SoCon Baseball Recaps for April 30, 2008
ELON 7, APPALACHIAN STATE 3
ELON, N.C. ? Four home runs, including two from Dallas Tarleton, accounted for all seven Elon Phoenix runs in a 7-3 Southern Conference baseball victory over the visiting Appalachian State Mountaineers on Wednesday night from Latham Park. Elon won its third straight game to improve to 34-14 overall and 16-6 in SoCon play while Appalachian State fell to 24-23, 8-11 on the year.
The Mountaineers got three consecutive singles from Jason Altenhof, Wes Hobson and David Rubinstein to load the bases to start the game, but Cory Harrilchak retired the next three hitters with a strike out, infield fly and pop out to keep Appalachian State off the board.
With two down in the bottom of the first, Harrilchak helped his own cause by belting his sixth homer of the year over the leftfield fence. He has now reached base safely in 19 straight games. After Zach Quate walked Bennett Davis, Tarleton connected for his third bomb of the year, a two-run shot to left-center to build the Phoenix edge to 3-0.
After Neal Pritchard doubled to lead off the Elon second, Pat Irvine teed off on a Quate pitch for his second homer of the year to give the Phoenix a 5-0 lead.
The Phoenix tacked on two more when Tarleton blasted his second homer of the night. This one cleared the fence in left and allowed Davis, who had walked, to ride home.
Appalachian tried to get things going with two down in the fourth. Adam Beasley doubled down the leftfield line and moved to third when Rand Smith reached on an infield single. A walk to Altenhof loaded the bags for Hobson who flew out to center and the Mountaineers left the bases loaded for the second time in four at bats.
The Mountaineers erased the shutout in the sixth when Adam Beasley led off the frame with his fourth homer of the year. With one away, Altenhof tripled to right-center. He then scored to cut Elon’s lead to 7-2 when Hobson grounded out to second.
Chris Dove was hit by a pitch to start the Phoenix sixth and promptly swiped second, his 27th steal of the year. With one out, Donny Jobe was plunked and Harrilchak drew a walk to load the bases. Following a pitching change, Davis lifted a fly ball to right. On the play, Dove tug from third, but the throw home from David Rubinstein was perfect and the speedster was gunned down for the final out of the inning.
Jason Wallace and Beasley singled to begin the top of the eighth. With one out, a wild pitch from Jesse Lewter let both runners move up a base. Lewter then fanned Altenhof for out number two before walking Hobson on four straight pitches to load the bases. Lewter then struck out Rubinstein to end the threat.
Isaac Harrow connected for his fourth homer of the year to pull the Mountaineers within 7-3 to start the ninth.
Harrilchak (5-3) earned the win after throwing 7.0 solid innings. He scattered 14 hits and allowed two runs while walking just one and striking out three.
Quate (4-3) took the loss after giving up seven runs on six hits in 2.1 innings. Cameron Ohl and Taylor Miller combined to throw 5.2 shutout innings and give up just two hits.
Offensively, Elon was paced by Tarleton’s 2-for-2, four-RBI night and Harrilchak’s 2-for-3, one-run, one-RBI performance. Irvine also drove in two with a 1-for-3 night at the plate.
Beasley finished 3-for-4 with a run scored and one driven in to lead the Mountaineers. Altenhof, Hobson, Rubinstein, Harrow and Wallace all had two hits.
Elon and Appalachian will finish off the three-game series with a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN 17, JACKSONVILLE 7
STATESBORO, GA. ? Georgia Southern hit three consecutive home runs during the third inning, setting a program single-season record, as the Eagles defeated Jacksonville 17-7 Wednesday night (April 30) at J.I. Clements Stadium. The Eagles (26-18 overall) won their sixth straight.
GS broke the season record during a 10-run third inning. A groundout started off the frame, but from there 10 straight Eagles reached base safely (seven hits, a walk and two more base hits). David Richardson (Dahlonega/Lumpkin County) scored on a wild pitch then Brian Pierce (Roswell/Roswell) lined a RBI double. Two batters later the Eagles began to make history.
Ty Wright (Montrose/West Laurens) hammered a 3-run shot off the scoreboard in left field, his 14th this year. Phillip Porter (Marietta/Sprayberry) hit an opposite field home run, tying the program’s season home run record with 88. Then Chris Shehan (Strasburg, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) broke the mark held by Todd Greene and the rest of the 1990 College World Series squad hitting another opposite field bomb. It was numbers seven and 15, respectively, for Porter and Shehan, and the Eagles’ 89th this season. The Eagles weren’t finished yet.
After a walk and single, A.J. Wirnsberger (Tuscaloosa, AL/Paul Bear Bryant) lined a RBI double. Richardson delivered his second sacrifice fly of the game then Pierce hit a RBI single to cap the 10-run frame and 13-0 lead.
Making his first collegiate start Trent Franzago (Byron/Peach County) quickly retired the first two batters in the first but then walked the bases loaded. He worked the count full before getting a ground ball to end the Dolphins’ threat. GS quickly got on the scoreboard.
Wright drew a leadoff walk then Porter singled to advance Wright. Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) singled Wright home for a 1-0 lead. Another single by Jeremiah Parker (Carrollton/Carrollton) loaded the bases. After ball one to Wirnsberger, Jacksonville pulled starter Garrett Dunlap for reliever Steve Eagerton. Wirnsberger would eventually draw a RBI walk then Richardson lined a sacrifice fly for the third run of the first inning.
Parker delivered a RBI double in the fourth.
David Yates hit a RBI triple in the seventh then Jeremy Gillan followed with a 2-run homer for JU’s first runs of the game. The Dolphins went on to score three more runs that frame, sending 10 batters to the plate.
The Eagles added three more runs in the eighth. Chris Banker (Martinez/Lakeside) lined a 2-run single then Wirnsberger hit a RBI double down the left field line.
Pierce finished 3-for-3 with two RBI. Wirnsberger also had three hits to go with three RBI and two runs. Parker and Porter recorded three hits apiece as the Eagles out-hit JU 19-7. Porter matched a personal-high scoring four runs.
Franzago (1-1) pitched three hitless innings, walking four Dolphins but taking advantage of an inning-ending double play in the third. JU got its first hit of the game in the fourth inning off Burt Barto (Columbus/Columbus), but that would be the only one allowed by the senior right-hander in two scoreless innings. Michael Hester (Evans/Greenbrier) pitched a scoreless fifth inning. Tony Chisman (Conyers/Salem) went 1.2 scoreless innings and Blake Nation (Brooks/Starr’s Mill) got the final two outs of the game.
Dunlap (2-1) allowed three runs on three hits, recording just one out. Gillan finished with two hits and two RBI.
The Eagles continue their eight-game stretch at home, facing The Citadel in Southern Conference action. The three-game series begins Friday night (May 2), first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.
WESTERN CAROLINA 8, GARDNER-WEBB 0
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina senior Barrett Shaft moved atop two school career record lists Wednesday night as the Catamounts blanked the visiting Gardner-Webb Bulldogs, 8-0, in non-conference action at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium.
Hit by a pitch in his first plate appearance on the night, the Lilburn, Ga., native moved past former teammate, Jonathan Greene, to take over sole possession of first-place in the HBP category having been plunked with 42 pitches during his four-year career. The more momentous record, though, came in the fourth inning with a hard liner back up the middle for career hit No. 311 for Shaft, tying him with Chris Moore (1996-99) for the school-record for base hits in a career.
Shaft will try for career hit No. 312 on Friday night as Western opens a three-game, Southern Conference series against defending tournament champion, the Wofford Terriers, in Cullowhee.
Wednesday night's win for Western book ended the month of April with victories over Gardner-Webb as the Catamounts downed the Bulldogs, 13-6, back on April 1 in Boiling Springs. WCU improved to 21-24 overall, while Gardner-Webb dropped to the same mark at 21-24 with the loss.
Three Catamount pitchers combined for the five-hit shutout - WCU's first since blanking Jacksonville in the NCAA Chapel Hill regional last May - while not allowing a Gardner-Webb runner past second base all evening. Freshman Brandon Johnson (2-1) scattered three base hits and pitched around three hit batsmen with five strikeouts to earn the win. Sophomore left-hander Chris Masters struck out two of the eight batters he faced in 1.2 innings of work, with senior Tyler Sexton working a perfect 1.1 innings to close out the game with one K.
Western Carolina (21-24) jumped on top for good with three unearned runs in the home half of the second inning. With two on and two out, sophomore transfer Stephen Notaro walked to load the bases ahead of classmate Nick Liles. The Laurinburg, N.C., native, who had his 17-game hitting streak snapped, reached on a fielding error by the Bulldog shortstop allowing freshman Ryan Mathews, who singled, and sophomore Dylan de Graaf both to race home for the first two runs of the night. Sophomore Brent Greer capped the inning with an RBI double to left to plate Notaro handing WCU a 3-0 lead.
In the third, senior Blake Murphy reached on one of his three hits on the night, swiped second base and two batters later rumbled home on an RBI single to center by sophomore Tyler Kirkpatrick to stretch the lead to four, 4-0.
The following frame, Notaro, who finished a perfect 2-for-2 with a pair of walks in the win, singled to left center to open a second, three-run rally. Greer rapped out his second double of the game, driving in Notaro ahead of Shaft. On a 2-1 pitch, Shaft lined one to center field for his record-tying hit. Murphy then legged out his team-leading 14th double of the season before junior transfer J.C. Lyons, who made his return to the lineup from a broken hand Tuesday night at Tennessee, laced a two-RBI single to left to plate the senior duo.
WCU concluded its scoring in the fifth as again Notaro was driven in on an RBI base hit by Greer, a single to left, to balloon the lead to 8-0.
Six Catamounts registered multiple-hit games led by Greer and Murphy each with three apiece and both tallying doubles. Lyons, Kirkpatrick, Mathews and Notaro each tallied two base hits in the win.
For the Bulldogs, starter Kyle Paeplow (0-1) was charged with loss after surrendering the three runs in the second inning. Third baseman Justin Loyd tallied three of the five Bulldog base hits on the night, all singles.
Western Carolina will look to continue its current winning streak this Friday as it opens a three-game SoCon set with Wofford in Cullowhee. Last year, the Catamounts swept the eventual tourney champions, pounding out 47 hits including 15 home runs and outscoring the Terriers, 61-16. First pitch Friday evening is set for 7:00 pm, with the series continuing at 6:00 pm on Saturday and 2:00 pm on Sunday afternoon.
COASTAL CAROLINA 9, THE CITADEL 1
CONWAY, S.C. ? Senior Chris Swauger became only the second Bulldog in school history and seventh in Southern Conference history to record 300 career hits Wednesday night as a part of a 2-for-5 performance as The Citadel fell at No. 15 Coastal Carolina, 9-1, in front of 815 at Watson Stadium in Conway.
The Citadel (23-21) managed only one run on five hits for the second time in three games as the Bulldogs faced a ranked opponent for the sixth time this season. No. 15 Coastal Carolina (37-9) scored nine runs on 12 hits as they beat the Bulldogs in Conway for the first time since 2004.
Coastal’s Austin Fleet (4-2), who at one point retired 14 consecutive batters, earned the win after pitching 6.0 innings and allowing only one run on four hits while striking out three.
Chris McGuiness (0-3), who was one of seven Bulldog pitchers to take the mound, was credited with the loss after 1.2 innings pitched. McGuiness remained in the game as pitcher for 1.1 more innings and as designated hitter for the entire game despite taking a line drive off the forehead in the first at bat in the bottom of the first.
The Chanticleers exploded for six runs in the bottom of the second to secure the victory. Coastal added two more runs in the fourth and one more in the sixth for the 9-1 victory.
The lone Bulldog run came in the top of the first as Sonny Meade drove in Swauger on a single to center field.
Swauger recorded his 300th career hit to lead off the game while also recording his 70th career double. Swauger finished the game with 301 career hits and is now tied for 10th in school history in games played with 225. Swauger is only five doubles away from matching Philip Hartig’s school record, set in the 2001 season.
The Citadel will look to end a four-game losing streak when the Bulldogs play at Georgia Southern on Friday, May 2 at 7 p.m. as the two teams kickoff a three-game Southern Conference series.
UNC ASHEVILLE 7, UNC GREENSBORO 3
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? UNC Greensboro dropped a 7-3 game to UNC Asheville after trailing 6-0 heading into the home half of the sixth. The Spartans held the Bulldogs to just one more run through to the ninth, but unable to plate more than three, the blue and gold fell to Asheville Wednesday evening at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
The Bulldogs’ top pitcher, Alan DeRatt (7-2) grabbed the victory after 6.0 innings of work. While on the mound he struck out three and gave up just seven hits ? all of which were singles. Spartan starter Wes McCall (1-4) was handed the loss after allowing UNCA to tally their first inning run. Sophomore reliever Alex Shelton struck out three while on the rubber and in his 3.0 innings on the hill, freshman Greg Smith held Asheville to just three hits while striking out two.
At the plate, junior Pedro Leon went 2-for-5 with a run and a double. Senior Sean Snell was 2-for-4 with an RBI. The Bulldogs were led by Catlin Carter who was 2-for-4 with three RBI, a run and a double.
Asheville took a one run lead in the opening inning before posting three more in the fourth. In the first, Kevin Mattison was plated during a groundout and in the fourth, Reed Kreiser and Danny Baatz were both brought in off of bunt singles. Beau Zinman then rounded home as Mattison dropped a double less then 10 feet behind second base to give the Bulldogs the 4-0 lead.
Another two scored in the sixth pushed UNCA out even further before the Spartans could post their first two runs of the game. Consecutive singles by seniors Matt Gaski, Greg Feltes, and Ricky Orton loaded the bases for fellow senior Tim Carrier to send a sacrifice fly to center field and bring in Gaski. Another senior single by Snell rounded Feltes from second and brought the game to 6-2 Asheville.
Another Bulldog run was scored in the seventh as Elliot Arrington was plated off of a Baatz single up the middle. Back-to-back doubles in the final inning by Leon and Gaski brought in another Spartan run, but it was all they could tally as Asheville came away with the 7-3 victory.
With his single through the left side, Feltes gained membership to the Southern Conference 200-hit Club. Already representing UNCG is Ryan Gordon (2000-2004) on a list that consists of 86 student-athletes from nine of the ten conference institutions. In the UNCG books, Feltes is No. 7 in career hits. Dominic Pattie (1995-98) leads the pack with 299.
On Friday, the Spartans return to SoCon play as they begin a three game series with the Cougars from the College of Charleston. Game times are slated for 7pm on Friday, 2pm on Saturday, and 1pm on Sunday.
WAKE FOREST 10, DAVIDSON 0
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. ? Wake Forest pitchers Charlie Mellies, Matt Hammond and Brad Kledzik combined to allow four Davidson hits and strike out nine to lead the Demon Deacons to a 10-0 baseball victory over the Wildcats Wednesday afternoon.
Mellies tossed five innings, allowing two hits and fanning six, and Hammond gave up a hit in two innings of work for Wake Forest (19-27). Kledzik allowed one hit and struck out three in the last three innings.
Brett Shore, Zach Kayne, Chase FitzPatrick and Shane Hammond each recorded a hit for Davidson (10-29). It was the first time Davidson had been shut out all season.
With Wake Forest leading 2-0, Evan Ocheltree’s two-run home run extended the lead to 4-0 in the fifth inning. The Demon Deacons added three runs in the sixth on the strength of a Mike Murray two-run double.
The ?Cats are back in action this weekend in a three-game conference series at Furman. Friday’s game begins at 7 p.m.