Appalachian State 9, Maryland-Eastern Shore 0
FOREST CITY, N.C. - Three Appalachian State University pitchers combined for a three-hit shutout and the Mountaineers completed a season-opening three-game sweep over Maryland-Eastern Shore with a 9-0 victory on Sunday at McNair Field.
Appalachian (3-0) outscored Maryland-Eastern Shore (0-3), 26-2, in sweeping the first-ever series between the two schools.
On Sunday, right-hander Seth Grant (Etowah, N.C./West Henderson) delivered ASU's third-straight terrific start on the mound, allowing just two soft hits and striking out five in six innings of scoreless work to earn the win. Grant needed just 72 pitches to get through six innings with UMES only managing a slow-rolling single up the third-base line and a bloop hit into right field against the 6-4, 215-pound junior.
Offensively, the Mountaineers gave their pitchers all the support they would need with three runs in the first inning. Hector Crespo (Miami, Fla./Florida Christian) led off by walking for the sixth-straight plate appearance then stole second and third base. After Jeremy Dowdy (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) walked, cleanup hitter Trey Holmes (Rockwell, N.C./East Rowan) belted a double off the wall in left center field that scored both Crespo and Dowdy to give Appalachian a 2-0 lead. One batter later, Holmes scored on an RBI single by Zack Briggs (Lexington, N.C./Central Davidson) to give the Apps what proved to be an insurmountable 3-0 lead.
ASU went on to score single runs in the fourth and sixth innings and two in the seventh and eighth stanzas to cap the rout.
Holmes led the offensive onslaught for the second day in a row, going 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Briggs and Tyler Zupcic (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) chipped in with two hits and two RBI apiece and Crespo went 2-for-4 with an RBI, run scored and a spectacular diving catch at second base that preserved the shutout in the eighth inning.
Southpaws Tyler Jackson (Jonesville, N.C./Starmount) and Chad Farmer (Evans, Ga./Greenbriar) combined for three innings of one-hit relief to secure the Mountaineers' second shutout in the first three games of the year.
Walks plagued UMES starter Tyler Witte, who issued six free passes in six innings and suffered the loss. Leadoff hitter Tre-von Johnson had two of the Hawks' three hits.
Appalachian embarks on its first true road trip of the season when it plays at Gardner-Webb on Tuesday at 4 p.m., followed by a three-game series at traditional national power Miami (Fla.) on Thursday (7 p.m.), Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (1 p.m.).
#20 College of Charleston 8, Marshall 6
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Redshirt-freshman LF Daniel Aldrich (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) had three hits and senior 2B Jesse Mesa (Mirimar, Fla.) added three RBIs to lead #20 College of Charleston to an 8-6 win over visiting Marshall University in the final game of the CofC Invitational Sunday afternoon at Patriots Point. The Cougars improve to 3-0 on the season, while Marshall falls to 2-1.
Marshall took advantage of a pair of Cougar errors to jump out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. After Ben Jurevicius reached on a throwing error by Mesa and Nathan Gomez walked, Thor Meeks cleared the bases with a double to left off Charleston senior starter Josh Salay (Rock Hill, S.C.).
The Cougars rallied back to knot the score at two with runs in the first and second frames. Senior CF Cole Rakar (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) doubled down the left-field line to start the first inning, advanced to second on a single by redshirt-junior Rob Kral (Randolph, N.J.) and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by junior RF Marty Gantt (North Augusta, S.C.). Back-to-back doubles to lead off the second by Aldrich and Mesa tied the game at two runs apiece.
The Thundering Herd pulled ahead again in the third, plating a pair of unearned runs off Salay for a 4-2 lead. Issac Ballou reached on a fielding error by Mesa and stole second. A RBI single to right by Jurevisius plated Ballou and after a pair of walks by Cougar reliever Christian Powell (Greenwood, S.C.) Jurevisius scored on a wild pitch by the sophomore right-hander.
CofC responded in the fifth with four runs to take the lead for good. Rakar was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame and after Kral and Gantt were retired the Cougars plated four two-out runs for a 6-4 lead. Redshirt-juniors 3B Matt Leeds (Boca Raton, Fla.) and 1B Jose Rodriguez (Hialeah, Fla.) both walked and Aldrich ripped a two-run single through the right side, while Mesa collected two RBIs with a triple down the right-field line.
Charleston added two more runs in the sixth on a sacrifice fly to center by Kral and a RBI double by Rodriguez to take a 8-4 advantage. Marshall cut the deficit to 8-5 in the seventh on a RBI single by Gomez and added another run in the top of the ninth on a solo homer by Kenny Socorro.
Powell earned the win for the Cougars, tossing 3-2/3 shutout innings and allowing two hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Gantt came on to toss the ninth for his first save of the season. Arik Sikula took the loss for Marshall, allowing six runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.
The Cougars host UNC Wilmington Tuesday, Feb. 22 at Patriots Point in a non-conference matchup. First pitch is set for 5:00 p.m. Senior RHP Robert Jeroszko (Greenville, S.C.) will take the mound for the Cougars.
Georgia Southern 18, George Washington 0
STATESBORO, Ga. - Stellar pitching, a grand slam and a perfect day at the plate for Eric Phillips (Carrollton, Ga.) highlights Georgia Southern's (2-1) 18-0 victory over George Washington (1-2) Sunday, February 20th at J.I. Clements Stadium. GSU pitchers threw back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 2000. The Eagles last pitched two shutout victories in a row in a mid-week series against Mercer in Head Coach Rodney Hennon's first season at the helm.
Will Middour (Atlanta, Ga.) starts Georgia Southern's second shutout win and went 5.1 innings in his career debut. The freshman allowed just four hits and struck out the one Colonial on the day. He settled down and worked out of his only jam of the game after walking the first two batters he faced. Joe Lower (West Palm Beach, Fla.), Drew Johnson (Peachtree City, Ga.) and Ryan McCafferty (West Chester, Pa.) all threw in relief to help secure the win.
Georgia Southern knocked out 18 hits to score runs in sixth of the eight innings that they appeared at the plate and played errorless ball for the first time this season. Phillips tallied five of those hits in five at-bats. The junior infielder also drove in five runs and scored three himself. Shawn Payne (Stone Mountain, Ga.) extended his hitting streak to 12 games and picked up three runs on three hits and plated three others. Michael Burruss (Marietta, Ga.) and Tom Richardson (Lilburn, Ga.) also tallied the first three hits of his Eagle career.
Victor Roache (Ypsilanti, Mich.) capped off a seven-run second inning with his third career grand slam. The Eagles took advantage of two back-to-back errors and quickly loaded the bases after Vince Smith (Kingsland, Ga.) was hit by a pitch. Payne drove in two runs with a double to left field. Phillips walked to reload the bases after Burruss picked up an RBI with single through the left side. Roache sent an 0-1 pitch over the left field wall in the next at-bat.
Georgia Southern opened the game with an one-out run in the first inning. Payne opened the bottom half of the inning with a four-pitch walk. Burruss drove in the senior outfielder, who had stolen second base after a strikeout, with a single up the middle.
The Eagles added two more runs after loading the bases in the fourth inning. Andy Moye (Alpharetta, Ga.) drove in one run with a fielder's choice and Richardson drove in the other with a double to right field.
Phillips added three runs in the fifth inning with another left field home run, and Georgia Southern scored four more times in the sixth inning. The Eagles used four base hits and a ground out to score the runs.
Richardson doubled to right center after Jesse Piccolo (Flagler Beach, Fla.) was hit by a pitch with one out to move two runners into scoring position in the seventh inning. Garren Palmer (Dalton, Ga.) drove in his first career run with a ground out to shortstop.
Georgia Southern continues an eight-game homestand with a pair of midweek games against #19 Georgia Tech. The Eagles will take on the Yellow Jackets Tuesday at 6 p.m. and Wednesday at 4 p.m. at J.I. Clements Stadium.
Davidson 6, Radford 5
DAVIDSON, N.C. - The Davidson Wildcats exploded for five runs on five hits in the seventh and held off Radford for the 6-5 victory, as senior Mike Frongello earned his ninth career save in his 100th career appearance Sunday afternoon at Wilson Field.
Junior RHP Brian Russell scattered three hits through six innings and struck out a career-high nine but failed to earn the decision after giving up a pair of unearned runs in the second inning. Davidson (2-2) got a run back in the second when senior designated hitter Sam Payne (1-for-3) drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on junior third baseman Calvin Sigelbaum's (2-for-4, RBI) RBI-double into the right-side gap.
Otherwise, the Wildcats had a tough time solving Radford (2-1) starter Bobby Bolling, who allowed the lone run on three hits and struck out nine in 4 1/3, but did their damage in the seventh against relievers Brad Wimmer (L, 1-1) and Jason Patten. Wimmer got off to a good start, taking over after Bolling walked sophomore shortstop Michael Zeblo (1-for-3) to start the fifth, keeping Radford ahead 2-1 with pair of groundball outs.
Russell got a quick strikeout to start the sixth, but the Highlanders got a couple of runners on behind a Davidson fielding error and a walk. The Wildcats worked out of the jam, though, as junior catcher Seth Freeman (1-for-3, RBI) gunned down left fielder Matt Hillsinger (4-for-5) at third, and Russell struck out first baseman Matt Mack.
Freshman Danny Mooney (W, 1-0) made his debut for the Wildcats to start the seventh and got a pair of quick outs before dealing a walk to right fielder Cory Turner, who stole second and scored when center fielder Zach Costello doubled to center. Mooney got a ground ball from the next batter, second baseman Brett Mollenhauer, to get out of the inning and benefited from the Wildcats' five-run seventh to earn his first career win.
The Wildcats started the comeback as Zeblo and freshman left fielder Forrest Brandt (1-for-3) got back-to-back, one-out base hits, followed by Freeman's RBI-double down the left field line. With runners on the corners, Patten took the mound to face sophomore second baseman Jack McLindon, who successfully executed the squeeze play to score Zeblo from third and tie the game at 3-3. Freshman center fielder Kelly Myers kept the rally rolling, plating Freeman with a base hit to center. He stole second to get into position for junior first baseman Drew Gadaire, but it didn't matter as Gadaire went yard for the Wildcats' first home run of the season, pushing the lead to 6-3.
Radford made it interesting in the eighth against the Wildcat bullpen, as Hillsinger got a one-out base hit off senior Mac Hunter and moved over to third on a throwing error. Third baseman Alex Guerra drove him in with a single to center, and sophomore Coleman Barron made his pitching debut for the Wildcats. Guerra moved to second on a wild pitch, Mack walked and, after Barron got a fly out from designated hitter Jake Taylor, both bumped a base on a double steal. A second wild pitch allowed Guerra to cut the Wildcats' lead to a run, and Radford loaded the bases to bring on Frongello for the third time of the weekend. Having returned to right field, Barron went a long way to track down that elusive third out to preserve Davidson's one-run lead.
Davidson sent the minimum to the plate in the eighth, but Frongello did the job in the ninth, getting two quick outs before allowing an infield single to Hillsinger. He stole second, but Zeblo fielded the liner to give the Wildcats' their second straight win of the weekend.
The Wildcats finished with 10 hits, including three from Gadaire and two from Sigelbaum. Radford tallied seven hits, including four by Hillsinger and a pair from Costello.
Davidson returns to action Tuesday when they travel to Presbyterian for a 3 p.m. game. The Wildcats host Ohio, Lafayette and Lehigh next weekend for four games at Wilson Field.
Elon 4, North Carolina State 2
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Grant McCoury's two-out double in the top of the ninth inning scored Cyle Rasmus from second with what proved to be the game-winning run as the Elon Phoenix picked up a 4-2 baseball victory over the NC State Wolfpack on Sunday afternoon. The win gave Elon the series victory and the Phoenix has now won four out of the last five meetings with the Wolfpack.
Elon is now 2-1 while NC State sits at 1-2 after the opening weekend.
After a scoreless first inning, Elon's Seth Canipe put the Phoenix on top 1-0 with one out in the top of the second when he sent a 2-2 pitch over the wall in left.
Ken Ferrer had been perfect through the first three innings before John Gianis led off the bottom of the fourth with a single up the middle. Pratt Maynard followed with a single through the right side to put runners on the corners. The Wolfpack then knotted the game at one when Gianis scored on Andrew Ciencin's sacrifice fly to center.
With the game still tied at one in the top of the seventh, Canipe sent a one-out single up the middle before heading to third on a hit-and-run single off the bat of Rasmus. With Rasmus moving, McCoury ripped a ball into the gap in right-center to plate Canipe.
Tarran Senay began the Wolfpack eighth with a single and went to second on a ground out. After a balk moved Senay to third, pinch-hitter Peter Bako lifted a sac fly to center to score the tying run.
With two outs in the top of the ninth, Rasmus put down a bunt that NC State pitcher Grant Sasser misplayed. The Phoenix took advantage of the error when McCoury, after a stolen base, laced a double off the wall in left to put Elon back on top 3-2. Harry Austin's single to right tacked on another marker to the Phoenix's total before the inning came to a close.
Thomas Girdwood (1-0) set the Wolfpack down in order in the bottom of the ninth to earn the win. Girdwood allowed one hit in 1.2 innings. Ferrer lasted 5.2 innings and gave up one run on four hits. He also struck out three.
McCoury finished the day 2-for-2 with a run scored and two RBI after coming off the bench for the Phoenix. Canipe was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI.
Maynard and Senay each had two of NC State's eight hits on the day.
Sasser (0-1) was charged with the loss after giving up two unearned runs on two hits in 2.1 innings.
Elon will play game two of a five-game road trip on Tuesday at High Point.
Furman 7, Ohio 0
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Freshman Tyler Wood pitched eight dominant innings in his collegiate debut, allowing only one hit and striking out six, to lead Furman to a 7-0 victory over Ohio Saturday in baseball action Sunday afternoon at Latham Stadium.
The win completed the four-game series sweep for Furman (4-0) over Ohio 0-4) and gave the Paladins their first 4-0 start to a season since 1998.
Wood, a 6-foot-2, 217-pound right-hander from St. Louis, Mo., was perfect over his first 5 1/3 innings of work and ended up facing one batter over the minimum in his eight frames. He threw only 86 pitches, including 56 strikes.
Backing up Wood's stellar mound work was a Paladin offense that collected eight hits and benefitted from 10 walks by Bobcat pitchers.
Furman led 2-0 after five innings before using seizing control with a four-run sixth. After Will Owens drew a bases loaded walk, his third free pass of the game, Aaron Thompkins delivered the frame's big blow when he steered an offering by Ohio pitcher Marck Paliotto over first base and into the right field corner for a three-run triple to stretch the lead to 6-0.
The Paladins tallied their final run in the eighth on a Kevin O'Leary lineup drive off Paliotto's leg, driving home Owens.
Wood struck out Ohio's Ethan Norton to start the game and didn't yield his lone hit until Taylor Emody stroked a single to left center field with one-out in the sixth. He recorded 19 of his 24 outs via strikeout or groundout and erased two of the three base runners he allowed with double plays.
Thompkins registered three of the Paladins' hits with a 3-for-5, three-RBI performance, and Will Miller, who reached base four times, went 2-for-3 and scored pair of runs. Owens also reached based on four occasions and crossed the plate three times.
Furman plays at Charleston Southern on Tuesday in a 2:00 p.m. game and at Georgia on Wednesday in a 5:00 p.m. contest.
Samford 18, Western Illinois 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford baseball team completed its three-game sweep of Western Illinois with an 18-1 win Sunday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
With the win, Samford improves to 3-0 for the first time since 1997. Western Illinois drops to 0-3 with the loss.
The Bulldog offense plated 18 runs on 10 hits, while five Samford pitchers combined to limit Western Illinois to just one run on six hits.
"It was nice to put it all together," Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. "We didn't have a ton of hits, but we had a lot of timely hits. Obviously, we were able to take advantage of some mistakes on their part. The biggest thing today was that we pitched really well. I thought everyone threw well."
Joshua VanFleteren (1-0) started the game on the mound for Samford, pitching 5.1 innings, giving up no runs on three hits. VanFleteren struck out four batters and allowed no walks. Taylor Hammond, C.K. Irby, Rumiko Forrester and Andrew Jones each saw time on the mound over the final 3.2 innings of the game.
At the plate, Samford was led by Michael Johnson, going 3-for-5 with two RBI. Brandon Miller went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Phillip Ervin was 2-for-4 at the plate for Samford.
Western Illinois pitcher Alexander Zarate (0-1) pitched 4.0 inning and allowed six unearned runs to take the loss for the Leathernecks. Tom Lilja went 2-for-4 with a home run to lead WIU at the plate.
Samford got on the scoreboard first with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Saxon Butler walked with two outs and later scored on a WIU error for the first run of the game.
Samford added five runs in the second inning to push its lead to 6-0. The majority of the runs in the inning came on a three-run home run by Miller with Butler and Kevin Putkonen on base. Johnson and Ervin also scored on a WIU error in the inning.
The Bulldogs plated six more runs in the sixth inning to make the score 12-0. Butler drove in two runs, while Tyler Filliben, Johnson, Putkonen and Tripp Swann drove in a run each in the inning for Samford.
Samford added two runs in the seventh inning to take a 14-0 advantage. Byron Soler singled to drive in Filliben and Tommy Corbin to give Samford a 14-run lead.
Western Illinois put its lone run on the scoreboard in the top of the eighth inning. Lilja hit a solo home run to left field with one out to make the score 14-1.
Samford finished the scoring with four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Johnson and Butler drove in a run each in the eighth inning. Corbin and Ervin each scored on wild pitches to make the final score 18-1.
Samford will be back in action Tuesday evening when the Bulldogs play host to Alabama A&M. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start from Joe Lee Griffin Field.
Western Carolina 9, Morehead State 6
Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina capitalized on an error-filled eighth inning, plating six runs to complete a comeback from down 6-0 on Sunday afternoon to earn the season-opening series sweep over the Morehead State Eagles with a 9-6 win at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
Trailing by three entering the home half of the eighth, WCU (3-0) took full advantage of five Eagle errors to take a three-run, 9-6, edge to post the victory.
The frame opened with Cameron Dullnig reaching as a pop-up on the left side was dropped by Eagle shortstop Austin Haney for the first error. Austin Schultz drew a one-out walk to put two aboard, moving to second on a throwing error by replacement third-baseman, Casey Branham, that allowed Aaron Attaway to reach and Dullnig to race home. Schultz would later score from third on a failed pick-off attempt on a toss that got away at first base.
Ross Heffley laid down a picture-perfect bunt single ahead of Matt Johns, who reached on a second Branham error that allowed Attaway to touch the dish with the game-tying run, knotting the game at six. A third error at third base allowed Heffley to add the go-ahead marker, 7-6.
Senior catcher Stephen Notaro capped the rally with a two-run double over the right fielders head to provide the final tally. Notaro paced the Catamounts with a 3-for-5 showing at the plate including the two-bagger with four others rapping out one-hit apiece for WCU.
Preseason All-Southern Conference reliever Brandon Johnson (1-0) earned the victory after tossing an inning and two thirds of hitless, scoreless relief out of the bullpen. The Morehead City, N.C., native who won nine games a year ago in relief fanned three of the five batters he faced on the day.
Morehead State (0-3) jumped ahead in the top half of the third inning, pounding out seven hits and five runs. The frame opened with three-consecutive doubles with the third driving in the game's first run and a RBI single two batters later effectively chasing Catamount starting pitcher, Preston Hatcher. Making the move to the bullpen, sophomore T.J. Page was greeted by the Eagle batters with three-consecutive singles before ground out and foul out by Travis Redmon - who led-off the rally - ended the inning.
Hatcher surrendered four runs on seven hits in 2.1 innings with a pair of strikeouts while Page finished the third, tagged for one run on three base hits.
Catcher Taylor Davis extended the Eagle lead with a solo home run in the fourth as Morehead State jumped out, 6-0. Davis finished 3-for-5 with two RBI on the homer and on a double in the third inning.
Western Carolina started to claw back in the home half of the fifth as Attaway doubled to the wall in left and was scored on a sacrifice fly by Johns to break-up the shutout. An inning later, the Catamounts loaded the bases as Dullnig reached on a fielder's choice, freshman Adam Martin drew a pinch hit walk and Schultz delivered an infield single. Heffley then drew a walk to plate Dullnig with Martin scampering home on a wild pitch to trim the margin to three, 6-3, setting up the eighth-inning rally.
Reliever Matthew Robertson (0-1) was the tough-luck loser for the Eagles after allowing six unearned runs on just two hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Starter Garrick Whittle held the Catamount bats off-balance through the first five and two thirds innings, scattering five hits with just one earned run of the three he allowed. Whittle worked around five walks with seven strikeouts in the no-decision.
Western Carolina hits the road this Tuesday as it travels to Winston-Salem, N.C., to face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in their new off-campus stadium. First pitch is slated for 4:00 pm with coverage on the Catamount Sports Network and CatamountSports.com beginning at 3:45 pm.
Delaware 3, UNCG 1 (14 inn.)
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Delaware tied UNCG at one in the third inning on an unearned run and things stayed that way until the Blue Hens hit a pair of RBI singles in the 14th inning to defeat the Spartans, 3-1, on Sunday afternoon at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
The Blue Hens (1-2) did all of their damage in the 14th with two outs. Aaron Mascoe got things started with a single to right field and was able to move to second after Dave Anderson was hit by a pitch. D.J. Long followed with a single up the middle to score Mascoe and break a one-all contest. Pat Dameron followed with an RBI single of his own to right field to score Anderson and put Delaware ahead, 3-1.
UNCG (2-1) was only able to put on runner on base in the bottom half on a walk with two outs, but a groundout ended the game.
Stephen Ritcher came in and pitched 3 1/3 innings of no-hit ball in relief to pick up the win. Pete Schultz was credited with the loss after giving up two runs on three hits in two innings of work.
Matt Crump led the Spartan offense on Sunday as he went 2-5 with a solo home run and also added a walk. Crump's home run was the lone extra base hit for the Spartans.
The Blue Hens were led by Long who went 3-5 with a pair of RBI. Dameron also had a nice afternoon with a 2-5 performance and an RBI to go along with a pair of walks.
Crump got things going for the Spartans in the bottom half of the second inning. With two outs, Crump took a 2-1 pitch well over the wall in left field to give UNCG the early 1-0 lead.
The Spartan lead didn't last long, however, as the Blue Hens responded with a run of their own in the top of the third. With one out, Mascoe hit a double to left center. Anderson then hit a ground ball to shortstop, but the throw to third to catch Mascoe was short and Mascoe was safe at third. Long then hit a ball to deep right field that allowed Mascoe to tag up and score from third to tie the game at one.
The score would stay that way until Long and Dameron's RBI singles in the 14th innings.
Each team had its chances in extra innings, but weren't able to capitalize. In the bottom of the 10th inning, UNCG had runners on first and second with just one out, but the Spartans fouled out to first and grounded out to third to end the inning.
The Blue Hens came right back with a chance of their own in the top half of the 11th. With two outs and runners on the corners, Delaware hit a hard ground ball to third, but Thomas Troelstrup was able to make a diving stop and throw out the runner at first.
UNCG had a chance of its own in the 11th inning as it had runners on the corners with one out, but again failed to push a runner across the plate after a pair of fly outs.
It appeared as if Delaware would go in front in the 13th inning as it loaded the bases with no outs. Schultz was brought in from the bullpen and walked his first batter to load the bases, but then settled down to induce a foul out to third base, a strikeout and a groundout to end the threat.
The Spartans will return to action on Tuesday as they host UNC Asheville at 4 p.m. at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
George Mason 9, Wofford 4
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - On Sunday afternoon, the Wofford College baseball team was defeated 9-4 by George Mason as Russell C. King Field. Both teams had ten hits in the game, however the Patriots took advantage of errors and scored six unearned runs on the day.
Wofford ends the opening weekend of the season at 3-1, while George Mason is 1-2. The Terriers were led by Josh McKinney with three hits and Konstantine Diamaduros with two hits and an RBI. The Patriots were led by Mick Foley with three hits and Brig Tison with two hits and four RBIs.
In the top of the second inning, the Patriots scored first with a sacrifice fly by Danny Lyons. A double by Brig Tison with the bases loaded scored three runs, all of which were unearned as George Mason took a 4-0 lead.
Wofford got on the board in the bottom of the third when a double by Mac Doyle scored Josh McKinney from first and Doyle moved to third base on the throw. A single from Konstantine Diamaduros scored Doyle to make it a 4-2 game. The Patriots added a run in the top of the fourth on an RBI single from Brig Tison.
The Terriers left a combined five runners on base in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. In the top of the eighth, the Patriots scored three runs, two of which were unearned, to take an 8-2 lead.
Wofford opened the eighth with a double by Josh Hyman in his first career plate appearance. He was driven in by a double from David Roney. After Alex Lee was hit by a pitch and James Foster reached on an error, the bases were loaded. Josh McKinney reached on an error to bring one runner across the plate. The bases remained loaded with one out when a double play ended the inning with an 8-4 score.
In the top of the ninth, the Patriots added a run on a sacrifice fly by Mick Foley. The Terriers had two hits in the bottom of the ninth, but both runners were left on base for a 9-4 final tally.
Wofford starter Eric Eck (0-1) struck out the first four batters he faced in the game as he allowed only six hits with five strikeouts in four innings. Only one of the five runs scored by George Mason was earned with Eck on the mound. Ryan Traylor threw 3.1 innings and allowed only one hit with a strikeout. J.D. Osborne went a third of an inning and gave up two hits and three runs scored, only one of which was earned. Bobby Streisel threw the final 1.1 and allowed one run on one hit with two strikeouts.
For the Patriots, starter Nick Kendrick went four innings and allowed two runs on three hits with one strikeout. Jake Kalish (1-0) threw 3.1 innings with two runs allowed on five hits with one strikeout. Branden Bartlett faced two batters in the eighth and Brandon Kuter threw the final 1.2 innings with hit hits allowed to notch the save.
Next weekend the Terriers will host Butler, Presbyterian and Dayton at Russell C. King Field. Wofford hosts the Flyers at 4:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon.
Towson 7, The Citadel 1
Gardner-Webb 13, The Citadel 12
Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel Baseball team dropped a pair of games in the final day of The Citadel Memorial Challenge presented by the Charleston Crab House at Riley Park on Sunday.
Game One
In the opening game against Towson (2-2), The Citadel (1-2) scored first when first baseman Justin Mackert (Cleveland, Ohio) doubled down the left field line and then moved over to third on a sacrifice bunt from left fielder William Ladd (Winnsboro, S.C.). Mackert came around to score on a wild pitch from Towson starter Tyler Bugna.
That would be all the Bulldogs would get as Bugna settled down to pitch 5.0 innings, allowing just four hits and one run to go with a pair of walks. Tigers' reliever Spencer Patton came in to shut down the final 4.0 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three.
Towson finally got to Bulldogs' starter Justin Russell (Jacksonville, Fla.), who was sharp early, before running into trouble in the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, Andrew Parker doubled off Russell and then moved to third when Dominic Fratantuono reached base on a throwing error by third baseman Drew DeKerlegand(Pearland, Texas). Pat Fitzgerald then singled home Parker and Nick Natoli hit a sac fly to score Fratantuono as the Tigers took a 2-1 lead.
After a single and a walk to begin the sixth, the Bulldogs went to the bullpen and freshman David Leeth (Hartsville, S.C.) to relieve Russell who went 5.1 innings, allowing six hits, three runs (two earned), two walks and struck out four while taking the loss in his debut. After a walk to load the bases, Fitzgerald hit a sac fly to score another run for Towson.
The Tigers would get two more in the seventh off Leeth and two in the eighth off freshman reliever Logan Cribb (Rock Hill, S.C.) to buffer their lead and take home the win, 7-1.
Game Two
Things did not start off well for freshman right-hander Connor Hitchingham (Jacksonville, Fla.) to start the second game against Gardner-Webb (3-1). The Runnin' Bulldogs scored five runs in the top of the fifth, highlighted by a three-run homer by left fielder Jake Watts.
Gardner-Webb would knock Hitchingham from the game early in the third inning after allowing a single, an error on a pick-off attempt at first base and a walk. The freshman went just 2.0 innings, allowing seven hits, six runs, two walks and a strikeout. TJ Clarkson (Coral Springs, Fla.) came on in relief and allowed three runs on three hits with a walk and two punch outs in 2.0 innings of relief.
The Citadel (1-3) managed to get on the board in the bottom of the third with two runs when Brad Felder (Bowman, S.C.) and Mackert each registered RBI doubles off GWU starter Brock Wilson. Things came unraveled for Wilson in the fourth as the Bulldogs batted around and scored five runs on just two hits while taking advantage of three walks, a hit batsman and a pair of wild pitches by the Gardner-Webb starter who was pulled in favor of Adam Izokovic who got freshman designated hitter Tyler Griffin(Hawthorne, Fla.) to strikeout with the bases loaded to avoid further damage.
Once again, Gardner-Webb managed to respond with two runs of their own in the top of the fifth off reliever Jeremy Long (Clover, S.C.) and another Citadel error in the field. The Citadel would slowly chip away with a run in the sixth when Griffin singled home Ladd to cut the lead to 11-8.
GWU got the run back in the top of the seventh on a double steal of home and second to boost the lead back to 12-8. However, the Citadel would rally to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh off Izokovic. DeKerlegand singled to start things off and Nick Orvin (Moncks Corner, S.C.) followed with an infield hit before Felder singled through the right side to score DeKerlegand. The Citadel would then load the bases with no outs when Matt Simonelli (Orlando, Fla.) placed a perfect bunt in front of home plate that the pitcher could not get to in time.
Mackert then crushed a double to deep center to plate two and Ladd's sac fly to left scored Simonelli to tie the game at 12. GWU then went to the bullpen and Brett Stackhouse who wiggled the Runnin' Bulldogs out of further damage with a strikeout and fly out to end the inning.
Right fielder Adam McFarland led off the eighth with a base hit and moved to second on a sac bunt. A wild pitch by closer Drew Mahaffey (Summerville, S.C.) moved McFarland to third and he came around to score on a sac fly by Scott Coleman to put Gardner-Webb back in front, 13-12.
The Citadel would threaten in the bottom of the eighth with the bases loaded but Gardner-Webb brought in Jeff Howell from the bullpen who got a big strikeout of Ladd to end the threat and seal the win.
Stackhouse picked up the win for GWU, going 1.1 innings, allowing one hit, two walks and a strikeout. Howell picked up his first save of the year with 1.1 innings of work, one hit and three strikeouts. Mahaffey took the loss for The Citadel, going 3.0 innings, allowing two hits, one run and striking out three.
Watts led the GWU attack going 3-for-5 with three RBI, two runs scored, a walk and a three-run homer. Mackert went 2-for-4 with four RBI and a walk for The Citadel. DeKerlegand also went 3-for-6 with a pair of runs and RBI for the Bulldogs.
The Citadel return to action next weekend at Riley Park in the Homewood Suites Shootout presented by the Charleston Crab House. The opening game pits Wright State and Old Dominion on Friday at noon. The Citadel opens with Wright State at 4 p.m. Stay current on Bulldog Baseball at CitadelSports.com.