-ahead run at the plate, Michael Gilmartin came in to close the game. On one pitch, he forced Sean Olson to ground into a double play to end the game and save the 6-4 win.
For Wofford, Pete Noordsy, Reid McElveen and Chip Hunt each went two innings. Chip Hunt led the group with three strikeouts. Dan Sasso pitched 4.0 innings and had one strikeout for Rider.
In game two, Rider struck first with a double by Sean Olson which scored Steve Galella. A sacrifice fly by Maurice Williams added a run to take a 2-0 lead in the third inning.
Wofford was held in check until the bottom of the fifth inning, when a single by Shane Kirkley scored Jake Williams from third base. In the top of the sixth, John Ralston hit a two-run homer to give the Brocs a 4-1 lead. The Terriers answered in the bottom of the sixth when Jake Williams grounded out to score Josh McKinney. Sterling Dye then reached first on an error, which also scored Emre Caglayan. A double by Michael Gilmartin allowed Dye to score from second and the game was tied at 4-4 at the end of six.
To open the seventh inning, James Hayes doubled for the Broncs and advanced to third on a sacrifice fly. Mason Heyne reached first on a fielder’s choice that scored Hayes for a 5-4 lead. For Wofford in the seventh and with two outs, Kyle Behrendt hit a single and then Neil Robinette walked. With two on, Jake Williams hit a fly ball which was caught for the final out of the game.
Jordan Mickleberry went 5.0 innings for the Terriers and notched three strikeouts, while Drew Sheridan pitched an inning with two strikeouts. For the Brocs, Derek Caldwell went 4.1 innings and had three strikeouts, while closer James Hayes had three strikeouts in 1.1 innings.
Due to the threat of inclement weather on Wednesday, both scheduled games against Rider were played on Tuesday night.
The Terriers will open Southern Conference play on Friday at 7:00 pm, the first of a three-game series with Elon. Two nine inning games will be played on Saturday beginning at 1:00 pm to complete the series.
GEORGIA 8, WESTERN CAROLINA 3
ATHENS, Ga. - Western Carolina could not overcome a seven-run bottom of the fourth inning as the Georgia Bulldogs erased the Catamounts' early 2-0 lead en route to an 8-3 non-conference win Tuesday afternoon at Foley Field.
The Catamounts broke open a scoreless game in the top of the second inning as sophomore Tyler Kirkpatrick laced a two-out single up the middle to plate freshman Ryan Mathews and sophomore Dylan de Graaf for the early, 2-0, advantage.
Western starter Drew Saberhagen, who was pitching on a strict schedule, worked a no-hitter through the first three innings, pitching around two walks.
However, after Saberhagen was lifted, the Bulldogs pounced in the home portion of the fourth against freshman reliever Matt Benedict. Following a lead-off walk, UGA junior Gordon Beckham homered over the fence in left field to knot the game at two. The Bulldogs would take the lead for good when senior Matt Olson doubled to score Rich Poythress for a 3-2 advantage, plating seven runs in the frame.
WCU trimmed the deficit back to four runs, 7-3, in the fifth when Brent Greer singled off the glove of Bulldog third baseman, Ryan Peisel to score freshman Matt Johns, who drew a game-high tying three walks in the loss. Yet, Georgia answered with a solo run in the bottom of the sixth to provide the final tally.
Down five entering the ninth, the Catamounts threatened as senior Barrett Shaft opened the final frame with a pinch hit single as a part of putting two on with no outs. But, Georgia closer Joshua Fields struck out the side to end the game.
Benedict - who was one of seven Catamount pitchers used by design - was saddled with his first career loss after surrendering four earned runs on two hits and a pair of walks in one-third inning of work. Freshman right-hander Brandon Johnson saw the most action out of the pen, going an inning and two-thirds hitless and scoreless with a walk and a strikeout.
Mathews and Greer were the lone two Catamounts to post multiple-hit games with Mathews posting WCU's only extra base hit of the game with a double in the second inning which sparked the early rally. The two finished 2-for-4 and 2-for-5, respectively, with Greer driving in Western's third run in the fifth.
For Georgia, Peisel finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Beckham's lone hit was the two-run homerun to left. Reliever Alex McRee earned his second victory of the season after allowing one earned run on four hits in three innings of work while fanning four.
The Catamounts out hit Georgia on the day, 8-to-6, but stranded 10 runners on base in the loss.
Western travels to Statesboro, Ga., to face the Georgia Southern Eagles this weekend in its three-game Southern Conference opening series.
EAST CAROLINA 18, ELON 3
GREENVILLE, N.C. ? Kyle Roller homered twice while driving in six runs and scoring twice as the 23rd-ranked East Carolina Pirates used two big innings, including a 10-run seventh, to run its winning streak to 13 games with an 18-3 victory over the visiting Elon Phoenix on Tuesday night. Elon failed to score five runs for just the second time this season and fell to 17-3. East Carolina upped its mark to 14-4.
The Pirates grabbed the lead with two away in the bottom of the first. With Ryan Wood on second after a walk and a stolen base, Brandon Henderson singled into left, plating Wood with the game’s first run.
In inning number two, the second walk allowed by Elon starter Cory Harrilchak also came around to score with two down. Drew Schieber’s two-out double down the leftfield line drove home Roller to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead.
Dallas Tarleton started the Elon third with a walk and moved over to third on Harry Austin’s double to right-center. After Chris Dove flew out to center on a ball that was not deep enough to allow Tarleton to tag and score, Donny Jobe put down a bunt. Tarleton got caught between third and home and was tagged out for the second out of the inning. With runners on the corners, Bennett Davis drew a walk to load the bases. Pat Irvine drew a five-pitch walk to force home Austin with the first Phoenix run of the evening. Elon would not get any more, however, as Ryan Adams grounded out to first and the Phoenix left the bases loaded.
The Phoenix evened things up when Neal Pritchard led off the top of the fourth with his third home run of the season. This shot cleared the wall down the rightfield line on a 1-0 pitch.
With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Harrison Eldridge was hit by a pitch which would start a six-run rally during which nine ECU hitters would come to the plate. After Wood walked, Stephen Batts lined a ball toward second base where Jobe made a diving attempt and knocked the ball down, but the Pirates loaded the bases. Henderson lined a single into left to drive home Eldridge and ECU went back on top, 3-2. The lead grew to 4-2 when Corey Kemp drew a 3-1 walk, forcing in Wood. Roller followed by clearing the bases with his first career grand slam which cleared the wall in center, upping the Pirate advantage to 8-2.
With Dove on second and two outs, Davis lifted a towering pop-up in the middle of the infield which dropped on the mound, scoring Dove.
The Pirates added on another 10 runs in the seventh with a two-RBI single from Dustin Harrington, a two-RBI double off the bat of Drew Schieber, a RBI single from Wood, a three-run homer from Batts and a two-run blast by Roller.
Ralph Reyes recorded his first career hit, a single to right, to start the ninth before Elon loaded the bases. With two outs, Irvine struck out and the Phoenix left the bags full.
Austin was the lone Elon player to record a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. The six hits for the Phoenix matched a season-low. Elon stranded 10 runners.
Along with Roller (2-for-3), both Batts and Schieber went 2-for-5 with three RBI. Henderson posted a 2-for-5, two-RBI outing for the Pirates.
Ken Ferrer (3-1) took his first career loss after allowing six runs on three hits in 2.1 innings of relief work. Harrilchak lasted 2.0 innings and surrendered two runs on three hits.
ECU’s Josh Ruhlman (2-1) earned the victory after hurling 2.2 innings in relief of Sthil Sowers. Ruhlman gave up one unearned run on one hit in 2.2 innings. Soweres walked six and allowed two runs on three hits in 4.2 innings.
Elon is scheduled to host Wake Forest on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at Latham Park.