Samford 4, Furman 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford baseball team earned the sweep of its Southern Conference series with Furman with a 4-1 win over the Paladins Sunday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
"This was just a great job of finishing the weekend by our guys," Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. "All of our pitchers did a great job. Josh (Martin) was as good as he's been. Andrew (Jones) came in and did a great job and, with the exception of one pitch, Lex (Rutledge) did a great job too. I also thought we played extremely well defensively. We did a good job of making plays behind our pitchers."
Samford sophomore pitcher Josh Martin pitched 6.2 innings, giving up no runs on six hits to earn the win. Andrew Jones pitched 1.1 hitless innings in relief, and Lex Rutledge tossed the final inning, giving up one run on one hit.
For Samford (14-10, 5-1 SoCon) at the plate, Stephen Ballard went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Trey Hayes and Austin Allison also had an RBI each for the Bulldogs.
Furman (8-16, 2-7 SoCon) was led at the plate by Will Miller, going 2-for-4. Brian Harrison, who pinch-hit for the Paladins in the ninth inning, was 1-for-1 with a solo home run. Furman's Kevin Gaid pitched 7.0 innings, giving up four runs on four hits to take the loss.
Samford jumped on top early with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. After Wayne Miller singled to lead off the inning, Ballard hit a two-run homer to right field for a 2-0 Samford lead.
Samford added a run in the bottom of the fourth inning to push its lead to 3-0. Allison hit a sacrifice fly to center field to drive in Hayes for Samford's third run of the game.
The Bulldogs plated one final run in the bottom of the eighth inning to make the score 4-0. Mason Meredeth scored from third base when Hayes reached base on a Furman error with the bases loaded for Samford's final run of the game.
Furman avoided the shutout when Harrison hit a two-out pinch-hit solo home run in the top of the ninth inning to make the final score 4-1.
Samford will return to action on Thursday, April 1, when the Bulldogs open a three-game Southern Conference series at Davidson. The teams will play Thursday at 5 p.m. (CT), Friday at 5 p.m. (CT) and Saturday at 12 p.m. (CT).
Furman hosts UNC Asheville Wednesday in non-conference play at 7 p.m. ET.
The Citadel 6, Appalachian State 3
Charleston, S.C. - Fred Jordan tied legendary Bulldogs coach Chal Port with his 641st career win as The Citadel swept its fifth consecutive SoCon series, defeating Appalachian State, 6-3, on Sunday afternoon at Riley Park.
The Citadel (18-6, 9-0) scored a run in the second, third and fourth innings and put a three spot on the board in the sixth and held off Appalachian State (14-6-1, 2-6-1) to improve their league-best record to 9-0. The last time a Bulldog team went 9-0 to start the conference season was in 1990. It is the best start to the conference season for head coach Fred Jordan. It also marks the first time in school history that the Bulldogs have swept five consecutive three-game SoCon series, dating back to 2009.
The Bulldogs struck first as they used small ball in the second inning to push a run across. David Greene (Columbia, S.C.) walked to lead off the inning. A single by Kyle Jordan (Goose Creek, S.C.) moved Greene to second and Justin Mackert (Cleveland, Ohio) then sacrificed both runners up a base. Legare Jones (Columbia, S.C.) then lifted a fly ball to right field, allowing Greene to score and put the Bulldogs up, 1-0.
Appalachian State responded in the top of the third off Bulldog starter Michael Clevinger (Jacksonville, Fla.). Leadoff man Hector Crespo singled and then proceeded to steal second. A groundout by Wes Hobson moved Crespo to third and a base knock by first baseman David Towarnicky tied the game at one.
In the bottom of the third, the Bulldogs would push across another run as Nick Orvin (Moncks Corner, S.C.) led the inning of with a walk. A groundout by Brad Felder (Orangeburg, S.C.) and a single by Matt Simonelli (Orlando, Fla.) moved the sophomore to third. Bryan Altman (Summerville, S.C.) then grounded out to score Orvin. In the fourth, the Bulldogs would score again as Jones reached on a single and then scored on a triple by William Ladd (Winnsboro, S.C.) who went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
The Mountaineers would tighten the game as they loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the fifth off Clevinger. Tyler Zupic walked, coupled with a single by Crespo and a walk to Justin Faggart. A strikeout of Hobson followed, and a fielder's choice RBI by Towarnicky plated one. Jeremy Dowdy flew out to end the threat with the score 3-2 in favor of The Citadel.
Clevinger (2-2) went 5.0 innings, allowing six hits, two runs, two walks and striking out four on 88 pitches to earn a win for the first time since Feb. 28. In the sixth, the Bulldogs would put up three runs and open their lead to 6-2. A walk to Jones and a single by Ladd ended ASU starter Ryan Arrowood's afternoon. A base hit to center by Orvin off reliever Taylor Miller then loaded the bases with one out. A groundout to the pitcher by Felder plated Jones and a double to deep center by Simonelli scored Ladd and Orvin.
Arrowood (3-1) went 5.1 innings, allowing six hits, five runs, five walks and one strikeout. The sophomore had not lost a decision since Feb. 24, 2009. The Bulldog bullpen provided scoreless relief by Matt Reifsnider (Ormand Beach, Fla.) for two innings and by Raymond Copenhaver (Apopka, Fla.) in the eighth.
The Mountaineers would attempt a rally against Drew Mahaffey (Summerville, S.C.) in the ninth. Zupcic reached on a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch by Mahaffey with two outs. Faggart was then able to reach base on an error by Greene at third as Zupcic came in to score the unearned run. Hobson then walked and an error by second baseman Jones allowed Towarnicky to reach to load the bases. Mahaffey was able to shut the door and close out the sweep though, as he struck out Dowdy to finish the game.
The Citadel returns to action on Tuesday when they travel to Columbia to face No. 23 South Carolina at Carolina Stadium at 7 p.m. ASU hosts Appalachian State Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m.
Georgia Southern 12, UNC Greensboro 0
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern’s Andy Moye pitched eight scoreless innings and Kyle Blackburn hit a pair of home runs as the Eagles routed UNC Greensboro 12-0 on Sunday (March 28) in a Southern Conference game at J.I. Clements Stadium.
With its first shutout in almost three years, Georgia Southern (14-11 overall, 7-2 in the conference) completed a three-game sweep of the Spartans (11-12, 0-6).
Moye (3-2), an Alpharetta, Ga., native, scattered five hits and collected a career-high 13 strikeouts. He did not walk a batter, and had only three three-ball counts against the 30 batters he faced.
“We had three quality starts over the weekend, which is the first time all year we’ve done that for a complete weekend. That was good to see,” said head coach Rodney Hennon. “Andy [Moye] was outstanding today. All weekend, we did a good job of attacking the strike zone from the mound. We didn’t give up many free passes and our guys did a good job of pitching aggressively. To compliment, we played pretty sound defense behind them.”
Led by Blackburn (Marietta, Ga.), who was 2-for-2 with five RBIs, the Eagles supported Moye with 13 hits. Eric Phillips (Carrollton, Ga.) was 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI, and Arthur Owens (Fayetteville, Ga.) was 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs.
A crowd of 1,489 watched as Georgia Southern scored the only run it would need in the bottom of the first inning. Owens led off with a double, advanced to third on Kevin Bowles’ (Statesboro, Ga.) single and scored on Blackburn’s sacrifice fly to the wall in right-center field.
A report of lightning in the area delayed the game for 39 minutes in the top of the second. In the bottom of the inning, a two-out error by UNCG’s first baseman led to two unearned runs. Owens had an RBI single as the Eagles increased their lead to 3-0.
Georgia Southern scored three more runs and chased Spartan starter Colby Hyatt in the bottom of the fourth. Roman Grimaldi (Duluth, Ga.) and A.J. Wirnsberger (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) had RBI singles, while Bowles hit a sacrifice fly to put the Eagles in front, 6-0.
Blackburn hit a solo homer with one out in the bottom of the sixth. One out later, Phillips laced an RBI single scoring Steve Cochrance (Mooresville, N.C.) to give Georgia Southern an 8-0 advantage.
After Moye struck out the side on 11 pitches in the top of the seventh, the Eagles scored their final four runs in the bottom of the inning. Owens had an RBI single before Blackburn belted his second home run of the game, a towering three-run shot that landed in the parking lot beyond the right-center field fence.
For Blackburn, it was his team-leading ninth home run of the season, and the fifth two-homer game of his career.
The Spartans put a man on second base in the first, third, fifth and eighth innings, but none of them ever reached third base. They were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position against Moye.
Charles Matthews pitched the ninth inning for the Eagles, giving up one hit before closing out the team’s first shutout since a 2-0 win over Davidson on May 6, 2007.
Hyatt (2-2) took the loss for the Spartans. He worked 3.2 innings, giving up six runs (four earned) on seven hits with one strikeout an two walks.
Georgia Southern will host North Florida on Tuesday (March 30) at 6 p.m. while UNCG entertains Davidson in a rare midweek SoCon game Tuesday at 7 p.m.
New Mexico State 22, Wofford 15
LAS CRUCES, N.M. ? The Wofford baseball team was defeated 22-15 by New Mexico State University at Presley Askew Field on Sunday afternoon. The Terriers were down 14-2 after three innings, but battled back to within one run before the Aggies scored six unanswered in the final two innings.
Wofford is 8-15 on the season, while New Mexico State is 17-10 overall with the four-game sweep on the weekend. The Terriers were led by James Foster with four hits and Kyle Behrendt, Mac Doyle and Konstantine Diamaduros with four RBIs each. The Aggies were led by Leo Aguirre with five hits and eight RBIs.
To open the game, James Foster walked and a home run to right field by Kyle Behrendt gave the Terriers a 2-0 lead. The Aggies answered with a three-run homer to right field by Leo Aguirre to take a 3-2 lead after the first inning.
In the bottom of the second, New Mexico State added three runs on a homer by Chace Perkins to left field for a 6-2 lead. The Aggies added four singles in a row that scored two more runs. With two out, a single to right by Zac Fisher added another run for a 9-2 lead.
New Mexico State added a two-run homer to left field by Chace Perkins in the bottom of the third. An RBI single by Leo Aguirre, an RBI double by Joel Cardinal and a ground out by Zac Fisher scored a run as the Aggies took a 14-2 lead.
Wofford got a run back in the top of the fourth when Landon Bennett doubled and was driven in by a single from Alex Lee. After not allowing a run in the bottom of the fourth, the Terriers had singles from James Foster and Kyle Behrendt to lead off the fifth. Mac Doyle then hit a home run to center as Wofford cut the lead to 14-6.
The Aggies added a run in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single from Joel Cardinal. After two walks in the top of the sixth, a single by James Foster scored one run. A double to the right center wall by Kyle Behrendt drove in two runs for a 15-9 score. Mac Doyle scored on a wild pitch and a ground out by Konstantine Diamaduros added a run as well to make it a 15-11 game. Wofford added two more singles by Taylor Rozier and Landon Bennett, but both were left on base as the Terriers sent ten to the plate in the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, New Mexico State scored a run with an RBI double to left by Nate Shaver for a 16-11 lead. Wofford answered in the top of the seventh as Alex Lee was hit by pitch and James Foster singled. A two-out single by Mac Doyle scored Lee. With two runners on, Konstantine Diamaduros hit a three-run homer to right field to pull within one run at 16-15.
With one on in the bottom of the seventh, Leo Aguirre hit a home run to right center for an 18-15 lead. Wofford left one runner on base in the top of the eighth. In the bottom of the eight, an RBI double by Ryan Aguayo scored one run and a single from Leo Aguirre added another. After an error that would have been the third out, a single by Parker Hipp scored two runs to make it a 22-15 game.
For the Terriers, starter Anthony Rowland (1-1) went one and a third with nine hits and nine runs allowed with one strikeout. Tom Dolinak threw 4.2 innings and allowed eight runs on eight hits with three strikeouts. Pete Noordsy went two-thirds of an inning with one run scored on one hit. Ryan Traylor threw an inning with two runs scored on one hit with one strikeout. Brandon Yarusi went a third of an inning and gave up three hits and two unearned runs.
New Mexico State starter Tyler Mack (3-0) threw five innings and allowed six runs on eight hits with eight strikeouts. Ryan Beck, Adam Heredia, Matt Kretchmer and Scott Coffman combined to allow five runs on four hits with one strikeout in the sixth. Coffman went on to throw 1.1 innings with four runs on four hits and two strikeouts. Thomas Brendel threw the eighth and allowed only one hit with two strikeouts. Steven Anderson pitched the ninth and allowed one hit.
Wofford will remain on the road for a two-game series at Vanderbilt on March 30 and 31 before returning home for a three-game conference series against The Citadel beginning on April 2.