College of Charleston 8, Georgia Southern 7
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. ? Junior LF Jose Rodriguez (Hialeah, Fla./Broward College) lined a RBI single to left center in the bottom of the ninth to score senior 2B Joey Bergman (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny) and give College of Charleston an 8-7 victory over Georgia Southern in Southern Conference action at Patriots Point Saturday afternoon. Senior 1B Greg Blake (Westerly, R.I./Lake City CC) added two home runs as the Cougars improve to 22-7 on the season and 7-4 in the conference.
With the score knotted a 7-7, Bergman reached on a fielding error by SS Eric Phillips and stole second base during the next at bat. Georgia Southern reliever Colin Snow intentionally walked sophomore 3B Matt Leeds (Boca Raton, Fla./American Heritage) and Rodriguez singled an 0-2 pitch to left center to give the Cougars their second straight victory in the bottom of the ninth.
The Eagles (15-13, 7-4 SoCon) opened the scoring with a single run in the second inning, scoring on a RBI groundout to second by Michael Burruss. Georgia Southern extended their lead to 5-0 in the next frame, plating four runs off Charleston senior RHP Kevin Decker (Washington, Ind./Seminole CC). Back-to-back singles by Kevin Bowles and Kyle Blackburn put runners at the corners for A.J. Wirnsberger, who roped a RBI double to left center. Eric Phillips followed with a two-run double to left, bringing home Wirnsberger and Blackburn. Phillips would later score on a fielding error by Leeds.
Charleston rallied back with four runs in the fifth to cut the deficit to one. Blake led off the inning with a solo home run to right center, his fifth of the season. With one out, Bergman doubled to left center and advanced to third on a wild pitch by Eagles starter Matt Murray. Junior CF Cole Rakar (Mt. Pleasant, S.C./Wando) lined a RBI single to left center, scoring Bergman to make the score 5-2. Rakar stole second and junior C Rob Kral (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) deposited a 2-2 pitch over wall in left center for his seventh round-tripper of the season.
Georgia Southern opened a two-run cushion in the sixth with a single run on a sacrifice fly to center by Arthur Owens, but the Cougars fought back again with three runs in the eighth to take a 7-6 lead. Rodriguez singled to third on a sharp groundball and junior DH Kolby Epley (Yadkinville, N.C./Forbush) knotted the game with a two-run shot to left center on a 0-1 pitch from Snow. Blake stepped into the batter’s box and crushed a 1-1 offering over the wall in center for his second home run of the game and a 7-6 advantage for the Cougars.
Senior reliever Heath Hembree (Cowpens, S.C./Spartanburg Methodist College) entered the game in the ninth for the Cougars and hit Owens with a 1-0 pitch to put a runner at first. After striking out Bowles, pinch runner Shawn Payne stole second and then scored on a RBI groundout to first by Blackburn. Hembree got Phillips to fly out to center to end the Eagles’ threat in the ninth and giving the Cougars a shot at the win.
Hembree earned the victory to improve to 4-1 on the season, allowing one run and one hit with one strikeout. Decker tossed six innings, scattering 10 hits and giving up six runs, four earned. Blake led the Cougars, going 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI, while Bergman and Rodriguez both chipped in with two hits. Snow took the loss for Georgia Southern, allowing four runs on four hits in 1.2 innings. Murray lasted five innings, giving up four runs on six hits with six strikeouts.
The Cougars and Georgia Southern complete the three-game series Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.
Elon 12, UNC Greensboro 1
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? UNC Greensboro scored one run in the bottom of the eighth to pull within 3-1, but Elon exploded for nine runs in the top of the ninth to blow the game open as the Spartans fell to the Phoenix, 12-1, on Saturday afternoon at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Elon starter Daniel Britt collected his third win of the season for the Phoenix (18-10, 7-4 Southern Conference) after allowing just one run on three hits in seven innings of work. Blake Hassebrock gave up three runs on eight hits in six innings, while striking out seven, to pick up the loss for the Spartans (13-14, 1-8 SoCon).
Harry Austin and Scott Riddle each went 3-4 with a pair of RBI to lead Elon, while Neal Pritchard added a 2-5 performance with three RBI and two runs scored. Every starter for Elon recorded at least one hit and scored at least one run.
Sophomore Kris Richards extended his hitting streak to a season-high nine games after going 1-3 with an RBI. Eric Brindle also went 1-3 and added a run scored for the Spartans.
The Phoenix got on the board first as they pushed two runs across the plate in the second inning. Ryan Adams led off the inning with a walk and moved over to second on a single by Pritchard. After back-to-back strikeouts, Riddle singled to center field to score Adams and Austin followed with an RBI single of his own to give Elon the early 2-0 lead.
The game would stay like that for a while as Britt retired 11 straight Spartans during a stretch from the second to sixth inning.
Elon added what appeared to be an insurance run in the top half of the sixth inning as Matt Hinson led off with a triple down the right field line. Riddle stepped to the plate two batters later and singled up the middle to score Hinson and make it a 3-0 game in favor of the visitors.
The Spartans finally got something going in the bottom of the eighth as Brindle led off the inning with a double to right center. That was the end of the afternoon for Britt as Kyle Webb came in to replace him on the mound.
Richards took the second pitch he saw from Webb up the middle to score Brindle and pull UNCG within, 3-1.
The Phoenix would respond in a massive way in the top of the ninth by putting 12 batters to the plate and scoring nine runs en route to taking a 12-1 lead. Austin led off the inning with a single, but was thrown out at second on a fielder’s choice by Justin Hilt.
Alex Swim then doubled to left center to score Hilt before Mike Melillo singled up the middle to score Swim and make it a 5-1 contest. After Adams walked to put runners on first and second, Pritchard homered to center field to put the Phoenix ahead, 8-1.
After a Elon fly out made it two outs in the inning, Seth Canipe and Riddle hit back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners. Austin followed with a single through the left side of the infield to score Canipe. Hilt then hit his third home run of the season to left center to give the Phoenix a 12-1 lead.
The two teams will wrap up the series on Sunday with a 1 p.m. contest at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Samford 6, Davidson 5
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- For a second straight day, the Samford Bulldogs used a late-game rally, including a pair of runs in the top of the ninth, to complete the SoCon series sweep with a 6-5 win over the Davidson Wildcats in the finale Saturday at Wilson Field.
Davidson (13-15, 4-9 SoCon) scored a pair of runs in the second and got three more on a three-run home run from freshman third baseman Andrew Barna (1-for-4, 3 RBI) in the third, and senior left-hander Thomas Middour held Samford (17-10, 8-1 SoCon) to just one run on five hits while striking out three in six strong innings.
But the Bulldogs got to the Davidson bullpen for a second day, scoring three runs off sophomore left-hander Chris Lamb in the seventh before getting the winning runs in the ninth as junior right-hander Andy Bass (L, 0-2) loaded the bases to walk in the tying run, and junior right-hander Matt Sliwiak allowed the winning run to score on a wild pitch.
In a script nearly identical to Friday's game, the Wildcat hitters took an early 5-0 lead to chase Samford starter Josh Martin in the third. Davidson got a pair of runners on to start the second as sophomore left fielder Calvin Sigelbaum reached on a fielding error by third baseman Mason Meredeth and senior catcher Tommy Piacenza walked. Freshman second baseman Michael Goldberg (1-for-3, RBI) hit an RBI-single to score Sigelbaum, and freshman shortstop Michael Zeblo (1-for-3, RBI) sacrificed in Piacenza before Goldberg was thrown out trying to advance to third to end the inning.
The Wildcats took advantage of Martin's miscues in the third, as sophomore center fielder Drew Gadaire (1-for-4), who extended his season-high hitting streak to 15 games with a triple in the fourth, took a walk and junior first baseman Danny Weiss was hit by a pitch to put a pair on for Barna, who homered to deep left field to make it 5-0, Davidson.
But that was all the scoring Davidson would do as the Samford bullpen of Mark Lewallyn, Andrew Jones and Lex Rutledge (W, 3-0) held the Wildcats to just three hits over the final 7 2/3 shutout innings.
Davidson, meanwhile, wasted a strong effort from starter Middour, who gave up a solo home run to Meredeth in the fourth for his only run and did not walk any of his 23 batters faced over six innings.
Middour got into a jam with a pair of one-out singles in the fifth, but Zeblo and Goldberg turned a timely double play to keep the 'Cats in control. He turned over a 5-1 lead in the seventh to Lamb, who was touched up for three runs on four hits before giving way to junior submariner Mike Frongello, who got out of a bases-loaded jam on another web gem from Zeblo at short. After giving up a lead-off single to Smith, Lamb got two outs before catcher Brad Moss (single), center fielder Wayne Miller (double) and designated hitter Stephen Ballard (single) put together three runs for four runs.
Sophomore right-hander Brian Russell worked a hitless eighth handing off a 5-4 lead to Bass in the top of the ninth. Pinch hitter Gary Cramer got the tying run on with a lead-off single into right field before Bass struck out Moss on a failed sacrifice bunt. Bass walked Miller to put the winning run on before Weiss fielded a ground out from Ballard for the second out, moving runners to second and third. Meredeth took the second walk of the inning to load the bases for left fielder David Schulze, who took a 3-2, two-out pitch for an RBI-walk to tie the game.
Sliwiak took the mound with the bases still juiced and allowed Miller to score the winning run on a wild pitch before sitting down right fielder Trey Hayes on strikes.
Facing Rutledge for the second straight day, Wildcat hitters were no more successful, as the hot-handed Bulldog retired Gadaire, Payne and Weiss to earn the 6-5 win for the series sweep.
Nearing the end of an 11-game SoCon stretch in which the 'Cats played seven of the last eight games at home, the Wildcats will now go on the road for 11 of the next 13, beginning with the second of a broken-up series with UNC Greensboro Wednesday April 7 at 7 p.m. Greensboro defeated Davidson, 6-5, in the first game March 30.
Appalachian State 5, Furman 4 (10 inn.)
BOONE, N.C. - Second baseman Wes Hobson (Winston-Salem, N.C./North Forsyth) became Appalachian State University baseball's all-time hits leader in Saturday's 5-4, 10-inning win over Furman at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
Not only did Hobson become Appalachian's all-time hits leader with a 4-for-5 effort, but his clutch hits in the seventh and 10th innings were integral to the Mountaineers' come-from-behind victory.
ASU (17-6-1, 4-6-1 SoCon) trailed 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning when Hobson blasted a a two-out, two-run home run to left center field that gave the Mountaineers a 4-3 lead and tied Hobson with former teammate Isaac Harrow for the school record of 260 career hits.
The celebration was short-lived, however, as Furman's Paul Nitto hit his second home run of the game with one out in the top of the eighth to knot the score at 4-4. The solo shot to left field came against Mountaineer closer Chris Patterson (Laurinburg, N.C./Scotland County) and marked the first blown save by an Appalachian closer since 2008.
The score remained tied until the bottom of the 10th, when Hobson led off the inning with his record-breaking 261st career hit, a clean single through the left side of the infield. Following the leadoff single, David Towarnicky (New Bern, N.C./New Bern) battled out of a 1-2 hole to draw a walk, Jeremy Dowdy (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt and Tyler Zupcic (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) was intentionally walked to load the bases for freshman Ryan Stetson (Charlotte, N.C./Ardrey Kell).
Stetson delivered in the clutch with a line-drive single into left field that brought Hobson home from third with the game-winning run.
Despite Stetson's first career walk-off hit, the hero of the afternoon was Hobson. The senior not only went collected four of the Mountaineers' nine hits in the record-breaking performance, but he also accounted for all four ASU runs with three RBI and one scored.
After surrendering the game-tying homer in the eighth, Patterson settled in to allow just two hits over three innings of work. The Southern Conference's saves leader (7) earned the victory to even his record at 1-1 on the season.
Nitto led Furman (8-19, 2-9 SoCon) by going 3-for-5 with the two home runs and two RBI. Stephen Gary (0-1), the fourth of five Paladin pitchers on the afternoon, was tagged with the loss after not retiring either of the batters that he faced in the 10th.
Appalachian goes for its first SoCon sweep of the season on Sunday when it squares off with Furman in the finale of this weekend's three-game series. First pitch on Easter Sunday is set for 1 p.m. at Smith Stadium.
Wofford 12, The Citadel 11
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Wofford College baseball team scored eleven runs in the final three innings to defeat The Citadel 12-11 at Russell C. King Field on Saturday afternoon. The Terriers scored five runs in the seventh and eight innings to take a one run lead then won the game in the bottom of the ninth with a sacrifice fly by Mac Doyle.
Wofford is 9-18 on the season and 3-5 in the SoCon, while The Citadel is 20-8 overall and 10-1 in conference play. The Terriers were led by Mac Doyle and James Foster, who both had four hits and three RBIs in the game, while Kyle Behrendt also had three RBIs. The #25 ranked Bulldogs were led by Bryan Altman with four hits and three RBIs and Matt Simonelli with three RBIs.
The Citadel scored two runs in the top of the first as a single by Matt Simonelli scored William Ladd and a double by Bryan Altman drove in Simonelli for a 2-0 lead. Wofford left two runners on in the bottom of the first and one on base in the bottom of the second. The Bulldogs added two runs in the top of the third as Matt Simonelli doubled to left field to make it a 4-0 score.
Wofford got on the board in the bottom of the fifth when Mike McDonnell doubled to left to led-off the inning and he was driven in on a single by James Foster. The Bulldogs answered with two more runs in the top of the sixth as Matt Simonelli reached on an error that allowed runners to score from second and third for a 6-1 advantage.
In the top of the seventh, Bryan Altman opened with a double and was brought home on a single by Justin Mackert. Matt Reifsnider hit into a double play with the bases loaded to score another run for an 8-1 lead. Wofford began the comeback in the bottom of the seventh as Mike McDonnell and Alex Lee walked and then advanced on a wild pitch. A single by James Foster scored one run, Josh McKinney reached on an error to bring home Lee and a double to left field by Kyle Behrendt added a third run. Mac Dolye homered to left field to score two more runs and it was an 8-6 game.
The Bulldogs added two more runs in the top of the eighth as Bryan Altman hit a two-run shot to left field for a 10-6 lead. The Terriers answered with five runs on five hits along with two errors to take an 11-10 lead in the bottom of the eighth. James Foster had an RBI single, Josh McKinney reached on an error to score a run and Kyle Behrendt had a two-RBI double to tie the game at 10. Konstantine Diamaduros then hit a single through the right side to give the Terriers the lead.
In the top of the ninth, Kyle Jordan hit a solo home run to left center to tie the game at 11-11. Heading to the bottom of the ninth, James Foster doubled with one out. Josh McKinney was intentionally walked and Kyle Behrendt was hit by pitch to load the bases. Mac Doyle came to the plate and on a 3-1 count hit the ball to left field to score James Foster on the sacrifice fly for the 12-11 victory.
For the Terriers, starter J.D. Osborne went five innings with eight hits and four runs allowed with four strikeouts. Anthony Rowland threw an inning and allowed four runs on four hits with a strikeout. Gus White went two innings with two runs and two hits allowed, while Drew Sheridan (2-2) picked up the win by pitching the ninth and allowing only one run on one hit.
The Citadel starter Matt Talley went 6.2 innings with seven hits and five runs allowed with six strikeouts. Chris Boyce threw a third of an inning and allowed one run on a hit. Raymond Copenhaver threw 0.2 innings with four hits and five runs scored with a strikeout. Drew Mahaffey (1-1) had the loss with two hits and one run allowed. Matt Reifsnider got one out in the ninth.
Wofford will complete the three-game series against The Citadel on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The Terriers will next be in action on Friday, April 9 at Western Carolina.
Western Carolina 12, New York Tech 4
Cullowhee, N.C. ? Western Carolina used three home runs, including a grand slam on Saturday afternoon, to down New York Tech, 12-4, in game two of the three-game set at Childress Field/Hennon. The Catamounts (17-8-1) outgunned the Bears (5-10) 12-to-4 in the hit column, as Western Carolina evened the series.
NYIT took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the fourth, before WCU rallied with 11 unanswered runs to take command of the contest.
A lead-off home run by junior Ollie Goulder in the fifth inning, set the tone for a eight-run frame for the Cats, which was topped off by another Goulder home run later in the frame. The junior hit 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
Freshman Mat Batts (3-0) remain unblemished this season after holding NYIT scoreless in two and two-thirds of relief to collect his third victory of the season. The Pfafftown, N.C. native, allowed just one hit with two strikeouts with two walks.
Radley Haddad and Dylan de Graaf drove in a pair of base runners with a single and double, respectively, to open up the Catamount lead at 6-3. Short stop Matt Johns was then beamed by the Bears pitcher to setup a bases-loaded jam. Sophomore Ross Heffley didn’t disappoint as he hammered his first career grand slam to left center to give WCU the decisive, 10-3, advantage. Goulder then hit another round-tripper to left field to end the inning. Cameron Dulling added another run in the sixth to make it a 12-3 contest.
de Graaf collected a three-hit afternoon with a pair of runs scored and two RBIs. Senior Tyler Kirkpatrick scored the first run for WCU in the second and finished the afternoon 2-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored. Haddad relished the starting catcher role on Saturday by driving in three Catamounts, while also collecting a hit, a run and a walk. Trevor Collias and Ross Heffley each notched two hits in the game as well.
Lefty Vance Chavis gave up two earned runs on two hits in three and a third innings pitched in the no-decision. The WCU freshmen trio of T.J. Page, Preston Hatcher and Jeremy Sluder allowed just one NYIT run on one hit in the final three innings with three strikeouts.
Andrew Guarrasi (0-3) took the loss for NYIT after giving up 10 earned runs on 14 hits in four and two-thirds. Centerfielder Jerry Smith led the Bears with a two-RBI double when he hit a slicing fair ball to left field in the fourth inning.
NYIT and Western Carolina will battle in the rubber-match on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Live stats and coverage of the game can be accessed online at CatamountSports.com.