Samford 8, Auburn 2
AUBURN, Ala.?Samford freshman pitcher Kyle Putkonen pitched 7.0 strong innings, giving up just two runs on two hits and striking out a career-high eight batters as the Bulldog baseball team won at Auburn, 8-2, Tuesday evening at Plainsman Park.
Freshman Josh Martin pitched the final two hitless innings, striking out a career-high five batters to finish the game on the mound. The Bulldog pitching staff allowed just two hits over the complete nine innings, both coming on solo home runs.
“This was a great job on the mound by two young kids,” Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. “The best part about it is both of those guys will be around a long time. This was the second game in a row where Kyle went out there with a plan and executed it.”
For Samford at the plate, Trey Hayes was 2-for-3 with a triple and home run and five RBI. Stephen Ballard was 4-for-5 for the Bulldogs. Mason Meredeth, David Schulze and Brad Moss had two hits each for Samford. Meredeth’s performance extended his current hitting streak to 26 games.
Auburn’s Hunter Morris and Casey McElroy each hit a solo home run to account for the Tigers’ two runs. Paul Burnside pitched 4.1 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits to take the loss.
Samford jumped on top first with three runs in the top of the first inning. After Ballard singled, Meredeth reached base on a fielder’s choice with Ballard being thrown out on the play. Schulze singled and Bo Smith walked to load the bases. Hayes then tripled to right-center field to drive in all three runners for a 3-0 Samford lead.
Samford pushed its lead to 4-0 with a run in the top of the second inning. Michael Johnson led the inning off with a triple to left-center field. Johnson then scored on a sacrifice fly by Moss to give Samford a four-run lead.
Auburn got on the scoreboard with a run in the bottom of the second inning. McElroy led the inning off with a solo home run to left field to cut the Samford lead to 4-1.
Auburn added another run in the bottom of the sixth inning to cut Samford’s lead to 4-2. Morris hit a solo home run for Auburn’s final run of the game.
Samford plated two runs in the top of the seventh inning to push its lead to 6-2. Smith led the inning off with a single. Hayes then homered to left field to make the score 6-2.
Samford plated the game’s final two runs in the top of the eighth inning to make the final score 8-2. With the bases loaded, Joe Durham singled through the right side of the infield to drive in Schulze and Ballard for the game’s final two runs.
With the win, Samford improves to 15-26. Auburn drops to 25-16 on the season. The win marks the second-straight week Samford has claimed a win over an SEC opponent after defeating Alabama, 14-13 in 10 innings last Wednesday.
Samford will return to action on Friday, April 24, when the Bulldogs play host to Elon in the first game of a three-game Southern Conference series. Friday’s game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start from Joe Lee Griffin Field.
UNC Greensboro 5, North Carolina State 3
GREENSBORO, NC ? UNC Greensboro rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to score five runs in three innings and avenge an earlier loss this season as the Spartans defeated NC State, 5-3, on Tuesday night at the UNCG Baseball Stadium. Less than a month ago, UNCG dropped a 4-3 heartbreaker to the Wolfpack when the game-tying run for the Spartans was thrown out at the plate to end the game.
Freshman Zach Furl picked up his first win of the season for the Spartans (15-19) after pitching 3 1/3 innings of no-hit relief. Sophomore Ray Quinones went 2-4 at the plate, including his 11th double of the season to lead all batters.
NC State starter Joey Cutler allowed five runs in five innings for the Wolfpack (19-22) to pick up his fourth loss of the season.
Despite having to wait through an hour and 37 minute rain delay, NC State wasted no time in jumping out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. After the first two batters were retired, Pratt Maynard singled up the middle before moving to second on Drew Poulk’s walk. Pat Ferguson followed with a double down the left field line to score Maynard and Poulk.
The Spartans were finally able to break through in the third inning as they narrow the Wolfpack lead to 2-1. Brad Raynor led off the inning with as single up the middle and Raymond Frias followed with a walk. The two runners advanced to second and third on a wild pitch and Raynor later scored on a foul out to the left fielder.
UNCG was finally able to take the lead it would never relinquish in the fourth inning. Pedro Leon walked to lead off the inning and scored when Quinones hit a double down the right field line. Drew Gehringer then walked and Quinones and Gehringer moved to second and third on a fly out to deep right field. Raynor followed with a ground ball to shortstop Dallas Poulk who overthrew the first baseman. That allowed Raynor to move to second and Gehringer and Quinones to score to put the Spartans ahead 4-2.
The Spartans stretched their lead to 5-2 in the fifth inning when Corey Overholtzer hit a single to center field and scored later in the inning on Quinones’ RBI single off the tip of the first baseman’s glove.
NC State was able to narrow UNCG’s lead to 5-3 in the sixth inning when Kyle Wilson scored on Chris Schaeffer’s RBI single through the left side, but the Wolfpack would only register two hits the rest of the evening.
The Spartans return to the diamond on Friday as they travel to Davidson for a three-game SoCon series. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Appalachian State 9, North Carolina A&T 6
BOONE, N.C. ? Appalachian State University baseball answered North Carolina A&T’s five-run seventh inning with four runs in the bottom of the eighth and stretched its home winning streak to nine games with a 9-6 win over A&T on Tuesday afternoon at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
For the second-straight game, senior shortstop Nick DeRose was the hero for Appalachian (22-17), as his double down the left-field line in the eighth drove in David Towarnicky with the go-ahead run.
ASU trailed 6-5 heading into the eighth, thanks to N.C. A&T (11-27) erasing a 5-1 lead with its five-run seventh. After going down in order in the seventh, Isaac Harrow led off the eighth for Appalachian with a bloop single into right center field.
Harrow stole second ? the sixth of ASU’s Smith Stadium record-tying seven steals on the afternoon ? and advanced to third on Towarnicky’s single to right field. Chris Alessandria followed with a perfectly executed squeeze bunt ? his second in just over a week ? and Harrow scored easily to knot the score at 6-6.
Following DeRose’s RBI double, the Mountaineers went on to plate two more runs for insurance, the first on a run-scoring groundout by Will Helms and the second on an RBI triple to right center by Jason Wallace.
That would be more than enough support for Chris Patterson, who didn’t surrender a hit in the ninth for his second save of the season.
In addition to his RBI and run in the bottom of the eighth, Helms also retired the Aggies in order in the top half of the inning to earn his first-career win.
Overshadowed by the late scoring was the effort turned in on the mound by freshman Ryan Arrowood, who limited the high-powered A&T offense to three runs in 6.1 innings of work and was in line to get his second win until the Aggies rallied against the ASU bullpen in the seventh.
Wallace led the Mountaineers offensively with a 2-for-4, three-RBI performance. Harrow and Towarnicky also added two hits apiece, however, Rand Smith saw his school-record hitting streak snapped at 27 games with an 0-for-5 afternoon.
N.C. A&T’s Chris Watson pitched a complete game but suffered the loss to fall to 1-5 on the season. Cyril Daniel (2-for-3, two runs) and Nick Rogers (three RBI) paced A&T at the plate.
Winners of 16 of its last 19 ballgames, Appalachian returns to action on Wednesday evening when it visits High Point. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
Wofford 9, Presbyterian 7
CLINTON, S.C. ? Seven home runs powered the Wofford College baseball team to a 9-7 win over Presbyterian on Tuesday afternoon at the PC Baseball Complex. The game was tied at seven when Jake Williams and Neil Robinette both hit home runs in the top of the ninth to secure the win.
Wofford is 17-18 on the season and 8-10 in the Southern Conference. Presbyterian is 8-29 overall and 4-16 in the Big South. The Terriers were led by Jake Williams with two home runs and three RBIs, while Neil Robinette added four hits and an RBI. The Blue Hose had two hits each from Cory Lyda and Kenny Bryant.
The Terriers loaded the bases in the first with two out, but hit into a fielder’s choice to end the inning. The Blue Hose scored in the bottom of the second inning when a single from Nate Horton scored Kenny Bryant from second base.
Wofford answered in the top of the third when Michael Gilmartin led off with a triple. Kyle Behrendt hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Gilmartin for a 1-1 score. In the top of the fourth, the Terriers took the lead on a solo home run by Mac Doyle over the left center fence.
Presbyterian had two outs and two runners on base when Jesse Harmon hit a ball over the left fence to score three runs and give the Blue Hose a 4-2 lead after four. Wofford got one run back in the top of the fifth with a solo shot by Kyle Behrendt to right field. Konstantine Diamaduros added a single before Jake Williams blasted a shot to left field for a two-run homer and a 5-4 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth, Zac Rhinesmith tied the game with a solo home run over the left field fence. Wofford answered with a lead off home run in the top of the sixth by David Roney to take a 6-5 lead. The home run was the first of his career.
The Blue Hose loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth on an error and two walks. Kenny Bryant hit a single to score one run, and another run scored on the throw to home for a 7-6 lead. The bases were loaded again with another walk and two outs, but all three runners were left on base at the end of the sixth.
Neither team was able to score in the seventh inning, as Neil Robinette had the only hit between the two teams. In the eighth, Michael Gilmartin belted a solo home run to left to tie the game at seven apiece.
In the top of the ninth, Jake Williams led off the inning with a solo home run. With two out, Neil Robinette toasted a pitch over the right center fence for a 9-7 lead for the Terriers. The Blue Hose went one-two-three in the ninth to end the game.
Wofford starter Anthony Rowland made his first career start and went 3.2 innings with four runs allowed on eight hits with two strikeouts. Bobby Streisel threw 1.1 innings with one run on one hit. J.D. Osborne went two-thirds of an inning with two runs allowed on one hit with a strikeout. Drew Sheridan threw 2.1 innings without a hit and four strikeouts. Scott Summers pitched the ninth and did not allow a hit with a strikeout.
For the Blue Hose, starter Joe Hammond went four innings with nine hits and five runs allowed with one strikeout. Jordan Pace threw four innings and allowed four hits and two runs with five strikeouts. Micah Black entered in the ninth and allowed two runs on two hits with two strikeouts.
The seven home runs by the Terriers tied for the second-most in school history. Wofford hit eight home runs on March 15, 1992 against Longwood and had seven in 1987 against Allen and in 1992 against Quincy.
Wofford and Presbyterian will complete the home-and-home series on Wednesday night at 7:00 pm at Russell C. King Field in Spartanburg. The Terriers will then travel to Boone for a three-game weekend series against Appalachian State beginning on Friday night.
No. 28 Georgia Southern 12, Charleston Southern 1
STATESBORO, Ga. - Sophomore Andy Moye (Alpharetta/Alpharetta) pitched eight innings and the offense hit three home runs as Georgia Southern defeated Charleston Southern 12-1 Tuesday night (April 21) at J.I. Clements Stadium. The 28th-ranked Eagles (29-9 overall) won their sixth straight.
The Buccaneers (13-27) scored in the first inning off a RBI double by Tyler Thornburg with two down. From there Moye went into cruise control and the offense took over.
From the second through seventh inning Moye faced the minimum three batters. A leadoff single in the fourth was erased on a 6-4 3 double play. In the fifth Brantley Meier hit a one-out single and advanced to second on Moye's throwing error off a failed pickoff attempt. Moye ended the inning when he picked off Meier on a timing play with shortstop Brian Pierce (Roswell/Roswell). The sophomore right-hander walked two batters in the eighth but he got a groundout and strikeout to close out his stellar outing.
"I have definitely been feeling comfortable out on the mound the last couple of weeks. I felt like I was getting more comfortable, getting into a good rhythm as the game wore on," said Moye. "Our defense is playing great. As a pitcher it's a lot of fun to go out there knowing they have your back."
In the second Pierce tied the game on a two-out RBI double scoring Phillip Porter (Marietta/Sprayberry). The Eagles added another in the fourth thanks to Scotty Radabaugh's fielding error which allowed Will Southwell (Moultrie/Colquitt County) to score for a 2-1 lead.
The Eagles scored three more times in the fifth. Kevin Bowles (Statesboro/Statesboro) lined a RBI single then Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) doubled down the right field line to score Bowles. Porter singled through the left side for a 5-1 lead.
Ty Wright (Montrose/ABAC) hit a 2-run homer in the sixth, his fifth round-tripper of the year. Randy J. Williams (Valdosta/Andrew College) hammered a 2-run shot in the seventh then later in the inning Kyle Blackburn (Marietta/Walton) dropped a 3-run bomb, a shot that nearly cleared the 55-foot batters eye in centerfield.
CSU loaded the bases in the ninth with no one out. Kyle Kamppi (Savannah/Benedictine) got a lineout double play then struck out Ryan Shea to end the game.
Moye (5-0) gave up the one run on five hits, matching a career-high of eight innings pitched. He walked two and struck out three.
The Eagles out-hit CSU 11-6, led by Wright, Benedict and Porter with two hits apiece. Benedict extended his hitting streak to a career-high 17 games.
Patrick Dolan (1-2) suffered the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits in five innings of work. Nick Chinners and Thornburg had two hits apiece.
The Eagles return to Southern Conference play this weekend, traveling to The Citadel for a three-game series. First pitch on Friday night is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Furman 4, Gardner-Webb 3
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Campbell Lewis belted a leadoff walk-off home run in the ninth inning to give Furman a 4-3 victory over Gardner-Webb in baseball action Tuesday evening at Latham Stadium.
Lewis’ shot to left field off Bulldog reliever Taylor Brooks marked his second walk-off home run of the season and third of his career. It also gave Furman (17-20) the two-game regular season sweep of Gardner-Webb (20-16).
The Paladins ninth-inning long ball made a winner of Spencer Hale (5-2), who came on in the eighth with one out and two runners on. The senior right-hander diffused the threat with a fly ball to right field and strikeout to end the inning, and in the ninth retired the Bulldogs in order.
Brooks (0-3) took the loss for the Bulldogs.
Lewis had three of Furman’s seven hits with a 3-for-4 performance. Marcus Rose went 2-for-3, scored two runs, and stole five bases, including a theft of home in fifth that gave the Paladins a 3-2 lead.
Gardner-Webb tied it in the seventh on Daniel Cooke’s RBI single through the left side scored Brock Miller from second base.
Miller paced the Bulldogs’ 10-hit attack by going 3-for-5 and scoring two runs.
Paladin starting pitcher Marc allowed a pair of runs in the first but settled down to post the longest outing of his Paladin career. The junior right-hander worked six innings, allowing seven hits, two runs, and a walk while striking out two.
Matt Hemingway delivered a solo home run in the second, his sixth of the season, to tie the game at 2-2.
Furman returns to action on Wednesday when it entertains Charleston Southern in a 6:00 p.m. game at Latham Stadium.
No. 4 Georgia Tech 16, Western Carolian 7
Atlanta, Ga. - Tied at five entering the bottom of the third inning, No. 4 Georgia Tech outscored Western Carolina 11-to-2 over the final six frames, including a four-run third and a six-run fifth, en route to a 16-7 victory Tuesday night at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The same two teams will square off in Cullowhee on Wednesday night as Georgia Tech makes its first-ever visit to Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 pm.
Western Carolina (22-16) erased a two-run deficit with a four-run top of the second inning, spurred by a two-run home run by Matt Johns. Rembert Rollison also laid down a perfect safety squeeze bunt to the left side to drive in a run, later scoring to cap the four-run frame, 4-2.
The Yellow Jackets rallied back, though, with a three-spot in the home half of the second to reclaim the lead, 5-4, after two.
J.C. Lyons was able to knot the game at five in the top of the third on a heads-up play on the bases. After reaching on a fielder's choice, Lyons moved from first to third on a wild pitch that was misplayed by the Tech catcher, Cole Leonida, at the back stop. On the same play, no one covered home plate or called time after Leonida tracked down the baseball which allowed Lyons to win a foot race for home to score the tying run. It was officially scored a stolen base for Lyons, his 19th of the season.
However, Georgia Tech (27-8-1) scored four in the home half of the third and six in the bottom of the fifth to pull away for the victory.
Greer led WCU with a 2-for-2 night, drawing a walk and was hit by pitches twice to reach base in all five plate appearances. Stephen Notaro finished 2-for-3 with a single and a double, while Rembert Rollison had a pair of singles in a 2-for-4 showing at the dish. Trevor Collias recorded one base hit in the game, but also swiped his 24th stolen base of the year to take sole possession of ninth on the WCU single-season charts.
Garrett Ozar (2-4) took the loss after allowing nine earned runs on 10 base hits with a walk and two strikeouts through three and a third innings pitched. Chris Masters threw two-thirds of a frame in relief, surrendering five earned runs on three hits with a strikeout and free pass. Garrett Baker saw an inning and a third of two-run, four-hit relief while Jason Sullivan logged a career-long two and two-thirds, holding Georgia Tech off the scoreboard with just one hit, two walks and a career-best four strikeouts.
Jackets' reliever Jake Davies (2-0) earned the win after throwing two thirds of an inning in relief of starter, Jed Bradley. Davies struck out two and allowed one hit, facing three batters total. Bradley allowed six earned runs on eight hits with a pair of walks and three strikeouts. Jacob Esch earned the save after working the final four innings in effective relief, surrendering one run on four hits with five strikeouts.
Jason Haniger led Georgia Tech with a 4-for-5 showing at the plate with four RBI, including a two-run homer in the first that gave the Yellow Jackets the early, 2-0, advantage. Chris House finished 3-for-3 with a three-run homer, while Leonida was 3-for-4 with three singles and two RBI.
No. 24 East Carolina 10, Elon 9
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Kyle Roller's three-run homer in the sixth tied the game at seven and his one-out bases loaded single in the bottom of the ninth drove home the game-winning run as the 24th-ranked East Carolina Pirates overcame the Elon Phoenix 10-9 in non-league baseball action on Tuesday night. The Phoenix saw its four-game winning streak snapped and now sits at 24-13 on the year. ECU improved to 29-12.
Elon claimed an early lead when Pat Irvine bounced a ball down the right field line for a RBI double which plated Cory Harrilchak from first.
After Trent Whitehead reached on a Phoenix error to start the bottom of the first, Ryan Wood singled through the left side to put Pirate runners on first and second. Both runners moved up 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt by Brandon Henderson before Roller struck out for out number two. Stephen Batts followed by grounding out to third, ending the ECU threat in the opening inning.
With one out in the second, Neal Pritchard walked. With two away, Scott Riddle was hit by a pitch. Justin Hilt then lined a single to left-center to drive in Pritchard. A three-run bomb from Harrilchak extended the Phoenix lead to 5-0 as he sent an 0-1 pitch over the wall in right. The homer was the 11th of the season for the senior. After a pitching change, Chase Austin ripped his 13th homer of the year over the left field wall. The shot was his 10th in the last 11 games.
ECU got things going with one away in the third. Whitehead reached on an infield single and went to third on a double to left-center off the bat of Ryan Wood. Henderson then walked on four straight pitches to load the bases. Roller was fanned for the second out before Batts flew out to right-center, stranding three Pirate runners.
The Phoenix began the fifth with back-to-back singles from Irvine and Bennett Davis. After the next two hitters were retired, Dallas Tarleton drew a four-pitch walk. Elon was unable to push across any more runs, however, as the third out was recorded when pinch-hitter Ryan Adams lined out to left.
The Pirates took advantage of a two-out Elon error that allowed Dustin Harrington to reach. Jared Avchen followed with a single to center that moved Harrington to third. Whitehead then plated Harrington with a single up the middle to get ECU on the board.
After Henderson was retired to lead off the bottom of the fifth, Roller singled and Batts was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Austin Homan's infield single then loaded the bases. Tom Porter then fanned Drew Schieber for the second out before Harrington doubled down the left field line to clear the bases, pulling ECU within two at 6-4.
The Phoenix got one back in the sixth when Harrilchak went deep for the second time in the game. His solo shot to right extended Elon's lead to 7-4.
Jared Kernodle came on to throw for Elon in the bottom of the sixth and issued walks to both Whitehead and Wood to start the at bat. Henderson then bounced a ball to third and reached on a fielder's choice that eliminated Whitehead. After a pitching change, the runners pulled off a double steal. Roller followed by crushing his 11th homer of the year to right-center, evening the score at seven.
Schieber doubled to right-center to lead off the Pirate seventh. After Harrington was plunked, Avchen sacrificed both runners up a bag. ECU grabbed its first lead of the night when Whitehead lifted a sac fly down the left field line.
Elon got the tying run on to begin the ninth when Austin reached on a throwing error. Irvine followed with a walk before Davis' sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position. Mike Melillo was intentionally walked to load the bases, bringing Neal Pritchard to the dish. Pritchard was out on an infield before Tarleton laced a double to right-center to score both Austin and Irvine to put the Phoenix back on top 9-8. On the play, Melillo was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.
Harrington led off the bottom of the ninth with a single through the left side of the infield. Avchen was then hit by a pitch to put the tying run on second base and the winning run on first. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position before Whitehead was intentionally walked to load the bags. After Wood popped out on an infield fly for the first out of the inning, Henderson looped a single to left to tie the game at nine. Roller's bouncer up the middle ended the game as pinch-runner Broc Sutton scored.
Thomas Girdwood (0-2) lost after allowing two runs on three hits in just a third of an inning. Porter left with a 6-4 lead after a five-inning performance in which he walked just one and struck out four.
Seth Simmons (2-1) picked up the win after blowing the save in the top of the ninth. Simmons gave up two unearned runs on a hit and two walks in his inning of action.
Harrilchak's two-homer, three-run, four-RBI performance led Elon. Harrilchak has now safely reached base in 70 consecutive games. Irvine also finished the night with two hits, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and one RBI.
Roller finished 3-for-6 with two runs scored and four RBI for the Pirates while Harrington went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three driven in.
The Phoenix returns home to tackle the Duke Blue Devils in a 7 p.m. game on Wednesday evening.
Radford 12, Davidson 6
RADFORD, Va. ? The Davidson Wildcats dropped a 12-6 decision to the Radford Highlanders in midweek action Tuesday night at Radford University Baseball Field.
Chase FitzPatrick, Danny Weiss and Graham Chapman each recorded a pair of hits for the Wildcats, who fall to 13-21 overall. Ryan Overcash (0-2) took the loss after making the start and allowing three runs on five hits in three innings, while striking out four batters.
Three players recorded three hits for Radford, who improves to 19-14 overall. Paul Devito picked up the win for the Highlanders, holding the Wildcats to just four runs on eight hits in eight innings.
Radford scored two runs in the first inning on a pair of hits, before opening up an 8-0 advantage through five complete.
The Wildcats got on the scoreboard with three runs in the sixth inning, highlighted by a two-RBI home run from Danny Weiss. Graham Chapman and Zach Kayne connected on back-to-back base hits to start the inning, and Brett Shore’s groundout in the next at-bat plated Chapman. Weiss’ one-out home run into right center, his fifth of the season, cleared the bases and cut the Highlanders’ lead to 8-3.
Radford added a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth on four hits, starting with a leadoff single by Jeff Kemp off just-entered Andy Bass and moved around the bases on a couple of Wildcat miscues. After taking second on a wild pitch, he stole third and scored on a passed ball, and Matt Hillsinger drove another run for the Highlanders with an RBI-single.
Chase FitzPatrick got a run back for the ?Cats in the top of the eighth, plating Shore, who hit a one-out single up the middle and took second on a wild pitch to get into scoring position.
Radford added its final pair of runs in the eighth, before the Wildcats finished out the scoring with two in the ninth. Chapman drove in James Cerbie, who reached on a fielding error, and Kayne’s fielder’s choice plated the final run of the game.
Davidson will return to the diamond tomorrow, hosting N.C. A&T at 6 p.m. at Wilson Field.