Western Carolina 14, Furman 13 (16 inn.)
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Austin Schultz scored on a wild pitch in the 16th inning to break a 6-6 deadlock and ignite an eight-run Western Carolina outburst, and the Catamounts survived a furious seven-run rally in Furman's last at bat to claim a 14-13 victory in Southern Conference baseball action Friday evening at Latham Stadium.
The game, whose start was delayed one hour due to rain, consumed five hours and 54 minutes and ended at 1:55 a.m. Saturday morning. The teams combined to use 16 pitchers and register 44 hits, including a season high 25 by Furman.
First pitch for Saturday's contest between the Paladins and Catamounts has been pushed back to 6:00 p.m.
The victory improved Western Carolina to 19-27-1 overall on the season and 9-16 in SoCon play. Furman is now 20-29 overall and 10-14 in league action.
The game was tied 3-3 after nine innings and remained deadlocked until the 14th when Luke Gragg's single to right field scored Matt Johns to give the Catamounts a 4-3 lead. WCU tacked on two more runs in the inning on a Cody Jones RBI single and sacrifice fly by Ross Heffley for a 6-3 advantage.
Furman answered in its half of the 14th with Paul Nitto's second home run of the game, a two-out, three-run blast to deep left center field off Catamount reliever Jeremy Sluder, that knotted the game at 6-6.
Schultz led off WCU 16th with a walk and was sacrificed to second. Furman pitcher Stephen Gary's first offering on an intentional walk attempt to Western Carolina's Ross Heffley went to the backstop, allowing Schultz to move to third, and he came home on another Gary wild pitch to give the Catamounts a 7-6 advantage.
A two-run Matt Johns double off Paladin reliever Matt Plate and a two-run Cody Jones single off Plate's replacement, Mike Waller, keyed the eight-run rally that gave the Catamounts what appeared to be a secure 14-6 lead.
As it turned out WCU would need all eight runs to secure the verdict as the Paladins responded with a seven-spot in their final at bat.
In the Furman 16th Catamount pitcher T.J. Page surrendered two hits and hit a batter to load the bases with no outs, and Will Miller's single through the left side scored Taylor Johnson to begin the Paladin rally.
Aaron Thompkins' two-run single, which capped his 5-for-9 performance at the plate, was the frame's biggest blow and pulled the Paladins to within two runs at 14-12. After Thompkins was erased at second base on a fielder's choice for the second out, leaving runners at first and third, Nitto stroked a single through the right side to drive home Andrew Cadger to make it 14-13 and again put runners on the corners. Taylor Sandefur, Sunday's scheduled starting pitcher for the Catamounts, rallied to retire Will Muzika on a ground out to end the game and notch the save, his first of the season.
Page (1-0), the beneficiary of Western Carolina's eight-run final at bat, was credited with the victory despite fueling Furman's 16th-inning outburst by allowing three runs on four hits over 1 1/3 innings of work.
The loss went to Gary (2-2), who didn't allow a hit but surrendered three walks, three runs, and two wild pitches in the 16th.
Furman's inability to convert scoring opportunities, coupled with outstanding defensive work by Western Carolina, in the eighth, ninth, 10th, and 11th innings extended the contest.
In the eighth Schultz's diving grab at third base on a smash off Muzika's bat led to an inning ending force play at second base that stranded two baserunners.
The Paladins left two more runners on base in the ninth, and in the 10th Catamount shortstop Aaron Attaway snared a blistering line drive by Muzika and stepped on second base for an inning ending double play.
Furman's frustration continued in the 11th after putting the first two batters on base. Following a sacrifice, Will Owens walked to load the bases with one out, but Hunter Burton popped out on a bunt attempt and Aaron Thompkins was nipped at first base on a throw from third base to keep it a 3-3 game.
Thompkins' five-hit performance topped Furman's season-high hit parade that included a 4-for-8, two-home run outing by Nitto, who also drove in five runs. Muzika went 4-for-9 and Will Miller had three hits in eight official at bats.
Johns, Tyler White, and Cameron Dullnig paced Western Carolina with three hits apiece.
Georgia Southern 7, Davidson 4
Georgia Southern 5, Davidson 2
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern (29-21, 16-10) scored 10 runs in its final three frames at the plate to complete a sweep of a weather-delayed doubleheader on Friday, May 13th, at J.I. Clements Stadium. The starting pitchers in both contests set the tone for the Eagles with quality starts on the mound and the bats put the game away after taking leads in the sixth inning of both games. GSU honored its three seniors, Steve Cochrane (Mooresville, N.C.), Andy Moye (Alpharetta, Ga.) and Shawn Payne (Stone Mountain, Ga.) before the start of game.
Game One - Georgia Southern 7 vs Davidson 4
Georgia Southern came from behind to defeat Davidson 7-4 in game one of the three-game Southern Conference series. After five scoreless innings, home runs by both squads broke open the shutout in the sixth inning, but the Eagles scored seven runs over their final three frames to take a 7-2 lead. The Wildcats got two runs back in the ninth inning before Matt Murray (Spring City, Pa.) closed the door in the ninth inning.
Both pitchers tossed quality starts and were on track for a pitchers' dual before both gave up home runs in the sixth. Davidson struck first with a two-run homer with two outs in the inning. A three-run long ball by Victor Roache (Ypsilanti, Mich.) in the bottom half of the inning put GSU on top 3-2. The Eagles kept the one-out rally going with an unearned run scoring on a sacrifice fly from Tom Richardson (Lilburn, Ga.) for a 4-2 lead.
Chris Beck (Jefferson, Ga.) earned his second win in his last five decisions after the offense took the lead in the sixth inning. Beck (W, 7-3) allowed two runs on five hits and struck out seven over six innings of work. He worked out of a number of jams over his scoreless five frames, leaving five Davidson runners in scoring position.
Chris Lamb pitched well in his start for the Wildcats and set himself up to pitch deep in the contest with a low pitch count before he ran into trouble in the sixth inning. Lamb (L, 1-7) gave up three earned runs on five hits over six innings.
Murray (S, 8) retired the side in order in the seventh and eighth innings but gave up two runs in the ninth inning before closing out the game for the save. The junior struck out four batters, but allowed two runs on three hits.
A RBI ground out in the seventh inning by Scooter Williams (Detroit, Mich.) tacked on a single run to extended the lead to 5-2. Georgia Southern scored the run without a hit with a hit batter, a walk and three stolen bases.
The Eagles added two insurance runs on a pair of leadoff walks in the eighth inning. A double by Brent Pugh (Atlanta, Ga.) and a bunt single from Williams drove across the two runs. Davidson got both runs back in the ninth after a pair of leadoff singles scored on a RBI-double from Forrest Brandt and a sacrifice fly from Drew Gadaire.
Game Two - Georgia Southern 5 vs Davidson 2
Georgia Southern broke open a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning and shut down the Wildcats over the final three frames for a 5-2 win in game two of the doubleheader. The contest was delayed in the top of the second inning, when it was tied at 0-0, for 2:33 and ended after midnight.
Moye, who faced the minimum in the first inning, returned following the delay and worked out of a bases0loaded jam in the second inning. He went on to retire nine-straight batters before allowing a two-out walk in the fifth inning. A two-run homer off the bat of Davidson's Danny Weis tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth inning after the Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the fifth. Moye (W, 6-1) allowed just the two runs on three hits and struck out eight batters over six innings.
The Georgia Southern offense broke open the 2-2 tie in the bottom half of the sixth to hand the senior pitcher the victory. A pair of one-out walks came around to score on a slow-bouncing single up the middle off the bat of Williams and a throwing error by the centerfielder. Seth Freeman attempted to get the lead runner at third base after the first run in the inning had scored, but his throw sailed to the fence in foul territory allowing Ben Morgan (Evans, Ga.) to score an unearned run for the 4-2 lead.
The Eagles added a single run in the seventh inning and the bullpen shut the door with three scoreless innings to preserve the victory. Will Middour (Atlanta, Ga.) pitched the final 2.2 innings and struck out the first six batters he faced before issuing a pair of walks in the ninth inning. Middour (S, 1) earned his first career save after inducing a two popups near the first base bag to end the ninth inning.
Ian Horkley pitched well over the first four frames, but allowed two runs in the fifth inning on a two-out double from Roache. The Eagles started the two-out rally with a walk by Eric Phillips (Carrollton, Ga.) and a base hit from Payne. Horkley left with a no decision after the Wildcats tied the game in the top of the sixth. Andy Bass was tagged with the loss after giving up the two Eagle runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Bass (L, 2-3) allowed two runs, one earned, on a hit and two walks in an inning of work.
College of Charleston 7, Appalachian State 4
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Junior starting LHP Josh Renfro (Bradenton, Fla.) scattered five hits over seven innings and the College of Charleston used a balanced offensive attack to take a 7-4 victory over visiting Appalachian State University Friday evening in Southern Conference action at Patriots Point. The Cougars improve to 33-17 overall and 16-9 in the SoCon.
Charleston jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the second when freshman DH Brandon Murray (Nassau, Bahamas) tripled down the right-field line and senior CF Cole Rakar (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) laced a sacrifice fly to shallow center, with Murray beating the throw to the plate. Appalachian State plated two runs in the third to take a 2-1 lead. Jeremy Dowdy led off the frame with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Trey Holmes. Hector Crespo lined a single into left field that bounced in front of redshirt-junior LF Jose Rodriguez (Hialeah, Fla.) and skipped past Rodriguez, advancing Crespo to third and scoring Dowdy to tie the game at one run apiece. Tyler Zupcic followed with a single to center, scoring Crespo and giving the Mountaineers a 2-1 lead.
The Cougars plated a pair in the bottom of the fourth to retake the lead at 3-2. Redshirt-freshman RF Daniel Aldrich (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) opened the inning with a double to left center and advanced to third on a single to right by Rodriguez. Murray lined a RBI single into right to score Aldrich and move Rodriguez to second. After a pair of fielder's choices and a walk to senior SS Jamie Holler (Rock Hill, S.C.) loaded the bases with two outs, junior 1B Marty Gantt (N. Augusta, S.C.) watched four straight balls from Appalachian starter Ryan Arrowood to force in Murray from third.
Appalachian (28-22, 12-13) continued the seesaw battle in the fifth, scoring twice to take a 4-3 lead. Crespo led off with a single off the outstretched glove of redshirt-junior 3B Matt Leeds (Boca Raton, Fla.) and stole second. Zupcic was hit by a pitch by Renfro and a sacrifice bunt by Jack Myers moved both runners into scoring position. A sacrifice fly to right by Will Callaway brought home Crespo and a RBI double by Daniel Kassouf scored Zupcic for a 4-3 lead.
Charleston scored a run in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game and tallied three more runs in the sixth for a 7-4 lead. Leeds doubled down the left-field line to open the fifth, advanced to third on a groundout by Aldrich and scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Rodriguez. In the sixth, junior 2B Rob Harding (Columbia, S.C.) and Holler hit back-to-back singles with one out. Another out later, redshirt-junior C Rob Kral (Randolph, N.J.) ripped a two-run triple down the right-field line and would score on the play as the cutoff throw from Crespo got by Zack Briggs at third, allowing Kral to cross the plate and giving the Cougars a three-run lead.
Renfro picked up his eighth win of the season, improving to 8-2. The southpaw gave up four runs - three earned - and struck out two with one walk. Senior RHP Casey Lucchese (Lexington, S.C.) earned his fourth save of the season in relief, allowing one hit over two innings with three strikeouts. Murray, Leeds and Holler collected two hits apiece for the Cougars, while Kral had two RBIs. Arrowood took the loss for App State, his second of the season, falling to 7-2. Arrowood allowed seven runs on nine hits over 5-2/3 innings.
Charleston hosts Appalachian for game two of the three-game series tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. and can be heard on ESPN Radio 910-AM with Jeff McCarragher calling the play-by-play. The Cougars will host Wall of Fame Day before the game at 2:45 p.m., honoring former Cougars Brett Anderson, Bryon Barber, Dr. Philip Coker and Josh McLaughlin.
UNCG 5, The Citadel 1
GREENSBORO, N.C. - UNCG senior Warren Slack threw a career-high 12 strikeouts and worked into the seventh inning to help lead the Spartans to a 5-1 win over The Citadel on Friday evening at the UNCG Baseball Stadium. The win was the 10th for UNCG in its last 11 games.
Slack (6-1), making his final collegiate start at home, was phenomenal all night as he retired 15 of the first 17 batters he faced, including the first nine to start the game. He left the game with a 2-0 lead in the seventh as he pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed just one run on five hits. In addition to his 12 strikeouts, Slack yielded just two walks.
Colby Hyatt came in to pitch the final two innings and allowed just one hit to pick up his first save of the season. Matt Talley (3-7) was up for the challenge with Slack as he pitched 7 2/3 innings and gave up four runs (two earned) on seven hits, while striking out seven. He left the game in the bottom of the eighth with the Bulldogs trailing just 2-1.
Ray Quinones led the Spartans (29-18, 17-8 Southern Conference) at the plate as he went 2-4 with a pair of RBI. Trevor Edwards and Andrew Spleth both went 1-4 with an RBI and run scored each, as well.
Nick Orvin and Drew DeKerlegand each went 2-4 with the Bulldogs (20-30, 8-17 SoCon) as they were limited to just six hits as a team all night.
The Spartans weren't able to get on the board until the fifth inning as both Slack and Talley were working on perfect games going into the fourth inning. With one out in the fifth, Ray Crawford drew a walk and then moved to third when Thomas Troelstrup hit a ground-rule double to left center. Kris Richards followed with a sacrifice fly to center field to allow Crawford to score and put UNCG up 1-0.
UNCG would add another run in the sixth inning when Edwards hit a two-out opposite field home run to push the Spartan lead out to 2-0.
The Bulldogs would finally get on the board in the seventh inning to cut the Spartan lead in half. After Slack struck out his 12th batter to start the inning, Justin Mackert walked and DeKerlegand and Grant Richards each followed with singles to load the bases.
The Spartans then went to Jarett Miller out of the bullpen and his third pitch went to the backstop to allow Mackert to score and make it 2-1. He would then record a strikeout and pop fly to get out of the jam.
UNCG would add three insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth to take a comfortable four-run lead. With one out, Bobby Martin reached on a throwing error by the shortstop and moved to second on a single by Drew Gehringer. After a foul out, Talley was pulled from the game in favor of reliever Jeremy Long.
Spleth took the first pitch from Long right back up the middle to score Martin. Quinones followed with a double to left field on the next pitch to score Gehringer and Spleth to give the Spartans a 5-1 lead.
The Spartans and Bulldogs will meet for game two of the series on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Samford 7, Wofford 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- The Samford baseball team earned a 7-1 Southern Conference win over Wofford in the first game of a three-game weekend series Friday night at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
Samford's Charles Basford (6-4) pitched 7.0 innings, giving up one run on four hits and striking out three batters to earn the win on the mound for the Bulldogs. Andrew Jones pitched the final 1.2 innings in relief to set a new Samford single-season record with his 12th save of the season.
After falling behind 1-0 in the fourth inning, Samford plated four runs in the bottom of the fourth, a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth to pull away for the six-run victory.
"It was a good job by Charles tonight to give us seven strong innings," Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. "Obviously, the four-run inning was huge for us after they took the lead. But what we shouldn't lose sight of are the three late runs we scored. We had some big hits late and some good at-bats late."
Samford was led at the plate by Phillip Ervin, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI. Brandon Miller went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Michael Johnson went 2-for-5 with an RBI for the Bulldogs.
Wofford's Cash Collins (8-3) pitched 6.1 innings, giving up five runs on nine hits to take the loss for the Terriers. Landon Bennett drove in Wofford's lone run of the game, going 1-for-3 at the plate.
Wofford struck first in the game with a run in the top of the fourth inning to take a 1-0 lead. Bennett singled up the middle to drive in Josh McKinney for the game's first run.
Samford took the lead for good with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Brad Moss singled to lead off the inning and later scored on an infield single by Miller for Samford's first run of the game. Ervin later doubled to drive in Saxon Butler to give Samford a 2-1 lead. Miller scored the third run of the inning on a ground out by Kevin Putkonen. Ervin scored the final run of the inning on a single by C.K. Irby to give the Bulldogs a 4-1 lead.
Samford added a run in the seventh inning to push its lead to 5-1. Ervin singled to center field to drive in Johnson for a four-run Samford lead.
The Bulldogs plated two final runs in the eighth inning to make the final score 7-1. Irby reached base on an error to lead off the inning and later scored when Tyler Filliben reached base on a fielder's choice for the first run of the inning. Johnson later doubled to right field to drive in Filliben for the game's final run.
Jones came in to get the final two outs in the eighth inning with Samford leading, 5-1 and runners on first and second base. He then sat the Terriers down in order in the ninth inning to earn the save. Jones' 12 saves breaks the record of 11 set by Joseph Edens in 2006, and tied by Edens in 2007 and Lex Rutledge in 2010.
With the win, Samford improves to 31-19 overall and 15-10 in Southern Conference play. Wofford drops to 21-29 overall and 8-17 in league play.
Samford and Wofford will play again Saturday at 2 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field. The game can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu.