The Citadel 13, Charleston Southern 3
LADSON, S.C. ? Sonny Meade went 4-for-5 with two RBI while Nick Orvin went 3-for-5 with three runs scored as The Citadel overcame an early deficit to a win at Charleston Southern, 13-3, Wednesday afternoon in front of 124 at Buccaneer Ballpark.
The Citadel (10-9) scored all 13 runs in the final four innings after being held scoreless on two hits through the first five innings. Charleston Southern (10-13) dropped its fourth consecutive game to The Citadel.
Matt Talley (3-0) allowed two runs on five hits in the win while striking out three in 6.0 innings on the mound for the Bulldogs. Raymond Copenhaver and Matt Reifsnider pitched in relief to preserve the victory.
TJ Green (1-2) took the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings on the mound.
The win marked the 596th career victory for Bulldogs head coach Fred Jordan, who enters this weekend’s series against Air Force (four-game series starting Thursday night) with a chance to become one of the fastest to reach 600 career wins in Southern Conference history.
Charleston Southern jumped on top early as Nick Chinners sent the first pitch of the second inning over the left field wall for his first home run of the season.
In the fourth inning with only their third hit of the game, CSU hit their second home run of the day as Patrick Dolan sent a 1-1 offering from Talley over the center field wall.
After being held to two hits over the first five innings, The Citadel’s bats came alive in the top of the sixth inning as Nick Orvin led off with a ground ball that ricocheted off the glove of a diving Kory Morian at second base for a double. Bryan Altman followed, sending an 0-1 pitch well over the right field fence for his third home run of the season and tying the game at 2-2.
Sonny Meade continued the Bulldog rally with a single to right field, which was mimicked by Richard Jones. With runners on first and second, Chris McGuiness hit an RBI double to right field, scoring Meade from second. After David Greene grounded out to short, William Ladd hit an RBI single through the left to send Jones across the plate and McGuiness to third. Ladd stole second on the next pitch and then both Ladd and McGuiness scored as Sid Fallaw ripped an RBI single to right center field.
Johnny Dangerfield reached base on a fielder’s choice to short as the Bucs forced out Justin Mackert, who pinch ran for Fallaw. Orvin then smacked a single to center field, sending Dangerfield to third. Altman ended the inning with a fly out in foul territory to deep right field.
After Charleston Southern added a run in the bottom of the seventh, the Bulldogs extended their lead in the top of the eighth. William Ladd reached on a fielder’s choice then stole second for his second steal of the game. After Mackert grounded out to second to send Ladd to third, Dangerfield drew a walk to put runners on the corners. A passed ball by CSU catcher Jake Cox allowed Ladd to score and Dangerfield to take second. Orvin followed with his second triple in as many games to score Dangerfield and then scored on a wild pitch by Dolan, who entered to pitch earlier in the inning. Two walks issued to Altman and Mead put runners on first and second but a fly out by Jones prevented the Bulldogs from extending their lead any more.
Chris McGuiness led off for The Citadel in the ninth inning with his first career triple, setting the stage for another big inning. Greene followed with an RBI single to right center, scoring McGuiness. Brian Shubsda and Matt Reifsnider recorded consecutive ground outs to second before Dangerfield ripped a single to right field to score Greene. Orvin and Altman both reached base after being hit by a pitch and a single by Meade scored both Dangerfield and Orvin. A pop up by Jones closed the top half of the ninth inning.
Reifsnider, who took the mound in the eighth and threw four pitches in that frame to retire the side, allowed only one hit in the ninth as the Bulldogs clinched the win.
The Citadel returns to action on Thursday, March 26 with the start of a four-game series against Air Force, a series that kicks off a nine-game homestand and a stretch where the Bulldogs will continue playing 10 games in 12 days.
No. 28 South Carolina 2, Georgia Southern 1 (10 inn.)
COLUMBIA, S.C. ? DeAngelo Mack lined a 1-2 pitch with two outs in the 10th inning to right field, scoring the game-winning run as Georgia Southern fell 2-1 at South Carolina Wednesday night (March 25). The Eagles dropped to 17-5 overall.
Dexter Bobo (Cumming/Darton College) got the first out of the 10th on an infield popup. Jackie Bradley, Jr. lined a shot back to the mound off Bobo for a single. Whit Merrifield walked but Bobo got Nick Ebert on a foulout to Eric Phillips (Carrollton/Carrollton) for the second out. Mack then lined the 1-2 pitch through the right side. Phillip Porter’s (Marietta/Sprayberry) throw was a step late as the Gamecocks improved to 16-6.
GS struck first in what turned into a pitchers’ duel.
Phillips singled to start the second, the only time all game the Eagles got the leadoff runner on base. He took second on Brian Pierce’s (Roswell/Roswell) single through the left side. Jonathan King (Athens, TN/Youn Harris) dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners. Kevin Bowles (Statesboro/Statesboro) dropped a RBI single to center for a 1-0 lead.
USC got a one-out single from Bobby Haney in the third inning. He took third on a single then scored on Merrifield’s RBI groundout.
The Gamecocks threatened in the eighth as Charles Matthews (Athens/Spartanburg Methodist) walked the leadoff batter then a stolen base put the runner in scoring position. Matthews got a strikeout, then issued an intentional walk to Mack. He got pinch-hitter Jeffrey Jones to ground into a 1-6-4-3 inning-ending double play.
Starter Jake Brown (Forest Hill, MD/Pitt CC) recorded season-highs of seven innings and six strikeouts, allowing the one run on five hits. Matthews pitched a scoreless inning and Kyle Kamppi (Savannah/Benedictine) recorded the first two outs of the ninth. Bobo (2-1) was charged for the one run on two hits in an inning.
USC out-hit the Eagles 8-6 but Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) erased a pair when he threw out two runners trying to steal. It was the first time this year Georgia Southern went into extra innings.
Alex Ferrato (3-0) pitched a scoreless 10th inning to earn the win. Matt Price pitched a season-high seven innings of relief, allowing three hits. Starter Michael Roth was charged for one run on three hits in two innings.
The Eagles begin a seven-game homestand on Friday night (March 27) against Elon. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday’s game will be televised live on CSS and is now a 1 p.m. start. Sunday is a scheduled 1:30 p.m. first pitch.
Wednesday’s Baseball Game at Radford Postponed
BOONE, N.C. ? Wednesday’s scheduled baseball game between Appalachian State University and Radford has been postponed due to rain. A makeup date has not yet been determined.
Appalachian (8-14, 2-9 SoCon) returns to action this weekend at Southern Conference-rival Davidson. Game times for the three-game series are set for 7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Wilson Field in Davidson, N.C.
WEDNESDAY SAMFORD BASEBALL VERSUS BELMONT CANCELED
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.?Samford’s baseball game against Belmont, originally scheduled for Wednesday night at 6 p.m., has been canceled due to inclement weather in the Birmingham area.
The Bulldogs (7-15, 3-6 SoCon) will return to action this weekend with a three-game Southern Conference series at UNC Greensboro (7-10, 0-4 SoCon). The teams will play Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 12 p.m.
The Friday and Sunday games can be viewed online via SoCon TV at www.soconsports.com. GameTracker will be available for all three games.
WEDNESDAY FURMAN-PRESBYTERIAN BASEBALL POSTPONED
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Wednesday’s Furman-Presbyterian baseball game at Latham Stadium has been been postponed due to wet weather and wil be rescheduled as part of April 7 doubleheader beginning at 4:00 p.m., Paladin head coach Ron Smith has announced.
Furman returns to action this weekend when it takes on the College of Charleston in a three-game series beginning on Friday at 6:00 p.m. at Patriots Point. Saturday’s game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and Sunday’s finale is also a 1:00 p.m. start.
Spartans postpone game vs. High Point
GREENSBORO, NC ? UNC Greensboro’s game against High Point that was scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday has been postponed due to rain in the Greensboro area.
The two teams will try to make the game up later this season, although a date has yet to be set.
The Spartans will return to the diamond this weekend as they host Samford for a three-game SoCon series. The two squads will meet at 7 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday and will wrap up the series at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Rain Forces Cancellation of Catamount Baseball's Wednesday Home Game versus Kennesaw State
Western Carolina returns to SoCon action at Wofford beginning Friday at 7:00 pm
Cullowhee, N.C. - Rain and forecasted thunderstorms across the region through early Thursday morning have prompted officials at Western Carolina to cancel Wednesday's nonconference baseball game between the Catamounts and Kennesaw State, which was scheduled for 6:00 pm at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
Rain began falling in the early morning hours on Wednesday, with sporadic showers lingering throughout the morning. Forecasters are predicting over an inch of rain through the evening from a storm system that spans from the upper Midwest through the Southeast during the day Wednesday and into the night.
At the present time, no make-up date has been set for the single-game. The Catamounts and Owls are scheduled to meet in Kennesaw, Ga., on Tuesday, April 7 at 6:00 pm.
Western Carolina (15-6) returns to Southern Conference play this weekend as it visits Wofford for a three-game set in Spartanburg, S.C. The Catamounts, 6-3 in league play this season, carry a 16-game winning streak over the Terriers into the weekend, having swept five-straight conference series - three-in-a-row Russell King Field - and a win in the conference tournament back in the 2002 season.
Friday's game is set for a 7:00 pm first pitch, with Saturday slated for a 3:00 pm start and the finale on Sunday at 1:00 pm.
The three-game set will be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network, and can be heard locally on WWCU-FM, Power 90dot5 in Cullowhee and online at www.WWCUFM.com. The pregame show begins 15 minutes prior to first pitch.
Davidson Game at Gardner-Webb Washed Out
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Tonight's baseball game at Gardner-Webb, scheduled for 6 p.m., has been canceled due to rain.
The game may be rescheduled for a later date.
Davidson will return to action this weekend, hosting Appalachian State in a three-game weekend series. Friday's game is scheduled for 7 p.m., Saturday, 2 p.m. and Sunday, 1 p.m.
With rain in the forecast, please refer back to the website for the most updated schedule.
Wofford Baseball at USC Upstate Postponed
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Wofford baseball game scheduled for March 25 at USC Upstate has been postponed due to rain. The teams are working together to find a make-up date, which if possible will be announced at a later date.
Wofford will next take the field on Friday night at 7:00 pm against Western Carolina in the first game of a three-game Southern Conference series. The teams will also play on Saturday at 3:00 pm and Sunday at 1:00 pm.