SoCon Baseball Recaps for March 22, 2008
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 13, DAVIDSON 4
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Michael Harrington belted a pair of homers and drove in five runs and Joash Brodin added a homer and four hits pacing the College of Charleston to a 13-4 win at Davidson in Southern Conference baseball action at Wilson Field on Saturday,
Charleston, which goes for the three-game sweep on Sunday at 1:00, improved to 15-7 overall and 2-0 in league play. Davidson fell to 7-10 and 0-2.
Harrington, who became just the second CofC player to record consecutive double figure home run totals in a season, hit a solo homer in the second to give Charleston a 1-0 lead. Harrington's 10th homer of the season was a two-run shot to right in the fifth that extended Charleston's advantage to 6-1. Former Cougar Lee Curtis hit double figure homers in 2002 and 2003.
Brodin, who scored three times and added two doubles, hit a solo homer to center in the sixth that gave Charleston a 7-1 advantage.
Davidson got a solo homer from Chase FitzPatrick and a two-out, two-run double from Chris FitzPatrick in the sixth inning that chased Charleston starter Austin Garrett and cut the Cougars' lead to 7-4.
Mike Lynn replaced Garrett and picked up his third save of the season when he blanked the Wildcats on just two hits with five strikeouts over the final 3 1/3 innings. Over his last two outings, Lynn has recorded two saves and allowed no runs with 11 strikeouts over seven innings.
Garrett (4-0) picked up the win allowing four runs on five hits with six strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings of work. Davidson's Zac Long (1-2) suffered the loss surrendering six runs on seven hits over five innings.
Gabe Marchant added two hits and two RBI and Austin Morgan enjoyed his second straight 3-for-4 outing to pace the Cougars' 18-hit attack. Davidson got two hits each from Chase FitzPatrick and Danny Weiss.
THE CITADEL 10, FURMAN 1
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? Chris Swauger went 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored and Matt Arnold went 3-for-5 with two RBI as The Citadel notched a 10-1 victory over rival Furman in front of 1,173 at Riley Park Saturday afternoon. Wes Wrenn pitched the first complete game of the season for the Bulldogs, giving up only six hits across nine innings of work.
Swauger hit back-to-back doubles as the senior moved up to third in the school’s all-time charts for doubles in a career with his 58th career double coming in the seventh inning. Swauger ripped his 57th career double to left in the sixth inning.
Arnold hit doubles in the game for the first time in his career, recording RBI doubles in both the first and the seventh innings.
Wrenn (2-2) was masterful on the mound, pitching the first complete game a Bulldog has thrown all year. Wrenn did not give up a hit in three of the first four innings and gave up only nine hits all game. The junior threw only 100 pitches and struck out six while only allowing one run. Wrenn’s complete game is only the fifth complete game tossed by a Southern Conference pitcher this season.
Wrenn did not walk a batter, extending his streak of now 29.0 innings pitched without allowing a walk. Wrenn has not walked a batter since the sixth inning of The Citadel’s game against Delaware on Feb. 24.
The Citadel (13-7, 2-3 Southern) pulled even in the series as the Bulldogs scored 10 runs as they tied a season-high 14 hits in the game. The Bulldogs also recorded 14 hits against Evansville on March 8 in The Citadel Shootout, topping the Aces 13-8.
Furman (11-7, 1-1 SoCon) only scored one run on nine hits and committed one error in the game.
The Citadel’s five doubles matches the five doubles the Bulldogs recorded on Friday to tie a season-high.
The Citadel took the lead, 2-0, in the first behind back-to-back RBI hits by Richard Jones at Arnold. The Citadel is now 10-2 this season when scoring first.
Sonny Meade added a run in the fifth, scoring on a wild pitch by Paladin starter Mason Smith.
The Citadel’s five run seventh inning put the game out of reach for Furman, giving the Bulldogs the 10-1 advantage.
Smith (2-1) took the loss for the Paladins after giving up four runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings pitched. Furman sent four pitchers to the mound Saturday with all four giving up at least one run. Smith and Jay Friedman both gave up four runs while Barry Benton and Kevin Gaid allowed one run apiece.
The Citadel and Furman will square off in the rubber game on Sunday, March 23 at 1 p.m. at Riley Park.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN 13, WESTERN CAROLINA 12
STATESBORO, GA. ? Chris Shehan (Strasburg, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) recorded a career-high seven RBI, four coming off a grand slam in the fourth inning, as Georgia Southern held off Western Carolina 13-12 Saturday afternoon (March 22) at J.I. Clements Stadium. The Eagles (13-8 overall, 2-0 SoCon) won their fourth straight but had to rally from an early deficit to do so.
Andy Moye (Alpharetta/Alpharetta) quickly recorded the first two outs of the first inning. The redshirt-freshman walked Blake Murphy, who eventually scored on J.C. Lyons’ RBI single. Ryan Matthews lined a 2-run homer to spot the Catamounts a 3-0 lead.
Western used an error and more two-out hitting to score twice in the second inning. The Eagles got on the scoreboard in their half of the second on a two-out hit. David Richardson (Dahlonega/Lumpkin County) homered for the fifth straight game, a solo shot to cut the deficit to 5-1.
Ty Wright (Montrose/West Laurens) hit a one-out double in the third. Phillip Porter (Marietta/Sprayberry) dropped a single into centerfield, putting runners on the corners and in the process extended his hitting streak to 15 games. Shehan brought home a run on a groundout to make it 5-2.
Nick Liles lined a RBI double down the left field line in the fourth to make it a four-run game, but more clutch two-out hitting by GS turned the tables.
Jeremiah Parker (Carrollton/Carrollton) was hit by a pitch to start the fourth. A. J. Wirnsberger (Tuscaloosa, AL/Paul Bear Bryant) hit a grounder back to pitcher Drew Saberhagen. He tried turning a double play but second baseman Mitchell Hatley wasn’t on the bag so Western had to settle for a 1-4-3 putout for the first out of the inning.
Richardson lined a RBI double. After a groundout, Jeremy Beckham (Griffin/Griffin) was hit by a pitch. Wright delivered a RBI single then Porter followed with a single to load the bases. Shehan then hit his team-leading ninth home run, also his first grand slam of the season and second of his career. Benedict singled up the middle then Parker hammered a shot to right field, his second round-tripper this year gave the Eagles a 10-6 lead.
The Catamounts got two runs back in the fifth on Dylan de Graaf’s 2-run homer down the left field line. GS got those two back in its half. With the bases loaded and two outs, Shehan lined a 3-2 pitch into right field to plate two more runs. Those two RBI accounted for his new career-high and a 12-8 lead.
Murphy hit a 2-run homer in the sixth. Brian Pierce (Roswell/Roswell) hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the frame for a 13-10 lead, which proved to be the game-winner.
Kyle Kamppi (Savannah/Benedictine Academy) hit Liles and walked Brent Greer to start the eighth. The junior right-hander struck out Murphy for the first out. On an attempted double steal, Benedict nailed Greer down at second base, then Kamppi retired Lyons on a groundout to end the threat.
“The strikeout and then the caught stealing were big plays. If Griffin (Benedict) doesn’t throw out that runner that puts two runners in scoring position with one out,” said Kamppi. “When we fell behind early Coach (Hennon) told the hitters to stick with our approach at the plate. If we do then the runs will come.”
Western threatened in the ninth. Mathews hit a leadoff double but Kamppi retired the next batter on his third strikeout of the game. He walked de Graff, which prompted Hennon to bring in Blake Nation (Brooks/Starr’s Mill). Pinch-hitter Barrett Shaft lined a RBI single but then Jason Haynes hit an infield pop up for the second out. With runners at second and third Liles hit a single through the left side. It scored one but Western held the runner at third base instead of trying to tie up the game. During the next at-bat Greer hit into a fielder’s choice to end the game.
“Today is a big win for us. Western is one of our big rivals and they are usually at the top of the league, so to capture the first two in the series and have a chance to sweep is huge,” said Kamppi, who gave up two runs on one hit in three innings.
Aaron Eubanks (Moultrie/Colquitt County) earned the win in relief. The senior left-hander improved to 3-1 but was charged for five runs on six hits in 3.1 innings. Nation earned his second save.
Shehan finished 3-for-5, increasing his team-leading RBI total to 37. Richardson also had three hits, scored twice and drove in two runs. Wright scored three runs as did Parker. Porter and Wright added two hits apiece.
Saberhagen (0-3) allowed 12 runs on 11 hits in 4.2 innings. Chris Masters gave up one hit over the final three innings. Liles had three hits to lead Western (6-13, 0-2) and drove in two runs. Murphy finished with three RBI.
Relief pitcher Mike Tavernier pitched one-third of an inning but had to come out of the game when he was hit by a one-hop drive off the bat of Wirnsberger in the sixth. The game was delayed nearly 20 minutes as medical personnel attended to the junior right-hander. Tavernier, escorted by the trainers, would walk off the field on his own.
The Eagles go for the series sweep on Sunday (March 23), first pitch scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
UNC GREENSBORO 12, APPALACHIAN STATE 8
BOONE, N.C. - David Towarnicky's (New Bern, N.C./New Bern) two home runs weren't enough to
overcome UNC Greensboro's three four-run innings in Appalachian State University baseball's 12-8 loss to UNCG on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
UNC Greensboro (14-5, 2-0 SoCon) scored four times in the first, fifth and ninth innings en route to the victory. After UNCG jumped out to the early 4-0 lead, Appalachian (11-10, 0-2 SoCon) chipped away with a single run in the second, two in the third and two more in the fourth to take a 5-4 lead. However, Greensboro retook the advantage at 8-5 with its four-spot in the fifth and led the rest of the way.
The Mountaineers got back within a run at 8-7 with single tallies in the fifth and sixth innings, but the Spartans put the game out of reach with four runs in the top of the ninth off ASU closer Garrett Sherrill (Kannapolis, N.C./A.L. Brown). Brett Stewart (Niceville, Fla./Niceville) hit a leadoff pinch-hit home run in the ninth, but it was too little, too late for the Apps.
Towarnicky's first-career two homer game came courtesy of a two-run bomb that cleared the visitor's bullpen in right field in the fourth inning and a solo shot to right that led off the sixth. Jason Rook (Greensboro, N.C./Western Guilford) and David Rubinstein (Charlotte, N.C./South Mecklenburg) also homered for the Mountaineers.
UNCG's Matt Bjorkstrom tossed three nearly perfect innings in relief to earn his first win of the season. He didn't allow a hit to the first 10 batters he faced before surrendering Stewart's long ball in the ninth. Ricky Orton led the Spartans' offensively with a 3-for-4 performance that included a pair of homers and four RBI.
ASU's Nick Terry (Senola, Ga./Starr's Mill) gave up two runs on five hits in 1.2 innings of work to suffer his first loss in the Black and Gold.
Appalachian will look to salvage a game of this weekend's Southern Conference-opening series on Sunday when takes on UNCG at 1 p.m. at Smith Stadium.
ELON 12, WOFFORD 5
WOFFORD 8, ELON 7 (11 innings)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Wofford College baseball team split a conference doubleheader with Elon on Saturday afternoon at Russell C. King Field. The Phoenix took the first game 12-5, but the Terriers rebounded in the second game to win 8-7 in a dramatic eleven inning contest.
Wofford is now 15-7 on the season and 1-2 in the Southern Conference, while Elon is 19-4 and 4-2 in conference play. The Terriers were led Michael Gilmartin who was 4-of-8 in the two games. For Wofford, game one starter Ben Austin had two strikeouts and game two starter Tom Dolinak had six strikeouts. Each Wofford starter went over 100 pitches.
In game one, the Phoenix took a 4-0 lead in the first inning on the strength of doubles by Donny Jobe and Bennett Davis. In the bottom of the second, the Terriers got one run back when Kyle Behrendt had a fly ball drop in for a base hit which scored Mo Seay. However the Terriers ended the inning with three men left on base.
For Wofford in the bottom of the third, Michael Gilmartin bunted to lead off and he was driven home with a blast over the centerfield wall by Shane Kirkley for a 4-3 score. After a scoreless fourth, the Phoenix got things going again in the top of the fifth. Bennett Davis hit a single to drive in a run and Ryan Adams hit a single down the left field line to bring in two runs and take a 7-3 lead.
Elon continued to add runs to the scoreboard in the top of the sixth when Bennett Davis hit a three-run homer to take a 10-3 lead. Wofford got one run back with a solo home run by Jake Williams in the bottom of the sixth.
In the seventh for the Terriers a single by Kyle Behrendt scored one run, but two runners were left on base. The Phoenix added runs in the top of the eighth and ninth innings to take game one 12-5.
In the second game, Elon scored one run in the opening frame. The Terriers answered in the bottom of the second when Mo Seay hit a solo homer to left center. In the top of the third, the Phoenix added a run on a fly out by Cory Harrilchak to score Chris Dove and then Bennett Davis hit a home run to left center for a 4-1 lead.
After a scoreless fifth inning, Wofford was able to tie the game in the sixth. Jake Williams led off with a walk, then Sterling Dye singled. A single by Michael Gilmartin scored Williams from third. With two out, Adam Kearney walked to load the bases. Kyle Behrendt walked, which allowed Dye to score. Neil Robinette came in to pinch hit and singled to score Gilmartin and make it a 4-4 game.
The Phoenix went three-up and three-down in the seventh inning. Wofford loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but were unable to break the tie. In the top of the eighth, Bennett Davis opened with a single. With two out, Dallas Tarleton singled to score two runs. A single by Chris Dove scored another run to take a 7-5 lead.
Wofford was able to get one run back in the eighth inning when Keith Munns pinch hit and blasted a shot to left center. The Terriers allowed only one hit in the top of the ninth and went to the bottom of the frame down three runs.
With one out, Michael Gilmartin doubled to centerfield. Shane Kirkley was up next and hit a home run to right center to tie the game at 7-7. Adam Kearney added a single, but was left on base at the end of the inning.
Both teams went to extra innings for the first time this season. The Phoenix loaded the bases with one out in the top of the tenth. Donny Jobe hit a fielder’s choice, with the runner out at home. Greg Annarummo came in to pinch hit and struck out the end the inning with three runners left on base.
The Terriers went three-up and three-down in the bottom of the tenth, but the Phoenix could only get one runner on base in the top of the eleventh on a walk.
Sterling Dye opened the eleventh by being hit by a pitch. Shane Kirkley was intentionally walked and then the Terriers had two on with two out. Adam Kearney walked to load the bases. Kyle Behrendt came to the plate and the count reached 3-2 before taking ball four and walking in the winning run for Wofford.
In the second game, the Phoenix used seven pitchers while the Terriers used only two. Wofford left twelve on base, while Elon stranded twelve.
Wofford will host Presbyterian College on Tuesday, March 25 before heading to Davidson for a three-game series beginning on Friday evening