Davidson 5, UNCG 2

DAVIDSON, N.C. - Senior RHP Ryan Overcash held the Spartans to one run on three hits in 6 2/3 innings, and senior designated hitter Danny Weiss hit a two-run home run in the fourth to lift the Davidson Wildcats to 5-2, series-clinching win over UNCG Sunday afternoon at Wilson Field.

Making the start for Davidson (16-15, 8-9 SoCon), Overcash (W, 2-2) retired his first seven hitters before Joe Hager hit a one-out double in the third for UNCG's (17-13, 9-6 SoCon) first hit of the day.

But he was working with a 2-0 lead at the time, thanks to an RBI-base hit from junior center fielder Seth Freeman (2-for-5, RBI) and smart base running by freshman catcher Daniel Gerow, who scored from first on a throwing error by Spartan left fielder Bobby Martin. Martin overthrew his cut-off man and with the Spartan defense out of position, the ball rolled into the Wildcat dugout in the two-base error. Sophomore shortstop Michael Zeblo (double, 2-for-4, RBI), who hit a one-out double, was running on the play and scored from second on the base hit.

The Spartans got one back on a one-out solo home run by Ray Quinones in the fifth, that narrowly stayed fair and got over the fence in left, to cut Davidson's lead to a run. But the Wildcats answered with a home run of their own as Weiss took a 3-0 pitch from senior RHP Colby Hyatt (L, 3-2) over the left field wall to plate freshman left fielder Forrest Brandt (single, 2-for-4). Payne kept the scoring going with a two-out double down the right field line and made it 5-1 when Zeblo smacked a base hit to center off just-entered Spartan reliever Jarett Miller.

Overcash faced the minimum in the sixth and fanned Trevor Edwards for his sixth and final strikeout to start the seventh before allowing one final base hit to Zach Leach. He fielded the groundout from Thomas Troelstrup for a second out, but the Spartans got runners on the corners on a wild pitch and walk by senior LHP Mac Hunter. In the only real jam of the day, senior RHP Mike Frongello picked Quinones off first, running on the 3-2 pitch, before Leach could score from third.

The Spartans got the final run in the top of the ninth off senior RHP Andy Bass, as Martin singled to center field, stole second and scored on an RBI-base hit by Edwards. Edwards moved to second on a wild pitch, but Bass came back and got Leach to fly out before striking out Troelstrup to clinch the series victory.

Davidson finished with 11 hits, with Freeman, Brandt, Payne and Zeblo each getting a pair and held the Spartans to just five hits. Martin, Edwards, Leach, Quinones and Hager each recorded one for UNCG.

The Wildcats will step out of conference play and head to Duke (19-16, 4-11 ACC) Tuesday for a 7 p.m. game before traveling to Spartanburg, S.C. for an important SoCon showdown with Wofford (14-19, 2-10 SoCon) this weekend.

On Tuesday, UNCG entertains Wake Forest at 6 p.m.

 

Elon 1, Wofford 0
Elon 8, Wofford 4

ELON, N.C. -- Between the completion of Saturday's suspended game and Sunday's regularly slated series finale against the Wofford Terriers, Elon's Ryan Kinsella drove in six runs and collected four hits as he helped the Phoenix to 1-0 and 8-4 victories to complete a three-game league sweep.

Elon now sits at 22-12 overall and is 12-3 in Southern Conference play while Wofford fell to 14-19, 2-10.

Elon and Wofford picked up the second game of the series at 1 p.m. on Sunday after the scoreless contest had been suspended heading to the last of the fifth inning the previous day.

The game remained scoreless until Kinsella belted the first pitch he saw with one away in the bottom of the ninth for a no-doubt homer to right, his third home run of the season. It marked the second consecutive walk-off win for the Phoenix who have now won eight times in its final at bat of a game.

John Brebbia (7-0) was the winning pitcher for the second straight game, coming on in relief of Ken Ferrer who threw five scoreless innings on Saturday. Brebbia allowed one hit while hurling four frames.

The two-hitter tossed by the Phoenix pitchers was the first for the team since two-hitting Columbia in an 8-0 victory on March 5, 2005.

Wofford's Tom Dolinak (2-3) was charged with the loss after giving up one run in 4.1 innings of work. Starter Brandon Yarusi did not allow a run over four innings on Saturday.

Wofford manufactured a run in the first inning of the final game of the series. James Foster led off with a single to right and went to second on a ground out. After a fly ball to deep center advanced Foster to third, Konstantine Diamaduros singled to left to plate Foster.

Elon loaded the bases in the bottom half of the inning as Jake Luce walked ahead of singles from Eric Serra and Niko Fraser. The Phoenix took a 2-1 lead when Kinsella lined a single up the middle to drive home both Luce and Serra. On the throw to third, Kinsella took second. Sebastian Gomez picked up a RBI on a ground out that scored Fraser with the third Elon run. With Kinsella on third, Alex Swim lined a single to center to make it a 4-1 game.

The Terrier third began with an Alex Lee single and a walk to Foster. After a sac bunt, Mac Doyle drove home Lee with an infield single. Wofford closed its deficit to 4-3 on a Diamaduros sacrifice fly.

Wofford tied the game at four in the fifth inning when Lee led off with a homer over the wall in left. It was his first of the year. With two away, Doyle tripled to center. After Diamaduros and Josh McKinney walked to load the bases, David Roney bounced out to first to end the inning.

The Phoenix answered with three runs in the bottom half to take a 7-4 lead. Serra began the rally with a walk and moved to second on a sac bunt. Neal Pritchard's infield single put runners on the corners before Kinsella plated both runners with a triple into the right field corner. A Gomez single then delivered Kinsella with the third Elon tally of the frame.

Kinsella recorded his fifth RBI of the game when he followed a Pritchard two-out single with a double to left-center that increased Elon's edge to 8-4 in the bottom of the sixth.

David Whitehead (3-0) won after tossing 2.1 innings in relief of starter Jared Kernodle. Whitehead did not allow a run or a hit while fanning two. Kernodle lasted 4.2 innings, surrendering all four Terrier runs on seven hits. Greg Amorosso and Mitch Conner kept Wofford off the board over the final two frames.

Wofford's Alex Wilson (0-1) took the loss after he was charged with five runs on six hits in just four innings of work.

Kinsella put up a combined 4-for-9 effort, driving in six runs (including a career-best five in the finale). In the final game, the freshman finished a homer shy of hitting for the cycle.

 

College of Charleston 10, The Citadel 5

Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel hit three home runs late on Sunday afternoon, but could not overcome an early 10-0 deficit to College of Charleston in a 10-5 loss at Riley Park in front of 1,012 fans.

The Cougars (21-11, 7-5) scored in each of the first five innings and pounded out 13 hits and five doubles to salvage a game in the series. All of the scoring for the Bulldogs (12-20, 7-11) came courtesy of the long ball as Brad Felder (Bowman, S.C.) homered twice and Drew DeKerlegand (Pearland, Texas) went deep to cut into the lead late.

"Our pitchers kept the ball up in the zone and were behind in the count early and their guys capitalized on it," said head coach Fred Jordan on the early deficit. "I was pleased with the way we battled, but Powell was the difference today. He didn't give us anything to get going momentum wise in the first six innings and pitched very well overall."

College of Charleston starter Christian Powell improved to 4-0 on the season after going 8.0 innings, allowing six hits, three runs, three walks and struck out five. Freshman Justin Russell (Jacksonville, Fla.) lasted just 2.0 innings for the Bulldogs, allowing six hits, six runs, a walk and a strikeout in the loss.

Marty Gantt led the game off with a homer to deep center on a ball that Nick Orvin (Moncks Corner, S.C.) nearly caught, but sailed just over the outstretched arm of the junior centerfielder. Orvin was banged up on the play and was forced to leave the game in third inning. Gantt would strike again in the second with a bases-clearing double to give the Cougars a 4-0 lead. A two-run homer by Daniel Aldrich would chase Russell (1-3) from the game in the top of the third inning.

A two-run double by Aldrich in the top of the fourth off Bulldog reliever Connor Hitchingham (Jacksonville, Fla.) would increase the lead to 8-0. The Cougars capped their scoring in the fifth when Rob Kral lined a double into right field off reliever Drew Mahaffey (Summerville, S.C.) to make it 10-0 for Charleston. Mahaffey would strikeout Matt Leeds to end the threat in the fifth, but slipped while making the pitch and was forced to also exit the game.

The Bulldogs would break up the shutout by Powell in the bottom of the seventh when Justin Mackert (Cleveland, Ohio) singled up the middle and Felder launched a two-run homer to right to make it 10-2. A solo homer off Powell by DeKerlegand in the eighth and another two- run blast to right by Felder in the ninth, this time off Cougar reliever Jake Zokan, would cut the lead in half to 10-5. Zokan would settle down however and get three swinging strikeouts to end the game in the ninth to preserve the Cougar win.

Leading the Bulldogs on offense was Felder, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, four RBI and a pair of two-run homers. Mackert went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and a pair of walks as well. Gant went 3-for-5 with four RBI, two runs and a walk to lead the Cougars, while Aldrich added a 4-for-5 with four RBI performance.

Bulldog freshman reliever David Leeth (Hartsville, S.C.) closed out the game for The Citadel, keeping the Cougars off the board by matching his career high with 4.0 innings. He scattered three hits and walk without allowing a run.

The Citadel hosts No. 3 South Carolina on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Riley Park to wrap up their four-game homestand.

The Cougars play a home-and-home midweek series with Charleston Southern.

 

Appalachian State 3, Furman 2

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Seth Grant hurled 7 1/3 innings of solid baseball and Appalachian State held off a late Furman rally to claim Sunday's Southern Conference series finale, 3-2, at Latham Stadium.

The victory gave Appalachian State the series two games to one and improved the Mountaineers to 18-15 overall and 6-9 in SoCon play. Furman falls to 16-17 overall and 7-7 in league action.

Grant (3-4), a junior right-hander, allowed only one hit over the first seven innings, and his teammates managed to forge a 3-0 lead before Furman (16-17, 7-7 SoCon) rallied for two runs in the eighth to make it 3-2.

In the ninth, the Paladins used a two-out fielding error to put the tying run at second base, but Furman's Alex Abrams' lined out to center field to end the game.

Grant allowed two runs on four hits in earning the victory. He walked two and struck out five.

Tyler Wood (2-3) absorbed the loss for Furman after working 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs, two of which were earned, on eight hits while fanning two.

Highlighted by Daniel Kassouf's 2-for-4 performance that included a two-run home run, the Mountaineers banged out eight hits in the game.

Furman managed only five hits, four of which came in their final three at bats.

The Mountaineers grabbed a 2-0 second inning lead when Zack Briggs raced to first after a swinging strikeout and passed ball. Kassouf followed with a two-run home run to left field on a one-ball, two-strike offering from Wood.

ASU made it 3-0 in the sixth. Trey Holmes led off with double and scored on a Jack Myers single.

Grant, meanwhile retired 10 Paladins in a row from the bottom of the third thru the sixth before running into trouble in the seventh. Aaron Thompkins led off the frame with a single and Reese Wade followed with a double into the right field corner. Will Miller's sacrifice fly plated Thompkins, and Wade scored on a ground out to make it 3-2.

In the eighth Appalachian State caught a break when pinch hitter Taylor Johnson rocketed a one-out double that landed just inches underneath the yellow liner at the top of the fence. Taylor's hit chased Grant, and his replacement, David Port, got the second out on a fielder's choice grounder off the bat of Hunter Burton that Mountaineer first baseman fielded and threw to third baseman Zack Briggs, who applied the tag on pinch-runner Rob Fondue between second and third.

Will Owens kept the inning alive with a single to left field to move Burton to second, but Will Helms, who came on for Port, induced Aaron Thompkins into an inning ending groundout.

In the ninth ASU shortstop Doug Jones' two-out throwing error allowed Will Muzika to reach second base. Closer Taylor Miller, however, regrouped to get Alex Abrams on a line drive to center field to end the game and notch the save, his sixth of the season.

Furman's bullpen gave the Paladins a chance with Drake Brown and Dylan Cole combining to throw hit-less ball over the final 3 1/3 innings.

The Paladins entertain Winthrop on Tuesday in a 6:00 p.m. game. ASU visits Tennessee Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

 

Samford 11, Western Carolina 6

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Samford's Saxon Butler drove in six runs, going 3-for-5 with a grand slam, to lead the Bulldog baseball team to an 11-6 Southern Conference win at Western Carolina Sunday afternoon at Hennon Stadium.

With the win, Samford improves to 21-13 overall and 9-6 in SoCon play. Western Carolina drops to 13-16-1 overall and 4-11 in league play.

Butler's grand slam was his third of the season. Brandon Miller went 3-for-6 with a home run, two doubles and two RBI. Miller's home run was his team-leading 12th of the season and his third of the weekend. Brandon Powell also went 3-for-5 at the plate for the Bulldogs.

Samford's Joshua VanFleteren (3-2) pitched 5.0 innings, giving up three runs on eight hits, striking out three batters and walking none to earn the win on the mound. Josh Martin, Grant Sides, Arthur Strauss and Andrew Jones also saw time on the mound for Samford.

Western Carolina was led at the plate by Ross Heffley and Adam Martin, both going 3-for-5 with an RBI. Kyle Stewart (0-3) pitched 2.0 innings, giving up three runs on five hits to take the loss for the Catamounts.

Samford jumped on top first with a run in the top of the first inning. Johnson walked to lead the inning off. Johnson then moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Brad Moss, and third on a wild pitch. Johnson then scored on a ground out by Butler to give Samford a 1-0 lead.

Western Carolina came back with a run in the bottom of the first inning to tie the score at 1-1. Austin Schultz led the inning off with a double to right field. After moving to third base on a ground out, Schultz scored on a single by Heffley.

The Catamounts took the lead with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Stephen Notaro led off the inning with a single. After moving to second base on a ground out, Notaro scored on a two-out double to right-center field by Schultz to give WCU a 2-1 lead.

Samford took the lead back with two runs in the top of the third inning. After Butler singled to lead the inning off, Miller hit a home run over the left-field wall to give Samford a 3-2 lead.

The Bulldogs plated four runs in the top of the fourth inning to push its lead to 7-2. Tyler Filliben singled, Johnson reached base on an error and Moss walked to load the bases. Butler then hit a grand slam to right field to give Samford a five-run lead.

Western Carolina added a run in the bottom of the fifth inning to cut the Samford lead to 7-3. With two outs in the inning, Heffley singled to start the rally. Heffley then moved to second base on a wild pitch. Martin then singled to drive in Heffley for WCU's third run of the game.

The Catamounts plated three unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to cut Samford's lead to 7-6. With one out in the inning and runners on first and second base, Tyler White and Dykota Spiess both scored on a Samford error to make the score 7-5. Aaron Attaway, who reached base on the error earlier in the inning, scored when Schultz grounded out to shortstop to bring WCU to within one run.

Samford answered with three runs in the top of the seventh inning to push its lead to 10-6. Phillip Ervin led the inning off with a single and later scored on a WCU balk. Filliben and Johnson later drove in a run each for the Bulldogs in the inning to give Samford a four-run lead.

Samford added one final run in the top of the ninth inning to make the final score 11-6. With one out in the inning, Moss reached base on a WCU error and advanced to second on the error. Butler then singled to drive in Moss for the game's final run.

Samford will return to action on Friday, April 15, when the Bulldogs travel to Boone, N.C., for a three-game Southern Conference series at Appalachian State.

The Catamounts take the short trip over to UNC Asheville Tuesday at 6 p.m.

 

Georgia Southern 9, Marshall 3
Marshall 5, Georgia Southern 3

BECKLEY, W.Va. - Georgia Southern (19-13) and Marshall (11-18) got underway and the Eagles got off to a quick 1-0 lead on Friday night, but 39 hours would pass before the two teams played again. Game one resumed on Sunday with Georgia Southern taking the 9-2 game one win. The Eagles were unable to pull off the doubleheader sweep after the Thundering Herd held off a ninth-inning Georgia Southern rally to win game two 5-3. Game three of the series was canceled.

Game One - Georgia Southern 9 at Marshall 3 - April 8-10, 2011
Game resumed from Friday night in the top of the first inning

Georgia Southern put one run on the scoreboard Friday night before the rain and lightning hit the area. The Eagles and Thundering Herd continued play on Sunday with the Eagles adding another run for a 2-0 lead in the top half of the first inning.

Shawn Payne (Stone Mountain, Ga.) picked up base hits in his first three at-bats and scored a run on each. He doubled twice and singled once to jump-start the Eagle offense. He finished with four hits and four runs scored. Georgia Southern added two runs in the third inning and scored its fifth run in the fourth inning.

Georgia Southern's first run came off an Eric Phillips' (Carrollton, Ga.) single up the middle in inning number one. Payne smoked the first pitch he saw from Aaron Blair down the left field line for a double to lead off the first. Ben Morgan (Evans, Ga.) dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move him to third base before Phillips' hit. Michael Burruss (Marietta, Ga.) was the first batter up on Sunday and worked a full count before singling up the middle to score a second run in the inning.

The Thundering Herd scored single runs in the sixth and eighth innings, but a four-run ninth inning extended the Eagles' lead to 9-2 and put the game out of reach. A leadoff single by Payne and an error by the leftfielder led to the first run of the ninth inning and a A pair of home runs by Victor Roache (Ypsilanti, Mich.) and Steve Cochrane (Mooresville, N.C.) added the three additional runs to the board. Marshall scored a run in the bottom of the ninth for the 9-3 final.

Justin Hess (Panama City, Fla.) earned the win (1-2) in relief of Chris Beck (Jefferson, Ga.), who did not throw a pitch due to the weather situation. Hess allowed just two earned runs on seven hits in a season-high seven innings to pick up his first win of the season. Matt Murray (Spring City, Pa.) came on in relief in the eighth inning and threw the final two innings.

Aaron Blair started the contest for Marshall, allowing two runs on two hits. Blair picked up the first two outs of the inning before the rain came on Friday night. Mike Mason recorded the majority of the outs, tallying 6.1 innings with six strikeouts. Mason allowed three runs on six hits and walked just two batters. Greg Williams pitched the final two innings of the contest, allowing four runs on five hits.

Game Two - Georgia Southern 3 at Marshall 5 - April 10, 2011

Marshall opened game two by scoring a single run in each of the first five innings and survived a Georgia Southern rally to win 5-3. The Thundering Herd tallied 12 hits to the Eagles' seven, but Marshall committed two errors that led to all three of the Eagles' runs.

GSU got a single run in the fourth inning off the throwing error by the second baseman. A fielder's choice by Burruss and a balk put a runner on second before the error allowed him to score with two outs. The 5-1 Marshall lead remained until the ninth inning when Cochrane homered with two outs to cut the lead to 5-3. Roache scored on Cochrane's second home run of the day, after reaching base on an error by the third baseman.

Ian Kadish came on in relief of Arik Sikula and picked up his second save of the season after entering the game with the tying run at the plate. Kadish allowed one hit and struck out a batter for the final out of the game. Sikula nearly threw a complete game, recording 8.2 of the nine innings. He earned the win (2-3) after allowing six hits and three runs while striking out eight batters.

Josh Adams (Bath, S.C.) was tagged with the loss (5-4) after allowing two runs on three hits in 1.2 innings. Will Middour (Atlanta, Ga.), Taylor Burke (Statesboro, Ga.), Ryan McCafferty (West Chester, Pa.) and Jarret Leverett (Eatonton, Ga.) combined to keep Marshall off the board in the final three innings.

The Eagles return home for a pair of mid-week games against Jacksonville and North Florida. GSU will face the Dolphins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday for East Georgia Regional Medical Center Night. All employees of the hospital who present their ID receive $1 admission to the game.