College of Charleston 11, Kentucky 6
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Redshirt-junior 1B Matt Leeds (Boca Raton, Fla.) tied a career-high with six RBI as #20 College of Charleston defeated the University of Kentucky 11-6 in the 2011 season opener for both programs at the CofC Invitational at Patriots Point. Leeds, the 2010 Southern Conference Player of the Year, went 2-for-4 and scored twice.
The Cougars jumped on the scoreboard first, plating a single run in the bottom of the opening frame on a RBI single down the left-field line by redshirt-junior LF Jose Rodriguez (Hialeah, Fla.). Senior CF Cole Rakar (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.), the 2011 SoCon Preseason Player of the Year, led off with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a balk, before scoring on Rodriguez's single.
Kentucky took a 3-1 lead in the top of the third on a three-run homer to right by Braden Kapteyn, but Charleston roared back with four runs in the bottom of the stanza to retake a 5-3 advantage. After leadoff singles by redshirt-junior Rob Kral (Randolph, N.J.) and junior Marty Gantt (North Augusta, S.C.), Leeds blasted the first pitch he saw over the fence in left-center for a three-run homer. Rodriguez followed with a solo round-tripper to the same spot in left-center to give the Cougars a two-run lead.
The Wildcats fought back to knot the score at 5-5 in the top of the sixth. Back-to-back walks by Kapteyn and Luke Maile led off the inning and after a sacrifice bunt by Thomas McCarthy, Michael Williams ripped a 2-0 pitch down the left-field line for a two-run double.
CofC responded again with five runs in the bottom of the sixth to pull ahead by a 10-5 score. Senior Jesse Mesa (Miramar, Fla.) led off the inning with a single to right, stole second and advanced to third on a double by Rakar. Kral walked and Mesa scored on a wild pitch, moving Rakar to third. A sacrifice bunt by Gantt moved the runners over and Leeds plated Kral and Rakar with a RBI single to left. Rodriguez doubled down the left-field line and putting Leeds at third. A RBI groundout by junior Robert Harding (Columbia, S.C.) and a RBI double by senior Jamie Holler (Rock Hill, S.C.) completed the inning for the Cougars.
Leeds completed his six-RBI effort with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh, plating Mesa with the bases loaded and one out. Kentucky completed the scoring with a single run in the eighth on a bases-loaded fielder's choice by Lucas Witt that scored Maile.
Sophomore RHP Dre Watts (Laurens, S.C.) picked up the win in relief of junior RHP David Peterson (Walnut Creek, Calif.). Watts tossed three innings, allowing two runs on one hit with three strikeouts. Peterson allowed three runs on four hits with five strikeouts in four innings of work. Corey Littrell took the loss for Kentucky, allowing five runs on five hits in 2.1 innings.
The Cougars return to action tomorrow afternoon against Miami (OH) at 1 p.m. in the CofC Invitational.
Wofford 10, Xavier 9
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - In the 2011 season opener for the Wofford College baseball team, David Roney hit a grand slam home run in the seventh inning to propel the Terriers to a 10-9 win over Xavier on Friday afternoon at Russell C. King Field.
Wofford is 1-0 on the season and Xavier is 0-1 after the opener. The Terriers were led by David Roney with two hits and four RBIs, while James Foster, Konstantine Diamaduros and Clark Wise added two hits each. Ryan Traylor recorded his second career win, while John Cornely had his second career save. The Musketeers were led by John McCambridge and Phil Bauer with four hits each.
The Musketeers scored first when Phil Bauer doubled down the left field line to score a run. A double by Brian Bruening added two more runs as Xavier took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. In the bottom of the second, Clark Wise hit a single that scored two runs as he advanced to second on an error.
Xavier added a run in the top of the third on a solo home run by Patrick Paligraf. In the top of the fourth, the Musketeers were able to score three more runs, including a two RBI single by Dan Rinck. Another run was added in the top of the fifth on a double by Ben Thomas to take an 8-2 lead.
After a scoreless sixth inning, the Terriers got things going in the bottom of the seventh. James Foster doubled to drive in one run, then a single to right center by Josh McKinney added two more runs for an 8-5 score. Konstantine Diamaduros added an RBI single to cut the lead to two runs. With the bases loaded, David Roney hit a home run to right field with two outs to give the Terriers a 10-8 advantage.
Xavier added a single in the top of the eight on a sacrifice fly by Patrick Paligraf to cut the Wofford lead to one run. The Musketeers left two runners on base in the top of the ninth when John Cornely struck out Ben Thomas to end the game.
For the Terriers, starter Tom Dolinak threw three and a third innings and allowed ten hits and seven runs with three strikeouts. Ryan Traylor (1-0) went 3.2 innings and allowed only one run on five hits with one strikeout. John Cornely threw the final two innings and allowed one run on four hits along with two strikeouts to record the save.
Xavier starter Tyler Koors went six innings with six hits and two runs allowed along with one strikeout. Scott Klever threw two thirds of an inning and allowed three hits and four runs. Shane Liska (0-1) went a third of an inning and gave up two hits and four runs with one strikeout. Markus Kuykendoll went the eighth and allowed on hit with one strikeout.
Wofford will face Iona for two games on Saturday beginning at 2:00 p.m. at Russell C. King Field. The Terriers close the weekend home stand against George Mason on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
Furman 6, Ohio 3
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Will Muzika belted a three-run seventh inning home run to break a tie ball game and power Furman to a 6-3 victory over Ohio in the 2011 baseball season opener for both teams Friday afternoon at Latham Stadium.
Muzika, a preseason All-Southern Conference second baseman, reigning 2010 league freshman of the year, and freshman All-America selection, drilled the first pitch he saw from Bobcat pitcher Ben Trimbur over the left field fence to drive in teammates Will Owens and Aaron Thompkins and give the Paladins a 6-3 lead.
Furman's decisive seventh inning rally came with two outs after Owens was hit by a pitch and Thompkins singled to center field.
The Paladins' bullpen, consisting of Jay Friedman and Dylan Cole, combined to throw 4 2/3 innings of two-hit, shutout ball.
Friedman, who relieved starter Bobby Lyne in the fifth with the bases loaded and one out, struck out Trace Voshell and Tyler Backstrom to douse the Ohio threat and maintain the 3-3 deadlock. In tossing 3 2/3 innings, the senior right-hander allowed only two baserunners, a hit batsman in the seventh and a one-out single in the eighth.
Muzika's three-run job made him the winner while Dylan Cole, Muzika's former high school teammate and Furman's starting catcher a year ago, retired the Bobcats in the ninth to notch his first career save.
Ohio grabbed an early 3-0 lead after two innings. A Paladin error and two hit batsmen in the first lead to a two-run double by Ohio's Dan Ward.
The Bobcats made it 3-0 in the second on Wes O'Neill's line drive home run off Lyne down the left field line.
Furman tied it a 3-3 in the fourth on a Reese Wade RBI double and two-run single to left field by Will Miller that drove in Paul Nitto and Wade.
Ohio bid to break the tie in the fifth after one-out singles by Seth Streich and Jensen Painter, and a walk by Adam Geciwich loaded the bases. At that point Friedman was summoned from the bullpen and worked out of the jam with back-to-back strikeouts.
Ward went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs to pace Ohio offensively. Furman's eight hits were scattered among eight different players.
The two teams play a Saturday doubleheader beginning at noon.
UNCG 7, Delaware 3
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Senior Warren Slack went five strong innings to pick up the win and received a little help in the form of a three-run home run from Drew Gehringer, as UNCG defeated Delaware, 7-3, in the season-opener for both teams at the UNCG Baseball Stadium on Friday night.
The win was No. 599 for head coach Mike Gaski, who is now in his 21st season at the helm for the Spartans.
Slack went five innings and allowed just two runs on seven hits, while striking out five batters to pick up the win. Jeff Murray was credited with the loss after going just 3 2/3 innings and giving up six runs, one earned, on seven hits. Zach Furl picked up his first save of the year after getting the final out of the game.
Gehringer provided the offensive spark for UNCG (1-0) in the third inning as his three-run blast over the left field wall capped off a six-run inning. Ray Quinones also had an impressive day at the plate as he went 3-4 with two runs scored as he finished just a home run shy of hitting for the cycle.
The Blue Hens (0-1) were led by Steve Ulaky who went 3-5 with a pair of doubles, while D.J. Long had a 3-4 night at the plate with a pair of runs scored.
Delaware was the first to get on the board as the Blue Hens put up a run in the top of the third. Long led off the inning with a single through the left side and then moved to third on a double by Ulaky. Long was able to come home as the next batter grounded out to the second baseman to make it a 1-0 game.
After having just one hit in the first three innings, the Spartans exploded for six runs on six hits in the bottom of the fourth. Quinones hit a double to the deepest part of the park in center to lead off the inning and advanced to third after Lloyd Enzor reached on a field error by the Blue Hen second baseman.
Zach Leach followed with a single to center field to tie the game at one and move Enzor to second. Thomas Troelstrup then laid down a sacrifice bunt on the first base line and Cody Walker followed with a walk to load the bases.
Kris Richards then hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Enzor and move Walker and Leach to second and third. Matt Crump followed with an RBI infield single before Gehringer hit his shot out to left field to put UNCG ahead, 6-1.
The Blue Hens got a run back immediately in the top of the fifth as Long led off the inning with a walk. Pat Dameron followed with a double to the gap in right center to score Long from first and make it a 6-2 game.
Quinones got the Spartan offense started in the bottom of the seventh as he led off with a triple off the top of the wall in left center before Bobby Martin knocked him in on an infield single.
Delaware made things interesting in the top of the ninth with UNCG holding on to a 7-2 lead. Three singles loaded the bases for the Blue Hens with two outs. Furl came into the game in relief of Brandon Browne with the bases loaded. He walked the first batter he saw on a 3-2 pitch, but came right back to induce a game-ending groundout to second to give UNCG a 7-3 victory.
The Spartans and Blue Hens return to the diamond on Saturday for game two of the series at 1 p.m. at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Western Carolina 9, Morehead State 2
Cullowhee, N.C. - Freshman Aaron Attaway blasted a two-run home run in his first collegiate at bat with junior Ross Heffley adding a three-run shot as a part of a six-run seventh inning as Western Carolina opened the 2011 season with a 9-2 victory over Morehead State at the newly renovated Childress Field / Hennon Stadium on Friday evening.
Game two of the three-game, season-opening nonconference series is set for 1:00 pm on Saturday afternoon. The evening will culminate with the "Celebration of Catamount Baseball" at 6:00 pm in the Grand Room of the Hinds University Center on-campus.
Pressed into the starting rotation after projected starter Matt Benedict was lifted after coming down ill on Thursday, sophomore Taylor Sandefur (1-0) picked up the win for the Catamounts. The hard-throwing right-hander from Mechanicsville, Va., scattered three base hits through five innings, pitching around two walks with five strikeouts.
WCU's bullpen pieced together the final four frames with freshman Dakotah Thomas recording two strikeouts in the one inning he worked, allowing one earned run on two hits. Jeremy Sluder and Andrew Blackwell pitched perfect seventh and eighth innings, respectively, both tallying a punch out.
Western Carolina (1-0) jumped out on top in the home half of the second inning as Attaway blasted a two-run home run in his plate appearance in the Purple & Gold. The Morganton, N.C., native took a 2-2 pitch over the fence to hand the Catamounts a lead they would never relinquish, plating classmate Dakotah Spiess.
In the fourth, Attaway struck again with a double down the left field line to push Spiess across the plate to stretch the advantage to three, 3-0.
Morehead State (0-1) got one run back in the top of the sixth inning as Travis Redmon singled through the right side to open the frame before moving to second on a wild pitch and third on a passed ball. Eagle designated hitter Eric Bainer then painted the third base line with a hot shot that was snared and smothered by Austin Schultz, with the relay to first just missing nailing the runner on a bang-bang play which allowed Redmon to scamper home.
Leading just 3-1, Cameron Dullnig ignited a decisive six-run seventh inning for Western Carolina with a bunt single. Freshman Julian Ridings then singled to right ahead of Heffley who crushed a shot over the "Purple Monster" in left field for a 6-1 lead. Sophomore Tyler White doubled home Matt Johns for the fourth run of the inning, while catcher Stephen Notaro doubled in White one batter latter. Attaway capped his four RBI night with a single to left score Notaro, giving WCU a 9-1 advantage.
The Eagles pushed across one final run in the top half of the ninth as pinch hitter Cole Cleveland drew a bases loaded walk before Chilcoat was able to come in from the bullpen and strand three base runners to lock down the win.
Attaway finished 3-for-4 on the night while Heffley (3-for-4), Schultz (3-for-5) and Notaro all posted multi-hit games for the Catamounts.
Starting pitcher Trey Smith (0-1) took the loss for the Eagles, surrendering three earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Reliever Cody Gibson was touched up for six earned runs on six hits, recording just two outs in his appearance. Tyler Hieneman finished off the game for the Eagles, tossing an inning and a third of scoreless, one-hit relief.
Appalachian State 4, Maryland-Eastern Shore 0
FOREST CITY, N.C. - Sophomore Tyler Tewell drove in two runs and four pitchers combined for Appalachian State University baseball's first opening-day shutout in 38 years, a 4-0 blanking of visiting Maryland-Eastern Shore on Friday night at McNair Field.
Nathan Hyatt, Jordan Jessup, Will Helms and Taylor Miller combined to limit UMES to just six hits and give Appalachian its first season-opening shutout win since it blanked Jacksonville State, 6-0, in 1973.
The Mountaineers collected 12 hits, including four for extra bases, but was never able to pull away due mainly to stranding 12 runners on base.
Hector Crespo led off the bottom of the first inning with a triple and Tewell followed with a flare single into left field that gave ASU what would turn out to be all the scoring it needed.
Tewell also drove in the Mountaineers' second run on a fielder's choice that followed Tyler Zupcic's leadoff double in the in the fourth. Appalachian tacked on single runs in the sixth and eighth innings to close out the scoring.
On a beautiful 73-degree evening, Hyatt struck out six and allowed only two hits over five innings to earn the win. All six hits surrendered by the Mountaineers' four pitchers were singles and the Hawks did not advance a runner past second base.
Offensively, Tewell, Crespo, Zack Briggs and Doug Jones had two hits apiece with both of Briggs' hits going for doubles. Crespo reached base three times from the leadoff spot in the order and scored two of ASU's four runs.
Appalachian and UMES continue their season-opening three-game series on Saturday at 3 p.m. at McNair Field.
Samford 16, Western Illinois 8
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford baseball team scored 16 runs and pounded out 17 hits on its way to a season-opening 16-8 win over Western Illinois Friday evening at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
"It was good to get the first one," Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. "Thankfully we scored a bunch of runs. We really strung a lot of hits together in that first inning and, with the exception of the three innings in the middle, we really swung the bats well."
Junior first baseman Saxon Butler led Samford at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two doubles and four RBI. Senior second baseman Michael Johnson went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI, while senior third baseman Stephen Ballard was 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and five RBI. Senior designated hitter Gary Cramer was 3-for-4 at the plate in the season-opener.
Samford junior pitcher Josh Martin (1-0) earned the win on the mound, pitching 3.2 innings in relief, giving up just one earned run on four hits and striking out six batters. Sophomore Lex Rutledge started the game for Samford, tossing 2.1 innings, surrendering five runs on three hits and striking out four batters.
For Western Illinois, Matt Igara went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Anthony Kaskadden was 2-for-6 for the Leathernecks. Bryan Jordan hit the game's lone home run in a 1-for-5 performance. WIU's starting pitcher, Beau Below (0-1) pitched 1.0 inning, giving up nine runs on eight hits to take the loss.
After Western Illinois took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, Samford came back with seven runs in the bottom of the first to take control of the game with a 7-1 lead. Ballard and Johnson drove in two runs each in the inning. Butler and Tyler Filliben drove in a run each, and Butler scored on a WIU wild pitch.
Samford added three more runs in the second inning to push its lead to 10-1. Gardner Richey drove in two runs and Butler drove in another to give Samford a nine-run lead.
Western Illinois got back in the game with five runs in the third inning and two more in the fifth to cut the Samford lead to 10-8. In the third inning, Jordan hit a two-run homer for the first two runs. Austin Cowen, Dan Dispensa and Igara drove in a run each in the third. In the fifth inning, Dispensa drove in another run and later scored when Jordan reached base on a Samford error to bring WIU to within two runs.
Samford, however, plated three runs in the sixth inning, two in the second inning and one in the eighth to pull away for the 16-8 win. Ballard drove in all three runs in the sixth inning with a bases-clearing double. In the seventh inning, Butler drove in both runs with a double. Richey drove in the run in the eighth inning with a sacrifice fly to finish the scoring.
The teams will continue their three-game series with a game Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
North Carolina State 17, Elon 4
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Despite holding a 3-0 lead after two innings, the Elon Phoenix watched as the NC State Wolfpack scored at least two runs in each of the next five innings to earn a 17-4 victory in the 2011 baseball season opener for both teams. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak that Elon had against the Wolfpack.
Elon (0-1) struck first, sending nine hitters to the plate and scoring three times in the second inning. Neal Pritchard led off the frame with a walk before Grant McCoury's infield single put two aboard to bring Cyle Rasmus to the plate. Rasmus drilled a 2-1 pitch from Cory Mazzoni deep over the left field wall for his first homer in a Phoenix uniform as Elon built a 3-0 lead. Ben Scott, Harry Austin and Jake Luce followed with back-to-back-back singles to load the bases. Elon would not be able to take advantage of the situation, however, as Niko Fraser fouled out and Alex Swim was robbed of a hit with a diving catch in right-center by the Wolfpack's Brett Williams.
The Wolfpack (1-0) broke through in the bottom of the third. Chris Diaz led the inning off with a soft single to center before scoring on a double down the left field off the bat of Matt Bergquist. With one away, Pratt Maynard lined a single just out of the reach of Fraser in right for a single that put runners on the corners for Andrew Ciencin. Ciencin made it a 3-2 game with a slow liner just over the head of Pritchard at short that scored Bergquist. Tarran Senay then loaded the bases with a single to right. Danny Canella's sacrifice fly to left evened the score at three as Maynard trotted home.
Williams began the Wolfpack fourth with a single and then went to third on a Diaz double that bounced over the head of Scott who had charged on a shown bunt. A walk to Bergquist loaded the bases with no outs and brought John Gianis to the dish. Gianis sent the first pitch he saw from reliever Greg Amorosso through the right side for a single that plated Williams with the go-ahead run. The Wolfpack built a 7-3 lead when Maynard doubled into the right field corner to score all three runners. An Elon error put runners on the corners before Senay's ground out brought Maynard home to make it an 8-3 game.
A double, single and wild pitch put Wolfpack runners on second and third with no outs in the fifth. After a ground out and a strike out, Maynard drove in two more with a single to center as State built a 10-3 advantage.
Elon got one back in the top of the sixth when Austin lined a single to right-center to drive home Rasmus who had reached on a one-out double.
The Wolfpack added another five runs on four hits in the bottom of the sixth to push its lead to 15-4. NC State then tacked on its final two runs in the seventh.
Elon's Jared Kernodle (0-1) took the loss after allowing six runs on eight hits in three-plus innings.
Mazzoni (1-0) was the winner and gave up four runs on eight hits in 6.0 innings on the mound.
Rasmus and Austin both had two-hit outings for the Phoenix.
Maynard finished the day 3-for-4 with three runs scored and five RBI. The Wolfpack trio of Williams, Diaz and Bergquist combined to go 8-for-11 with 11 runs scored.
Elon and NC State will play game two of this three-game series at Elon's Latham Park at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
Gardner-Webb 6, The Citadel 5
Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel Baseball team could not take advantage of an early 3-0 lead in the first inning as Gardner-Webb scored four unanswered runs and held on for a 6-5 win at Riley Park on Friday evening in The Citadel Memorial Challenge presented by the Charleston Crab House.
The Citadel (0-1) could not have asked for a better start to the 2011 season as designated hitter Brad Felder (Bowman, S.C.) got things started with a base hit and came around to score on an RBI double by right fielder Matt Simonelli (Orlando, Fla.). First baseman Justin Mackert (Cleveland, Ohio) then roped an RBI double of his own into deep center, sending Simonelli to the plate.
William Ladd (Winnsboro, S.C.) was then hit by a pitch before shortstop Calvin Orth(Jacksonville, Fla.) grounded into a fielder's choice that brought Mackert home following a steal of third base.
Bulldogs' ace Matt Talley (Sumter, S.C.) cruised early but struggled to find the strike zone as The Citadel pitching combined to walk nine GWU batters in the game. Talley did not receive a decision and went just 5.0 innings, allowing four runs on four hits with five walks and four strikeouts.
Gardner-Webb (1-1) plated one in the fourth when Zeke Blanton was hit by a pitch and then moved all the way down to third when he was caught in a run down and avoided the tag as an errant throw bounced of his foot and into the outfield. A double by Brad Collins would give GWU their first run of the game.
Things would come unraveled for Talley in the fifth as he walked the first two batters of the frame. After a sac bunt by Jake Watts, first baseman John Harris then roped a double to right centerfield to plate two runs and tie the game. After a base hit put runners on the corners, Gardner-Webb then put on the squeeze with a bunt up the third base line that scored Harris.
The Citadel would knock Gardner-Webb starter Kyle Paeplow from the game in the sixth when Ladd led off with a walk and moved to second on a sac bunt from Orth. Third baseman Drew DeKerlegand(Pearland, Texas) then dumped a bloop single into shallow left to score Ladd and knot the game at four. Paeplow went 5.1 innings, allowing seven hits and four runs with a pair of strikeouts and walks in the no-decision.
Gardner-Webb wasted no time responding as Bulldog reliever TJ Clarkson (Coral Springs, Fla.) walked a pair to start the seventh inning and Aaron Miller would come around to score on a fielder's choice. Clarkson (0-1) went 2.2 innings, allowing two hits, one run, two strikeouts and walked four in the loss.
Harris would single and come around to score on an RBI base hit by Collins on a close play at the plate to give GWU an insure run off freshman left-hander Logan Cribb (Rock Hill, S.C.). The Citadel would get one in the bottom of the ninth when Grant Richards(Morrisville, N.C.) got an infield single and advanced on three different wild pitches by Adam Izokovic.
Brett Stackhouse (1-0) picked up the win in relief for Garnder-Webb while Izokovic earned the save. Leading Gardner-Webb was Collins who went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and a walk. Harris went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI and runs as well.
The Citadel was led by Ladd, who went 2-for-2 with a run and Richard, who went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
The Citadel takes on Towson on Saturday in The Citadel Memorial Challenge presented by the Charleston Crab House at 3 p.m. Stay current on Bulldog Baseball at CitadelSports.com.
Georgetown 9, Davidson 5
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- The Wildcats cut into a 8-1 deficit with a four-run seventh and had the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth, before Neal Dennison got the final out and the save for the Georgetown Hoyas, who defeated Davidson, 9-5, in both team's season opener Friday evening at Wilson Field.
Sophomore second baseman Jack McLindon (3-for-5) started the ninth-inning rally with a single down the right field line and advanced to third when junior centerfielder Drew Gadaire's (3-for-5, 2 RBI) base hit was bobbled by right fielder Rand Ravnaas. Senior designated hitter Will General drew a two-out walk to load the bases for senior pinch hitter J.P. Craven, but Dennison got him to fly out to left to end the game and preserve the Hoya's 9-5 win.
Both starters earned decisions, as senior LHP Alex Meyer (1-0) got the win for Georgetown, allowing just one run on six hits and striking out one in five innings. Junior LHP Chris Lamb (0-1) took the loss for Davidson, allowing five runs (three earned) on seven hits and striking out five in five innings.
The Hoyas tallied 14 hits, led by a 4-for-4, 2 RBI performance by Ravnaas. Center fielder Justin Leeson was 3-for-4 and scored three times.
The Wildcats finished with 11 hits, including three each from McLindon and Gadaire.
After getting down 8-1, Davidson started its rally with a four-run seventh inning, stringing together three hits and a Georgetown miscue to cut the deficit in half. Freshman left fielder Forrest Brandt started the inning with his first collegiate hit, an infield single to second base, and classmate catcher Daniel Gerowdrew a walk to put a pair on with no outs. Hoya reliever Charles Steinman, who came in to start the sixth, got McLindon to strike out but gave up an RBI-double to senior right fielder Sam Payne. Gadaire's second hit of the night cleared the bases, and he bumped around to third as Leeson misplayed the ball in center. Sophomore third baseman Andrew Barna kept the rally alive, driving in Gadaire with a ground ball to third before Steinman worked out of the jam.
The Hoyas added a run in the eighth as Leeson smacked a one-out triple and scored on Ravnaas' single to the left side in the next at-bat, but senior right-hander Mike Frongello took over and got back-to-back strikeouts from shortstop Mike Garza and third baseman Sean Lamont to keep the game within reach.
Georgetown reliever Pablo Vinent pitched around a two-out walk to Brandt in the bottom of the frame, and Frongello faced the minimum in the top of the ninth to give the 'Cats a chance. Dennison slammed the door on the Davidson rally in the bottom of the ninth, thought, to leave the bases juiced.
Davidson will return to action at noon tomorrow when it hosts Army - who lost the earlier neutral-site game, 7-4, to Radford, - before getting another shot at Georgetown in the second game of the doubleheader, slated for 3:30 p.m.
George Washington 8, Georgia Southern 6 (10 inn.)
STATESBORO, Ga. - Victor Roache (Ypsilanti, Mich.) capped the Georgia Southern Baseball team's (0-1) rally from a 5-0 deficit with a ninth-inning home run to send the game into extra innings, but two unearned runs in the 10th inning gave George Washington (1-0) the 8-6 win in the season opener Friday, February 18th.
Roache made his only hit of the game count by sending it over the wall in straight-away centerfield. The sophomore designated hitter had previously struck out twice and flew out twice, but blew the save opportunity for Chris Keiper and sent the game to the 10th inning.
Keiper ended up as the winning pitcher after sitting down the Eagles in order in the bottom of the 10th inning. The senior transfer from Washington College picked up his first win with the Colonials after allowing one hit in two innings of work.
Jarret Leverett (Eatonton, Ga.) came on in the 10th inning in relief of Andy Moye (Alpharetta, Ga.) who pitched a stellar four innings out of the bullpen. Leverett quickly set down the first two batters in the order, but gave up a single up the middle to the third batter he faced. The junior transfer from Middle Georgia got another ground ball up the middle but it was misplayed, allowing Brendon Kelliher to reach safely. Paul Pakan stroked a two-out, two-strike double to plate both runners.
Michael Burruss (Marietta, Ga.) carried his hitting streak over from last season and extended it to 11 games with a game-high three hits. Burruss is hitting an even .500 in his streak which dates back to May 11th of last season. He walked to open the game and recorded three-straight hits following a ground out in the third inning. The sophomore outfielder also scored a pair of runs and plated two more runners in his career-debut in left field. Burruss helped start the comeback by driving in the first Georgia Southern run of the game. He also scored Shawn Payne (Stone Mountain, Ga.) in the eighth inning with a two-out double.
Payne started the two-out rally in the eighth inning with a bunt base hit that died in no-man's land between the pitcher and the catcher on the third base side of the mound. Payne also carried a hitting streak over from last season and extended it to 10 games.
George Washington opened the game with three runs in the first two innings, with all three runs scoring with two outs. Beck recorded back-to-back strikeouts after walking the first batter in the inning, but gave up two singles in a row. Brett Bowers gave GW the first run of the game on a single to center in the first inning.
The Colonials added two runs in the second inning on a two-RBI single by Owen Beightol. Ollie Mittag opened the inning with a single to centerfield, and Jordan Berry reached on an error after a strike out. A ground out that hit off the pitcher's glove advanced both runners into scoring position before Beightol's single drove them in.
George Washington tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning before Georgia Southern responded in the bottom half of the inning. Tyler McCarthy, who singled to lead off the inning, scored after a bases-loaded walk. A ground out by Stephen Oswald to second base for the second out of the inning plated the second run of the inning for the Colonials.
Georgia Southern finally got on the board in the bottom half of the fifth inning and scored three runs after sending all nine men in the order to the plate. A hit by Burruss and a bases-loaded walk by Steve Cochrane(Mooresville, N.C.) drove in the first two runs of the inning, and Jesse Piccolo (Flagler Beach, Fla.) with his only hit of the day earned a RBI after driving in the third Eagle run.
Moye came on in relief in the sixth inning after the Eagles had already used four pitchers in the game and tallied six strikeouts in four innings of work. The senior captain allowed four hits, two walks and one unearned run in his first outing of the new year and allowed Georgia Southern the opportunity to tie the ballgame.
Chris Beck (Jefferson, Ga.) was the opening day starter for GSU. The sophomore pitcher allowed one earned run and four hits in four innings of work on the mound. Beck struck out seven of the 18 batters he faced and allowed only one walk. Brian Derner opened on the mound for George Washington and was stellar in his three innings, allowing one hit and no runs. Derner struck out six Eagles and walked only two in 57 pitches.
Back-to-back hits in the bottom of the sixth inning scored the fourth run for the Eagles. Eric Phillips(Carrollton, Ga.) drove in Burruss, who doubled with two-outs in the inning. Phillips stole second base to put another runner in scoring position, but Tom Richardson (Lilburn, Ga.) was called out on strikes to end the inning.
Newcomer Josh Adams (Bath, S.C.) has been tabbed as the Saturday starter. Adams joins the team from Spartanburg Methodist. He and his former teammate Marty Gantt, who signed with the College of Charleston, were named the top two newcomers in the Southern Conference by Baseball America.
George Washington will counter with senior pitcher Joe Richardson on Saturday. Richardson posted a 7-4 record with a 5.09 ERA last year.
Season tickets are currently on sale through the Georgia Southern Athletic Ticket Office at 800-GSU-WINS.
All baseball games can be heard on Fox Sports 106.5 FM in Statesboro and online at GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com/Eaglevision beginning 30 minutes prior to first pitch. Ryan Chambers of the Georgia Southern Radio Network will have the call live from J.I. Clements Stadium all weekend.