Western Carolina 11, Tennessee Tech 0
Cullowhee, N.C. - Jason Sullivan highlighted three Catamount pitchers that combined for a three-hit shutout Wednesday night as Western Carolina blanked Tennessee Tech, 11-0, in mid-week, non-conference action at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
Sullivan (1-0) worked through the first four and a third of his first WCU career start without allowing a Golden Eagle hit, finishing with six and a third innings of three-hit action in the quality start to earn his first career victory. Sophomore Matt Benedict and freshman Tyler Brownlow combined to close the final two and two-thirds innings in hitless, scoreless relief in the win.
The shutout was WCU's third this season, coupled with a 4-0 victory over Appalachian State on March 6 and an 11-0 blanking at mountain-rival UNC Asheville back on April first. The win also gave WCU a 12-3 all-time record against Tennessee Tech.
Sullivan, a junior, worked around three walks with three of WCU's eight strikeouts on the night, facing just four batters over the minimum. Benedict fanned four against a pair of strikeouts, with Brownlow striking out one against a pair of walks in his inning of relief work.
Western Carolina (27-17) pounded out the 11 runs on 14 hits, with six going for extra bases including a grand slam home run by J.C. Lyons in the seventh inning that pushed the game further out of reach for the Golden Eagles.
The Catamounts pushed across what proved to be the game-winning run in the home half of the first inning as Trevor Collias doubled to right center field to open the frame and later scored the first of his game-high three runs on the second of consecutive infield ground outs.
The 1-0 score remained until the fourth inning when the Catamounts erupted for four manufactured runs. Rembert Rollison opened the scoring, leading off with a walk and touching home on a RBI single up the middle by Matt Johns who later came home on a run-scoring triple by Mitchell Hatley. A failed pick-off attempt with Collias at first allowed Hatley to scamper home from third, with Nick Liles driving him home with a double to right field for the 5-0 advantage.
With the bases loaded in the eighth, Lyons belted his fifth homer of the season to push the lead to nine, 9-0. Andy John singled and scored on an RBI single by Ross Heffley in the eighth, and Heffley later scored on a RBI double to right by Brent Greer to close the scoring at 11-0.
Johns finished a team-best 3-for-5, with Liles also rapping out three hits including a double in a 3-for-5, two-run showing at the plate. Heffley drove in two runs on his two-hit night, while Greer also legged out a two-bagger in his 2-for-4 night.
Three different players for Tennessee Tech (22-18) registered the base hits as Casanova Donaldson doubled, with Tate McMillan and Evan Webb recording a single apiece. Starting pitcher Matthew Shepherd (3-2) suffered the loss after surrendering an earned run in the bottom of the first inning. Shepherd allowed three hits with a strikeout in two innings of work in the loss.
Western Carolina opens a three-game Southern Conference road series at UNC Greensboro on Friday night at 7:00 pm. The series will continue with a 2:00 pm game on Saturday with the finale at 1:00 pm on Sunday afternoon. All three games will be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network and can be heard locally in Cullowhee on WWCU-FM, Power 90dot5 or online at www.WWCUFM.com.
UNC Greensboro 9, High Point 7
HIGH POINT, NC ? Corey Overholtzer hit a two-out triple off the top of the wall in right center to score two runs in the top of the 12th to propel the Spartans to a 9-7 win over High Point in 12 innings on Wednesday night at Williard Stadium. It was the first extra-inning win for the Spartans this season.
UNCG reliever Rob Gilliam recorded his fourth win of the season for the Spartans (16-23) after silencing the Panther bats. Gilliam pitched the final six innings of the game, allowing just one hit and striking out six. Gilliam also received the start at first base for his first start in the field in his career.
High Point reliever Jeremy Berg picked up just his second loss of the season after giving up two runs in the final four innings for the Panthers (17-25).
The Spartans wasted no time in taking the lead after scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. Brent O’Berry led off the game with a chopper up the middle for a single. Overholtzer walked to move O’Berry to second before a Spartan strike out. Pedro Leon then hit a potential inning-ending double play towards the shortstop, but the ball hit the leg of the second base umpire to give Leon an automatic single. O’Berry then scored on a wild pitch and Overholtzer scored to make it 2-0 on a ground out by Drew Gehringer.
UNCG took advantage of Yevoli’s early control issues to extend its lead to 3-0 in the third inning. Overholtzer led off the inning with a walk before advancing to second on a single through the left side by Ray Quinones. Pedro Leon walked to load the bases before Overholtzer scored on a double play.
The Spartans tacked on two more runs in the top of the fourth when the first four batters in the inning reached base safely. Brad Raynor led off the inning with a single through the right side and Raymond Frias followed with a walk. Kris Richards loaded the bases when he reached first on his sacrifice bunt attempt. O’Berry then hit a bloop single down the left field line to score Raynor and Frias and put the Spartans ahead, 5-0.
The Panthers erupted for four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to pull within 5-4. Eric Marion led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on Pablo Rosario’s single up the middle. Marion moved over to third when Jeff Cowan grounded into a double play. After Alfie Wheeler walked, Bill Manion hit an RBI single to centerfield to put High Point on the board, 5-1. Billy Alvino followed by taking a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left center to make the score 5-4.
The Spartans responded in the top of the sixth with a run to extend their lead to 6-4. Frias singled to right field to lead off the inning and scored later in the inning when O’Berry reached base on a fielding error by the Panther shortstop.
The Panthers rallied for three runs in the bottom half of the sixth to take their first lead of the game, 7-6. With one down, Spencer Andrews hit a single and Marion followed with a line drive home run over the right field wall to tie the game at 6. Wheeler hit a RBI single later in the inning to knock in Rosario who hit a double earlier in the inning.
Down by one and just six outs remaining, Richards tied the game at 7 after taking the first pitch of the eighth inning out to left field for his second home run of the season.
After not being able to knock in runners in scoring position in the 10th and 11th innings, the Spartans finally broke through in the top of the 12th inning. Joey Frabasile led off the inning with a single to the shortstop before he moved to second on Richards’ walk two batters later. Frabasile was thrown out at third when O’Berry reached on a fielder’s choice. With two outs, Overholtzer drove a ball that appeared to be heading out, but hit the top of the wall in right center and bounced back into play. Richards and O’Berry scored on the play to give the Spartans a 9-7 lead.
Gilliam came back out and continued to cruise as he got the final batter of the game to strike out swinging.
The Spartans return home this weekend as UNCG hosts Western Carolina to kick off a three-game series. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday evening at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Samford 7, Alabama A&M 3
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.?The Samford baseball team plated four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to pull away for a 7-3 win over Alabama A&M in a non-conference game Wednesday night at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
With the win, Samford improves to 16-29 overall. Alabama A&M falls to 14-25 on the season with the loss.
For Samford at the plate, Stephen Ballard was 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and one RBI. Bo Smith was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. David Schulze was 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI, while Brad Moss went 2-for-4. Mason Meredeth was 0-for-3 at the plate ending a 29-game hitting streak, which was tied for the longest in school history.
Kyle Putkonen pitched 8.0 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits to earn the win and improve his record to 4-2. Putkonen struck out five batters in the game while walking just two.
Alabama A&M was led by Fabian Harper, going 3-for-4 with a double at the plate. Chris Jennings went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI. A.J. Campbell pitched 6.1 innings, giving up five runs on eight hits to take the loss and drop his record to 1-5.
Samford jumped on top first with a run in the bottom of the first inning. With one out in the inning, Ballard singled up the middle. Meredeth then walked, moving Ballard to second base. Ballard then advanced to third base when Schulze fouled out to right field. Ballard scored when Smith reached base on an Alabama A&M error for a 1-0 Samford lead.
Alabama A&M tied the score with a run in the top of the third inning. Harper doubled to lead off the inning and then stole third base. After Jennings walked, Harper scored when Diego Lopez grounded into a double play to make the score 1-1.
Samford regained the lead with two runs in the bottom of the third inning. Ballard doubled to start the rally with one out. With two outs, Schulze doubled to drive in Ballard to make the score 2-1. Smith then singled to right field to drive in Schulze for a 3-1 Samford lead.
Alabama A&M tied the score again with two runs in the top of the fifth inning. Bernard McKinney walked with one out. Harper then singled and McKinney moved to second base. Jennings then doubled to drive in Harper and McKinney to tie the score at 3-3.
Samford took the lead for good with four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Ballard led the inning off with a solo home run to right-center field for the eventual game-winning run.
With one out, Schulze singled to left field. Smith then homered to right-center field to make the score 6-3. Trey Hayes and Matthew Bennett drew back-to-back walks. Hayes then advanced to third on a fly out by Bronson McGriff. Hayes scored the game’s final run from third base when Bennett was caught stealing to make the final score 7-3.
Samford will return to action on Friday when the Bulldogs travel to Charleston, S.C., to take on The Citadel Bulldogs in the first game of a three-game Southern Conference series. Friday’s series opener is scheduled for a 5 p.m. (CT) start.
Kennesaw State 13, Georgia Southern 10 (Game 1)
Georgia Southern 12, Kennesaw State 6 (Game 2)
KENNESAW, Ga. - Georgia Southern's late rally fell short in game one losing 13-10 at Kennesaw State but rebounded for a 12-6 win in the nightcap Wednesday (April 29) at Stillwell Stadium. The Eagles improved to 31-12 overall while Kennesaw State dropped to 25-17.
Game 1
Phillip Porter (Marietta/Sprayberry) started the Eagles off with a 2-run single with two down in the first inning. The Owls took advantage of an error and six hits to score five runs and take a 5-2 lead.
Andrew Martin hit a sacrifice fly then Curtis Van Wyck drove in a run on a RBI single. Jon White lined a 2-run double to put the Owls ahead 9-2.
The Eagles loaded the bases in the third with no one out, but a foul pop up and ground ball double play saw GS come away empty. KSU added three more runs, two in the third and another on a sacrifice fly in the fourth, before the Eagles finally responded.
Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) hit a solo homer in the fifth to start the Eagles' scoring. Chris Banker (Martinez/Chattahoochee Valley CC) drew a bases loaded walk then Brian Pierce (Roswell/Roswell) reached on a fielding error by third baseman Jon White to bring home another run. Ty Wright (Montrose/ABAC) hit his second grand slam of the season, a monster blast to left field, cutting the deficit to three.
Kyle Blackburn (Marietta/Walton) lined a two-out RBI single in the sixth making it a two-run game. Kennesaw added an insurance run in the eighth for the final margin.
Andy Moye (Alpharetta/Alpharetta) suffered his first loss of the year, falling to 5-1. He allowed 11 runs (seven earned) on 12 hits in 2.1 innings, walking four and striking out three. Tony Chisman (Conyers/Salem) allowed one run on just one hit in three innings of relief. Charles Matthews (Athens/Spartanburg Methodist) matched a season-high outing, giving up one run in 2.2 innings.
Benedict had three hits while Kevin Bowles (Statesboro/Statesboro), Porter and Eric Phillips (Carrollton/Carrollton) added two hits apiece.
Sean Fream (1-0) earned the win despite allowing six runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings. Kenny Faulk earned his fourth save. Ric Bishop went 4-for-5 at the plate while Van Wyck, Robbins and White added three hits apiece.
Game 2
Benedict lined a RBI double in the first to score Wright and a 1-0 lead. With the run driven in, Benedict moved into a tie for ninth place on the all-time RBI list.
Two doubles and a single plated the first two Owls in the first inning. Colin Snow (Alpharetta/Alpharetta) worked out of a bases loaded jam, getting a flyball to end the threat.
Kennesaw staged a two-out rally in the third, capped by White's 2-run double extending the lead to 4-1.
Blackburn hammered an opposite field solo home run in the fourth, his fourth homer of the year. The Eagles loaded the bases in the fifth with two outs. A.J. Wirnsberger (Tuscaloosa, AL/Paul Bryant) lifted a 2-run single over the head of third baseman White to tie the game. In the sixth Jonathan King (Athens, TN/Young Harris) walked and would score on Benedict's RBI double.
The Eagles exploded for seven runs in the seventh inning. Porter hit a towering home run to start the frame, his team-leading eighth round-tripper. King added a 2-run double, Wright followed with a RBI double, Benedict lined a RBI single then Porter added two more RBI on a single to right field, extending the lead to 12-4.
KSU got two of the runs back in the seventh and threatened when it loaded the bases in the eighth off Kyle Kamppi (Savannah/Benedictine). However, the senior right-hander struck out Martin then got a groundout to end the threat.
Michael Hester (Evans/Greenbrier) earned the win in relief pitching 2.2 scoreless innings of relief. He improved to 3-0 overall, giving up one hit, one walk while striking out four. Snow allowed four runs in three innings. Kamppi pitched two scoreless innings to close out the win.
Benedict finished with four hits and seven on the day. He took sole possession of ninth place on the all-time RBI list (174). Porter added three hits and three RBI in the game. Wirnsberger, Pierce and Wright added two hits apiece as the Eagles finished with 16.
Zach Griffith (0-1) gave up four runs in two innings, suffering the loss. Roques finished 4-for-5 in game two.
The Eagles return to J.I. Clements Stadium for a three-game Southern Conference series against Furman. Saturday's (May 2) doubleheader is scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. first pitch.
ASU-UNCA Baseball Rained Out
BOONE, N.C. - Wednesday night's baseball game between Appalachian State University and UNC Asheville has been canceled due to rain.
Appalachian led 2-1 in the bottom of the second inning when the rain began. After a two-hour delay, play was called off for good. The game will not be made up and statistics compiled during the inning-and-a-half of play will not count towards season totals.
ASU returns to action on Thursday afternoon when it hosts North Carolina Central at 4 p.m.