GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman’s Campbell Lewis scored on throwing error in the bottom of the 15th inning to deliver a 11-10 victory over Western Carolina in Southern Conference baseball action Saturday evening at Latham Stadium.

Lewis’ game winning run in the four hour and 34-minute contest came after he led off the 15th with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Aaron Thompkins, which Western Carolina misplayed for an error.  Furman’s Will Miller then laid down a sacrifice bunt attempt to Catamount pitcher Mike Tavernier, whose throw to third base for the force play sailed over the glove of Tyler Kirkpatrick and down the left field line, allowing Lewis to score.

With the win Furman improves to 19-21 on the season and 7-13 in SoCon play.  Western Carolina falls to 24-17 overall and 12-7 in SoCon action.  The two teams play the rubber game of the series Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

Stephen Gary (2-0) earned the victory after working the final two innings, allowing four hits and a run.  The loss went to Mike Tavernier (3-4), Western Carolina’s projected Sunday starter.

Furman’s triumph was made possible after the Paladins escaped a bases loaded, no-out situation in the top of the 15th.  Three straight singles by Matt Johns, Rembert Rollison, and Tyler Kirkpatrick off Gary filled the bases, but the Greenwood, S.C., product rallied to retire Johns on a force play at the plate for the first out.  The freshman left-hander then struck out Mitchell Hatley, and closed out the Catamounts by fanning Nick Liles.

Twice Western Carolina took one-run leads in the 13th and 14th innings, but both times Furman responded to tie the game.

In the Catamount 13th, Logan Bland’s RBI grounder put WCU up 9-8, but Miller answered with a solo home run off Brandon Johnson with one out in the Furman 13th to tie the contest.

In the 14th Brent Greer deposited a Gary two-out pitch over the left center field fence for a 10-9 advantage, but the Paladins again answered with their own versions of long ball when Brian Harrison blasted a towering one-out, solo shot, his 10th of the season, to left to knot it at 10-10.

Western Carolina forced extra innings after mounting a furious comeback from an 8-2 deficit.   After an RBI double by Greer in the sixth made it 8-3, Liles cranked a two-run home run in a four-run seventh that cut the Furman lead to 8-7.  Rollison then belted a two-out, solo home run in the eighth off Paladin reliever Spencer Hale to tie the game.

Furman’s bullpen struggles in the sixth, seventh, and eighth spoiled an impressive start by junior right-hander Kevin Gaid, who departed after five innings with the 8-2 advantage.  Only nine months removed from Tommy John surgery, Gaid allowed two runs on five hits and a walk in only his fourth appearance and second start of the season.

Furman touched up Catamount starter Corey Martin for six runs, five of which were earned, over the first 4 1/3 innnings.

A two-run single by Matt Hemingway in the third keyed a four-run frame and helped give Furman a 4-2 lead.

In the fifth the Paladins combined three hits with a pair of Catamount errors to plate four more runs, which pushed the advantage to 8-2.

Western Carolina doubled up Furman in hits, 22-11, but six errors by WCU led to three unearned runs, including the game winner.

Lewis, Marcus Rose, Justin Holloway, and Reese Wade paced the Paladins with two hits apiece.

Greer, meanwhile, had the big night for Western Carolina, going 5-for-7 with and home run and two RBI.  Rollins registered a 4-for-6 performance and scored a pair of runs for the Catamounts.

Elon 12, Samford 7

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.?Elon’s Chase Austin went 5-for-5 with a double, a home run and six RBI to lead the Phoenix baseball team to a 12-7 win in the second game of a three-game Southern Conference series Saturday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field.

Samford drops to 15-28 overall and 8-15 in SoCon play with the loss. Elon improves to 27-13 overall and 16-4 in league play.

Samford was led at the plate by Mason Meredeth, going 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI. Meredeth extended his current hitting streak to 28 games, just one shy of the school record set last season by Michael Marseco.

Samford’s Gary Cramer went 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI and Wayne Miller went 2-for-4 on the day. David Schulze also homered in the game for Samford, going 1-for-4 with two RBI. David Knapp pitched 5.1 innings, giving up five earned runs on nine hits to take the loss.

Behind Austin for Elon, Dallas Tarleton went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Neal Pritchard was 2-for-4 with three RBI for the Phoenix, while Zeth Stone went 2-for-5. Daniel Britt pitched 7.1 innings, giving up six runs on 10 hits to earn the win.

Elon jumped on top first with a run in the top of the first inning. Austin doubled down the left-field line to drive in Cory Harrilchak, who had earlier reached base on a fielder’s choice, for the first run of the game.

Samford came back to take the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. With two outs in the inning, Meredeth singled to start the rally. Schulze then homered to right field to give Samford a 2-1 lead. Bo Smith then singled and advanced to second base on an Elon error. Trey Hayes then doubled to left field to drive in Smith to make the score 3-1.

Elon answered with five runs in the top of the fifth inning to take a 6-3 lead. Mike Melillo singled to lead off the inning. Tarleton then homered to left-center field to tie the score. Pritchard, Stone and Harrilchak loaded the bases with three-straight singles.

Austin then singled to drive in Stone and Pritchard for a 5-3 Elon lead. Harrilchak then scored from second base when Pat Irvine reached base on a Samford error for a 6-3 Phoenix lead.

Elon pulled away with two runs in the seventh inning and four more in the eighth to push its lead to 12-3. Austin homered to left field with Stone on base to account for the two runs in the seventh inning. In the eighth inning, Pritchard doubled with the bases loaded to drive in the first three runs in the inning. Austin later drove in Pritchard from third base with an infield single for a nine-run Elon lead.

Samford added three runs in the eighth inning and one more in the ninth to make the final score 12-7. Meredeth homered to center field with Stephen Ballard and Cramer on base for the three runs in the eighth inning. With one out in the ninth inning, Michael Johnson singled up the middle. Cramer then doubled to left field to drive in Johnson for the game’s final run.

The same two teams will conclude this weekend’s series with a game Sunday afternoon. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start from Joe Lee Griffin Field.

Georgia Southern 3, The Citadel 1

CHARLESTON, S.C. ? Sonny Meade went 2-for-4 and Asher Wojciechowski registered nine strikeouts but Georgia Southern was able to escape with a 3-1 win in front of 953 at Riley Park Saturday afternoon.

Meade was the only Bulldog player to notch more than one hit in the game and the Bulldogs left eight runners on base in the game.

Wojciechowski (2-3) struck out nine while allowing three runs on three hits but three wild pitches helped the Eagles offense. Wojciechowski allowed only one GSU hit to get out of the infield, a solo home run by Griffin Benedict. Benedict led the Eagles with a 2-for-4 day, scoring once and driving in two more runs.

Jake Brown (4-3) was credited with the win after holding the Bulldogs to one unearned run on seven hits while walking one and striking out four. Kyle Kamppi (7) earned the save after retiring all three batters faced in the bottom of the ninth.

The Citadel took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning as Bryan Altman laced a one-out double off the left field wall. Sonny Meade then reached base on an error by GSU second baseman Kevin Bowles, allowing Altman to get to third and Meade to reach second. Richard Jones then drove in Altman on a single to first base.

Georgia Southern took the lead in the third inning as Jonathan King led off with a walk. Wojciechowski then hit Ty Wright with a pitch, putting runners on first and second. A sacrifice bunt by Bowles put both runners in scoring position and a ground out by Benedict allowed King to score, putting Wright on third. Wright would then score on Wojciechowski’s third wild pitch of the game before Eric Phillips fly out to right field ended the inning.

Benedict hit his solo home run to right field in the sixth inning, the only Georgia Southern hit of the day to get out of the infield.

The rubber game of the series is set for Sunday, April 26 at 1 p.m. at Riley Park in a doubleheader with the Charleston RiverDogs. Bulldog fans attending The Citadel’s game against Georgia Southern are welcome to stay for the RiverDogs’ game against the Savannah Sand Gnats, which follows.

Davidson 4, UNC Greensboro 2

DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Drew Gadaire hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning to lift the Davidson Wildcats to a 4-2 win over the UNC Greensboro Spartans and clinch the Southern Conference series Saturday afternoon at Wilson Field.

Davidson won its third straight game to improve to 16-21 overall and an even 10-10 in the Southern Conference, while Greensboro falls to 15-21 overall and 4-14 in league play.

The Wildcats got strong pitching for a second straight, with Chris Lamb allowing just two unearned runs on five hits and striking out eight in 5 1/3 innings.

The first option of the bullpen for a second straight day, Mike Frongello (3-1) extended his scoreless innings streak to 9 2/3 with 2 2/3 innings of no-hit baseball Saturday. Gadaire's home run in the eighth made a winner of him, as the Wildcat offense finally put something together to support another impressive outing by the Davidson pitchers.

Matt Webb allowed just a lone hit in the ninth inning, an infield single to Frederick nearly stolen by Zach Kayne, to pick up his second straight save and fifth on the season.

Greensboro reliever Rob Gilliam took the loss, allowing three runs on three hits in two innings.

Danny Weiss went a perfect 3-for-3 to lead the Wildcats, and Seth Freeman added a pair of hits for a second straight day.

Lamb retired five straight to start the game before getting into a bases-loaded jam in the second. Kayne stole a hit from Kris Richards, though, to strand three and keep the game scoreless.

The Wildcat offense, likewise, was having a tough time with Greensboro starter Slack, who scattered seven hits for a lone run in six innings in the no-decision.

The Spartans finally got across a run in the fifth on two hits and a Wildcat error. Lamb gave up a one-out single to Drew Gehringer, and Corey Overholtzer followed with a double, as Chase FitzPatrick lost it in the sun.

A throwing error by Kayne trying to get Gehringer at third allowed the Spartans their first run, but Davidson got it back in the bottom of the inning. Weiss hit a one-out double, and Brady walked to put a pair of runners on for FitzPatrick, who grounded out to second base to send in Weiss. James Cerbie went down on strikes to end the inning.

Davidson surrendered another unearned run in the sixth, as Brent O'Berry led off with a base hit, took second on a ground out and third on a wild-pitch strikeout. Graham Chapman fielded an offering from Raymond Frias, but overthrew home plate to send in another run and give the Spartans a 2-1 lead. Frongello came on with a pair of runners on and just one out to get a groundout and a strikeout and limit the damage.

Gadaire's three-run home run, his 11th of the season, in the eighth gave the Wildcat pitchers the support they needed, and Frongello and Webb held the Spartans to just one hit over the final 3 2/3 scoreless innings. Freeman led off with a double and Brett Shore was hit by a pitch before Gadaire put a two-out, 0-0 pitch over the fence in right field to reclaim the lead.

Appalachian State 5, Wofford 0

BOONE, N.C. ? Three Appalachian State University pitchers limited Wofford to just three hits in a 5-0 win over the visiting Terriers on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.

A crowd of 787 ? the second-largest in Smith Stadium history ? witnessed Appalachian (25-17, 12-12 SoCon) win for the 19th time in 23 games overall and the 11th time in its last 14 Southern Conference matchups. ASU has also won 11 in a row at home.

Mountaineer starter Josh Dowdy (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) cruised into the seventh inning having allowed only one hit but had to leave the game after Wofford’s second hit of the day, a line-drive single off the bat of shortstop Michael Gilmartin, caromed off Dowdy’s chest and into shallow center field. Dowdy left the field under his own power and is expected to make his next start as scheduled.

From there, ASU’s bullpen tandem of Chris Patterson (Laurinburg, N.C./Scotland County) and Zach Quate (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) combined to retire nine of the Terriers final 12 batters to complete the shutout, Appalachian’s first since it white-washed first-place Furman on May 9 of last year.

In all, Wofford (17-21, 7-12 SoCon) put only seven men on base, just three of which advanced past first. Dowdy moved to 4-2 on the season with his six-inning, two-hit, five-strikeout effort.

The Mountaineers’ offense wasn’t much more prolific than the Terriers’, as the Apps managed only four hits against four Wofford hurlers. However, 15 Mountaineers reached base thanks to nine walks and two hit batters.

Seniors Rand Smith (Bolivia, N.C./South Brunswick) and Isaac Harrow (Hickory, N.C./Hickory) accounted for all four ASU hits, three of which went for extra bases. Smith finished 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles while Harrow went 2-for-3 with an RBI single and RBI double.

Sparked by Smith and Harrow, the Mountaineers scored all the runs their pitchers would need with a three-run first inning. Smith led off with a double to left field and scored on Harrow’s single through the left side of the infield. Harrow capped the first-inning scoring when Nick DeRose (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds) intentionally got himself picked off and hung up between first and second base, allowing Harrow to score from third.

ASU added single runs in the third and seventh innings to close out the scoring.

Appalachian goes for the weekend series sweep when it hosts Wofford on Sunday afternoon at Smith Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for noon with the March of Dimes’ March For Babies to follow the ballgame at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

UNC Asheville 8, College of Charleston 7 (Game 1)

College of Charleston 9, UNC Asheville 3 (Game 2)

Asheville, N.C. - Clay McCord (Atlanta, Ga.) and Austin Morgan (Katy, Tex.) homered, and pitcher Tom Schiller (Rochester, N.Y.) went the distance leading the College of Charleston to a 9-3 win over UNC Asheville in the second game of its college baseball doubleheader before 137 at Greenwood Field on Saturday. The Bulldogs won the opener in dramatic fashion, 8-7.

Charleston, which has a 26-16 overall record, plays host to Coastal Carolina at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. The Bulldogs stand at 8-35.

McCord, who collected with four hits, belted a solo shot to right in the fourth inning that extended Charleston's lead to 5-0. Morgan's fifth homer of the season was a two-run shot to left in the sixth inning that gave the Cougars a 9-3 margin.

Joey Bergman (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Brandon Sizemore (Jacksonville, Fla.) had two hits each for Charleston. Bergman and Ryan Daniels (Victoria, Tex.) added two RBI each.

Schiller (4-2) allowed three runs on five hits over seven innings of work with a strikeout. Ryan Dull (3-9) was the starter and loser for the Bulldogs surrendering six runs, five earned, on 10 hits over four innings.

In the opener, Mike Vaughn's two-run homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth gave UNC Asheville the walk-off win. It was his fifth of the season.

Daniels homered and Joash Brodin (Olympia, Wash.) had three hits for the Cougars. McCord

Corey Ashner (Kansas City, Kan.) suffered the loss and fell to 1-3. Grier Harrington (1-1) picked up the win in relief.