Georgia Southern 8, Samford 2 (Game 1)
Georgia Southern 10, Samford 4 (Game 2)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.?The Samford baseball team was swept in a Southern Conference doubleheader by Georgia Southern Saturday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field. Georgia Southern won game one, 8-2 and game two by a score of 10-4.
With the losses, Samford drops to 17-34 overall and 9-20 in SoCon play. Georgia Southern improves to 34-14 overall and 16-8 in league play.
In game one for Samford, Trey Hayes was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Wayne Miller also drove in a run in a 1-for-4 performance. Michael Jarry pitched 5.2 innings, giving up eight runs on nine hits to take the loss for the Bulldogs.
Georgia Southern was led at the plate in game one by Kyle Blackburn, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI. Brian Pierce went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Griffin Benedict and Phillip Porter had two hits apiece for the Eagles. Chris Mederos pitched 7.0 innings, giving up two runs on five hits and striking out six batters to earn the win.
Georgia Southern jumped on top first in game one with a run in the top of the second inning. With two outs in the inning, Blackburn hit a solo home run to left field for a 1-0 GSU lead.
Samford came back to tie the score with a run in the bottom of the third inning. Gary Cramer doubled to lead off the inning. After moving to third base on a ground out, Cramer score on a single by Miller to make the score 1-1.
GSU took control of the game with two runs in the fifth inning and five in the sixth to make the score 8-1. In the fifth inning, Blackburn hit a two-run homer for a 3-1 GSU lead. In the sixth inning, Pierce drove in two runs and Porter drove in one, while Benedict and Porter each scored on a wild pitch for a seven-run GSU lead.
Samford came back with one run in the bottom of the sixth to make the final score 8-2. Hayes doubled down the left-field line to drive in David Schulze, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning, for the game’s final run.
In the second game, Samford led, 4-3 heading into the ninth inning, but GSU plated seven runs in the top of the ninth to take the 10-4 win.
Samford was led in game two by Schulze, who hit a three-run home run in a 1-for-4 performance. Brad Moss was 2-for-4 at the plate in the second game. Kyle Nichols pitched 1.2 innings in relief, giving up five runs, only two earned, on three hits to take the loss. David Knapp started the game on the mound for Samford, pitching 7.0 strong innings, giving up just two runs on eight hits.
Georgia Southern hit five home runs in game two. Benedict hit two homers, while Kevin Bowles, Porter and Pierce had one home run each for the Eagles. Benedict and Porter had three hits each in the game. Charles Matthews pitched the final two innings, allowing no hits to earn the win for the Eagles.
In the top of the ninth inning, with Samford leading 4-3, Porter and A.J. Wirnsberger reached base on back-to-back Samford errors to lead off the inning. Randy Williams then reached base on a fielder’s choice to drive in Porter to tie the score at 4-4.
Pierce then homered to center field to give the Eagles a 6-4 lead. After a double by Ty Wright with two outs, Bowles hit a two-run homer to make the score 8-4. Porter later singled to drive in pinch-runner Roman Grimaldi to make the score 9-4. Wirnsberger then singled up the middle to drive in Phillips to make the final score 10-4.
The teams will wrap up their three-game SoCon series with a single game Sunday at 1 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
The game can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu. The game can be viewed online via SoCon TV at www.soconsports.com.
Appalachian State 19, UNC Greensboro 4
GREENSBORO, NC ? Senior Isaac Harrow tied a SoCon game-high this season by knocking in seven RBI and Jerod Faggert added five RBI to lead Appalachian State over UNC Greensboro, 19-4, on Saturday afternoon at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Josh Dowdy picked up his fifth win of the season for the Mountaineers (29-18, 14-13 SoCon) after allowing just three runs on three hits in six innings. His performance was overshadowed by the 19 runs and 24 hits recorded by the Mountaineers.
Greg Smith was credited with the loss for the Spartans (17-27, 5-19 SoCon) after allowing six runs (four earned) in 3 1/3 innings of work.
After breezing through the first two innings, Smith ran into trouble in the third inning. Smith got the first batter to strike out, but hit Jerod Faggart with a pitch to put a runner on first. After a single and fielder’s choice loaded the bases, Harrow hit a towering shot over the center field wall for a grand slam.
Will Helms led off the fourth by reaching on a fielding error as the Mountaineers would extend their lead to 8-0. He scored later in the inning on Faggart’s RBI single through the left side. Appalachian State would go on to load the bases later in the inning for Harrow again, who appeared to hit his second grand slam of the game. The ball hit off the top of the wall in right center and Harrow had to settle for a bases clearing triple to put ASU ahead, 8-0.
The Spartans got a run back in the bottom of the fifth inning when Trevor Edwards hit his fourth home run of the season over the wall in right field to make it an 8-1 ballgame.
Appalachian State responded in the top of the sixth inning with back-to-back solo home runs by Rand Smith and Wes Hobson to push their lead to 10-1.
UNCG put up two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to narrow to Mountaineer lead to 10-3. Brent O’Berry led off the inning with a walk and scored two batters later on Corey Overholtzer’s triple to the gap in right center. Overholtzer scored later in the inning on a ground out to the right side of the infield.
The Mountaineers added four more runs in the top of the eighth inning when Faggert hit the second grand slam of the day for Appalachian State over the wall in left center.
Appalachian State strung together a double and four singles in the top of the ninth as they added four more runs in the ninth inning to pull ahead 19-3.
Joey Frabasile hit a line drive home run over the right wall in the bottom of the ninth to make the final score 19-4.
The Spartans and Mountaineers will wrap up the series on Sunday with a 1 p.m. game at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
College of Charleston 24, Wofford 7
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Wofford College baseball team was defeated 24-7 by the College of Charleston on Saturday evening at Russell C. King Field. The Cougars scored thirteen runs in the final three innings to put the game out of reach.
Wofford is 17-28 on the season and 7-18 in the Southern Conference. The College of Charleston is 34-16 overall and 16-10 in the conference. The Terriers were led by Michael Gilmartin with two hits, both home runs. Jake Williams had three RBIs on the day. The Cougars had 27 hits on the day, led by Joey Bergman with five. The teams combined to hit eight home runs on a windy afternoon.
The Cougars opened the scoring in the first inning with a double and a home run by Joey Bergman. Ryan Daniels added an RBI single for a 3-0 lead. Wofford was able to answer with a lead-off home run by James Foster, the first of his career. Josh McKinney followed with a single and a home run to center field by Michael Gilmartin tied the game at 3-3.
In the top of the second, the Cougars added a run and in the top of the third home runs by Ryan Daniels and Cole Rakar gave the College of Charleston a 6-3 lead. The Terriers got one run back in the bottom of the third on a solo home run by Michael Gilmartin.
Neither team scored in the fourth, the only scoreless inning of the game. In the top of the fifth, a single from Clay McCord scored a run for the Cougars. The College of Charleston broke the game open in the sixth with four runs on three hits ? two singles and double ? to take an 11-4 lead. The Cougars added three runs in the top of the seventh, including a two-run homer from Mike Hentz for a 14-4 lead.
The Terriers rallied in the bottom of the seventh and got three runs back. With Michael Gilmartin and Konstantine Diamaduros on base, Jake Williams hit a blast to left center to make it a 14-7 game. A fielder’s choice and two walks loaded the bases with two out, but all three runners were left on base.
The College of Charleston put the game out of reach with three more runs in the top of the eighth, including a two-RBI double by Ryan Daniels. In the top of the ninth, the Cougars added seven more runs in seven hits for the final 24-7 score.
Wofford starter Gus White (2-6) threw 2.2 innings and allowed six runs on eight hits. Bobby Streisel went two innings with one hit and one run allowed and four strikeouts. The Terriers went deep into the bullpen, as six pitchers combined for the final 4.1 innings and allowed 17 runs with three strikeouts.
The College of Charleston starter Kevin Decker (3-0) went six innings with nine hits and four runs allowed with seven strikeouts. Aaron Bouronich threw two-thirds of an inning with three runs allowed on three hits. Tom Schiller went 1.1 innings with two strikeouts and Owen Brittle went the ninth with two strikeouts.
Wofford will complete the three-game series on Sunday at 1:00 pm. It will mark the final home game of the season and the Terriers will honor seniors Scott Summers and Reid McElveen prior to the game.
Elon 27, Western Carolina 6
Cullowhee, N.C. - Elon scored runs in bunches in all but four innings Saturday night in handing Western Carolina a 27-6 setback to win the Southern Conference best-of-three series over the Catamounts at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
The Phoenix blitzed WCU for a season-high 26 base hits with 12 going for extra bases including four home runs, seven doubles and a triple in tallying a season-high in runs scored. All nine Elon starters recorded hits with all but two of the 16 batters to take swings tallying a hit in the victory.
It is the second time this season that Western has surrendered 20-or-more runs in a game after allowing 23 in an 11-inning home win over Eastern Kentucky back on April 8. Elon's 27 runs are the most ever scored by a SoCon opponent against the Catamounts, and are the most in a single-game since WCU surrendered 30 in a road loss at South Carolina back in 1997.
The two teams will conclude the three-game series on Sunday afternoon with first pitch set for 2:00 pm. Prior to the game, Western Carolina will honor its six seniors - Mitchell Hatley, Andy John, J.C. Lyons, Corey Martin, Garrett Ozar and Mike Tavernier - in a special pre-game ceremony.
Elon (35-14, 22-4 SoCon), which set a school-record for conference wins, broke open a scoreless game with six runs in the top of the third inning, capitalizing on five hits and a walk before the first out was retired in the inning. Five of the runs were driven in on base hits, with the sixth coming on a wild pitch to give the Phoenix a 6-0 lead.
The Catamounts answered back in the home half of the third with a two-out, two-run home run by Nick Liles that trimmed the deficit back to four, 6-2. The homer for Liles was his ninth of the season.
Elon broke open an otherwise close game with consecutive six-run innings to lead 18-2. The Phoenix again rapped out six hits and utilizing a pair of hit batsmen in the visitor's portion of the fifth to push the lead to 12-2. Then with just two hits including a triple in the sixth, Elon managed to score six runs thanks to three walks, a hit batsman and two RBI groundouts. The Phoenix would also score four in the seventh and five in the ninth.
Brent Greer added a second home run for Western in the sixth inning, going opposite field for a two-run shot with Ross Heffley aboard, while Andy John delivered a pinch hit RBI single and Dylan de Graaf a RBI double in the seventh inning.
Greer and Liles were the lone two Catamounts with multiple hits in the loss, each with a home run and Liles legging out his team-high tying 18th double of the season.
Matt Johns stretched his career-best hitting streak to a team-long 15 games with a seventh-inning double. However, J.C. Lyons and Trevor Collias both saw their career-long hitting streaks end at 14 and 13 games, respectively.
Corey Martin (6-4) suffered the loss after allowing six earned runs on six hits and was chased in the third inning after just two official frames recorded. The Yadkinville, N.C., native did strike out three of the six outs he recorded with a pair of walks.
WCU (30-19, 16-9 SoCon) used six pitchers all told in the loss with Brandon Johnson lasting the longest at two and a third innings of four-hit, four-run action with a walk and three strikeouts. Also, left-hander Vance Chavis made his much anticipated debut in returning from off-season elbow surgery, facing four batters and hurling 15 pitches in a third of an inning.
Elon's Daniel Britt (7-0) remained perfect on the season, working six innings and scattering six runs on eight hits with six strikeouts against one walk. Relievers Bobby Kennedy and Jared Kernodle each fanned and walked one apiece in one-hit, scoreless relief.
Neal Pritchard was one of four Phoenix players to post a three-hit night, recording extra bases on each knock. The starting shortstop legged out a pair of doubles and blasted a home run in the win. All told, six different Elon players recorded three-RBI or more on the day, with Ryan Adams driving in five on a 3-for-5 night that included a double.