UNCG 5, Wofford 0
UNCG 15, Wofford 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - On Saturday afternoon, the Wofford baseball team ended the 2011 season by dropping a doubleheader to UNC Greensboro at Russell C. King Field. The Spartans won the first game 5-0 and took game two 15-0.
Wofford is now 22-33 on the season and 9-21 in the Southern Conference. UNC Greensboro is 34-18 overall and 22-8 in conference play. Wofford's eight seniors were honored prior to the start of game one. Landon Bennett, John Cornely, Tom Dolinak, Alex Lee, Josh McKinney, Thomas Nichols, Drew Sheridan and Bobby Streisel played their final games at Russell C. King Field and will graduate on Sunday morning.
In the first game, each team had one hit in the first inning. The Spartans left two runners on base in the top of the third inning. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Konstantine Diamaduros led off with a triple to right center. A walk with two outs gave the Terriers two on base, but both were stranded to end the fourth.
The Spartans got on the board in the top of the fifth inning with an RBI single by Bobby Martin. Trevor Edwards the hit a two-run homer over the right field wall for a 3-0 lead. Konstantine Diamaduros added a double for the Terriers in the bottom of the sixth, but he was left on third at the end of the inning.
In the top of the seventh, the Spartans added a run on a sacrifice fly by Eric Brindle to take a 4-0 lead. Wofford loaded the bases with a walk and two hit by pitch in the bottom of the seventh with two outs. A deep fly ball by Mac Doyle ended the scoring chance for the Terriers. UNCG added a run on an RBI single in the top of the ninth by Cambric Moye for a 5-0 advantage that proved to be the final score.
Wofford starter Tom Dolinak (4-7) went five innings and allowed three runs on nine hits with three strikeouts in five innings. Bobby Streisel threw two innings and gave up one run on three hits with three strikeouts. Ryan Traylor gave up one hit in a third of an inning. Pete Noordsy threw two-thirds of an inning and had one strikeout. Jesse Morris allowed one run on two hits with one strikeout in the top of the ninth.
UNC Greensboro starter Brandon Browne (2-2) threw five innings and allowed three hits with two strikeouts. Greg Smith allowed one hit with three strikeouts in two innings. Jonathan Jones went the final two innings and allowed only one hit with two strikeouts.
In game two, the Spartans had two hits in the top of the second before a double play ended the inning. In the top of the third, Ray Quinones hit a three-run homer over the left field wall for a 3-0 lead. A sacrifice fly by Cody Walker drove in another run for a 4-0 score in the middle of the third inning.
UNCG added a run in the top of the fourth on an RBI double by Thomas Troelstrup to make it a 5-0 game. With the bases loaded with Spartans in the top of the sixth, a passed ball allowed an unearned run to score which made it a 6-0 advantage.
Wofford had two singles in the bottom of the sixth, but both runners were left on base. The Spartans in turn loaded the bases in the top of the seventh. An error allowed the inning to continue and UNCG ended up scoring seven runs on five hits with two errors to push the lead to 13-0. The Spartans added two runs in the top of the ninth for a 15-0 final score.
Wofford starter Brandon Yarusi (1-6) went four innings and allowed five runs on seven hits with two strikeouts. Drew Sheridan threw 2.2 innings and allowed five hits and struck out five along with seven unearned runs. Thomas Nichols faced two batters and allowed a hit. Alex Wilson went 1.1 innings and gave up one hit with a strikeout. John Cornely threw the ninth inning and gave up two runs on two hits.
UNC Greensboro starter Colby Hyatt (8-2) threw seven innings and allowed only four hits without a strikeout. Tyler Hollstegge threw two innings and did not allow a hit.
Samford 6, College of Charleston 5
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Samford's Phillip Ervin reached base on an infield single to drive in Michael Johnson to give the Bulldogs a 6-5 win over the College of Charleston in the final game of a three-game Southern Conference series Saturday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
The Bulldogs win the series with the Cougars, two games to one. Charleston took game one on Thursday, 11-8, and Samford came back to win game two on Friday by a score of 4-1.
"We've had a couple of exciting games in a row," Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. "To win it in the ninth inning and leave them standing on the field was exciting. Today was another good job by our pitchers. I was proud of the way our kids battled today."
The game was the regular-season finale for both teams. Samford improves to 34-22 overall and 18-12 in SoCon play. The 34 wins ties the school record for wins in a season. Charleston drops to 36-20 overall and 18-12 in league play.
Samford, Charleston and Georgia Southern end the regular season in a tie for third place in the league standings. Samford, however, won the season series with both Charleston and Georgia Southern, so the Bulldogs will be the No. 3 seed in next week's Southern Conference Tournament.
For Samford at the plate, Johnson went 3-for-5. Ervin drove in two runs in a 1-for-4 performance. Stephen Ballard also drove in two runs, going 1-for-3 at the plate.
Samford's Grant Sides (1-0) pitched the final 2.0 innings, giving up no runs on one hit to earn the win. Sides was the last of five pitchers used by Samford in the game. C.K. Irby started the game for the Bulldogs, and Tyler Vanderheiden, Lex Rutledge and Joshua VanFleteren also saw time on the mound.
For Charleston, Rob Kral, Jose Rodriguez and Cole Rakar each homered in the game. Rodriguez drove in three runs, while Kral and Rakar drove in one run each. Jake Zokan (3-2) pitched 2.1 innings in relief, giving up one run on one hit to take the loss for the Cougars.
The teams entered the bottom of the ninth inning tied at 5-5. With one out in the inning, Johnson singled to right field. With two outs, Saxon Butler and Brandon Miller walked to load the bases. Ervin then hit a ground ball to second base, but he beat out the throw as Johnson scored to give the Bulldogs the 6-5 win.
Samford got the scoring started with four runs in the bottom of the first inning. The first two runs in the inning were scored on bases loaded walks of Ervin and Tripp Swann. Ballard then singled to center field to drive in Ervin and Miller for a 4-0 Samford lead.
Charleston came back with four runs in the top of the fourth inning to tie the score. Rodriguez hit a three-run home run with Matt Leeds and Daniel Aldrich on base for the first three runs of the inning. Rakar then hit a solo homer to tie the score at 4-4.
The Cougars took the lead with a run in the top of the seventh inning. Kral hit a solo home run to right field to give Charleston the 5-4 lead.
Samford answered with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to once again tie the score at 5-5. Johnson singled to lead off the inning. Johnson then advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Brad Moss and then scored on a Charleston throwing error for the Bulldogs' fifth run of the contest.
Samford's seven seniors, Ballard, Gary Cramer, Rumiko Forrester, Johnson, Andrew Jones, Swann and VanFleteren were honored in a ceremony prior to the game, which was their final game at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
The Southern Conference Tournament will begin on Wednesday, May 25, at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park in Charleston, S.C. Samford, as the No. 3 seed, will play at 12 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday. The official bracket will be released later tonight by the Southern Conference.
Western Carolina 12, The Citadel 8
Cullowhee, N.C. - Junior Ross Heffley ignited a four-run bottom of the eighth inning with a solo home run to left field as Western Carolina completed the three-game Southern Conference series sweep over The Citadel with a 12-8 victory Saturday afternoon on Senior Day at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
The sweep was WCU's first against a conference foe this season, while also marking the Catamounts' first over The Citadel since 2008. The Citadel closed the season with a 12-game losing skid, tying a school-record established back in 1967.
Winners of three-straight, Western Carolina (22-29-1, 12-18 SoCon) will be seeded eighth in next week's SoCon Tournament at Riley Park in Charleston, S.C. The Catamounts will face top-seeded Elon at approximately 5 pm on Wednesday, May 25. Each game WCU plays in the SoCon Tournament will be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network and can be heard online at www.CatamountSports.com<http://www.catamountsports.com/>.
Western Carolina spotted the Bulldogs a four-run lead in the top of the first inning, and trailed 5-2 before tying the game with a three-run home half of the fifth and again scoring three in the sixth. However, The Citadel responded with a three-spot in the top of the seventh to again tie the game before Heffley's round-tripper broke the deadlock in the four-run frame.
Senior Andrew Chilcoat (2-0) earned the victory out of the Catamount bullpen, surrendering just one unearned run while scattering four base hits in two and two thirds innings. The White Hall, Md., native struck out one in the relief effort, matching his career-high for seasonal victories at WCU.
Junior Cameron Dullnig tossed five and a third solid innings in spelling starter Vance Chavis, who was touched up for four runs - only three of which were earned - on four hits, lasting an inning with a strikeout. Dullnig fanned four against four walks, giving up three runs during his stint on the hill.
The Citadel, which will miss the SoCon tournament for the first time since it moved to Charleston, S.C., was fast out of the gates in the regular season finale for both teams. Capitalizing on a single and stolen base, Nick Orvin scored the game's first run as Matt Simonelli hit the first of consecutive doubles with William Ladd plating the second run on the second two-bagger. Justin Mackert handed the Bulldogs a three-run lead on an RBI single up the middle before swiping both second and third base, scoring on a throwing error on an errant throw to third for a 4-0 Bulldog lead.
The Catamounts chipped away at the lead with solo runs in the bottom of the first and second innings as Austin Schultz scored on a sacrifice fly by Heffley after leading off the first with a double. Freshman Adam Martin provided the second run on a two-out, solo home run to left field in the home portion of the second inning to trim the deficit to two, 4-2.
After The Citadel scored on a wild pitch in the third inning to pull out to a three-run, 5-2 lead, Western Carolina pushed across three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to seize momentum in the game. Freshman Macon Smith delivered the WCU's second home run of the game to claw back within two before two reached on back-to-back, two-out walks to Stephen Notaro and Johns.
With runners at first and second, Tyler White then laced a single off the first baseman's mitt allowing Notaro to beat a throw home to score. Then, with White nearly being picked off at first, Johns made a heady base running maneuver by inching his way home before ultimately swiping the plate just ahead of a throw home for the third run, knotting the game at five apiece.
An inning later, Notaro was plunked with the bases loaded to drive in a go-ahead run with White again striking with an RBI base knock, doubling down the right field line to score two more in handing WCU an 8-5 lead through six.
White, one of five Catamounts to record multi-hit games, finished 4-for-5 with three RBI in the winning effort.
The Bulldogs would not go away, though, answering WCU's go-ahead, three-spot with three of their own in the top of the seventh. After fanning the lead-off batter, Dullnig hit Orvin before walking Drew DeKerlegand, ending his relief stint on the mound. Chilcoat surrendered consecutive singles to Simonelli and Ladd as The Citadel whittled the lead down to one. The Citadel tied the game at eight on a WCU failed double-play attempt that would have otherwise ended the frame.
With one out in the bottom of the eighth, Heffley blasted a 0-2 fastball over the fence in left field to give the Catamounts all the runs they would effectively need with a 9-8 lead. WCU tacked on three more runs in the inning, loaded the bases on three-straight singles off reliever T.J. Clarkson with freshman Dykota Spiess driving in a run on a bases loaded walk. A wild pitch allowed the third run to scamper home in the form of Johns, while Aaron Attaway singled through the left side to score the final run of the game, plating White for the 12-8 margin.
In addition to White's strong day at the plate, Heffley and Notaro finished 2-for-3 with Heffley hitting his team-leading 10th home run of the season
Bulldog reliever Logan Cribb was saddled with the loss after surrendering the long ball to Heffley during his two innings of work. He was one of four relievers used behind starter Austin Pritcher who gave up five runs on 10 hits in four and two thirds innings of work. Pritcher pitched around two walks with three strikeouts.
Offensively for The Citadel (20-36, 8-22 SoCon), Ladd finished 3-for-4 with three RBI while Simonelli was 2-for-4 with a double. The duo accounted for half of the Bulldogs' 10 hits while the Catamounts banged out 16 hits in the win.
Georgia Southern 12, Appalachian State 4
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University baseball put 23 runners on base but managed to push only four across the plate in a 12-4 loss to Georgia Southern in Saturday's regular-season finale at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
Appalachian finished in sixth place in the Southern Conference standings at 31-25 overall and 15-15 in conference play. ASU will play No. 3-seed Samford (34-22, 18-12 SoCon) in the first round of the SoCon Tournament on Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Riley Park in Charleston, S.C.
Georgia Southern (32-23, 18-12 SoCon) finished in a three-way tie for third place in the league standings and received the fourth seed in the SoCon Tournament field. GSU will play fifth-seeded College of Charleston (36-20, 18-12 SoCon) in the final game of the tournament's opening round on Wednesday at 9 p.m..
Despite banging out 10 hits and drawing 13 walks, the Mountaineers could not put together any sustained rallies in Saturday's loss. ASU's leadoff hitter reached base six times in nine innings and the Apps had at least three baserunners in a frame on seven different occasions but they only managed single runs in the first, fifth, seventh and eighth innings.
Georgia Southern's defense proved to be the difference in the game, as the Eagles overcame shaky performances by pitchers Josh Adams and Taylor Burke by turning five double plays and throwing out a runner at the plate. In addition to the runners erased on the basepaths, Appalachian also stranded 13 runners.
On the other hand, GSU converted its 12 hits into 12 runs. The Eagles broke a 1-1 deadlock on Shawn Payne's two-run single in the top of the second and never looked back, scoring two more runs in the third and four in the fifth to take a commanding 9-1 advantage.
Adams (8-6) got the win despite allowing eight hits and issuing eight walks while striking out only one over seven innings of work. The right-hander threw only 52 of his 109 pitches for strikes. Burke's outing was equally precarious, as he found the strike zone with just 18 of his 46 pitches. The southpaw walked five and surrendered two hits but gave up just one run over the final two innings to close out the ugly affair.
Appalachian's six pitchers fared even worse. Starter Seth Grant (Etowah, N.C./West Henderson) lasted just three innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on three hits with two walks and no strikeouts. The junior was saddled with the loss to fall to 4-9 on the season. Five ASU relievers surrendered seven runs on nine hits while walking four and striking out only two.
In all, the clubs combined for 22 base hits, 19 walks, three hit batters and three errors.
Payne paced GSU offensively, going 2-for-3 with a triple, two walks, two stolen bases and four RBI. NCAA home-run leader Victor Roache added to his SoCon record with his 29th homer of the season.
Tyler Zupcic (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) and Trey Holmes (Rockwell, N.C./East Rowan) had two hits apiece for ASU.