Elon 17, UNC Greensboro 10
GREENSBORO, N.C. - UNC Greensboro scored seven runs in the fourth inning to take a 9-7 lead, but Elon rallied for 10 runs in the seventh and eighth innings combined to rally and defeat the Spartans, 17-10, on Friday evening at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Although the two starting pitchers combined to allow 16 runs, neither of them factored into a decision. Reliever Ken Ferrer picked up the win for the Phoenix (17-10, 6-4 Southern Conference) after pitching 3 1/3 innings and allowing just one run on one hit.
Greg Smith was credited with the loss for the Spartans (13-13, 1-7 SoCon) after allowing three runs on two hits in 1 1/3 innings.
The two teams scored early and often as all nine starters for UNCG scored at least one run and seven of them recorded an RBI. Eight of the nine starters for Elon scored a run and recorded at least one RBI.
Kris Richards went 2-4 at the plate with a run scored to extended his hitting streak to a team-high eight games this season. Ed Jayjack and Lloyd Enzor also added two hits apiece, while Ray Quinones knocked in a pair of runs.
Mike Melillo paced the Phoenix at the plate as he went 4-4 with five RBI and two runs scored. Harry Austin also had a nice evening by going 2-3 with three RBI and a run scored.
With UNCG holding on to a 10-7 lead through six innings, Elon was able to battle back and knot the game at 10 in the top of the seventh. Neal Pritchard led off the inning with a walk and then scored as Matt Hinson delivered a double to right center to make it a two-run game. That was one of nine doubles that the Phoenix recorded on the night.
Seth Canipe then drew a walk and two batters later Austin hit a triple into the right field corner that allowed two runners to score and tie the game at 10.
After UNCG went down in order in the bottom of the seventh, the Phoenix exploded for seven runs in the top of the eighth to put the game away. Melillo walked to begin the inning and Pritchard followed with a home run to left field two batters later to give Elon the lead, 12-10.
With two outs in the inning, Elon strung together five hits, including three for extra bases, sandwiched around a walk to put up five more runs and take a 17-10 lead.
The Phoenix got the scoring started in the top of the first inning when Melillo singled to center field with two outs. Ryan Adams followed with a double off the batter's eye in center field to score Melillo and give the Phoenix the early 1-0 lead.
Elon continued to add to that lead in the top of the second inning as they pushed four more runs across the plate. Hinson led off the inning with a double and then Canipe reached on a throwing error that allowed Hinson to score. Ben Scott then hit a double of his own down the left field line to score Canipe. Scott scored later in the inning on a double by Justin Hilt to make it 5-0 in favor of Elon.
The Spartans finally got on the board in the bottom of the second inning on an error by Elon. Jayjack reached on a fielder's choice and stole second with two outs before Zach Leach popped up a ball to the Phoenix second baseman who dropped it and allowed Jayjack to score.
UNCG made it a 5-2 game in the third inning as Richards led off the inning with a double to the gap in right center. He scored later in the inning on double down the right field line by Corey Overholtzer.
Elon responded though in the top of the fourth inning with a pair of runs to take a 7-2 lead. Hilt singled to left field with one out and then moved over to third on a double by Alex Swim. Melillo followed with a double to right center that scored Hilt and Swim.
The Spartans opened up the offense in the fourth inning as they sent 11 batters to the plate and exploded for seven runs to take a 9-7 lead. Jayjack, Enzor and Leach led off the inning with back-to-back-to-back doubles to score one run and put runners on second and third.
Eric Brindle then hit a sacrifice fly to score Enzor and more Leach to third. After a Spartan strikeout, Harry Slade singled to center field to allow Leach to score and make it a 7-5 game.
Drew Gehringer then drew a walk and Overholtzer followed with a walk of his own to load the bases. Quinones stepped up to the plate and delivered a single to score Slade and Gehringer and put runners on second and third and tie the game at seven.
Jayjack then had an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error that allowed Overholtzer and Quinones to score to give UNCG its first lead of the evening at 9-7.
UNCG tacked on one more run in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 10-7 lead for the home side. With one out, Brindle was hit by a pitch and Richards followed with a single through the right side to put two runners on base. Slade then drew a walk to load the bases before UNCG hit into a fielder's choice, which allowed Brindle to score.
The Spartans and Phoenix will return to action for game two of the series on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Appalachian State 10, Furman 7
BOONE, N.C. - Buoyed by terrific defense, 11 hits and nine stolen bases, Appalachian State University baseball topped visiting Furman, 10-7, on a beautiful Friday night at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
With temperatures in the 80s at first pitch and clear skies, Appalachian (16-6-1, 3-6-1 SoCon) snapped a five-game Southern Conference winless streak and moved to 24-1-1 in its last 26 home games.
ASU starter Matt Andress battled through 7.1 innings and surrendered just three runs, thanks in large part to the stellar defense behind him. The Mountaineers turned two double plays and their first triple play in seven years to help offset the 13 Paladins that reached base against Andress.
Appalachian scored twice in the bottom of the first inning to grab an early lead but the advantage was in peril when Furman's first two batters of the second inning reached base. However, the next batter, Will Miller, hit a sinking line drive that Mountaineer second baseman Wes Hobson snagged just inches from the turf. Hobson fired to shortstop Doug Jones to double off FU's Dylan Cole at second and Jones relayed to first baseman David Towarnicky before Reese Wade could get back to the bag to complete the triple play, ASU's first since March 14, 2003 at College of Charleston.
Furman (8-18, 2-8 SoCon) cut the ASU lead in half with a run in the top of the third but the Apps stretched the advantage to 5-1 with three runs in the bottom of the stanza. Jeremy Dowdy and Ryan Stetson both had RBI singles in the three-run third and the duo collaborated on a double steal of second and home to plate the inning's final run.
After the Paladins made it 5-2 with another single tally in the fourth, the Mountaineers scored once in the fifth and three times in the sixth to take a commanding 9-2 lead. ASU executed another double steal of second and home, this time with Jerod Faggart advancing to second and Doug Jones taking home, and Dowdy drove in his third run of the game with a single to left to highlight the scoring in the sixth.
The clubs swapped runs in the eighth, ASU's coming on Faggart's team-leading eighth home run of the year, to make it 10-3.
Furman made it interesting in the ninth when it scored four runs against Mountaineer reliever Taylor Miller. However, with the tying run on deck, Appalachian brought in closer Chris Patterson, who struck out FU's John Paterson to end the game and earn his seventh save of the year.
With the victory, Andress moved to 6-2 on the season and alone into second place on ASU's all-time victories list with 23 for his career. He needs just two more wins to match the school record of 25, set by Kevin Simmons in 1986.
Dowdy paced the Mountaineers' 10-run, 11-hit attack by going 3-for-4 with three RBI. Faggart, Stetson and Hector Crespo added two hits apiece.
Starter Ian Parry (1-3) allowed five runs on eight hits in just 3.2 innings of work to suffer the loss for Furman. The Paladins were led offensively by Cameron Allmendinger, who went 3-for-4.
Appalachian and Furman continue their three-game SoCon series on Saturday at Smith Stadium. First pitch is set for 3 p.m
College of Charleston 5, Georgia Southern 4
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Junior C Rob Kral (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) ripped a RBI single into right field, scoring sophomore 3B Matt Leeds (Boca Raton, Fla./American Heritage) as College of Charleston plated two runs in the bottom of the ninth for a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over visiting Georgia Southern Friday evening at Patriots Point. The win improves the Cougars to 21-7 overall, 6-4 in the Southern Conference, while Georgia Southern falls to 15-12, 7-3.
Down 4-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth, junior CF Cole Rakar (Mt. Pleasant, S.C./Wando) led off with a single into right field. Leeds followed up with a RBI double to deep center the scored Rakar from first and put the winning run at second. After Georgia Southern starter Jake Brown retired junior LF Jose Rodriguez (Hialeah, Fla./Broward College), Kral took a 1-0 pitch through the right side and set off the celebration in the Cougars' dugout.
The Eagles opened the scoring with a single run in the top of the first frame, as Kyle Blackburn lined a RBI double down the right-field line that scored Arthur Owens. CofC responded with a solo home run by Rakar to left in the bottom of the inning, knotting the score at 1-1.
Charleston pulled ahead with two more runs in the fourth on Leeds' 11th round-tripper of the season, a two-run shot to left center that gave the Cougars a 3-1 advantage. The lead held until the top of the eighth, when Georgia Southern plated three runs to surge ahead 4-3. Kevin Bowles' RBI single up the middle with two runners on scored the first run, while Owens came home from third on a wild pitch by Charleston freshman Christian Powell (Greenwood, S.C./Greenwood). Blackburn put the Eagles ahead with a RBI single to right that scored Bowles.
Senior reliever Tom Schiller (Rochester, N.Y./Monroe CC) pitched a perfect ninth to earn the win, improving to 4-0 on the season. The right-hander fanned two batters in the final frame to give the Cougars an opportunity for the late-game heroics. Powell tossed eight strong innings, scattering seven hits and allowing the four runs, two earned, with two strikeouts. Leeds finished the game with three hits and three RBI, while Rakar went 3-for-4 with three runs scored.
Brown went the distance for Georgia Southern, allowing eight hits and five runs with eight strikeouts. Blackburn had two hits and two RBI, while Michael Burruss added two hits for the Eagles.
The Cougars and Georgia Southern return to action Saturday afternoon for game two of the series. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m.
Samford 11, Davidson 7
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- The Samford Bulldogs scored seven unanswered runs over the last four innings to secure the SoCon series with an 11-7 win Friday night at Wilson Field.
Samford (16-10, 7-1) scored four runs on five hits in the opening frame off sophomore right-hander Ryan Overcash, but Davidson (13-14, 4-8 SoCon) answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning to get back in it. The Wildcat offense continued to produce, putting up a pair of scores in both of the following frames to open up a 7-4 lead as Overcash settled in and allowed just two hits in four shutout innings.
All-time career appearance leader Mike Frongello took over with a 7-4 lead in the sixth, getting a pair of outs before the Bulldogs got a run back on back-to-back hits from center fielder Wayne Miller (3-for-6) and third baseman Stephen Ballard (1-for-5, RBI and took the lead for good on a three-run home run by second baseman Michael Johnson (2-for-4, 5 RBI). The Bulldogs added two runs in the eighth and a final in the ninth off the Wildcat bullpen for the final 11-7 margin.
Frongello (2-2) took the loss, giving up four runs on five hits in 1 2/3 innings of relief, while Dayne Cutrell (1-2) earned the win by allowing just two runs on four hits over four innings.
Samford jumped on Overcash in the first, as Miller continued his impressive series with a lead-off single into center field. Overcash struck out Ballard but hit short stop Mason Meredeth to put a pair of runners on, and left fielder David Schulze and first baseman Bo Smith got two straight hits for three runs. Johnson's RBI-single made it 4-0, before catcher Brad Moss legged out an infield single to load the bases. Overcash coaxed a ground out from Miller to leave the bases juiced.
The Davidson offense, though, answered immediately with three runs in the bottom half as junior left fielder Sam Payne was plunked to lead off and sophomore center fielder Drew Gadaire (1-for-4) took a walk in the next at-bat. Junior first baseman Danny Weiss reached safely on a fielder's choice to second that erased Gadaire from the base paths, but moved Payne to third for Barna (2-for-4, 3 RBI), who doubled down the left field line to put the 'Cats on the board. Senior catcher Tommy Piacenza (1-for-4, RBI) grounded out to send in Weiss from third, and sophomore designated hitter Calvin Sigelbaum (2-for-4, RBI) kept the rally rolling with an RBI-single into right to score Barna and cut Samford's lead to a run.
After getting touched up in the first inning, Overcash made quick work of the Bulldogs over the next four innings, facing just 15 batters and getting some assistance from the Wildcat defense, as Gadaire made a over-the-shoulder basket catch on a fly ball to save a run in the fourth and Cerbie saved extra bases grabbing a liner in the fourth.
With Overcash in command, the 'Cats scored two runs in the second and third to take a 7-4 lead. Barna hit a two-out single in the second to score Zeblo and Gadaire, and freshman right fielder Coleman Barron (1-for-4, RBI) and freshman shortstop Michael Zeblo (2-for-4, RBI) each plated a run in the third as Cutrell entered for Putkonen, who lasted just two innings and allowed five runs on five hits. Sigelbaum slapped a one-out single into left field and stole second and, after Cerbie drew a free pass, scored on Barron’s base hit. Zeblo got the Wildcats' third hit of the frame to score Cerbie, but Payne struck out and Barron was caught stealing third to end the inning.
Frongello took over with a 7-4 lead in the sixth and retired his first two batters before Miller singled up the middle and scored as Ballard followed with a double. Cerbie and Zeblo hooked up to get the third out at second on a fielder's choice to end the inning with Davidson holding a 7-5 lead.
After a one-two-three bottom of the sixth, Frongello hit Smith to start the seventh, before Cramer’s one-out single to the gap in left to put a pair on for Johnson, who cleared the bases with a round-tripper to straight away center field. Miller singled to keep the inning going, but sophomore right-hander Brian Russell got a fly out for the third out.
The Wildcats went one-two-three for a second straight inning, and Samford added two more in the eighth off a lead-off homer from Meredeth and a sacrifice fly to Johnson. With one out in the home half, Cerbie beat out the throw from defensive replacement Austin Allison at short to give the 'Cats a base runner but was caught stealing second before Barron struck out to leave the bases empty.
Samford got its final run on a solo home run by Allison off junior right-hander Andy Bass in the ninth, and junior right-hander Matt Sliwiak retired two straight to send Davidson into the bottom of the ninth trailing 11-7. Working against southpaw Lex Rutledge, Zeblo struck out for the first out. Payne reached safely on a fielding error by Allison, but Gadaire grounded into the Wildcats' second double play of the game to make it final.
Davidson and Samford will play the final game of the Easter weekend series tomorrow at 2 p.m.
#25 The Citadel 3, Wofford 2
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? In a contest dominated by pitching, the Wofford baseball team was defeated 3-2 by The Citadel at Russell C. King Field on Friday night. The pitching staffs combined for a total of 19 strikeouts in a game that was decided by three solo home runs for the #25 ranked Bulldogs.
Wofford is 8-18 on the season and 2-5 in the SoCon, while The Citadel is 20-7 overall and 10-0 in conference play. The Terriers were led by James Foster with two doubles and Tom Dolinak with four strikeouts in five innings of work. The Bulldogs had two solo homers by Nick Orvin and pitcher Asher Wojciechowski had nine strikeouts in eight innings.
The Bulldogs opened the game with back-to-back home runs by Nick Orvin and Brad Felder for a 2-0 lead. In the top of the third, Orvin added a second solo home run for a 3-0 lead for The Citadel.
In the bottom of the third, Alex Lee walked with one out. A double down the left field line by James Foster scored Lee. A single by Kyle Behrendt to left scored Foster for a 3-2 game. Wofford left one runner on in the fourth and one in the fifth.
The Citadel threatened in the top of the sixth with singles by Matt Simonelli and Bryan Altman, but both runners were stranded. The Terriers opened the bottom of the sixth with a double by Mac Doyle and a walk by Konstantine Diamaduros. A bunt by Landon Bennett advanced the runners into scoring position with one out, but both were left on base.
In the top of the eighth, Brad Felder doubled with one out, however was stranded. Wofford’s Mac Doyle reached first on an error in the bottom of the eighth. In the top of the ninth, Justin Mackert doubled with two outs for the Bulldogs. The Terriers were retired in order in the bottom of the ninth for the 3-2 final score.
For the Terriers, starter Tom Dolinak (0-1) allowed only three hits and three runs with four strikeouts in five innings. Cash Collins allowed two hits with two strikeouts in an inning, while Ryan Traylor had one strikeout and no hits in the seventh. Bobby Streisel went the final two innings with two hits and three strikeouts. As a staff, the Terriers had ten strikeouts without a walk. It was the first game of the season the team did not issue a walk.
The Citadel starter Asher Wojciechowski (7-0) went eight innings with five hits and two runs scored along with nine strikeouts as he pitched in front of approximately twenty scouts in attendance. Drew Mahaffey recorded his sixth save of the season by not allowing a base runner in the ninth. The four doubles hit by the Terriers against Wojciechowski equaled his season total allowed entering the game.
Wofford continues the three-game home conference series on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. against The Citadel.
New York Tech 4, Western Carolina 3
Cullowhee, N.C. - After battling through seven innings of a scoreless pitcher's duel Friday night, New York Tech scored four unearned runs in the top of the eighth and held off Western Carolina's rally bid over the final two frames as the Catamounts dropped the opener of the three-game, nonconference series, 4-3, at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
The two teams combined for 17 hits and stranded 24 base runners - 13 by NYIT and 11 by WCU - with each team turning three double plays for a total of six through in game one. The second game is scheduled for a 3:00 pm start on Saturday afternoon. Red-shirt sophomore left-hander Vance Chavis is slated to take the hill for the Catamounts.
NYIT's Jerry Smith, who reached on a walk, broke the scoreless tie in the visitor's half of the eighth inning, coming home on a costly error at short. Pinch runner Robert Loftus plated a second unearned run as Sebastian Grazziani stole second and the throw down scooted into centerfield. Third baseman Effrey Valdez drove in the third run with a single through the right side.
What proved to be the game-winning run scampered home on a double-steal by NYIT. Valdez took off for second with the pitch with the Catamounts attempting to entice the runner from third with a pop-up throw to short. The apparent pick-off attempt opened a window for Ryan Campbell to race home, sliding in just ahead of the throw-back to the plate, giving the Bears a 4-0 lead.
In the bottom of the inning, WCU responded with a three-spot and threatened for more. Catcher Ollie Goulder opened the frame with a single through the left side, advancing to second on a ground out. Junior Matt Johns laced an infield single to short to put two aboard ahead of freshman Tyler White, who drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases and chase NYIT starter, Preston Wasmund. On the very next pitch - the first unfurled by reliever Jon Costa - senior Tyler Kirkpatrick uncorked a three-RBI double to right center. The relay throw home overshot the plate, but Costa was able to corral the ball and gun down Kirkpatrick trying to advance to third for the second out.
Trevor Collias singled through the right side and later stole second to continue the inning, but a ground out to second ended the threat with the Catamounts trailing by a run. Costa recorded a third of an inning with the one hit allowed.
Wasmund was tagged with three earned runs in 7.1 innings pitched. He handed out four walks and one hit batter, countering with three strikeouts in earning his second victory of the year.
Needing one marker to continue play in the ninth, Western Carolina managed to put two aboard as NYIT closer Mike Roth plunked both Cameron Dullnig and Goulder. However, de Graaf hit a bouncing ground ball to second that was taken by Campbell who applied a swipe tag on Goulder trying to advance to second and then gunned out de Graaf at first for the game-ending double-play.
Matt Benedict scattered six base hits and worked around six walks with four strikeouts in 6.2 innings to record a no-decision in the starting effort. Andrew Chilcoat tossed a third of an inning in relief, with junior Brandon Johnson saddled with the loss after allowing three unearned runs with two walks. Senior Daniel Ottone threw the final inning and a third of scoreless relief, allowing two base hits and fanning two.
Johns and Collias had the only multi-hit games for the Catamounts, each going 2-for-4 while White drew a trio of walks to go along with his 1-for-1 showing at the plate. For the Bears, Valdez tallied three hits in five appearances, while Jerry Smith was 2-for-3 with a pair of walks.