Western Carolina 12, Georgia Southern 4
Cullowhee, N.C. - After racing out to a four-run lead through the first two frames, Western Carolina broke open a one-run game with eight runs in the sixth and seventh innings including six in the previous en route to a 12-4 victory over Georgia Southern on Friday afternoon. The Catamounts pounded out a dozen hits and capitalized on three Eagle errors to take the opener of the three-game Southern Conference series at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
Game two of the three-game series is scheduled for 3:00 pm on Saturday afternoon. Fans can follow all of the action online with live GameTracker, or through the Georgia Southern radio broadcast with play-by-play announcer, Ryan Chambers, with a 2:30 p.m. air time.
WCU junior Ross Heffley drove in four runs on a 4-for-5 performance including his team-leading 14th double of the season while Cameron Dullnig plated three runners with a 2-for-4 outing including his seventh two-bagger of the year. Senior Stephen Notaro was also 2-for-4 with a pair of singles while classmate Matt Johns doubled down the left field line as a part of a two RBI afternoon.
Matt Benedict (2-2) turned in another solid starting performance, picking up the victory after scattering eight base hits and four runs through eight innings. The St. Petersburg, Fla., native worked around three walks with four strikeouts, combining with sophomore reliever TJ Page to strand eight Eagle base runners. Page, who hails from Savannah, Ga. - less than an hour from GSU's Statesboro campus - faced four batters in the ninth, surrendering a leadoff bunt single before retiring three fly outs to the outfield.
Freshman Adam Martin put Western Carolina on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Dullnig drew a one-out walk and was moved to second on a single by Heffley before Martin poked the first pitch of his at bat through the left side for an RBI single.
An inning later, the Catamounts pulled out to a four-run advantage, scoring all three runs after two were out in the frame. Notaro singled and Luke Gragg walked before a consecutive outs threatened to strand the runners. Dullnig then drove a two-RBI double to right center and was later scored on an RBI single by Heffley to make it 4-0.
Georgia Southern (20-15, 9-4 SoCon) netted solo runs in each inning from the fourth through the sixth to close the margin back to one, 4-3. Steve Cochrane doubled home Michael Burruss in the fourth with Stryker Brown beating out an infield bunt single with the throw sailing at first allowing Garren Palmer to score from second on the play. Victor Roache then blasted his SoCon-leading 16th home run of the season in the sixth inning for the Eagles.
The Catamounts managed to stem the tide, though, pushing across six runs on four hits while sending 11 batters to the plate in the home portion of the sixth. Tyler White started the rally with a lead-off single up the middle and was later hit by a pitch in the frame. Aaron Attaway drove in the first run on a ground out to score White with Dullnig reaching on an error to bring in the second run. Heffley doubled to left field to bring home a pair with Johns sneaking a double down the left field line to cap the scoring.
Western Carolina (14-17-1, 5-11 SoCon) took advantage of consecutive errors in the GSU infield in the seventh to score a pair of runs with Dullnig and Heffley both driving in one on singles, scoring Attaway and Austin Schultz, respectively.
Georgia Southern starter Chris Beck (5-1) was saddled with his first loss of the season, allowing 10 runs - only five of which were earned - on 10 hits. Beck walked four and struck out five in five and two thirds innings. Will Middour tossed an inning and a third allowing two unearned runs on two hits with Chris Myers retiring the Catamounts in order in the eighth inning.
Brown was the lone Eagle with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-3 with the remaining seven hits scattered between seven batters. Roache homered for GSU while Cochran doubled for the only extra base hits.
Appalachian State 4, Samford 0
BOONE, N.C. - Ryan Arrowood (Rutherfordton, N.C./Central) tossed a four-hit shutout in Appalachian State University baseball's 4-0 win over Samford on Friday afternoon at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
Arrowood's shutout was the first of his career and Appalachian's first complete-game whitewash in nearly three years. In what ASU head coach Chris Pollard described as one of the best-pitched games he's seen in his 20 years in college baseball, Arrowood was in control throughout. The right-handed junior did not surrender a base hit to 14-straight batters at one point early in the ballgame and retired the final eight hitters he faced to complete the gem.
Arrowood needed just 102 pitches to record his first career complete game, despite striking out eight. He issued only one walk to go along with the four hits.
Much like the Mountaineers' last complete-game shutout, a 5-0 win by Matt Andress over Furman and current Chicago Cubs' farmhand Jay Jackson on May 9, 2008, Arrowood outdueled a top-notch pro prospect in Samford's Lex Rutledge (5-3) on Friday. Rutledge, who is considered a likely first-round selection in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft, struck out nine but walked six and needed 102 pitches (as many as Arrowood threw in nine innings) to get through 5.2 stanzas.
Red-hot Daniel Kassouf (Lexington, N.C./North Davidson) provided all the scoring Arrowood needed when he drove in the game's first run with an RBI double in the fourth inning. Kassouf came around to score later in the inning on an errant throw by Samford shortstop Tyler Filliben to make 2-0.
Rutledge walked four of the final five batters he faced, including a bases-loaded free pass to Hector Crespo (Miami, Fla./Florida Christian), that gave the Mountaineers a 3-0 lead after six innings. The Apps tacked on an insurance run in the eighth on Jeremy Dowdy's (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) RBI double to left field.
Dowdy collected three of ASU's nine hits, going 3-for-3 with a double, walk and RBI in his first multi-hit effort since March 22. Jack Myers (Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park) and Preston Troutman (Rockwell, N.C./East Rowan) chipped in with two hits apiece for Appalachian (21-15, 7-9 SoCon). Kassouf extended his streak of games with multi-hit games to five with the RBI double in the fourth but Zack Briggs (Lexington, N.C./Central Davidson) saw his Southern Conference-best 15-game hitting streak come to an end with an 0-for-3 outing.
However, the story of the day was Arrowood. With the shutout, he extended his string of consecutive scoreless innings to 20, stretching over three starts. He upped his record to 5-1 on the season and lowered his ERA to 2.16, good for third in the SoCon.
No hitter had more than one hit for Samford (21-14, 9-7 SoCon).
The victory was Appalachian's season-best fifth-straight, as well as its ninth in the last 11 games overall and seventh in nine conference dates since opening at 0-7 in SoCon play. ASU also upped its amazing record in the month of April to 43-6 since 2009.
The Mountaineers and Bulldogs continue their three-game SoCon series on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Smith Stadium.
Elon 5, College of Charleston 1
ELON, N.C. -- Elon scored in five of its eight at bats and Ken Ferrer allowed just one run over six innings as the Phoenix handed the College of Charleston Cougars a 5-1 setback in the first game of a three-game Southern Conference baseball series on Friday night. The Phoenix upped its mark to 23-12 overall and 12-3 in the SoCon while CofC dipped to 22-13, 7-6.
Ferrer (4-2) was the winner after allowing the one run on four hits. He also struck out three. Ferrer now has 26 career victories, tied for the third-highest total in program history.
Jake Luce led off the game for Elon by lining a 1-2 pitch into left for a single. After a sac bunt and a fly out, Luce scored from second on a Ryan Kinsella grounder up the middle to put the Phoenix out in front 1-0.
Two innings later, the Phoenix manufactured another run. Niko Fraser was hit by a pitch to start the inning, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and to third on a ground out before scoring on an Alex Swim single through the left side of the infield.
Back-to-back one-out singles from Matt Leeds and Daniel Aldrich put runners on the corners for the Cougars in the top of the fourth before Jose Rodriguez lifted a fly ball to left-center that was hauled in for out number two, but allowed Leeds to tag and score to make it a 2-1 game.
The Phoenix fourth began with a bloop single off the bat of Sebastian Gomez and a double that clipped the third base bag from Grant McCoury. With one down, Harry Austin hit a slow roller to short and was retired, but Gomez scored the third Elon run of the game.
Neal Pritchard added another to the Elon total by belting a 2-2 pitch over the wall in left for a one-out homer in the last of the fifth. It was the fifth of the year for the Pritchard.
With Gomez on third after a leadoff double and sacrifice bunt, Austin's two-out grounder to first was booted, allowing the fifth Phoenix run to cross the plate.
John Brebbia tossed three scoreless frames out of the pen to pick up his third save of the season. Brebbia allowed just one hit and fanned two Cougar hitters.
CofC starter David Peterson fell to 4-4 after he gave up five runs (four earned) on nine hits in six innings.
Kinsella and Gomez each recorded two of Elon's nine hits on the night. Gomez also scored twice.
Leeds finished the game 2-for-2 with a run scored to lead the Cougars.
The two teams will face off in game two of this series at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday night from Elon's Latham Park.
Wofford 3, Davidson 2
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - On Friday night, the Wofford baseball team defeated Davidson 3-2 at Russell C. King Field in the first game of the weekend SoCon series. The Terriers scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take the lead as the pitching staff struck out ten batters in the victory.
Wofford is now 15-20 on the season and 3-10 in the SoCon. Davidson is 16-17 overall and 8-10 in conference play. The Terriers were led by starter Cash Collins with seven strikeouts in seven innings. Konstantine Diamaduros and Matt Moore had two hits each. The Wildcats had five hits by five different players.
Both teams left one runner on base in the first inning. Wofford opened the bottom of the second on a single by Josh McKinney and David Roney walked, but the Terriers left two on base.
In the bottom of the fourth, Taylor Rozier reached on an error and David Roney walked with two outs. A single by Matt Moore to left field scored Rozier for a 1-0 lead. In the top of the sixth, Seth Freeman walked and a single by Forrest Brandt moved Freeman to third with one out. A single to left field by Drew Gadaire scored a run to tie the game at 1-1.
Wofford had a single by Konstantine Diamaduros. With two out and Diamaduros on third, David Roney hit a ball sharply to the shortstop. Roney was safe on a fielding error and Diamaduros scored for a 2-1 advantage. Matt Moore added a hit and Alex Lee was hit by pitch to load the bases. James Foster had an infield single to score Roney to make it a 3-1 game.
Davidson scored one run in the top of the seventh when Michael Zeblo doubled and was driven in on a single from J.P. Craven to cut the lead to 3-2. Wofford added a single by Konstantine Diamaduros with one out, but a double play ended the seventh. The Wildcats left one runner on base in the eighth and had a runner caught stealing in the top of the ninth to end the game.
Wofford starter Cash Collins (6-1) threw seven innings with five hits and two runs allowed and seven strikeouts. John Cornely picked up his sixth save of the season with two innings on the mound with three strikeouts and no hits allowed.
Davidson starter Chris Lamb (1-5) went 6.1 innings with seven hits and three unearned runs scored along with four strikeouts. Matt Frongello threw 1.2 innings and had one strikeout with allowing a hit.
With the win, Wofford ended a nine-game losing streak. The Terriers will continue the series against Davidson at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday and conclude on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
Furman 12, The Citadel 3
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Taylor Johnson tripled, doubled, and drove in two runs and Furman took advantage of a porous Citadel defense to claim a 12-3 Southern Conference victory in the opening game of a three-game Southern Conference baseball series Friday evening at windy Latham Stadium.
Johnson, a junior designated hitter from Greer, S.C., tripled in a pair of runs in the first inning, doubled in the third, reached on an error and scored in the fifth, and walked in the sixth to help Furman (18-18, 8-7 SoCon) snap a nine-game losing skid to The Citadel (13-21, 7-12 SoCon).
The Bulldogs committed seven errors in the contest, making 10 of Furman's 12 runs unearned.
The Citadel's miscues, combined with Furman's 15 hits, helped the Paladins break open a 2-2 game in the fourth inning with a run in the fifth and five more in the sixth. Furman blew the game open with four more in the eighth aided by a pair of Bulldog errors.
Furman starter Bobby Lyne (2-2), who entered the game having been supported by only three total runs in four of his five SoCon starts this spring, earned the victory after working six innings and allowing two runs on nine hits. He walked one and struck out two.
Bulldog starter Matt Talley (2-4), the preseason SoCon Pitcher of the Year, was charged with the loss. He was touched up for eight runs on 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings, but only two of the runs he allowed were earned. The senior left-hander didn't help his own cause, committing fielding and throwing errors in the decisive five-run Paladin fifth.
Paul Nitto paced the Paladin attack with a 3-for-5 performance, and Will Miller went 2-for-5 and drove in a pair of runs. Hunter Burton, meanwhile, had two hits in four at bats, scored two runs, and recorded a stolen base.
The Citadel tallied 12 hits, including three each by Nick Orvin and Justin Mackert.
Johnson's two-run triple into the right center field gap in the first inning staked Furman to a 2-0 lead.
The CItadel tied the game in the third on a Brad Felder two run double into the right field corner.
It remained tied until the fifth when Mackert misplayed a two-out grounder off the bat of Furman's Alex Abrams at first base, allowing Johnson to score from third base to give Furman a 3-2 advantage.
The Paladins came back in the sixth to make it 8-2, using a two Citadel errors along with four hits to plate five runs. Miller's two-run single through the left side highlighted the frame.
Saturday's game is a scheduled 4:00 p.m. start.
James Madison 12, UNCG 8 (12 inn.)
GREENSBORO, N.C. - James Madison rallied for three runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game and then scored five in the top of the 12th inning as UNCG fell to the Dukes, 12-8, on Friday afternoon at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Due to the threat of inclement weather in the Greensboro area on Saturday, the game time has been pushed back from its originally scheduled time of 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. In addition, the scheduled open house of the fieldhouse and unveiling of Katie's Korner has been postponed until May 14.
With the Spartans (17-15) holding a 7-4 lead entering the ninth inning, the Dukes began their rally. Bradley Shaban led off with a walk and Johnny Bladel followed with a walk of his own after a strikeout. Jake Lowery then delivered a triple into the right-field corner to make it a one-run game.
David Herbek was able to knot the game up as he followed with a sacrifice fly to deep center field that scored Lowery and tied the game at seven.
Neither team was able to generate much offense in the extra frames, although it appeared UNCG might earn the walk-off win in the bottom of the 11th. With one out, Ray Quinones belted a ball deep to left field that started in fair territory, but sliced foul at the last moment to keep the game tied at seven.
James Madison (24-11) took advantage of another chance and exploded for five runs in the top of the 12th inning. The Dukes used three walk and two hit by pitches to score their five runs on just two hits. The highlight of the inning was a two-out three-run double off the wall in right field to break the deadlock.
Drew Gehringer hit a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the 12th, but it wasn't enough as the Dukes won 12-8.
Sean Tierney came in to pitch seven innings of relief and allowed just one run on five hits, while striking out seven batters, to pick up his fifth win of the season.
Greg Smith was credited with the loss after allowing five runs on just two hits in two innings of work. UNCG starter Warren Slack earned a no decision after he went six innings and gave up four runs, three earned, on five hits.
Gehringer broke out of his recent slump to go 5-5 at the plate with three RBI and two runs scored, while also drawing a walk. Trevor Edwards also went 2-5 with three RBI and a run scored.
Lowery led the Dukes on the evening with a 4-7 performance that included five RBI and three runs scored. Bladel also went 1-3 for the visitors with an RBI, three runs scored and three walks.
With the teams tied at two in the early going, UNCG put up five runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 7-2 lead. Ray Crawford hit a leadoff single up the middle and Gehringer then blasted a two-run home run to left field to give UNCG a 4-2 lead.
Chris Barker then hit a double that went over the head of the left fielder and later scored on an error. With one runner on, it was Edwards' turn to hit a two-run homer to left field to give the Spartans a five-run advantage.
The Dukes answered with an RBI triple and sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth to cut UNCG's lead to 7-4 and it would stay that way until the ninth inning.
The Spartans and Dukes will meet in the second game on the series on Saturday at 6 p.m.