Elon 6, Western Carolina 5

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina used back-to-back doubles by Julian Ridings and Ross Heffley in the seventh inning to tie Friday afternoon's Southern Conference series opener against Elon at five. However, a ninth inning solo home run to left center by Seth Canipe lifted the Phoenix to a one-run, 6-5, victory over the Catamounts at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.

Game two of the conference series is scheduled for 2:00 pm on Saturday afternoon. Fans can follow the game online at CatamountSports.com with live GameTracker, presented by Carolina West Sports Medicine and the WestCare Health System.

Trailing by a run, 5-4, entering the seventh, Ridings poked a two-bagger into shallow center field where the ball found a hole between three Phoenix players including both middle infielders, allowing him to race into second base. The next batter, Heffley, doubled down the right field line to push across the game-tying run and potentially swing all momentum into the home dugout.

WCU's seventh inning rally continued as Matt Johns was plunked to put two aboard with nobody out and Stephen Notaro sacrificing runners into scoring position with a bunt. Elon and relief pitcher John Brebbia played the percentages by intentionally walking WCU freshman catcher Adam Martin to load the bases. However, the Phoenix were able to thwart the rally with a double-play as Tyler White lined out to the center fielder who threw behind Johns at second base for the force out, keeping the game tied.

Ridings finished a career-best 3-for-5 to lead the Catamounts offensively. Heffley and Austin Schultz also recorded multi-hit games, finishing 2-for-4 and 2-for-5, respectively.

In the visitor half of the ninth, Canipe lifted an 0-1 pitch over the left field fence for a one-out, solo homer that eventually handed Elon the win.

Reliever Brandon Johnson (3-2) took the loss after working the final inning and two thirds for the Catamounts, allowing the one earned run on two hits with a strikeout. Senior starter Matt Benedict factored in a no-decision, leaving the game after seven innings with the score tied at five. The St. Petersburg, Fla., native scattered five runs - only four of which were earned - on six hits with a pair of walks and three strikeouts.

Western Carolina (8-8, 0-4 SoCon) broke open a scoreless affair in the home half of the third inning as Cameron Dullnig drove the first pitch of his at bat down the right field line for a double. Consecutive bunts by Austin Schultz - that sacrificed Dullnig to third - and an RBI infield bunt single by Ridings put the Catamounts on top, 1-0. The inning was cut short, however, as Stephen Notaro singled through the left side and Ridings was gunned out at the plate trying to score from second.

Elon answered half an inning later as Alex Swim led off with a single to left center and scored on a sacrifice fly by Grant McCoury, tying the game at one apiece.

Back-to-back singles by Adam Martin and Tyler White to open the fourth inning started a two-run rally to push the Catamounts back in front, 3-1. Freshman Aaron Attaway reached on a fielder's choice to score Martin and later raced home on an RBI single up the middle by Schultz.

The Phoenix (13-6, 4-0 SoCon) surged ahead for the first time in the game, though, with a four-run top of the fifth inning, capitalizing on the long ball. Harry Austin drew a one-out walk with Jake Luce putting two aboard with an infield bunt single ahead of Niko Fraser who homered to right to plate three runs. With Swim on first after a bunt single, Ryan Kinsella drove one to deep left, but the fly ball was dropped. The error allowed Swim to score, with Kinsella thrown out trying to stretch the play to third base.

Matt Johns pulled WCU back within a run in the fifth with a towering solo home run over the batter's eye in straight away center field. The squad tied the game on the consecutive doubles in the seventh before Canipe's game-winning home run.

Western Carolina out hit the Phoenix, 14-to-9, with three doubles and a home run against one double and two round-trippers for Elon. The Catamounts also stranded 10 base runners in the loss.

Brebbia (3-0) scored the win for the Phoenix by tossing two innings in middle relief, allowing just three hits and one earned run with a walk and a strikeout. Mitch Conner gave up a lead-off single to Heffley in the ninth, but then retired three-straight to pick-up the save - his second of the season.

Fraser drove in three runs for Elon on two base hits including the home run. He was joined with two hits by Luce and Pritchard, with Canipe posting a 1-for-4 showing with the game-winning RBI.

Saturday's starters are scheduled to be freshman RHP Jordan Smith for the Catamounts while senior RHP Ken Ferrer will go for Elon. First pitch is at 2:00 pm.

UNCG 5, Appalachian State 3

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Trailing 3-1 entering the sixth inning, UNCG rallied for two runs in the bottom of the sixth and then two more in the seventh as the Spartans defeated Appalachian State, 5-3, to stay perfect in the Southern Conference on Friday night at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.

The Spartans are now 4-0 in the Southern Conference for the first time since 2000.

Jarett Miller came in to pitch the final 2 2/3 innings to pick up his second win of the season. Starter Warren Slack was credited with the no decision after pitching five innings and allowing only three runs, two earned, on six hits.

Appalachian State (8-10, 0-7 SoCon) starter Ryan Arrowood picked up his first loss of the year after giving up four runs on seven hits in six innings of work.

Trevor Edwards led the Spartans (12-5, 4-0 SoCon) at the plate with a 3-4 performance with two RBI and two runs scored. Edwards finished the game just a triple shy of the cycle. Andrew Spleth also added a pair of hits, while Bobby Martin and Thomas Troelstrup each added an RBI.

Trey Holmes had the hot bat for the Mountaineers as he went 3-5 and Tyler Zupcic and Jack Myers each added a pair of hits.

The Spartans were the first to get on the board as Edwards hit a leadoff home run in the second inning over the right field wall to give UNCG an early 1-0 lead.

Appalachian State then began playing small ball to take the lead. Hector Crespo led off with a single in the third inning and then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Crespo then took third in a groundout before Zupcic hit a chopper over the third baseman's head to score Crespo and tie the game at one.

The Mountaineers continued that strategy in the fourth inning to take the lead. Myers led off with a single to right field and advanced on a groundout. Myers was able to move to third on a throwing error by UNCG and then scored on a squeeze bunt by Tyler Tewell to make it 2-1.

Back-to-back singles by Zupcic and Holmes put runners on the corners for Appalachian State with one out in the fifth inning. Zupcic was then able to score on a wild pitch to give the visitors a 3-1 advantage.

The Spartans were finally able to generate some offense in the bottom of the sixth inning with a two-out rally. Brindle started the rally with a single to center field and advanced to second on a wild pitch before scoring on a double by Edwards. After a walk, Troelstrup hit a single right back up the middle to score Edwards and tie the game at three.

UNCG played a little small ball of its own in the bottom of the seventh to retake the lead for good. Joe Hager led off with a walk and then Drew Gehringer reached after an error on his sacrifice bunt attempt.

Cody Walker then laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Hager and Gehringer into scoring position. With Martin at the plate, Hager scored on a wild pitch before Martin belted a single to left field to score Gehringer and make it 5-3.

The Spartans and Mountaineers will meet for the second game of the series on Saturday at 1 p.m.

 

Davidson 5, The Citadel 4

Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel Baseball team rallied against Davidson on Friday night, but could not a hold the lead in the final frame in a 5-4 loss at Riley Park.

The Bulldogs (7-10, 3-4) have lost five consecutive games for the first time since April 26-May 2, 2008. The last time The Citadel lost five straight games at home came on March 7-12, 1994, when they lost six straight.

The loss is also the sixth one-run defeat for The Citadel this season and four of their last five defeats have come by just a single run. It is the first time all season the Bulldogs have lost when leading the game after six innings or later.

In what was expected to be a pitching duel, the two teams combined for 25 hits, seven walks, used seven total pitchers, leaving a combined 26 men on base. The Citadel banged out 13 hits, after collecting just 11 hits combined in their two previous games.

Austin Pritcher (Charleston, S.C.) went just 4.0 innings for The Citadel, allowing seven hits, three runs, four walks and struck out seven in a no-decision. Davidson starter Chris Lamb went 6.0 innings, allowing 11 hits, four runs, no walks and nine strikeouts, also in a no-decision.

Davidson (8-9, 3-3) picked up only its second win against the Bulldogs in Charleston since 1998, the other win coming last season in the opening game of the series.

Closer Drew Mahaffey (Summerville, S.C.) needed just one pitch to get out of a jam in relief of TJ Clarkson (Coral Springs, Fla.) in the eighth inning, but miscues in the ninth inning would ultimately doom the Bulldogs. The Wildcats sent eight batters to the plate. Danny Weiss led off with a single up the middle and Andrew Barna then reached on an infield hit when the Bulldog infield had communication issues on who should field the ball on the sac bunt attempt. Pinch hitter Calvin Sigelbaum then laid down a sac bunt, but Justin Mackert (Cleveland, Ohio) hit Sigelbaum while attempting to throw to first, loading the bases for Davidson with no outs.

Michael Zeblo then drew a bases-loaded walk on a full count to tie the game. After a strikeout by Mahaffey, the senior then walked Daniel Gerow to give the Wildcats the lead. Logan Cribb (Rock Hill, S.C.) was then brought it and he struck out the remaining two batters to prevent further damage. Andy Bass pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn his second save of the season and seal the comeback win for Davidson.

The Wildcats got on the board first as first baseman Drew Gadaire singled home Gerow from third off Pritcher in third inning. The Bulldogs would plate two in the bottom of the fourth when Mackert, Joe Jackson (Mauldin, S.C.) and William Ladd (Winnsboro, S.C.) all singled to load the bases with no outs. After a pair of strikeouts by Lamb, left fielder Hughston Armstrong (Columbia, S.C.) singled deep in the hole at short as Mackert came in to score and Ladd danced back and forth between second and third base, allowing Jackson to then score to take the lead.

Davidson responded immediately in the top of the fifth as Forrest Brandt singled, Gadaire doubled and Weiss walked to load the bases with no outs. Barna then ripped a single up the middle to score Brandt and Gadaire and knock Pritcher from the game. Clarkson came in and got a pair of strikeouts after a sac bunt, to limit any further damage.

The Citadel then responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth when Drew DeKerlegand (Pearland, Texas) andMatt Simonelli (Orlando, Fla.) singled to start the frame. Mackert then shot an RBI single to center field to plate DeKerlegand. Jackson followed with an RBI single of his own through the right side to score Mackert as the Bulldogs would re-take the lead, 4-3.

Mike Frongello (2-1) picked up the win in relief, going 2.0 innings, allowing two hits and a walk with no runs. Clarkson hurled 3.2 scoreless innings of relief for The Citadel, scattering three hits and striking out five.

Barna went 4-for-5 with a pair of RBI to lead Davidson, while Jackson tied his career high with three base hits, going 3-for-3 with a run and an RBI to lead the Bulldogs. Mackert set a season high and matched a career high with three hits while Armstrong went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Game two of the series will take place on Saturday at 3 p.m. Live stats will be available as well as audio and video on Bulldog Insider.

 

Furman 3, Wofford 2 (12 inn.)

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Wofford baseball team opened Southern Conference play with a 3-2 defeat in twelve innings to Furman on Friday night at Russell C. King Field. The Terriers tied the game in the fifth inning, but neither team was able to add a run until the Paladins scored in the top of the twelfth for the victory.

Wofford is now 11-7 on the season and 0-1 in SoCon play, while Furman is 8-11 overall and 2-4 in the conference. The Terriers were led by James Foster with two hits and an RBI, while the pitching staff allowed only three runs and had nine strikeouts. The Paladins were led by J.B. Jenkins with two hits and an RBI.

In the top of the first, the Paladins got things started with an RBI single by Taylor Johnson. J.B. Jenkins reached on an error that allowed a runner to score for a 2-0 lead. Wofford answered in the bottom of the first with one run, as Konstantine Diamaduros singled to right field to drive in Clark Wise for a 2-1 score.

The second, third and four innings went by with neither team able to plate a run. In the bottom of the fifth, Matt Moore led off with a double and moved to third on a bunt single by Alex Lee. A ground-out by James Foster drove in Moore to tie the game at 2-2.

The teams were scoreless in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings, sending the game into the tenth inning. Furman left two runners on base in the top of the tenth and Wofford left two runners stranded in the bottom of the tenth.

In the eleventh, Furman had two hits and two runners were thrown out at the plate by the Wofford defense. With the Terriers at the plate in the eleventh, Mac Doyle led off with a single and with two outs, Josh McKinney hit a single to move Doyle to third. A pop fly ended the inning for Wofford.

Furman broke the tie in the top of the twelfth when with runners at first and third and two outs, Kevin O'Leary hit a single up the middle to score the runner from third. Wofford had one hit in the bottom of the inning, but came up short in the 3-2 loss.

For Wofford, starter Cash Collins went 7.1 innings with eight hits and two runs allowed along with five strikeouts. Bobby Streisel threw two-thirds of an inning without allowing a base runner. John Cornely (1-1) went the final four innings and allowed one run on four hits with four strikeouts.

Furman starter Bobby Lyne threw nine innings and allowed two runs on just three hits with four strikeouts. Mat Plate and Stephen Gary combined to throw an inning with two hits allowed. Dylan Cole (1-0) went the final two innings and did not allow a run on three hits with two strikeouts.

The game was the second extra inning contest of the season for the Terriers. The weekend series against Furman will continue on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and conclude on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

 

Samford 5, Georgia Southern 4

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford's Saxon Butler hit a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Bulldog baseball team to a 5-4 Southern Conference win over Georgia Southern Friday night at Joe Lee Griffin Field.

With Samford trailing, 4-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning, back-to-back walks to Brad Moss and Michael Johnson started the rally. Phillip Ervinthen reached base on a GSU error to load the bases. Butler then hit a grand slam to left-center field to give Samford the 5-4 lead.

"It was a great at-bat by Saxon," Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. "He did a good job of not trying to do too much and just hitting it where it was pitched."

Kyle Putkonen (4-1) pitched 8.0 strong innings, giving up four runs, just one earned, on six hits, striking out nine batters while walking just three. Andrew Jones pitched the final inning to earn his fourth save of the season.

"The key to the win was Kyle Putkonen being able to give us eight innings," Dunn said. "He fought off a slow start to give us eight innings and help us get a big win."

Butler was 1-for-4 at the plate in the win. Brandon Miller was 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI. Ervin and Moss had a hit each for the Bulldogs as well.

For Georgia Southern, Matt Murray (3-1) took the loss, pitching 1.0 inning and giving up two runs on one hit. Starting pitcher Chris Beck pitched 7.0 innings, giving up three runs on three hits.

Michael Burruss went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI for the Eagles. Ben Morgan was 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Brent Pugh also had an RBI for Georgia Southern.

Georgia Southern jumped out to a 4-0 lead with a run in the second inning, a run in the third inning and two more runs in the fourth inning.

Morgan singled through the right side of the infield to drive in Andy Moye for the run in the second inning. In the third inning, Steve Cochrane doubled with two outs and later scored on a Samford error to make the score 2-0. In the fourth inning, Tom Richardson scored the first run of the inning when Pugh reached base on a Samford error. Burruss later doubled down the left field line to drive in Morgan for a four-run GSU lead.

Samford put its first run of the game on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth inning. With two outs in the inning, Miller homered to left field to cut the GSU lead to 4-1.

After Butler's grand slam in the bottom of the eighth gave Samford the lead, Jones held the Eagles scoreless in the top of the ninth inning to preserve the win.

With the win, which was the Bulldogs' sixth-straight victory, Samford improves to 14-6 overall and 4-0 in Southern Conference play. Georgia Southern falls to 11-8 overall and 3-1 in SoCon play.

The teams will continue their three-game series with a game Saturday at 2 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field.

 

Southern Miss 7, #20 College of Charleston 2

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Southern Miss LF Kameron Brunty went 3-for-4 with six RBIs to lead the Golden Eagles to a 7-2 victory over #20 College of Charleston Friday evening at Patriots Point in the Cougar Invitational. Brunty had two triples and a three-run homer as Southern Miss out-hit the Cougars 13-8, dropping Charleston to 15-4 on the season.

Charleston fell behind in the top of the second as Southern Miss pushed across three runs off junior starter David Peterson (Walnut Creek, Calif.). After a single and a base on balls, Brunty lined a two-run triple to the wall in right center, clearing the bases. Tyler Koelling followed up with a single through the left side to score Brunty and give Southern Miss the early 3-0 lead. The Cougars rallied to post a single run in the bottom of the frame on a solo home run to right by redshirt-junior LF Jose Rodriguez (Hialeah, Fla.).

Southern Miss plated three more runs in the fifth on Brunty's first home run of the season. Marc Bourgeois was hit by a pitch and Mark Ellis single to center to lead off the inning. The runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt and Chase Fowler struck out, but Brunty roped a 3-1 pitch over the wall in right for a 6-1 Southern Miss advantage.

The Cougars scored a single run in the sixth on a RBI single to right center by redshirt-freshman DH Daniel Aldrich (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.), extending his hitting streak to a season-high 14 games.

Southern Miss ended the scoring with a run in the seventh on a RBI triple down the right-field line by Brunty. Koelling finished the game with five hits for the Golden Eagles, while Ellis chipped in three. Todd McInnis picked up his fourth win of the season for Southern Miss, allowing two runs and four hits over six innings with seven strikeouts. Chase Horn tossed three shutout innings of relief for his second save.

Peterson took the loss, falling to 3-1 on the season. The junior allowed six runs on nine hits over 4-2/3 innings with four walks and three strikeouts. Rodriguez finished with three hits on the evening for the Cougars.

The Cougars return to action Saturday afternoon in the Cougar Invitational to face #19 Connecticut at Patriots Point. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.