SoCon Baseball Recaps for April 26, 2008
APPALACHIAN STATE 8, DAVIDSON 7
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University baseball jumped out to an early 7-3 lead and withstood a furious Davidson rally down the stretch to earn an 8-7 triumph on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium. Combined with Friday's 10-5 decision over Davidson, Appalachian (23-22, 7-10 SoCon) clinched its third-straight Southern Conference series victory with the win.
Davidson (10-27, 2-15 SoCon) scored single runs in the first, second and third innings, but ASU exploded for five runs of its own in the bottom of the second and added two more in the third to grab the 7-3 advantage.
The Wildcats cut the Mountaineer lead to 7-5 with a pair of runs in the sixth, but the Apps added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth to stretch the advantage back to three.
The insurance run proved to be vital, as Davidson staged a furious rally in the ninth. After a strikeout to open the inning, DC's Chris FitzPatrick walked and Sam Payne homered to right field to cut the deficit to 8-7. ASU closer Garrett Sherrill (Kannpolis, N.C./A.L. Brown) then walked three of the next four batters he faced to load the bases with two outs. However, Sherrill struck out Wildcat three-hole hitter Danny Weiss to end the ballgame. Sherrill needed 46 pitches to nail down the victory but registered his fifth save of the season nevertheless.
Like Sherrill in the final inning, the entire Mountaineer pitching staff was at its best in the clutch, as four ASU pitchers combined to strand 14 Davidson runners on base, including seven over the first three innings to go along with the three in the ninth.
Appalachian received most of its offensive production from the top and bottom of the batting order. Leadoff hitter Jason Altenhof (Santa Fe, Fla./Santa Fe) went 3-for-5 with three RBI, all coming on a three- run homer in the five-run second, and nine-hole hitter Rand Smith (Bolivia, N.C./South Brunswick) added a 2-for-4 effort and three RBI of his own. In all, Altenhof and Smith combined for five of ASU's eight hits and drove in six of the team's eight runs.
Starting pitcher Josh Dowdy (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) gave up 11 hits but surrendered just five runs (four earned) over six innings of work to earn his third win of the season. Davidson's Chris Kennedy walked four and was torched for six runs in two-plus innings to fall to 0-6 on the season. Control was a problem for Wildcat pitchers all afternoon, as the Mountaineers drew 10 walks in the ballgame.
Appalachian looks to complete its first three-game sweep of the season on Sunday when it hosts the weekend series finale versus Davidson. First pitch is set for noon at Smith Stadium.
ELON 5, UNC GREENSBORO 4
GREENSBORO, NC ? A two-run homerun by Elon’s Bennett Davis in the ninth pushed the Phoenix ahead of UNC Greensboro, 5-4. After holding off the Spartans in the bottom half of the inning, Elon came away with the Saturday afternoon victory and tied the weekend series at 1-1.
UNCG took an early 1-0 lead and allowed Elon to reach base just three times before the Phoenix took a 2-1 lead in the fifth. The maroon and gold nabbed one more in inning six before the Spartans tied the game at 3-3 with a two-run homer by Corey Overholtzer. A solo by Ricky Orton in the ninth gave UNCG the 4-3 lead heading into the final inning, but a dual RBI shot over the left center wall by Davis gave Elon the lead and the eventual 5-4 victory.
With the series now tied at 1-1, UNCG dropped to 26-16 overall with an 11-6 mark in the Southern Conference. Elon improved to 32-14, 14-6 in the SoCon.
Elon’s Thomas Girdwood (3-0) captured the win after coming to the mound in the eighth. He faced just four batters and struck out two of them. The Spartan’s Greg Smith (2-1) took the loss after 2.2 inning on the rubber. Smith led both teams with four strikeouts on the afternoon.
The UNCG bats were led by Corey Overholtzer 3-for-4 with dual RBI, a run, and a home run. Ricky Orton was 2-for-4 with two RBI, a run, a double, and a solo home run. Elon’s Bennett Davis went 3-for-5 with two runs, a pair of RBI, and the game-winning home run.
The Spartans jumped on the board first with a run in the home half of the opening inning. After reaching on a fielder’s choice to the shortstop, Greg Feltes was rounded home as Ricky Orton bounced a double off the centerfield wall.
After four scoreless innings, the Phoenix snatched a one-run lead. Harry Austin lifted a two out triple to the right field wall to bring in Neal Prichard and Chris Dove. The hit was Elon’s third of the game. They bumped it up by one more in the sixth with a run scored off of a left field single by Greg Annarummo.
UNCG tied the game at 3-3 in the home half of the sixth with a two-run home run. Corey Overholtzer cranked the ball over the right field wall to bring around Sean Snell from first. Two innings later, Ricky Orton parked his 11th home run of the season on Kenilworth Street and pushed UNCG ahead of Elon, 4-3.
In the top of the ninth, Donny Jobe let loose a left center three-bagger to bring the winning run to the plate. With one away and a 2-2 count, Davis connected and sent the ball out of left center. After holding off UNCG in the bottom half of the inning, Elon came away with the 5-4 victory and tied the weekend series at a game apiece.
The Spartans and the Phoenix return to UNCG Baseball Stadium tomorrow for a 1pm first pitch.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 4, THE CITADEL 1
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. -- Jesse Simpson pitched a complete-game five-hitter with 10 strikeouts, and Michael Harrington equaled the College of Charleston's school record with his 16th homer of the season leading the Cougars to a 4-1 win over The Citadel in Southern Conference baseball action before 1,043 at Patriots Point Stadium on Saturday.
With the win, Charleston improved to 29-14 overall and 12-5 in league play. The Bulldogs fell to 23-19 and 11-9. The series finale is Sunday at 1:00.
Simpson (6-2), who was making just his second start of the season after 16 relief appearances as the team's closer, surrendered one run and walked just three. Simpson, who threw 119 pitches, retired the final eight Citadel batters to end the game. Wes Wrenn (4-5) was the starter and loser for the Bulldogs surrendering four runs on 11 hits over the first 6 1/3 innings.
Harrington's RBI double in the fifth scored Clay McCord and gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead. Jeremie Tice followed with a double off the wall in left that plated Harrington for a 2-0 Cougar advantage. Tice became just the seventh player in school history to record at least 60 RBI in a season.
Stuart Haywood's RBI double in the sixth gave the Cougars a 3-1 lead. Harrington's solo homer to right in the seventh closed out the scoring. Harrington ties Brett Anderson's home run mark that was established in 2004.
Harrington's 30 career homers ranks third on the school's all-time career list. Anderson (2002-05) and Chris Campbell (2004-07) belted 36 career homers.
FURMAN 13, WESTERN CAROLINA 4
CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- A day after beating Western Carolina with his arm, Furman’s Jay Jackson clubbed the Catamounts with his bat, going 3-for-5 with a three-run home run and four RBI in a 13-4 Paladin triumph Saturday in game two of the three-game Southern Conference series at Hennon Stadium.
On Friday Jackson recorded a career high 11 strikeouts over eight innings in a 4-2 victory, and Saturday evening the junior pitcher/outfielder delivered a three-run home run in the first inning to stake Furman to a 6-0 lead that it never relinquished. He later doubled and finished off his performance with an RBI single in a six-run eighth inning as Furman (25-15, 11-6 SoCon) blew the game open on the way to its ninth straight league victory and fourth triumph in the its last five games against Western Carolina (19-23, 7-10 SoCon) in Cullowhee.
Furman’s nine-game SoCon winning streak is the longest in-season winning streak in school history and just a game shy of the 10-game run the Paladins posted over the final three games of the 2005 campaign and seven consecutive league wins to start the 2006 season.
In taking the series’ first two games Furman, which was picked ninth a preseason poll by SoCon head coaches, also climbed into third place in the league standings
Solid pitching by senior starter Mason Smith (4-3) and an offense that racked up 17 hits against Catamount pitching helped Furman overcome five errors. Heading into the contest the Paladins had reeled off a string of five straight errorless games.
Smith worked 6 1/3 innings, allowing six hits and four runs, though only one was earned, with one walk and two strikeouts.
In addition to Jackson’s big offensive night, Bobby Hubbard and Ryan Lee both had two hits, scored two runs, and tallied a pair of RBI. Marcus Rose, Matt Hemingway, and Reese Wade also collected two hits apiece for the Paladins.
Jackson’s three-run home run in the first inning helped give Furman a 6-0 lead and chase Western Carolina starting and losing pitcher Drew Saberhagen (3-5).
A pair of Furman errors led to two runs for Western Carolina in the bottom of the first, and the Catamounts used another Paladin misuce to plate a run in the third to cut the lead to 6-3.
After Dylan de Graaf stole home in the fourth to make it a 6-4 game, Furman answered with a Joey Rodgers sacrifice fly for a 7-4 advantage.
It remained a three-run game until the eighth when the Paladins sent 10 men to the plate and tallied six runs on five hits. Hubbard’s two-run double and Lee’s two-run single proved to be the big blows, and Jackson’s single up the middle capped the frame for Furman.
Spencer Hale and J.P. Goldsberry combined to work a scoreless eighth and ninth for the Paladins.
Sunday’s series finale has been moved up to noon due to a threat of inclement weather.
WOFFORD-GEORGIA SOUTHERN GAME RAINED OUT
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Wofford College baseball game against Georgia Southern which was scheduled for 4:00 pm on Saturday afternoon has been rained out. The game will be played on Sunday beginning at noon as part of a doubleheader.
The game was moments away from the first pitch when the umpires called for a rain delay at 4:07 pm and the tarp was pulled. Several thunderstorm cells moved through the area over the next two hours. With rain continuing at 7:00 pm, the decision was made to call the game and play a doubleheader on Sunday.