The Citadel 12, Appalachian State 4
The Citadel 4, Appalachian State 1
Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel Baseball team used strong starting pitching performances from a pair of freshmen and 16 combined runs to sweep a doubleheader and the series from Appalachian State on Saturday at Riley Park.
The Citadel (6-5, 3-0) begins the opening weekend of conference play undefeated for the second consecutive year. In fact, dating back to May 2, 2009, the Bulldogs are now 35-6 (.854) in their last 41 regular season conference games.
The Bulldogs have now won seven consecutive games against Appalachian State (6-5, 0-3) and outscored the Mountaineers, 20-5, in the three-game series. The Citadel's team ERA on the weekend was a stellar 1.67 with all three starters putting in quality work and combining to go 21.0 innings, allowing just three runs and striking out 23 ASU batters.
Game One
The Citadel wasted no time getting to the reigning SoCon Pitcher of the Week in southpaw Lawrence Pardo of Appalachian State. The Bulldogs batted around in the bottom of the first as the first eight batters all reached base and the first five batters all scored to make it 5-0 early.
Freshman right-hander Justin Russell (Jacksonville, Fla.) was spotted with an early lead and pitched his best game of the season, going a career-high 7.0 innings, allowing seven hits, two runs, two walks and four strikeouts in his first career win.
"I felt confident knowing that our guys were behind me all day today," said Russell. "It's huge when you get five runs in the first inning. Any pitcher will tell you it's easy to throw strikes with a lead and so that really helped me settle in and relax out on the mound."
The Bulldogs would get two more in the bottom of the second and knock Pardo (1-1) from the game as the freshman went just 1.1 innings, allowing five hits, seven runs (five earned) with two walks in the loss. Nick Orvin (Moncks Corner, S.C.) and Matt Simonelli(Orlando, Fla.) both scored thanks to help from an ASU error and an RBI single from third baseman Drew DeKerlegand (Pearland, Texas) to increase the lead to 7-0.
Joe Jackson (Mauldin, S.C.) singled and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch in the third to make the score, 8-0. The Bulldogs would get two more in the fifth when WillIam Ladd (Winnsboro, S.C.) scored on another ASU error and Jackson later scored on a wild pitch.
Appalachian State got on the board in the top of the sixth on a sac fly and a fielder's choice RBI off Russell. The Mountaineers would get two more in the eighth off Bulldog reliever Jeremy Long (Clover, S.C.) Logan Cribb (Rock Hill, S.C.) and TJ Clarkson(Coral Springs, Fla.) would then close out the game for The Citadel.
The two teams combined to commit 10 errors, using nine different pitchers, left 22 men on base and walked 16 batters. Leading ASU was third baseman Zach Briggs, who went 2-for-3 with a run. Orvin went 2-for-5 with three runs and a walk for The Citadel, while Jackson went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs and an RBI. DeKerlegand and Ladd each collected two hits as well.
Game Two
Series finale starter Bryce Hines (Hanahan, S.C.), who was making his second career start and first SoCon start, worked into trouble early on in the second game of the doubleheader. The freshman loaded the bases with no outs as the Mountaineers struck first, scoring on a wild pitch. After walking another ASU batter to re-load the bases, Hines got a strikeout and a huge double play to avoid any further damage.
The Bulldogs wasted no time responding on offense off ASU starter Seth Grant. With two outs, Simonelli hit a ground double to right and then came in to score on a base hit up the middle by Justin Mackert (Cleveland, Ohio) to knot the game at one. Doubles by DeKerlegand and Ladd then followed and a single by Jackson plated two more as The Citadel moved in front, 3-1.
Both starting pitchers settled down after that as Grant (1-2) went 6.2 innings, allowing seven hits, three runs, one walk and four strikeouts. He retired 15 consecutive batters at one point. Hines (1-0) picked up his first career win, hurling 6.0 innings, allowing just three hits and one run with six walks and struck out six.
Clarkson came in to pitch two scoreless innings, allowing a pair of hits and striking out three before closer Drew Mahaffey(Summerville, S.C.) came in to earn his third save of the season in the ninth as he struck out a pair of Mountaineers.
"It's a great feeling to start off like this," said Mackert. "The change to our lineup really proved to be a spark plug. We have a lot of energy going in our favor right now. We are all just to trying to say loose and relax and have fun."
The Citadel got an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth off ASU reliever Taylor Miller when Simonelli doubled and moved to third on an error by left fielder Jason Wallace. Mackert then singled to right field to score Simonelli.
Right fielder Jack Myers went 2-for-4 to lead the Mountaineers, while Mackert went 2-for-4 with a run and a pair of RBI for The Citadel.
"We were pleased with our pitching all weekend," said head coach Fred Jordan. "Hines fought himself a little today, but pitched out of trouble. We have a lot of interchangeable parts on this team this season and we have to find out where everyone fits best."
The Citadel returns to action on Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Riley Park as they face Ball State in their first midweek game of the 2011 season.
Appalachian State returns to the High Country to entertain LaSalle Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Furman 8, Davidson 2
Furman 1, Davidson 0 (Game Suspended in 2nd inning)
DAVIDSON, N.C. - The Furman Paladins scored seven runs over the first three innings in an 8-2 win over the Davidson Wildcats, evening the three-game weekend series to a game apiece, in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Wilson Field.
With rain forecasted for Sunday, Davidson (6-7, 1-1 SoCon) and Furman (6-6, 1-1 SoCon) tried to get ahead of the weather by playing two Saturday, but play was suspended in the top of the second in the nightcap with Furman leading 1-0. The rubber match is scheduled to resume tomorrow at 2 p.m.
In the first game, junior RHP Brian Russell (L, 1-1) retired his first two hitters but got into trouble on back-to-back base hits for second baseman Will Muzika and right fielder Will Miller. Designated hitter Reese Wade put Furman ahead 3-0 with a home run to right in the next at-bat, and Russell loaded the bases with three straight walks to bring on junior RHP Ryan Overcash.
Not accustomed to bases-loaded relief situations, Overcash got center fielder Rob Fondu to foul out to sophomore first basemanAndrew Barna to end the inning, but Furman extended its lead to 5-0 with a pair of runs in the second. Will Owens, who legged out a leadoff infield single, scored on errant throw by sophomore third baseman Jack McLindon that allowed Muzika to reach second safely. Miller doubled to left to plate Muzika in the next at-bat.
Senior designated hitter Danny Weiss, who went a perfect 4-for-4 and drove in a run for the Wildcats, got Davidson's first hit of the game, a single to left to start the second. Junior center fielder Seth Freeman drew a one-out walk to put a pair on, but sophomore LHP Nate Smith (W, 1-2) got a pop out and the second of his seven strikeouts to get out of the jam.
The Paladins tacked on two more runs behind doubles from Fondu, first baseman Aaron Thompkins and Muzika in the third, and despite a two-out walk to junior second baseman James Cerbie, Smith struck out the side in the bottom half.
Overcash struck out a pair and faced just three in the fourth, and Weiss led off the home side with a base hit for the second time. After Barna sacrificed him to third and after Freeman drew his second walk, he scored on sophomore shortstop Michael Zeblo's sacrifice fly to put Davidson on the scoreboard, 7-1.
After retiring the first two Paladins in the fifth, Overcash walked three straight, and RHP Matt Sliwiak became the second Wildcat reliever to enter a bases-loaded, two-out jam. He sat Miller on strikes to strand three and face just three batters in the top of the sixth with a pair of strikeouts.
Freshman left fielder Forrest Brandt singled to center field to start the home half of the sixth and moved to third on a failed pickoff attempt. Weiss continued his hot day at the plate, using his second double to score Brandt and took third on a wild pitch. Barna drew a walk to put a pair on with no outs, but the Paladins turned a rally-killing double play on Freeman before Zeblo fouled out to catcher Dylan Cole to end the inning.
Furman did its final scoring in the seventh, adding a run on base hits by shortstop J.B. Jenkins and Muzika. Jenkins singled to left to start the inning and took second on a groundout. Muzika's two-out base hit to left was enough for a run before the Wildcat defense caught him in a run down to get out of the inning.
It was the only Paladin run allowed by Sliwiak, senior LHP Mac Hunter and sophomore RHP Michael Goldberg over the final 3 1/3, but Davidson could not climb out of the early hole. Weiss and Freeman got base knocks in the eighth, but were stranded, and Furman reliever Kevin Gottlieb worked a one-two-three ninth to help the Paladins tie the series.
The second game was suspended in the top of the second after Furman scored a run in the first inning. Working against Wildcat starter Ian Horkley, Muzika's sacrifice fly sent in Owens, who singled to center field in the game's first at-bat. Tyler Wood started the game for Furman, giving up one-out base hits to Weiss and Brandt for no damage in the first. The game will resume Sunday at 2 p.m. in the top of the second, and Furman has Reese Wade (single) at second with one out.
Elon 17, West Virginia 1
Elon 6, Wright State 2
ELON, N.C. -- On day two of the Elon Invitational, the host Elon Phoenix saw its bats come alive as the squad pounded out 24 hits and scored 23 runs while picking up victories over both West Virginia and Wright State on Saturday. In its first game of the day, Elon knocked off the Mountaineers 17-1 before dropping the Raiders 6-2 in the finale.
Elon (7-4) jumped on top of WVU (3-6) in the bottom of the first inning when Jake Luce and Cyle Rasmus began the frame with back-to-back doubles down the left field line. After Rasmus moved to third on a passed ball, Alex Swim lined a single to left to plate the second run of the at bat.
The Phoenix tacked on a couple more runs in the third inning to build a 4-0 lead. Grant McCoury drew a lead-off walk and went to second when Neal Pritchard's ground ball to third was misplayed. With runners on second and third following a sacrifice bunt, Niko Fraser sent a ball deep to left for a sac fly that plated McCoury. Seth Canipe's single to center drove home the next run as Pritchard raced home from second.
With one down in the bottom of the fifth, McCoury drew a walk and then rode home on Pritchard's bomb off the scoreboard in left-center, his first of the year, which gave Elon a 6-0 edge. The blast also ended a six-game homerless streak for the Phoenix, the longest such streak for the team since going without a home run in seven consecutive games in 2006.
Elon kept the attack going in the sixth and scored three more times to gain a 9-0 lead. The Phoenix scored one on a bases-loaded walk to McCoury before Pritchard drove home two more with a single to center.
With two on and two away in the bottom of the seventh, Rasmus crushed a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left-center for a three-run homer, his second of the year, as the Phoenix extended its lead to 12-0. Elon then loaded the bases with three straight singles from Swim, Ben Scott and Pritchard before Ryan Kinsella drew a walk to force in the 13th Phoenix run of the contest. Pinch-hitter Matt Kirchner picked up a RBI when he was plunked to force home Scott ahead of a Canipe double into the right field corner which cleared the bases to make it a 17-0 game.
The Mountaineers managed to avoid the shutout by scoring once in the eighth.
Elon starter Ken Ferrer (1-0) was the winning pitcher, claiming his 23rd career victory to move into a tie for fifth place on the program's career chart. He allowed just one run on five hits in 7.1 innings of work.
West Virginia's Harrison Musgrave took the loss after giving up six runs (four earned) on six hits in five frames.
Three different Elon players posted four-RBI performances in the first game of the day - Rasmus (3-for-5, three runs), Pritchard (3-for-5, three runs) and Canipe (2-for-4).
Two of WVU's five hits came off the bat of Matt Malloy.
In the final game of the day, Wright State (4-6) took an early 1-0 lead on the Phoenix thanks to back-to-back two-out doubles from Jake Hibberd and Kody Krizman.
Elon immediately answered in the bottom of the first. Luce started the game with a double down the left field line and then stole third before scoring on a Swim infield single with one out. A Raider error allowed McCoury to reach before Pritchard was hit by a pitch to fill the bases with Phoenix runners. Canipe gave Elon a 2-1 lead with a sacrifice fly to left-center as Swim scored. Fraser added one more to the Phoenix's total when he laced a single to center to drive home McCoury to make it a 3-1 game.
With the Phoenix still holding a 3-1 lead in the top of the seventh, Corey Davis snapped a span of 12 consecutive Raider hitters retired by Jared Kernodle with a single to center. Sam Picchiotti followed with another single before the inning closed with a fielder's choice off the bat of Justin Kopale.
Luce gave Elon a 4-1 edge by belting a 2-2 pitch over the wall in right for a solo homer, his first of the year, in the bottom of the seventh. Rasmus followed with a single and moved to second when Swim drew a walk. Wright State's second error of the night allowed McCoury to reach, Rasmus to score and Swim to end up on third.
After Pritchard walked to begin the Elon eighth, Canipe ripped a ball into the left field corner for a RBI double as the Phoenix built a 6-1 advantage.
Wright State added one in the ninth on a sacrifice fly that made it 6-2.
Picking up the win after surrendering one run on six hits in seven innings was Kernodle (2-1). Kernodle struck out four.
Cody Kopilchack (0-2) took the loss after he was charged with three runs (one earned) on six hits in six innings of work.
In game two, Elon's offense was led by Luce who ended the game 3-for-4 with two runs and a RBI while Canipe drove in two with a 1-for-3 performance.
Wright State saw Hibberd go 2-for-4 with a run scored.
In the first game of the day, West Virginia topped Temple 12-1.
The final day of the 2011 Elon Invitational will be held on Sunday. Wright State and West Virginia are slated to meet at 10 a.m. followed by the Phoenix hosting Temple at 2 p.m.
UNCG 9, Albany 8
Albany 8, UNCG 6
GREENSBORO, N.C. - UNCG rallied for a 9-8 win in game one on a walk-off three-run double by John Hein, but couldn't put together another rally in the second game of the doubleheader as the Spartans fell, 8-6, in game two on Saturday at the UNCG Baseball Stadium. With the win in game one, UNCG clinched the weekend series over the Great Danes.
In the first game, UNCG trailed 8-6 heading into the bottom of the ninth. Drew Gehringer led off the inning with a walk and then advanced to third on a single byChris Barker. Bobby Martin then drew a walk to load the bases with no outs.
It appeared as if UNCG's rally wouldn't materialize after a strikeout and a foul out, but Hein took a 1-0 pitch to left center for a walk-off double that allowed all three runners to score and give the Spartans a dramatic 9-8 victory.
Freshman Pete Schultz picked up his first career win as he pitched the final 1 1/3 innings and allowed just one hit, while striking out a pair of batters. Brian Gauthier was credited with the loss after giving up three runs on two hits in 1 2/3 innings of work.
Bobby Martin went 7-9 with an RBI and three runs scored in the two games combined, while Chris Barker went 4-10 with an RBI and four runs scored.
In the second game, the Spartans tried to duplicate their magic from the first game. UNCG trailed 8-3 after five innings of play, but its three runs over the final four innings wasn't enough as it fell to the Great Danes, 8-6.
Colby Hyatt picked up his first loss of the season after giving up six runs on 10 hits in four innings of work. Ryan White was the winner after pitching six innings and allowing five runs, four earned, on 10 hits. Kevin Cowan picked up the save after pitching the final three innings and giving up only one run on three hits.
The Spartans will host St. John's, who fell out of the Baseball American top-25 this past week, on Tuesday at the UNCG Baseball Stadium at 4 p.m.
#25 Auburn 7, #18 College of Charleston 4
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - #25 Auburn University pounded out 14 hits and jumped to an early 5-1 lead, holding off #18 College of Charleston 7-4 Saturday afternoon in the CofC Classic at Patriots Point. The Cougars fall to 9-2 on the season and face New York Tech tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m.
The Tigers jumped to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a solo home run to straightaway center field by Casey McElroy. Charleston knotted the score in the bottom of the frame when redshirt-junior DH Rob Kral (Randolph, N.J.) doubled down the left field line and scored when junior RF Marty Gantt (North Augusta, S.C.) reached on a throwing error by the Auburn shortstop.
Auburn plated a pair of runs in each of the second, third and fifth innings to take a 7-1 lead. In the second, the Tigers led off with back-to-back singles before a sacrifice bunt moved the runners up a base. Zach Alvord followed up with a two-run single up the middle to clear the bases. A two-run, two-out double by Brooks Beisner accounted for Auburn's runs in the third, while a solo home run by Beisner and a RBI single by Alvord tallied runs in the fifth.
The Cougars got a run back in the sixth when Gantt led off with a triple to left center and redshirt-junior 3B Matt Leeds (Boca Raton, Fla.) drove him home with a RBI groundout to first. Charleston mounted a comeback in the eighth, loading the bases on a walks by Kral and Leeds and a single by Gantt. Redshirt-junior 1B Jose Rodriguez (Hialeah, Fla.) brought home a run on a fielder's choice and senior 2B Jesse Mesa (Mirimar, Fla.) hit a RBI single to left, but the Cougars stranded runners at first and second to end the frame.
Junior LHP Josh Renfro (Bradenton, Fla.) suffered his first loss of the season, allowing five runs on eight hits in four innings of work with two strikeouts. Mesa collected three hits and Gantt added two hits for the Cougars. Derek Varnadore picked up his third win on the year for Auburn, scattering seven hits over seven innings and allowing four runs and striking out five. Beisner went 3-for-4 with three RBIs for the Tigers.
The Cougars return to action in the CofC Classic tomorrow afternoon against New York Tech. First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m.
St. John's 14, Georgia Southern 3
STATESBORO, Ga. - St. John's broke open an early pitchers' dual with 11 runs in the middle innings and evened the series between Georgia Southern (7-4) and the Red Storm (4-4) with a 14-3 win on Saturday afternoon, March 5th. Kyle Hansen earned the win for STJ after going 5.1 innings and allowing one earned run. Michael Burruss (Marietta, Ga.) had two hits on the afternoon, including a single in the fourth to erase Hansen's no-hit bid.
One of two preseason All-Americans on St. John's roster, Hansen retired seven-straight Eagles before allowing a base hit and faced just one over the minimum in the first three innings. Eric Phillips (Carrollton, Ga.) was the only man to reach in the first three innings, doing so on his first walk of the day. Phillips reached base in all five plate appearances and finished with two singles, a hit by pitch and two walks.
The Red Storm singled twice in the first inning but had both runners eliminated. A fielder's choice wiped out a single by Jimmy Brennan, and Joe Panik was thrown out at second base after trying to stretch a single into a double. Josh Adams (Bath, S.C.), who started the game on the mound for the Eagles, retired the next seven batters he faced in order before running into trouble in the fourth inning.
St. John's batted around in the inning and stroked seven-straight hits with one out to score the first five runs of the ballgame. The Red Storm opened with three-straight singles from Panik, Paul Karmas and Sean O'Hare to score the first run of the inning. A double by Jeremy Baltz followed and scored two more runs before singles by Matt Wessinger and Joe Witkowski plated the final two runs.
Georgia Southern got a run back in the bottom half of the fourth inning. Burruss' single led off the inning, and Phillips moved him to second on a hard hit ball at the third baseman. Tom Richardson (Lilburn, Ga.) drove in the run on a single to left field, following a walk by Victor Roache (Ypsilanti, Mich.). The Eagles had a shot at a second run on the junior catcher's hit, but Phillips was thrown out at the plate.
GSU matched St. John's single run in the fifth with a run in the bottom half of the inning. The Eagles scored without a hit on a passed ball. Back-to-back walks by Hansen with one out and a ground out to the pitcher put two runners in scoring position before a pitch got away from the catcher Witkowski and allowed the run to score.
The Red Storm added five more runs in the sixth inning and tacked on three more in the seventh inning before Georgia Southern could put another run on the board in the bottom half of the seventh. Shawn Payne (Stone Mountain, Ga.), who extended his reached base streak to 40 games with a walk in the fifth inning, reached base on a dropped third strike and scored on back-to-back singles from Burruss and Phillips.
Andy Moye (Alpharetta, Ga.) will take the mound Sunday as the Eagles will go for the series win in the finale with St. John's at 1:30 p.m. Moye will make his first start on the rubber for Georgia Southern and is 1-0 with a 1.04 ERA this season. The Red Storm will counter with Brendan Lobban (1-0, 3.09 ERA), who earned the win against #23 Georgia Tech in his last start.
Wofford Rained Out
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Due to rain, the Wofford baseball game against Pittsburgh that was scheduled to begin at 12:00 pm on Saturday, March 5th has been postponed till tomorrow, Sunday, March 6th. The two teams will play a double-header tomorrow, starting at 1:00 pm at Russell C. King Field.
SAMFORD-TOLEDO SATURDAY BASEBALL POSTPONED
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--Samford's baseball game against Toledo, scheduled for today at 3 p.m. ET, has been postponed due to inclement weather in the Birmingham area. The teams will now play Sunday at 2 p.m. ET at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
The game will wrap up a three-game series between Samford and Toledo. The teams split a doubleheader on Friday. Samford won the first game, 3-0, before Toledo took game two by a score of 8-3.
Western Carolina-Ohio State Set to Begin Sunday at Noon
FOREST CITY, N.C. - The Western Carolina-Ohio State baseball game scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. is now scheduled to begin Sunday at noon due to rain that fell throughout the day Saturday.
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