The Citadel 4, Air Force 1
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? Richard Jones’ three-run home run in the face of 25 mph winds blowing in from right field proved to be the game-winner as The Citadel swept Air Force with a 4-1 win Sunday afternoon in front of 853 at Riley Park. The victory marked head coach Fred Jordan’s 600th career win as he became the fastest coach to reach 600 wins in Southern Conference history, doing so in less than 18 full seasons.
Jones’ three-run home run, his third home run of the series, broke open a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Bulldogs (14-9) swept an opponent for the first time this season. Air Force returns to Colorado after dropping to 8-17 on the year, having lost six of their seven games played over the past week in the South.
Raymond Copenhaver (2-1) earned the win in relief after holding the Falcons hitless over 2.1 innings as he struck out two. Drew Mahaffey (3) earned his third save of the season and the weekend as he allowed only one hit in four batters faced in the ninth, striking out one. Freshman TJ Clarkson got the start, pitching 5.2 innings and allowing one run in the no decision.
Andrew Loyd (1-1) took the loss after allowing all four runs on seven this while walking three and striking out one.
Air Force took the 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth as Addison Gentry’s RBI double to the left field corner scored Parker Mayo. The Bulldogs knotted the game up at 1-1 in the bottom half of the inning as Trey Thomas doubled down the left field line, then scored one batter later as Sid Fallaw hit an RBI single to right center field.
In the sixth inning, Nick Orvin led off with a single and then promptly stole second. Sonny Meade was intentionally walked to set up the Jones vs. Loyd, lefty vs. lefty, match-up. Jones sent a 3-2 pitch towering over the Palmetto trees beyond the fence in the face of 25 mph winds blowing directly in from right field.
The Citadel returns to action on Tuesday, March 31 as the Bulldogs host South Carolina at 7 p.m. at Riley Park.
College of Charleston 27, Furman 9
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Brandon Sizemore belted two of College of Charleston's school-record nine homers on the day as the 30th-ranked Cougars slugged their way to a 27-9 Southern Conference win over Furman before 644 at Patriots Point Stadium on Sunday.
Charleston, which won two-of-three in the series while homering 21 times, improved to 19-5 overall and 10-2 in league play. The Paladins fell to 10-13 and 4-8. The Cougars play at Charleston Southern at 3 p.m. on Tuesday. The Paladins are at South Carolina on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Sizemore, who has 10 homers on the season, hit a two-run shot to center in the third inning, and a towering solo homer to left in the fifth, one of six for the Cougars in the 13-run outburst.
Cole Rakar, who hit three homers in the series opener, hit a three-run homer, Clay McCord hit a two-run homer, Hutson Dodds belted a two-run shot, and Matt Mansilla and Ryan Daniels added solo home runs in the fifth.
Justin Brewer and Kolby Epley added solo homers in the eighth for Charleston.
Furman, which banged out 14 hits, go homers from Matt Hemingway, J.B. Jenkins and Chris Cowart. Hemingway, who hit a two-run shot to center in the first, finished with two runs and three RBI. Cowart's blast with a pinch-hit three-run shot in the eighth inning.
Dodds and Rakar led Charleston's 30-hit attack with four hits each, while While Sizemore, Joey Bergman, Daniels, McCord and Mansilla added three hits each.
Freshman righty David Peterson picked up the win and improved to 5-0. Peterson allowed four runs on seven hits with four strikeouts over five innings.
Ian Perry (1-3) allowed nine runs, six earned, on 12 hits over the first 3 1/3 innings.
Elon 16, Georgia Southern 6
Elon 15, Georgia Southern 8
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern could not find an answer to Elon's two-out hitting, dropping a 16-6 and 15-8 decision Sunday afternoon (March 29) at J.I. Clements Stadium. The Eagles fell to 18-7 overall and 4-3 in the Southern Conference.
Sunday's first game was a completion from Saturday's rain-suspended game. In the two games Elon recorded 21 two-out RBI to take the series.
Game two of series
Georgia Southern freshman Matt Murray struck out the side in the first inning and got the first out of the second frame on a lineout. From there a walk, RBI triple, RBI single and back-to-back home runs from Ryan Adams (2-run) and Dallas Tarleton accounted for all five Phoenix runs in the second inning.
The Eagles threatened in the third, all with two outs. Kevin Bowles reached on a bunt single then Phillip Porter singled up the middle. Griffin Benedict hit a chopper past third baseman Barrett Davis to score a run. Ty Wright was hit by a pitch to load the bases but Jimmy Reyes worked out of the jam getting a force out.
Fellow freshman Colin Snow got the final two outs of the second, two strikeouts to close out the third and fanned Tarleton for the first out of the fourth before the umpires called the rain delay. Snow returned on Sunday and would eventually pitch a season-high 4.2 innings.
Georgia Southern scored four times in the sixth to cut the deficit to one. Wright scored on a throwing error by catcher Mike Melillo then during the same at-bat Randy Williams hit his first home run as an Eagle, a 2-run shot. Porter recorded a RBI groundout.
Elon (14-8, 8-4) broke the game open in its half of the seventh scoring nine times. Pat Irvine hit a 3-run homer, Jordan Darnell (in his first collegiate at-bat) hit a grand slam and Chase Austin delivered a 2-run homer all coming with two outs.
In the seventh, Eric Phillips brought home a run on an infield single.
Murray (1-2) was charged for five runs on five hits in 1.1 innings. Five different Eagles recorded a 2-hit game.
Cory Harrilchak (1-1) earned the win allowing four runs on three hits in 2.1 innings. Darnell earned the save when he pitched 3.2 innings. Austin finished with four hits as the 5-8 hitters combined for nine runs scored.
Samford 9, UNC Greensboro 7
Samford 15, UNC Greensboro 3
GREENSBORO, NC ? Samford tallied 24 runs in two games, as UNC Greensboro lost both games of a twin bill on Sunday afternoon at the UNCG Baseball Stadium, falling 9-7 in game one and dropping game two, 15-3.
David Schulze paced Samford at the plate as he went a combined 5-8 in the two games with seven RBI, five runs scored and two home runs.
Brad Raynor, who pinch hit in game one and got his first career start in game two, went 3-4 on the afternoon with three RBI, two runs scored and a home run for UNCG.
The Spartans fell to 7-13 on the season and 0-7 in the SoCon, while the Bulldogs moved to 10-15 this year and 6-6 in league action.
Samford scored four runs in the top half of the first inning in game one to jump out to the early lead. The bulldogs had four hits in the inning, including a two-run double by Schulze, who later scored on a balk.
The Bulldogs extended their lead to 6-0 in the fourth inning thanks to a home run by Schulze. Stephen Ballard struck out, but advanced to first on a wild pitch and two batters later Schulze took a pitch deep to center for his third home run of the season.
Samford would go on to jump out to an 8-1 advantage before the Spartans began to rally late. Pedro Leon hit a solo shot out to left to narrow the score to 8-2, but the Bulldogs would get that run back in the top of the eighth to make the score 9-2.
Down by seven in the bottom of the eighth, the Spartans refused to go down without a fight. Ed Jayjack led off the inning with a single and Jacob Golliday followed suit with a single of his own. After a pitching change for Samford, Brent O’Berry hit a double to left center to clear the bases and make the score 9-4. Pinch hitter Brad Raynor delivered a single to left to score O’Berry. After an Alex Frederick single, Corey Overholtzer hit a triple to center field to plate Raynor and Frederick and narrow the score to 9-7.
In the ninth inning, the Spartans continued to rally, but fell just short. With one out, Golliday was issued his third walk of the game to get on base. After a line out, Raymond Frias singled to right to move Golliday to second. Kris Richards then pinch hit and singled through the left side to load the bases with two outs, but the Spartans flied out to second to end the first game.
Game two began the same as game one, as Samford score four runs in the top of the first. Wayne Miller led off the game with a walk and advanced to third after Ballard reached on a throwing error. Miller would score on a passed ball and Ballard scored after Mason Meredeth reached on another Spartan error. Schulze struck again in game two as he hit a two-run home run to right field to give the Bulldogs a 4-0 lead.
The Bulldogs added three more in the third to extend their lead to 7-0. They extended it to 12-0 in the fourth inning after stringing together four singles and a double in the inning as eight Samford players batted in the inning.
The Spartans got on the board in the bottom half of the fourth thanks to a RBI single by Raynor. Golliday and O’Berry led off the inning with back-to-back singles before Frias loaded the bases with a single of his own. After a pop up, Raynor delivered a single up the middle to score Golliday from third to make the score 12-1.
After the Bulldogs extended their lead to 15-2 in the top of the sixth, Raynor struck again. He led off the inning with his first career home run to make the final score 15-3.
Western Carolina 14, Wofford 10 (10)
Western Carolina 19, Wofford 2
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Wofford College baseball team dropped a double-header to Western Carolina on Sunday afternoon at Russell C. King Field. The Catamounts won the first game 14-10 in ten innings and took the second game by a 19-2 score.
Wofford is 10-11 on the season and 3-5 in the Southern Conference. Western Carolina improves to 17-5 overall and 8-3 in conference play. The Terriers were led by Konstantine Diamaduros with two home runs on the day with six RBIs and three runs scored. The Catamounts were led by Brent Greer and J.C. Lyons, each with five hits on the day.
In the first game, the Catamounts scored first with a ground-out RBI from Lee Murray in the top of the second. Wofford responded in the bottom of the second when Mike McDonnell hit a three-run homer to left center to give the Terriers a 3-1 lead. After a single from James Foster and a walk by Alex Lee, Konstantine Diamaduros hit a three-run shot to the same spot in left center for a 6-1 lead.
Western Carolina got two runs back in the top of the third on three hits, including a double from Brent Greer. After adding another run in the top of the fourth on a solo homer by Matt Johns, the Wofford lead was 6-4. In the bottom of the fourth, singles from Josh McKinney and Michael Gilmartin led to a three-run homer by Konstatine Diamaduros that hit the scoreboard in right center field. Wofford added a run on an error in the bottom of the fifth that scored Mac Doyle for a 10-4 lead.
After scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh, Western Carolina scored three runs on a homer by J.C. Lyons to make it a 10-7 game. The Catamounts added three more runs in the inning as they had six hits total in the frame to tie the game at 10-10.
The Catamounts had one hit in the ninth. Wofford opened the bottom of the ninth with a single by Kyle Behrendt. Walks to Mike McDonnell and Alex Lee loaded the bases with two out, but the Terriers did not score and the game went to extra innings.
In the tenth, the Catamounts scored two runs before a two-run homer by Brent Greer made it a 14-10 lead. Wofford had one runner reach base in the bottom of the tenth, but could not rally before the final out.
Terrier starter Scott Summers went the first seven innings and allowed seven runs on eight hits with six strikeouts. Bobby Streisel lasted a third of an inning with three runs allowed on two hits. John Cornely went 1.2 innings with two hits and no runs allowed with a strikeout. Bobby DeLuria (1-1) went the final inning with four hits on four runs allowed in the loss.
For Western Carolina, starter Chris Masters threw the first four innings and allowed ten runs on ten hits with four strikeouts. Garrett Ozar went 4.2 innings with three hits, not runs allowed and six strikeouts. Daniel Ottone (2-0) picked up the win with three strikeouts and no hits in 1.1 innings.
In the second game, the Catamounts wasted little time in taking a 6-0 lead in the first inning as they sent eleven batters to the plate and had six runs on six hits and left two on base. They extended the advantage with a run in the top of the second on a sacrifice fly by Rembert Rollison. In the top of the third, Western Carolina added four runs on three hits to take an 11-0 lead.
Wofford got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Kyle Behrendt hit a two-run home to centerfield for an 11-2 score. The Catamounts added a run in the top of the fifth and the top of the sixth to push the lead to 13-2.
In the top of the eighth, Kyle Stewart hit a two-run homer as part of a five-hit and five run inning to make it an 18-2 game. The Catamounts added a run in the top of the ninth for the 19-2 final score.
For Wofford, starter Cash Collins (2-2) threw 2.1 innings with eleven hits, eleven runs and one strikeout. Jordan Mickleberry, Reid McElveen, Anthony Rowland and J.D. Osborne combined for 4.2 innings with two runs on two hits with two strikeouts. Bobby Streisel threw the eighth and gave up five runs on five hits with a strikeout. Mason Bradley closed the game with two hits and a run allowed with two strikeouts.
Western Carolina starter Mike Tavernier (2-2) went 6.0 innings with two runs, two hits and eight strikeouts. Kyle Stewart, Tyler Brownlow, Garrett Baker and Andrew Blackwell combined to finish the final three innings with only two hits allowed and two strikeouts.
The games on Friday and Saturday were not played due to heavy rain. The third game of the series will not be played. The first game was the second extra-inning game of the season for the Terriers and they are 1-1 in those games.
Davidson 9, Appalachian State 8
Appalachian State 15, Davidson 5
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Chris Alessandria drove in five runs and Isaac Harrow had a career-high-tying five hits and scored four runs to lead Appalachian State University baseball to a 15-5 win over Davidson in the finale of a rain-shortened Southern Conference series on Sunday at Wilson Field.
The victory salvaged a split of the two-game series for Appalachian after it fell 9-8 on a walk-off home run in Sunday’s conclusion of Game One.
After being limited to eight hits in the series opener, Appalachian (9-15, 3-10 SoCon) exploded for 17 off eight Davidson pitchers in the finale. ASU scored in six of the game’s first seven innings and never trailed en route to its highest scoring output in conference action since it scored 16 in last year’s regular season-finale at Wofford.
Rand Smith opened the outburst with a solo homer to left center on the second pitch from the game. The Apps’ offensive production snowballed from there, as they went on to score two runs in the first, one in the third, three in the fourth, one in the fifth, two in the sixth and six in the seventh.
Alessandria finished with a pair of RBI doubles and a three-run homer in the 3-for-5, five-RBI effort and Harrow doubled twice in his 5-for-5 performance. Harrow’s five hits were the most by a Mountaineer this season.
David Towarnicky chipped in with three RBI, Wes Hobson added three hits and Jerod Faggart also homered in the victory.
Aubrey Edens (1-2) surrendered only four hits and struck out five in six innings of work to earn his first win of the season.
The victory helped wash the bad taste of the first game’s heart-breaking finish out of the Mountaineers’ mouths. They came back from deficits of 7-2 and 8-5 only to fall on Chase FitzPatrick’s walk-off homer to left center.
The contest started on Saturday and was tied at 2-2 after four innings when play was suspended due to rain. Davidson burst out of the gates when the game resumed on Sunday, scoring five runs in the bottom of the fifth to grab the 7-2 advantage.
ASU answered with three runs in the top of the sixth to cut it to 7-5. The damage could have been even worse if not for a stroke of bad luck when Hobson belted a two-out, two-run ground-rule double. Had the ball not bounced over the right-field fence, Smith would have easily scored from first base, but the dead ball sent him back to third base, where he was eventually stranded.
Davidson (10-11, 5-4 SoCon) stretched its lead back to three with a run in the seventh, but Smith and Harrow hit back-to-back bombs in the eighth ? Smith’s being a two-run job ? to knot the score at 8-8.
It remained 8-8 until the bottom of the ninth when FitzPatrick hit his game-winner off ASU closer Zach Quate (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield). The homer was the first allowed by Quate all season while the earned run was only his second of the year.
The series was shortened to two games due to rain that washed out action on Friday night and much of Saturday.