The Citadel 2, #3 South Carolina 0

Charleston, S.C. - Freshman Logan Cribb hurled 8.0 scoreless innings in his first career start as The Citadel shutout No. 3 South Carolina for the first time since 1971, 2-0, on Tuesday evening in front of a season-high 5,032 fans at Riley Park.

Cribb (Rock Hill, S.C.) had never pitched more than 2.2 innings, but scattered eight hits and three walks while striking out three batters in 8.0 innings. The win moves Cribb to 1-1 on the season and gives the Bulldogs their second shutout of the season. It is the first shutout for the Bulldogs over the Gamecocks since a 2-0 win on April 28, 1971 in Charleston.

"Before the game started I was a little nervous," said Cribb of his first career start. "I talked with guys like Matt Talley a little bit and calmed down and just went out there and things just sort of fell into place. My goal was to throw strikes and get through the lineup one time. Things were going well, so I stayed out there for as long as I could."

The win snaps South Carolina's nine-game win streak and gives the Bulldogs (13-20) their highest ranked victory since February 18, 2007, when they defeated No. 1 South Carolina, 7-6, at Riley Park.

"Cribb did a great job tonight," said head coach Fred Jordan. "He threw strikes, had some good defensive plays behind him and didn't give in. Clarkson did a phenomenal job at the end of the game in a tight situation for us.

The Citadel didn't need much offense on Tuesday evening, but wasted no time getting their first run of the game as Brad Felder (Bowman, S.C.) led off the contest with a base hit to center of Gamecock starter Steven Neff, who was making his first start since March 19 against Georgia. A sacrifice bunt by Drew DeKerlegand (Pearland, Texas) moved Felder to second and a balk by Neff advanced the Bulldog center fielder to third base. An RBI groundout by Matt Simonelli (Orlando, Fla.) would plate Felder to give the Bulldogs a quick 1-0 advantage.

The Bulldogs would threaten again in the fourth as Ladd reached on a base hit, prompting a pitching change for the Gamecocks (26-6) as they brought in Bryan Harper from the bullpen. Neff (2-1) went 3.1 innings, allowing two hits, two runs and walk. After a wild pitch by Harper sent Ladd to second, Joe Jackson (Mauldin, S.C.) hit a ball to deep center that was caught, but advanced Ladd to third. Justin Mackert (Cleveland, Ohio) then roped an RBI single through the left side to make it 2-0 for The Citadel.

Cribb worked out of trouble in the seventh, after allowing a leadoff hit, by inducing Robert Beary into a double play. He would not be able to go this distance however as Brady Thomas singled for the fourth time in the game off Cribb to lead off the ninth and then a walk to Beary would prompt the Bulldogs to make a pitching change and bring in Jeremy Long (Clover, S.C.) from the bullpen. Long would walk Evan Marzilli to load the bases with no outs.

TJ Clarkson (Coral Springs, Fla.) was then brought into the game to face pinch hitter Michael Roth. After going full on Roth, Clarkson blew a pitch past the Gamecock ace for the first out. Leadoff man Peter Mooney then popped up to shallow right and Scott Wingo grounded out to Mackert at first to end the bases-loaded threat and preserve the shutout. The save was the first of Clarkson's career.

"My blood was pumping there at the end for sure," said Clarkson of coming in with the bases load and no outs. "I just went in throwing as many strikes as I could, hoping to get us out the situation and bring home a win."

Felder went 2-for-4 with a run to lead the Bulldog offense while freshman Hughston Armstrong matched his career high in hits, going 2-for-2 with a sacrifice bunt. Thomas had a career-high four hits to lead the Gamecocks.

The Citadel begins a five-game road swing on Friday as they return to Southern Conference action in Greenville against Furman. First pitch on Friday is set for 7 p.m. at Latham Park.

 

Appalachian State 6, Tennessee 5

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Three home runs in the first three innings of the game provided all the scoring Appalachian State University baseball needed in a 6-5 victory over Tennessee on Tuesday evening at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

After going 19 years in between wins over Tennessee, Appalachian (19-15) claimed its second-straight victory over the traditional college-baseball stalwart and moved to 3-2 since 2008 versus opponents from the powerful Southeastern Conference.

ASU, which had only 14 home runs through 33 games coming in, matched a season high with its three blasts in the first three stanzas. Daniel Kassouf (Lexington, N.C./North Davidson) started the early long-ball frenzy with a monster two-run bomb off UT starter Jon Reed in the top of the first inning. Kassouf's team-leading fifth homer of the year cleared the stands and parking lot beyond Lindsey Nelson Stadium's left field wall and landed on a bordering street, an estimated 425-450 feet away from home plate.

After Tennessee (19-14) evened the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the first, Trey Holmes (Rockwell, N.C./East Rowan) quickly broke the tie when he launched a three-run homer to right field that gave the Mountaineers a 5-2 advantage.

Zack Briggs (Lexington, N.C./Central Davidson) got into the act in the top of the third when he led off the inning with a solo shot that hit a third of the way up a light pole in left center field. Briggs' blast not only stretched Appalachian's lead to 6-2 but also extended his hitting streak to 14 games, ASU's longest of the season and the longest current streak in the Southern Conference.

The Vols cut the Mountaineer lead to 6-5 with a single run in the fifth inning and two more in the seventh but the ASU bullpen trio of Will Helms (Charlotte, N.C./Providence), David Port (Dunwoody, Ga./Dunwoody) and Taylor Miller (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) turned in three scoreless innings to close out the victory. The Vols brought the winning run to the plate with two outs in the ninth but Miller fanned Andrew Toles, who had two of UT's eight hits, to end the game and secure his seventh save of the season.

Starting pitcher Lawrence Pardo (Miami, Fla./Christopher Columbus) worked five strong innings on the mound for the Mountaineers. The freshman southpaw surrendered three runs on four hits and struck out three over his five innings of work to earn the second marquee victory of his young career. Combined with a win over No. 20 Miami (Fla.) on Feb. 25, Pardo's first two collegiate triumphs have come against programs that have appeared in a total of 27 College World Series.

Kassouf (2-for-4) recorded the only multi-hit game for the Mountaineers, who tallied seven hits against six UT pitchers.

The loss was Tennessee's eighth in a row.

Appalachian begins a five-game homestand on Wednesday night when it hosts Gardner-Webb at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

 

Furman 4, Winthrop 3

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- WIll Muzika delivered a sacrifice fly RBI in the eighth inning to break a 3-3 tie and lift Furman to a 4-3 victory over Winthrop in baseball action Tuesday evening at Latham Stadium.

The victory snapped Furman's 16-game series losing skid to Winthrop dating back to 1981 and marked the Paladins' first win over the Eagles in Greenville in 12 outings.

Muzika's decisive RBI, which came off Winthrop reliever Tommy Lawrence, came after Alex Abrams led off the innning with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice, and to third on a fielding error by Winthrop shortstop Leighton Daniels.

Furman closer Dylan Cole came on in the ninth and retired the Eagles in order to preserve the victory and notch his eighth save of the season.

Drake Brown (2-1) earned the victory in relief after working two innings and surrendering a run on three hits. He walked one and struck out two.

The loss was charged to Lawrence (1-3), who surrendered two runs, only one of which was earned, on four hits over three innings.

Winthrop forged a 12-10 advantage in hits, but the Eagles stranded 14 baserunners, including six over the first three frames and at least one in every inning but the ninth.

Abrams led Furman at the plate, going 2-for-4 and scoring the game winning run. Paul Nitto drove in the Paladins' first two runs with a two-out RBI single in the fourth to give Furman a 1-0 lead and later in the sixth on a sacrifice fly that tied the game at 2-2.
Rob Fondu delivered a pair of doubles in two plate appearances, including a pinch hit stroke into the left center field gap in the seventh, which Aaron Thompkins followed two batters later with an RBI single to give the Paladins a 3-2 lead.

Winthrop tied it at 3-3 in the eighth with a Chas Crane RBI double off Browne that plated Cam Walters.

The lead was short-lived, however, as Abrams led off the Furman eighth with a solid single to right field and later scored on Muzika's fly ball to right.

Furman (17-17) entertains East Tennessee State on Wednesday in a 6:00 p.m. game at Latham Stadium.

 

Georgia Southern 20, Jacksonville 7

STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern Baseball team (20-13) picked up win number 20 with 20 runs in a 20-7 slugfest over Jacksonville (20-13) Tuesday, April 12th at J.I. Clements Stadium. The two teams combined for the most runs in a GSU game this season and split the series after the Dolphins won 4-2 earlier this season.

The Eagles tied for their season high of 20 runs and knocked out 17 hits while taking advtange of four Jacksonville errors. Victor Roache (Ypsilanti, Mich.) and Garren Palmer (Dalton, Ga.) both drove in four runs and combined for five hits and five runs scored. Eric Phillips (Carrollton, Ga.) and Palmer both picked up three hits, while Tom Richardson (Lilburn, Ga.) went a perfect 4-4 at the plate. Two other Eagles picked up multi-hit games, while Steve Cochrane (Mooresville, N.C.) scored three runs on three walks.

Four big innings powered the Georgia Southern offense. The Eagles scored three runs in the first inning, seven in the fifth, six in the seventh and added three final runs in the eighth inning. Jacksonville scored solo runs in the first two innings and added four more in the seventh on three home runs. The Dolphins rounded out their scoring with a single run in the ninth inning.

GSU got things started in the first inning with a two-run double by Roache, its hit of the game. A two-out single by Richardson plated Roache for the third run in the inning. After three scoreless innings, Georgia Southern batted around and scored seven runs in the fifth inning. The Eagles got home runs in the inning from Shawn Payne (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and Roache, who notched his 14th of the season. Richardson drove in two more runs with a double to left center, the second of three consecutive for the catcher.

Chris Beck (Jefferson, Ga.) finally took the mound after being scratched last weekend due to the weather. Beck worked off the rust over two innings, allowing two runs on two hits to earn his fifth win of the season (5-0). Jarret Leverett (Eatonton, Ga.) threw three no-hit innings before allowing a hit in his fourth inning of work. The junior pitcher did not allow a run and struck out three batters. Chris Myers (Gainesville, Fla.), Taylor Burke (Statesboro, Ga.) and Drew Johnson (Peachtree City, Ga.) rounded out the final 2.1 innings.

Adam Maxon was tagged with the loss (2-4) after giving up three runs on two hits in two innings. Brian Gilroy and Clay Kollenbaum gave up seven runs over the next 2.1 innings. Will Flor was the next option out of the bullpen and allowed just an unearned run in 1.2 innings of work. Joe Ryan got just one out and allowed three unearned runs in the seventh inning. Sean Green and Zac Houck did not allow an earned run over the next 1.1 innings before Jonathan Jones gave up three runs before getting the final out.

Georgia Southern returns to action tomorrow, Wednesday April 13th, at J.I. Clements Stadium and will face another foe from Jacksonville, Fla., North Florida, at 6 p.m.

 

College of Charleston 10, Charleston Southern 9

N. CHARLESTON, S.C. - Redshirt-junior 3B Matt Leeds (Boca Raton, Fla.) hit a career-high three home runs and added six RBIs as the College of Charleston held on for a 10-9 win over Charleston Southern Tuesday afternoon at CSU Ballpark. Leeds homered in the first, third and eighth innings to give him 11 on the season, while his six RBIs on the afternoon tied a career-high and give him 51 to lead the country. The Cougars improve to 22-11 overall, while CSU falls to 19-17 on the season. The two teams meet tomorrow evening at Patriots Point with a 6:00 p.m. first pitch.

The Cougars jumped to an early 3-0 lead in the opening frame as senior CF Cole Rakar (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) singled to left center and advanced to second on a fielding error by CSU LF Matt Still. Redshirt-junior DH Rob Kral (Randolph, N.J.) followed up with a RBI double to left center that plated Rakar and Leeds deposited a 2-2 pitch over the wall in right center for his first round-tripper of the game and a three-run advantage.

Charleston extended the lead to 8-0 with five runs in the third, chasing CSU starter Tyler Vick to the bench. Junior 1B Marty Gantt (N. Augusta, S.C.) led off the inning with a four-pitch walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Rakar. Kral drew a base on balls and Gantt and Kral moved to scoring position after a passed ball by CSU C Blake Hunt. Leeds connected on a 2-1 pitch from Vick for his second home run of the afternoon and 10th of the season for a 6-0 lead. After a walk to redshirt-freshman LF Daniel Aldrich (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) by Vick, CSU pulled the starter for RHP Anthony Markham, who had his second pitch hit over the fence in left by redshirt-junior LF Jose Rodriguez (Hialeah, Fla.) for a two-run homer, his seventh of the year.

Charleston Southern cut the Cougars' lead to 8-3 in the bottom of the third on a RBI fielder's choice by Nick Chinners and a two-run homer to left center by Derek Smith. After a RBI single by Rodriguez scored Kral from second in the top of the sixth, the Bucs plated three more runs in the bottom of the frame to make the score 9-6. A single by Jaren Sustar put a runner on base for Walt Quattlebaum, who homered to left center, while a RBI double by Brantley Meier scored the other CSU run.

Leeds capped his career day with his third home run of the game, a solo shot to straightaway center field in the eighth to give the Cougars a 10-6 lead. However, CSU would not go away quietly, scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth off junior reliever Kyle Owings (Gilbert, S.C.) to make things interesting. A fielding error by junior 2B Rob Harding (Columbia, S.C.), a walk and a hit by pitch loaded the bases with one out and Sustar lined a RBI single to left, cutting the margin to 10-7. A RBI single to left by Quattlebaum made the score 10-8 and a wild pitch by Owings brought home another run before getting a fielder's choice and a fly out to end the game.

Senior RHP Casey Lucchese (Lexington, Ky.) had a solid outing in his first start since his sophomore season. Lucchese scattered five runs and allowed three runs in four innings. Sophomore RHP Matt Pegler (Greenville, S.C.) earned the win for the Cougars, tossing two innings, allowing three runs on five hits, while Owings picked up his seventh save.

Rodriguez joined Leeds with three hits for the Cougars, who were out-hit 12-9 by CSU. Gantt tied a career-high with four walks and Kral collected three free passes, giving him 41 on the season.

 

Duke 7, Davidson 5

DURHAM, N.C. - Davidson battled back from an early 6-0 deficit to send the winning run to the plate in the ninth, but Duke hung on for the 7-5 win in non-conference midweek action Tuesday night at Jack Coombs Field.

Robert Huber (W, 4-0) stayed perfect on the season, holding Davidson (16-16) to three runs on seven hits, walking three and striking out six in six innings.

Meanwhile, Duke (20-16) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first behind four hits, including a one-out solo home run from Chris Marconcini. Anthony D'Alessandro (triple) and Jordan Betts (double) also had RBI-hits in the inning, and David Perkins legged out an infield single and scored.

The Wildcats got the bases loaded in second, as senior designated hitter Danny Weiss (2-for-4) and senior right fielder Sam Payne (1-for-4) singled to left a batter apart and junior second baseman James Cerbie drew a two-out walk. But Huber got a groundball from freshman catcher Daniel Gerow (1-for-2, RBI) to get out of the inning unharmed, and the Blue Devils tacked on a run in the second, as Aaron Cohn hit a chopper up the middle that was misplayed by Cerbie and scored on a base hit from Jeff Kremer in the next at-bat.

Davidson had a scoring chance in the top of the third as junior center fielder Seth Freeman (2-for-4, RBI) and freshman left fielder Forrest Brandt (3-for-5, RBI) legged out back-to-back infield singles to start the inning, but Huber got out of another jam with a pop up and back-to-back punch outs. Duke extended its lead to 6-0 in the bottom half of the third on a two-run home run by Jordan Betts that also scored Will Piwnica-Worms (infield single), and freshman RHP Danny Mooney came out of the bullpen in relief of junior RHP Brian Russell (L, 2-3) for the final two outs of the inning.

The Wildcats got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning when Cerbie drew a two-out walk and scored from first as Gerow doubled down the left field line. Freeman followed with a base hit up the middle to plate Gerow and cut Duke's lead to 6-2.

Mooney put zeroes up in both the fourth and fifth, senior LHP Mac Hunter struck out two and faced the minimum in the sixth, and the Wildcat offense responded with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh to cut Duke's lead to 6-4. Gerow took a leadoff walk to chase Huber in favor of RHP Mark Lumpa, who dealt a second straight free pass to Freeman. Brandt went up the middle to plate Gerow and move Freeman to third for junior first baseman Drew Gadaire (1-for-4, 2 RBI), who cut it 6-4 with a sac fly to right field.

Kremer led off the bottom of the seventh with a double down the left field line, but Hunter got a fly out before giving way to RHP Mike Frongello who shut the door with a strikeout and line out to sophomore third baseman Andrew Barna. But the Blue Devils added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on a hit-and-run executed by Aaron Cohn, who singled to score Marcus Stroman. Senior RHP Andy Bass got a fly out to get out of the inning, and the Wildcats headed to the ninth down 7-4.

Duke reliever Joe Pedevillano got two quick outs in the top of the ninth before Brandt gave Davidson some life, laying out for a two-out triple and scoring when Gadaire followed with a double to left field. Weiss drew a walk from RHP David Putman to keep the Wildcat rally going, but Putnam struck out Barna to end the game.

Davidson finished with 10 hits, and the Blue Devils tallied 11, led by Betts, who batted 2-for-4 and drove in three.

Davidson will continue its four-game road swing with an important SoCon series at Wofford this weekend. First pitch for Friday's game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday will be played at 3 p.m., and the series finale is slated for 1 p.m. Sunday.

 

Wake Forest 10, UNCG 6

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Mac Williamson hit two home runs and added four RBI as Wake Forest put up five runs in the fourth inning en route to a 10-6 win over UNCG on Tuesday evening at the UNCG Baseball Stadium. The game was scheduled for a 6 p.m. start, but was delayed 65 minutes due to rain.

Wake Forest starter Austin Stadler picked up the win for the Demon Deacons (13-20) as he pitched six innings and allowed just three runs on five hits. UNCG reliever Greg Smith was credited with the loss after he gave up four runs on just one hit in 2/3 of an inning.

Ray Crawford helped lead the UNCG (17-14) offense as he went 2-4 with an RBI and run scored. Trevor Edwards went 1-3 at the plate with an RBI triple and two runs scored, while John Hein added a pinch-hit RBI double and later scored.

Williamson led the way for the Deacs as he had a 3-5 performance with four RBI and two runs scored. James Harris also went 1-2 with a pair of RBI and two runs scored.

UNCG was the first team to get on the board as Crawford singled up the middle to lead off the bottom of the third. He advanced third on a pair of sacrifice bunts before scoring on a single to center field by Cody Walker to give the Spartans the early 1-0 lead.

The Spartan lead didn't last for long, however, as Wake Forest put up five runs in the top of the fourth inning. Carlos Lopez led off with a walk and then Harris followed with a home run to right field to put the Deacs up 2-1. Brett Armour then walked to reach base, stole second, advanced to third on a balk and then scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-1.

The Deacs weren't done in the inning as Pat Blair walked before Williamson hit a towering shot to dead center to make it 5-1.

UNCG continued to fight back in the bottom half of the inning as Edwards led off with a triple to the wall in center field before scoring on a double by Ray Quinones to make it 5-2.

The Spartans cut it to 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth when Walker reached on a fielder's choice and then scored on a triple into the right-field corner by Eric Brindle.

Wake Forest would continue to pour on the offense as it put up two more runs in the sixth and another in the seventh to stretch its lead out to 8-3.

Williams struck again for the Deacs in the eighth inning with another towering shot, this time to left field, for his second two-run homer of the game to make it 10-3 in favor of the visitors.

The Spartans would rally for three runs in the home half of the eighth. Hein had an RBI double down the left-field line and Crawford followed with an RBI single. Hein would score later in the inning on a groundout to make the final score 10-6.

The Spartans will host James Madison this weekend as the series kicks off on Friday at 6 p.m. The weekend will also mark the annual Katie Ball Memorial weekend.

 

UNC Asheville 7, Western Carolina 4

Asheville, N.C. - Western Carolina pounded out a total of 13 base hits on a cold and rainy Tuesday night at McCormick Field, but was unable to string at bats together in falling to mountain-rival, UNC Asheville, 7-4, at the minor league ball park in mid-week nonconference action.

After leading 1-0, UNCA used a three-run bottom of the third inning to take a two-run edge, 3-1. The Catamounts responded with three runs of their own half an inning later to reclaim the advantage, 4-3, but the Bulldogs pushed two across in the fifth and two in the seventh to complete the two-game seasonal sweep over WCU - the first-ever for UNC Asheville over the Catamounts.

UNCA (13-20) was led by Ian Graham who drove in four runs on a 2-for-4 outing including a two-run single in the fourth inning and two-run double in the eighth inning. Sophomore Robert McIntosh, who pitched the first three innings for the Bulldogs, went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a RBI.

Junior Ross Heffley led the Catamounts with three of WCU's 13 hits including a double and a RBI. However, WCU left 11 men on base, including seven in the first four innings.

Consecutive third inning doubles to left by Cameron Dullnig and Heffley put the Catamounts on the board first, 1-0. However, the Bulldogs rallied in the fourth inning with three runs.

WCU starter Taylor Sandefur (1-2) cruised through the first three innings, allowing just one hit to the home standing ‘Dogs. He quickly ran into trouble in the fourth, though, as McIntosh led off with an infield single. Grant Gajdosz doubled to left-center to put runners on second and third ahead of Danny Baatz who followed with an RBI-double to knot the score at 1-1.

After a strikeout to Patrick Kootnz for the first out of the inning, Graham laced a two-run single to left field, scoring two runs for a 3-1 Asheville lead.

Sandefur allowed seven earned runs over six and a third, striking out a season-high six in suffering the loss. Five relievers combined for the final inning and two thirds with Andrew Blackwell, Andrew Chilcoat and T.J. Page all recording a strikeout.

WCU (13-17-1) came right back in the top of the fifth inning as it scored three unearned runs to take a 4-3 lead. Matt Johns delivered a RBI double to plate Heffley, who had reached on an infield error. Pinch hitter Luke Gragg laced a RBI double to left field to plate a second run of the inning, with Aaron Attaway singling home Stephen Notaro.

All told, three different Catamounts had RBI's in the frame, but WCU had two runners thrown out at plate.

Attaway finished 2-for-3 while Johns and Notaro both posted 2-for-5 showings.

UNC Asheville came right back in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead for good. Catlin Carter opened the inning with a double. One out later, McIntosh's infield single tied the game at 4-4. McIntosh later scored the go-ahead run on a single to right by Koontz for a 5-4 Bulldog lead.

The Bulldogs picked up some insurance runs in the seventh inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Graham's two-run double down the right-field line gave Asheville a 7-4 advantage.

In the ninth inning, Heffley led off with a single against Martinez. Ricker replaced Martinez and got the final three outs to give the Bulldogs their fifth straight win at McCormick Field dating back to last season.
Bulldog reliever Dean Roland (1-0) picked up the victory after pitching two innings out of the bullpen, surrendering three unearned runs. Carson McLean, Ethan Steible, Rene Martinez and David Ricker pitched the final four innings and did not allow a WCU run with Ricker recording the final three outs in the ninth to earn his first save of the season.

Western Carolina returns home to host Georgia Southern for a three-game Southern Conference series this weekend at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. First pitch on Friday (April 15) is scheduled for 6 pm with all fans encouraged to wear purple to the game. The first 50 WCU students wearing purple will receive a FREE WCU Baseball T-shirt with the first 25 students also receiving a coupon for a FREE hotdog from B & Al's.

Saturday's first pitch is slated for 3:00 pm with a 2:00 pm start on Sunday afternoon.