SoCon Baseball Recaps for May 3, 2008
THE CITADEL 12, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 8
STATESBORO, GA. ? Four Eagles hit home runs, including David Richardson (Dahlonega/Lumpkin County) who extended his hitting streak to 12 games, but Georgia Southern could not overcome a six-run inning by The Citadel, losing 12-8 Saturday (May 3) at J.I. Clements Stadium. The loss snapped Georgia Southern’s seven-game winning streak (27-19 overall, 11-9 Southern Conference).
The Citadel put the leadoff runner on base to start the game when A.J. Wirnsberger’s (Tuscaloosa, AL/Paul Bear Bryant) throw sailed over first. That snapped a 13-game errorless streak for the sophomore third baseman. Richard Jones, Chris McGuiness and Sid Fallaw hit RBI singles to spot the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead.
Kyle Jordan dropped a RBI double down the left field line to make it 4-0 in the fourth. Chris Shehan (Strasburg, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) hit a leadoff home run in the Eagles’ half. It was his team-leading 17th on the year. The round-tripper also marked his 60th RBI on the season, now the 16th time in Eagle history a player recorded at least 60 runs scored/60 RBI.
Ty Wright (Montrose/West Laurens) homered for the fifth time in the last six games, a solo shot with two down in the fifth, his 16th this year.
During the decisive sixth inning, Jordan hit a 2-run homer. A walk and hit by pitch put two runners on then Kyle Kamppi (Savannah/Benedictine Academy) got Sonny Meade on a deep fly ball that advanced the runners. With two outs, the Eagles intentionally walked Jones and Chris McGuiness followed with a grand slam over the right field fence. His first career grand slam extended the Bulldogs’ lead to 10-2.
Shehan hit a leadoff double in the sixth. He advanced to third on a flyball and scored on a wild pitch. With two outs, Wirnsberger singled to shortstop. On a 3-2 fastball, Richardson hammered a shot over the centerfield fence. His eighth homer of the year cut the deficit to 10-5, and extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
Jordan hit another 2-run homer in the seventh making it 12-5.
Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) lined a single off Raymond Copenhaver to start the eighth. Jeremiah Parker (Carrollton/Carrollton) doubled down the left field line to score Benedict. Wirnsberger followed with his 17th home run of the year, an opposite field shot to make it 12-8 and in the process moving him back into a tie with Shehan for the team lead.
Benedict and Wirnsberger finished with three hits apiece. Wirnsberger also scored twice and drove in two. Richardson had two hits, including a double to become the eighth Eagle this year to reach double-digits in that category. Wright and Shehan also had two hits apiece as the Eagles held a 15-14 edge in that category. Shehan recorded his 70th run scored moving into a tie with Rob Fitzpatrick (1990) for eighth place among the season 'Top 10', now nine shy of the record.
Kamppi (4-3) allowed 10 runs ? nine earned ? on 11 hits in 5.2 innings. He walked two and struck out five. Tony Chisman (Conyers/Salem) got the final out of the sixth. A.J. Gilbert (Marietta/Kell) pitched two scoreless then Burt Barto (Columbus/Columbus) and Michael Hester (Evans/Greenbrier) combined for a scoreless ninth inning.
GS already broke the program’s season home run record earlier this week, currently at 95 and counting. With 446 RBI, this year’s team moved into second place all-time - 20 shy of the 1983 squad. The 489 runs scored ranks eighth and the 131 doubles are tied for fifth place. The Eagles have also recorded 1,050 total bases, sixth-most in a season and just six away from third place.
Jordan recorded his first career two-home run game, finishing with three hits and career-high five RBI. McGuiness also had three hits and career-high five RBI. Wes Wrenn (5-5) allowed five runs on 10 hits in 5.2 innings. Matt Reifsnider pitched two scoreless innings of relief.
The Eagles will go for the series win on Sunday afternoon (May 4), first pitch scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
UNC GREENSBORO 12, COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 9
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? After knocking the College of Charleston out of their Southern Conference first-place standing on Friday evening, Ricky Orton smacked a single game record three home runs to bring in seven and help lead the UNC Greensboro ball club, 12-9, over Charleston. Orton is now tied with former Spartans Steve Mokan and Tonka Maynor for the single game record. His three, combined with two others, tied UNCG’s season high five homers in one game recorded on April 12 against Wofford.
The Saturday afternoon victory at UNCG Baseball Stadium gave the Spartans (28-19, 13-7 SoCon) the 2-0 series lead over the Cougars (30-16, 13-7 SoCon).
A two-run single up the middle by College of Charleston’s Michael Kohn in the second gave the Cougars the early game lead. Just minutes later, senior first baseman Ricky Orton smoked a three-run home run over the right field wall to give UNCG the 3-2 lead.
Charleston took back the lead in the fourth with another two runs scored off of a single; this time Mike Hentz was credited with the dual RBIs. The CofC lead lasted just two pitches as sophomore centerfielder Corey Overholtzer led off the bottom half of the inning with a solo homer over the right field wall to tie the game at 4-4.
A Cougar four-run rally in the fifth ? highlighted by a three-run home run by Michael Harrington ? pushed them in front once again with an 8-4 lead. A lead off solo in the fifth by Orton, an RBI single by senior shortstop Matt Gaski in the sixth, and a solo to right field by senior right fielder Sean Snell in the seventh brought UNCG to within one of Charleston.
The Spartans took a three-run lead in the home half of the eighth with the help of another three-run home run by Orton. After allowing just one hit to top the ninth, the blue and gold walked away with the 12-9 game two victory.
Freshman reliever Greg Smith (3-1) took the win after a four inning showing with just three hits allowed. Closer Rob Gilliam (2-3) earned his seventh save of season after holding the Cougars to just one hit in the ninth. Charleston’s Danny Meszaros (4-4) took the loss after allowing UNCG to load the bases for the eighth inning home run by Orton.
The Spartan sticks were led by Ricky Orton who was 3-for-4 on the afternoon with a season high three home runs, seven RBI, and three runs. At the plate, the Cougars were led by Michael Kohn who batted 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI and a run.
In the opening inning, CofC loaded the bases with back-to-back walks to Jeremie Tice and Michael Harrington. Kohn stepped up in the five hole with a line drive single up the middle to round in both Brandon Sizemore from third and Tice from second to give the Cougars the 2-0 lead.
In the home half of the inning, junior Pedro Leon led off with a left field single. He was then joined by senior designated hitter Greg Feltes who reached first on a five pitch walk. With runners on, Orton belted his 12th home run of the season over the right center fence and pushed the Spartans ahead of the Cougars, 3-2.
Charleston took its first lead of the game in the fourth with another pair of runners brought in following a set of walks. Kohn and Gabe Marchant came around home as Mike Hentz slapped a two-run single to left center to give the Cougars the 4-3 lead. With bases loaded and a chance to do more damage, CofC was shutdown by the Spartan defense as they turned their 47th double play of the season.
Just two pitches later, the Spartans tied the game at 4-4 as Overholtzer drove out his fifth home run of the season. The hit extended his hit streak to seven straight.
A no out, three-run home run by Charleston’s Harrington to start out the fifth pushed the Cougars out in front once again with a three-run lead. With a strand of center field singles, CofC plated Kohn to take the 8-4 lead.
Orton answered back in the bottom half of the inning with a lead off, solo home run out the right side. The roundtrip was Orton’s second of the game and his 18th career at UNCG.
In the eighth, UNCG tacked on a five-run rally to take back the lead. Following a throwing error by the Cougar pitcher, Leon came around home to cut the gap by one. In the next at-bat, Orton ripped his third homer of the game over the center field wall to give the Spartans the two-run lead. After reaching on a double, two hit batter brought in Snell to give the home team the 12-9 advantage.
With the closer Gilliam on the rubber, the Spartans allowed the Cougars just one hit to walk away with the three-run victory.
The Spartans and the Cougars return tomorrow for a 1pm series finale at UNCG Baseball Stadium. The home team will play the final two games of their 12-game homestand this week as they face High Point University on Tuesday at 1pm and North Carolina A&T at 6pm on Wednesday. This will be the second time UNCG has faced both teams this season.
FURMAN 13, DAVIDSON 9
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman exploded for 13 runs in the fifth inning to erase a 2-0 deficit on the way to a 13-9 win over Davidson in Southern Conference baseball action Saturday evening at newly dedicated Latham Stadium.
In the decisive fifth Furman (28-15, 14-6 SoCon) batted around twice, sending 18 men to the plate and plating 13 runs on 10 hits en route to second biggest inning in program history, just one shy of the 14 runs the Paladins posted in the fourth inning of 24-13 win over Western Carolina in 2000.
The big frame helped Furman stretch its school record SoCon winning streak to 12 games and give the Paladins sole possession of first place in the league following the College of Charleston’s 12-9 loss to UNC Greensboro on Saturday. Furman is 16-4 in its last 20 games.
The loss was the seventh straight for Davidson (10-31, 2-18 SoCon).
The beneficiary of Furman’s offensive showcase was starting pitcher Mason Smith (5-3), who won for the third time in his last four starts in SoCon play. The senior right-hander allowed six hits and three runs, including two earned, over six innings while striking out four.
The loss was charged to Zac Long (1-5), who limited Furman to only two hits over the first four innings before running into trouble with one out in the fifth.
Furman banged out 16 hits in the contest, including two each by Marcus Rose, Connor Lind, Matt Hemingway, and Joey Rodgers.
Davidson rang up 10 hits, including two each by Hugh Eden, Brett Shore, and Danny Weiss. Weiss and Matt Webb belted solo home runs for the Wildcats.
In the fifth nine Paladins batted twice but no one had more than one hit. The big blows included a two-run double by Jay Jackson and two-run singles by Brian Harrison and Ryan Lee. Furman was also aided by three walks and two hit batsmen.
The Paladins led 13-2 after five and took a 13-4 lead into the ninth before Davidson struck for five runs off Paladin reliever J.P. Goldsberry before Ian Parry came on to record the final two outs to secure the win.
Furman will attempt to complete its fourth consecutive sweep in league play on Sunday in a 1:00 p.m. game.
WESTERN CAROLINA 16, WOFFORD 8
CULLOWHEE, N.C. ? The Wofford College baseball team was defeated 16-8 by Western Carolina on Saturday afternoon at Ronnie Childress Field at Hennon Stadium. The Terriers had a 5-2 lead after two innings, but the Catamounts scored three or more runs in the next four innings on the way to the win.
Wofford is now 21-27 on the season and 4-16 in the Southern Conference, while Western Carolina is 23-24 overall and 9-11 in the conference. The Terriers were led by Sterling Dye and Keith Munns with three hits each, including a home run apiece. The Catamounts out-hit the Terriers 21 to 15 in the game.
The Terriers had a single from Michael Gilmartin in the first inning, but was left on base. The Catamounts answered with a solo home run by Brent Greer. Western Carolina added two more singles, but did not extend the 1-0 lead after one inning.
Keith Munns tied the game with a solo home run over the left center field wall in the top of the second. The Terriers loaded the bases with Mo Seay being hit by a pitch, a single up the middle by Josh McKinney and Alex Lee hit by a pitch. A single to left field by Sterling Dye added a run. Kyle Behrendt reached on a two-base error to scored two runs. Michael Gilmartin drove in a run on a ground out for a 5-1 lead.
In the bottom of the second, Ryan Mathews hit a double and was driven in with a single from Nick Liles to make it a 5-2 game after two complete. Wofford added a double from Mo Seay in the top of the third. Barrett Shaft hit a single for the Catamounts and was driven in with a double by Reid Rollison. A single by Stephen Notaro to right field scored two runs to tie the game at 5-5 after the third inning.
Wofford added another double in the top of the fourth by Kyle Behrendt. The Catamounts took the lead in the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run by Brent Greer, his second of the game, for a 6-5 advantage. With the bases loaded, a single by Ryan Mathews scored two runs to go up 8-5 after four innings.
The Terriers led off the fifth with a single from Shane Kirkley. A home run over the right center fence by Jake Williams scored two runs to cut the lead to 8-7. However the Catamounts answered with five doubles and a single to tack on five runs for a 13-7 lead after five.
Sterling Dye hit a home run over the left wall to lead off the sixth inning for the Terriers. In the bottom of the sixth, Barrett Shaft hit a three-run homer over the right fence for a 16-8 lead.
Neither team scored in the seventh or eighth innings. In the ninth, Wofford loaded the bases with Keith Munns being hit by a pitch and singles from Mo Seay and Josh McKinney, but the Terriers were unable to score a run and the Catamounts won 16-8.
Wofford starter Ben Austin went 4.1 innings with twelve hits, nine runs allowed and three strikeouts. Pete Noordsy threw 0.2 innings with five hits, four runs and a strikeout. Drew Sheridan pitched the sixth inning and allowed three runs on two hits. Reid McElveen threw the seventh with only one hits allowed. Dawson Smith came in for the eighth inning and allowed one hit with one strikeout.
For Western Carolina, starter Garrett Ozar threw the first four innings with nine hits, seven runs and three strikeouts. Chris Masters picked up the win with five innings of work, allowing six hits, one run and striking out six.
The game had been moved to a 2:00 pm start, however due to rain on Saturday afternoon it was determined that the game would begin at 6:00 pm, the original start time. Keith Munns and Sterling Dye hit their fourth home runs of the season. Jake Williams hit his tenth home run of the season. Shane Kirkley has played in 208 career games, tied for most in school history with Strat Stavrou. The eight doubles hit by Western Carolina were the most by a opponent this season. Wofford has lost 15 straight games to the Catamounts, dating back to the 2002 season.
Wofford and Western Carolina will conclude the series on Sunday at 2:00 pm. The Terriers return home on May 7 to host South Carolina at 7:00 pm.
ELON 7, CAMPBELL 1
ELON, N.C. ? On senior night, senior lefty Jesse Lewter tied a season-high with 7.0 innings pitched and equaled a career-best with eight strikeouts to lead the Elon Phoenix to a 7-1 non-conference baseball victory over the visiting Campbell Fighting Camels in front of 790 fans at Latham Park on Saturday night. Elon’s win improved the Phoenix’s mark to 35-16 on the year, just the second time in the nine seasons at the NCAA Division I level in which the program has tallied 35 or more victories. Campbell dropped to 17-30 for the 2008 campaign.
Bennett Davis gave Elon a 1-0 lead when he led off the second inning with his 15th homer of the year. The 15 bombs are the most hit by an Elon player since Scott Brendle belted 16 in 1998. With one out, Chase Austin connected on his sixth home run of the season, building the Phoenix advantage to 2-0. Mike Lobacz reached on a two-out single before a fielding error allowed Harry Austin to reach. Chris Dove then singled home Lobacz with the third run of the inning.
With one down in the bottom of the third, Davis singled and came around to score on Chase Austin’s two-out double down the leftfield line.
Donny Jobe walked to start the Elon fifth and went to third on a failed pick-off attempt at first. Cory Harrilchak reached base for the 22nd consecutive game with a double down the rightfield line to score Jobe. After advancing to third on a ground out, Harrilchak scored on a Dallas Tarleton single. After Mike Melillo drew a two-out walk, Lobacz bounced a ball through the right side of the infield to plate Tarleton.
With Zach Johnson on second after a double, Bryan Braswell singled up the middle to plate Johnson with the first Camel run. On the play, Braswell was gunned down trying to take second to end the inning.
Lewter (4-2) allowed six hits and just one run in his 7.0 innings of action. Jared Kernodle, Ken Ferrer and Greg Jones threw the final 2.0 innings and allowed two total hits.
Ryan Hamme (0-3) was charged with the loss after giving up seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and a walk in a career-long 4.1 innings of work. He struck out four.
Dove, Harrilchak, Davis and Chase Austin all had two-hit nights to lead the Elon offense. Chase Austin was the only player with more than one RBI as he tallied two on the night.
Ellis Lowe and Hamme both had two hits to pace the Camel attack.
The Phoenix will conclude Southern Conference play with a three-game series at Davidson beginning with a 4 p.m. doubleheader on Wednesday.