Elon 13, Furman 6
ELON, N.C. ? Bennett Davis homered twice and drove in four runs while Jimmy Reyes threw a career-long 7.1 innings as the Elon Phoenix claimed a 13-6 Southern Conference baseball victory over the visiting Furman Paladins from Latham Park on Saturday afternoon. After winning the first two games of the series, Elon now sits at 11-5 overall and 5-3 in SoCon play. Furman is now 8-10, 3-5.
Elon loaded the bases in the first with a walk to Cory Harrilchak and singles from Chase Austin and Davis before Mike Melillo’s double to left drove home two. Justin Hilt followed with a single to left, scoring Davis. On the throw to the plate, Hilt took second. Greg Annarummo’s double to the gap in right plated both Melillo and Hilt to extend the Phoenix lead to 5-0.
With two down in the top of the second, Campbell Lewis reached on an infield single and scored on Justin Holloway’s double down the left field line. Will Miller then followed by battling on a 3-2 count for a RBI double down the line in right, pulling Furman to within 5-2. A walk to Will Owens and a wild pitch put runners on the corners for Marcus Rose. With Rose at the plate, the Paladins successfully pulled off a double steal for their third run of the inning. Rose then drove a ball just over the glove of a leaping Neal Pritchard at short to drive home Owens.
Connor Lind’s two-out single up the middle in the top of the fifth snapped a streak of nine straight hitters retired by Reyes before the lefty fanned Brian Harrison to end the inning.
In the bottom of the fifth Davis connected for his fourth home run of the year, a solo shot to left. The blast was the 22nd of the senior’s career which moved him into a tie for 10th place in school history.
Elon added to its lead in the sixth as Ryan Adams laced a pinch-hit double to left-center before Pritchard was plunked. Pat Irvine then delivered Adams with a double before Harrilchak’s single to right scored both Pritchard and Irvine as the Phoenix built a 9-4 lead. Davis then belted his second homer of the day, another solo shot to left-center. This was the 23rd of his career and placed him in 10th place by himself, one shy of tying Whit Bryant (1999-2002) and Chris Vasami (2005-07) for eighth.
After the first Paladin hitter was set down in the top of the eighth, Lind, Harrison and Hemingway all singled to load the bases. Reese Wade followed with a liner to center for a RBI single as Lind scored. The Phoenix turned the ball over to Jared Kernodle who got Lewis to ground a ball to third. The force was recorded at third, but a run scored as Furman closed its deficit to 10-6.
A Harrilchak single to center after an Irvine walk allowed another run to score when the Paladin centerfielder booted the ball. Irvine came in and Harrilchak ended up at second. A second Furman error let Austin reach and moved Harrilchak to third. Austin promptly stole second before Davis looped a single into center to score both Harrilchak and Austin.
Reyes, who at one point retired 17-of-18 hitters he faced, improved to 3-0 on the year. He was charged with six runs on nine hits in his 7.1 innings, the longest outing for any Elon pitcher this season. Reyes also struck out six. Kernodle earned the first save of his career after allowing one hit in 1.2 innings of work.
Furman's Barry Benton took the loss, falling to 0-3. Benton was tagged for five runs on five hits in just an inning of action.
Davis finished the game 4-for-5, the fourth four-hit game of the senior's career, and drove in four and scored three times. Harrilchak's 2-for-3, two-run, two-RBI performance raised his batting average to .441. He has now hit in 16 consecutive games and has reached safely in 49 straight.
Furman's Lind recorded three of the 10 Paladin hits as he finished 3-for-5 with a run scored.
The two teams will play the final game of this three-game set at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon from Latham Park.
Georgia Southern 10, Appalachian State 7
BOONE, N.C. ? Appalachian State University baseball jumped out to a 7-0 lead but Georgia Southern scored 10 unanswered runs to close out the game and hand ASU a 10-7 loss on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
Appalachian (6-14, 1-9 SoCon) scored three runs in the first inning and four in the third en route to the early 7-0 advantage.
Things couldn’t have started any better for the Mountaineers, who got a leadoff double from Rand Smith (Bolivia, N.C./South Brunswick) and went on to bat around in the three-run first, chasing GSU starter Andy Moye after just one-third of an inning. David Towarnicky (New Bern, N.C./New Bern) and Chris Alessandria (Ponte Vedra, Fla./Nease) each drove in runs and Isaac Harrow (Hickory, N.C./Hickory) came home on a wild pitch to account for the scoring.
ASU benefited from an error, three wild pitches and a passed ball in the four-run third but freshman catcher Jeremy Dowdy (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) provided the most damage with a towering two-run home run to left field that made it 7-0.
However, the seven-run lead evaporated in just two innings, as the Eagles scored four runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth to knot it up at 7-7. After not registering a base hit through three stanzas, the Eagles exploded for eight in the fourth and fifth, the biggest being a two-run homer by Ty Wright that evened the score.
Georgia Southern (16-3, 3-0 SoCon) grabbed its first lead of the afternoon when Kevin Bowles scored an unearned run on a passed ball in the sixth and padded the advantage with single tallies in the eighth and ninth. Two of GSU’s final three runs were unearned, as an ASU error led to the eighth-inning score.
After managing to put only two runners on base in innings four through eight, the Mountaineers loaded the bases and brought the winning run to the plate with one out in the ninth. However, GSU’s Kyle Kamppi ended the threat by coming on to strike out the final two batters of the ballgame.
Michael Hester (2-0), who was the first of four Georgia Southern relievers that held Appalachian scoreless over the final six innings, earned the win with 1.1 innings of hitless work. Kamppi recorded his third save of the season with the two strikeouts in the ninth.
Nick Daniels (Concord, N.C./Northwest Cabarrus) (0-2) suffered the tough-luck loss for ASU, as he was charged with the unearned run in the sixth that turned out to be the game-winner.
Appalachian looks to snap a six-game losing streak and salvage the finale of this weekend’s three-game Southern Conference series when it squares off with Georgia Southern again on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Smith Stadium.
Wofford 4, Davidson 2
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? Michael Gilmartin led the Wofford College baseball team with a grand slam home run and the save in a 4-2 win over Davidson on Saturday afternoon at Russell C. King Field. The Terriers had three runners on base in the fifth when Gilmartin hit a homer to center field for what would prove to be the winning runs.
Wofford is 10-8 on the season and 3-2 in the Southern Conference. Davidson is 8-9 overall and 3-3 in conference play. The Terriers were led by Konstantine Diamaduros and Mike McDonnell with two hits each and Michael Gilmartin with one hit and four RBIs. Davidson was led by Seth Freeman with two hits, including a solo home run.
Davidson had a hit in the second and third innings, while the Terriers had two hits in the second and one in the fourth. The Wildcats opened the scoring in the top of the fifth with a lead off home run by Seth Freeman.
Wofford was able to answer in the bottom of the same inning, loading the bases with a walk to Mike McDonnell, a single from James Foster and a walk to Josh McKinney. With one out, Michael Gilmartin came to the plate and hit one over the fence in centerfield at the 390 mark to give Wofford the 4-1 lead.
The Wildcats got one run back in the top of the sixth when a ground out by Seth Freeman scored Chris FitzPatrick from third. Wofford added a hit by Mike McDonnell in the bottom of the sixth, but left two runners on base at the end of the inning.
For Davidson in the eighth, Pat Brady opened with a double down the right field line. A walk to Chris FitzPatrick and a walk to Sam Payne loaded the bases with two outs. J.D. Osborne was able to get Zach Kayne to fly out to left field for the third out.
The Terriers left one runner on base in the bottom of the eighth as Mike McDonnell hit a double. In the top of the ninth, three ground outs ended the game with the 4-2 final score.
Terrier starter Gus White (2-2) went six innings with four hits, two runs and four strikeouts. John Cornely allowed one hit with a strikeout in 1.2 innings. J.D. Osborne got the final out in the eighth. Michael Gilmartin picked up the save in the ninth without a hit allowed.
For Davidson, starter Chris Lamb (1-2) threw the first 4.1 innings with four hits, three runs and two strikeouts. Matt Sliwiak went two-thirds of an inning with one run on one hit. Ian Horkley threw an inning with one hit allowed and Mac Hunter went 1.1 innings with a strikeout. Mike Frongello went the final two-thirds with one hit allowed.
With the save, Michael Gilmartin breaks the school career save record with 16. He was previously tied at 15 with Charles Vartanian (2004-07).
Wofford and Davidson will complete the three-game series on Sunday at 1:00 pm. Next week, the Terriers will play at USC Upstate on Wednesday before hosting Western Carolina for a three-game conference series.
College of Charleston 12, Samford 3
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.?The College of Charleston baseball team plated seven runs in the fifth inning to break open a close game on its way to a 12-3 win over Samford in the second game of a three-game Southern Conference series Saturday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
Samford drops to 7-13 overall and 3-5 in SoCon play with the loss. College of Charleston improves to 16-3 overall and 7-1 in league play with the win.
Wayne Miller and David Schulze had Samford’s only two RBI in the game. Miller was 1-for-4 at the plate, while Schulze was 1-for-3. David Knapp pitched 4.2 innings, giving up nine runs on nine hits, while striking out six batters to take the loss.
For College of Charleston, Austin Morgan went 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI in the game. Joey Bergman and Brandon Sizemore also had two hits each for the Cougars. Aaron Bouronich pitched 2.1 innings in relief, giving up no runs on one hit to earn the win for Charleston.
Entering the top of the fifth inning, Samford held a 3-2 advantage after each team plated two runs in the third inning and Samford added one run in the bottom of the fourth. In the fifth, College of Charleston plated seven runs on six hits, sending 11 men to the plate.
After three-straight singles loaded the bases for the Cougars with one out in the fifth inning, Ryan Daniels singled to right field to drive in Bergman and Clay McCord to give The Cougars a 4-3 lead. Joash Brodin then doubled to right field to drive in Sizemore for a 5-3 Charleston lead.
With the bases loaded, College of Charleston’s Greg Blake walked to bring in Daniels to make the score 6-3. The final three runs of the inning were scored when Morgan doubled to left-center field to drive in Blake, Matt Mansilla and Brodin to push the Cougars’ lead to 9-3.
College of Charleston added two runs in the sixth inning to make the score 11-3. Mike Hentz doubled to right field to drive in Brodin and Daniels for the two sixth-inning runs.
The game’s final run came in the top of the eighth inning when pinch-hitter Justin Brewer hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Bergman to make the final score 12-3.
The same two teams will wrap up the series with a game Sunday afternoon. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start from Joe Lee Griffin Field. The game can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu. Fans can watch the game live on the internet via SoCon TV at www.soconsports.com.
Western Carolina 3, The Citadel 1
Cullowhee, N.C. - Chris Masters struck out a career-best 11 batters to outduel Bulldog starter Asher Wojciechowski as Western Carolina evened the best-of-three series with The Citadel at one win apiece with a 3-1 victory in front of 447 Saturday evening at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
Masters (3-1) scattered six base hits with just one walk in a career-high nine innings, limiting the Bulldogs to one earned run to pick up his second-straight victory in as many starts. Wojciechowski (1-1) fanned eight in six innings of work, allowing all three runs on six hits and four walks for The Citadel.
The rubber match of the three-game set is scheduled for Sunday afternoon with WCU senior Corey Martin (4-1) to face Bulldog senior Matt Crim (1-1). First pitch is set for 2:00 pm.
Six Catamounts combined for WCU's seven hits on Saturday with junior Stephen Notaro posting the lone multi-hit game with a 2-for-3 showing at the plate with a pair of singles and an RBI. Junior Brent Greer also drove in a run with a single in four plate attempts, with freshman Ross Heffley finishing 1-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt.
Western Carolina (14-5, 5-3 SoCon) finished with seven singles in the game and scored all three of its runs with two outs in the respective frame. The Catamounts pushed across solo runs in the second, third and fifth, while The Citadel plated one run in the top of the third to cap its scoring.
Notaro drew a one-out walk in four-straight pitches and was moved to second on a bunt single to third by junior Tyler Kirkpatrick in the home half of the second inning. A Bulldog throwing error by Wojciechowski on a bunt attempt by sophomore Matt Johns allowed Notaro to score from second to give WCU the early, 1-0 lead.
An inning later, though, The Citadel (9-8, 5-3 SoCon) answered as Bryan Altman lifted a one-out single to left, stole second and was driven home on another single to left by Sonny Meade to knot the game at one-apiece. However, the first of two Catamount double plays ended the Bulldog threat.
In the third, Western scored what would prove to be the game-winner as junior Nick Liles led off with a single then stole both second and third ahead of Greer, who laced a two-out single to right center to put the Catamounts ahead, 2-1.
WCU added an insurance run in the fifth as Reid Rollison drew a one-out, pinch hit walk and was driven in by Notaro on a two-out single to right center .
The Citadel's final threat came in the eighth as with one out, Nick Orvin singled just past Masters coming off the mound, with a second runner reaching on the lone Catamount error of the game on a second base coverage miscue along the middle infield. However, on the very next pitch, Masters induced Meade into a 6-4-3 double-play to end the threat.
Masters retired the Bulldogs in order in the ninth, striking out David Greene on four pitches to end the game.
For the Bulldogs, Altman finished 2-for-4 with a double, while Chris McGuiness also doubled for his lone base hit of the game.
The two teams combined to leave 13 on base with WCU stranding eight and the Cadets leaving five. The Catamounts also turned a pair of double plays in helping Masters earn the win.
UNC Greensboro 7, Albany 3
GREENSBORO, NC ? UNC Greensboro starter Greg Smith pitched six no-hit innings as the Spartans defeated Albany, 7-3, on Saturday afternoon at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Smith struck out four for the Spartans (6-9) before having to leave the game after the sixth inning due to a high pitch count. Pedro Leon also had a great day for UNCG as he went 2-4 at the plate with three RBI and a run scored.
Albany starter Zach Kraham only lasted three innings for the Great Danes (2-12) before leaving after allowing six runs.
UNCG was able to get on the board in the first inning to jump out to an early lead. Corey Overholtzer singled up the middle and then moved to second on a stolen base. With two down in the inning, Trevor Edwards doubled off the wall in left center to score Overholtzer and put the Spartans up 1-0 after the first inning.
The Spartans broke the game open with five runs in the bottom of the third. Ray Quinones led off the inning with a solo blast over the left field wall for his first home run of the season. After the next two batters popped out, Raymond Frias then reached on an infield single and moved to second after Michael Wall singled up the middle. Eric Temple walked to load the bases and Brent O’Berry was able to score Frias from third on a fielding error by the first baseman. Leon came up with the bases still loaded and it looked like he had hit a grand slam, but the ball hit off the top of the wall in left center and he had to settle for a bases clearing double.
UNCG would sit on that 6-0 lead as Smith kept on cruising through the innings. After the final out in the sixth inning, Smith had thrown 100 pitches and had the leave the game with a no-hitter.
Albany jumped on the Spartan relievers immediately as Brendan Rowland hit a triple off the outfield wall and would later score on a Sean Donovan single to center field to make the score 6-1.
UNCG would get that run back as Leon hit his second double of the afternoon with one down in the inning. He would score two batters later on a Quinones single up the middle.
The Great Danes would get two final runs in the top of the ninth to narrow the final score to 7-3.
UNCG returns to the diamond on Sunday afternoon as the Spartans go for the sweep against Albany. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.