Appalachian State 8, Georgia Southern 6
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University baseball scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to erase a three-run deficit and claim a thrilling 8-6 victory over Georgia Southern on Friday evening at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
With the victory, Appalachian (31-24, 15-14 SoCon) clinched sixth place in the Southern Conference standings. As the No. 6 seed, the Mountaineers will face the winner of Saturday's College of Charleston-Samford game in the first round of the SoCon Tournament on Wednesday at 1 p.m. in Charleston, S.C.
Due in large part to seven walks and two errors, ASU trailed Georgia Southern, 6-3, going into the bottom of the eighth inning. After managing just six hits and one earned run in seven innings against GSU starter Andy Moye, the Mountaineers welcomed reliever Colin Snow to the game in the eighth by putting runners on first and third with nobody out, thanks to a leadoff double by Tyler Zupcic (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) and a single by Trey Holmes (Rockwell, N.C./East Rowan).
Snow walked Jack Myers (Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park) on four pitches to load the bases and Daniel Kassouf (Lexington, N.C./North Davidson) drew a seven-pitch walk to force Zupcic home with the first run of the inning and cut the Appalachian deficit to 6-4.
Things went from bad to worse for GSU when Justin Hess replaced Snow on the mound following the bases-loaded walk. Will Callaway (Greenville, S.C./Eastside) lined Hess' first pitch into right center field for a two-run single that knotted the score at 6-6. Preston Troutman (Rockwell, N.C./East Rowan) followed by reaching on a fielder's choice and Callaway stole third to put runners on the corners with just one out.
Callaway's stolen base turned out to be one of the biggest plays of the game when the final pitch of Zack Briggs' (Lexington, N.C./Central Davidson) five-pitch walk sailed over Briggs' head and to the backstop, allowing Callaway to come home with the go-ahead run.
The Eagles' eighth-inning meltdown became complete when Hess attempted to pick off Briggs at first but no one was covering the bag and the ball bounced into foul territory down the right field line, allowing Troutman to score all the way from second and give ASU an 8-6 lead.
Appalachian closer Taylor Miller (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) struck out two in a perfect ninth to finish off the epic come-from-behind triumph.
Georgia Southern put 20 runners on base in the game with 10 hits, seven walks, a hit batter and two Mountaineer errors. However, ASU pitchers worked out of several jams to strand 14 of the Eagles' 20 baserunners.
High Country native Tyler Moore (Banner Elk, N.C./Watauga) (1-0) turned in 2.1 innings of one-hit relief to earn his first career win while Miller collected his 11th save of the season.
Zupcic, Holmes and Hector Crespo (Miami, Fla./Florida Christian) all went 2-for-4 to pace Appalachian's 10-hit attack. Callaway and Crespo drove in two runs apiece and Callaway and Troutman each scored twice.
Snow (0-1) was charged with four runs without recording an out to suffer his first loss of the year. Steve Cochrane (3-for-4, double, RBI) led Georgia Southern (31-23, 17-12) offensively.
Appalachian goes for its first-ever series sweep over GSU when the teams meet in the regular-season finale on Saturday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Smith Stadium.
Samford 4, College of Charleston 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- Samford's Saxon Butler went 4-for-4 with three doubles and an RBI to lead the Bulldog baseball team to a 4-1 win over College of Charleston in the second game of a three-game series Friday evening at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
With the win, Samford improves to 33-22 overall and 17-12 in SoCon play, while Charleston falls to 36-19 overall and 18-11 in league play. Samford moves into a tie for fourth place in the league standings with Georgia Southern. Charleston stands in third place in the SoCon, one game ahead of Samford and GSU with one game remaining.
Butler's three doubles give him 25 for the season, setting a new school single-season record. Butler's total breaks the previous record of 23, set by Chad Ott in 1990. Butler's RBI gives him 58 for the season, tying the school record set by Mason Meredeth last season.
Samford got a strong pitching performance throughout Friday night's contest. Josh Martin (5-2) pitched 6.2 innings, giving up one run on five hits and striking out four batters to earn the win. Arthur Strauss pitched 1.1 innings, allowing no hits and striking out two batters. Andrew Jones pitched the final inning, sitting the Cougars down in order to earn his Samford-record 13th save of the season.
"Josh and Arthur were phenomenal and then Andrew came in and went one-two-three in the ninth," Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. "All three of those guys were really good tonight. Josh was ahead in the count all night. It was nice to see him continue the good stretch he's been on."
Behind Butler for Samford, Brad Moss went 2-for-3 at the plate. Brandon Miller, Phillip Ervin and Kevin Putkonen drove in a run each for the Bulldogs.
Charleston's David Peterson (5-6) pitched 4.0 innings, giving up two runs on six hits to take the loss. Rob Kral went 2-for-3 to lead the Cougars at the plate. Ryan Daniels had Charleston's lone RBI in the game.
Samford struck first with a run in the bottom of the first inning. With one out in the inning, Moss singled up the middle. After stealing second base, Moss moved to third on a double by Butler. Moss then scored when Miller grounded out to second base to give Samford a 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs added a run in the third inning to make the score 2-0. Moss led off the inning with a single to center field. Moss then moved to third base on a single by Butler, with Butler moving to second on a Charleston error. With one out in the inning, Ervin reached base on a fielder's choice, but Moss was thrown out at home for the second out of the inning. Putkonen then singled to right field to drive in Butler for a two-run Samford lead.
The score remained 2-0 until Charleston plated a run in the top of the seventh inning to cut the Samford lead to 2-1. Cole Rakar was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. With one out in the inning, Rakar advanced to third base on a double by Jamie Holler. Pinch-hitter Daniels then hit a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in Rakar.
Samford came back with two runs in the seventh inning to make the final score 4-1. With one out in the inning, Moss was hit by a pitch. Butler then doubled to left field to drive in Moss for the first run of the inning. Butler then went to third base on a wild pitch and scored the game's final run on a ground out by Ervin.
Samford and Charleston will wrap up their three-game SoCon series with a game Saturday at 2 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field. Prior to the game, Samford's seven seniors, Stephen Ballard, Gary Cramer, Rumiko Forrester, Michael Johnson, Andrew Jones, Tripp Swann and Joshua VanFleteren, will be honored.
Saturday's game can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu.
Western Carolina 6, The Citadel 0
Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina freshman Jordan Smith tossed his second complete game shutout, blanking The Citadel through nine innings on Friday night as the Catamounts took the Southern Conference series with a 6-0 win at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
WCU's victory coupled with UNC Greensboro's 3-0 win at Wofford on Friday night solidifies the Catamounts into the eighth seed at next week's SoCon Tournament to be played at Riley Park in Charleston, S.C. Western Carolina will face the top-seeded Elon Phoenix at approximately 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25.
The regular season finale is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon in Cullowhee with WCU to honor its six seniors in a special pre-game ceremony. Fans can follow the action of the game online through GameTracker, as well as through a live online, in-game blog.
Smith (6-6) struck out seven Bulldog batters while scattering 10 base hits - all singles - to earn his team-leading sixth victory of the year. The Liberty, N.C., native faced just nine over the minimum, retiring 10 of the last 11 batters he faced including three-up and three-down in the seventh and eighth. It was the second complete game shutout victory for Smith with the first coming in a four-hit, 11-0 victory over Wofford back on April 23.
Senior Matt Johns gave WCU all the runs it would need in the home half of the second inning with a solo home run over the fence in left center. It was the fifth round-tripper of the year for the Stafford, Va., native. Freshman Aaron Attaway also drove in a run in the second frame with a sacrifice fly to right to plate Tyler White for a 2-0 lead through two innings.
With Jordan Smith dueling Bulldog starter Justin Russell, the contest remained a two-run game until the seventh inning. Macon Smith lifted a two-out single to right and was moved to third by Heffley on a full count single through the right side. Senior Stephen Notaro then bounced a single up the middle to score Macon Smith, giving the Catamounts a 3-0 edge.
Western Carolina (21-29-1, 11-18 SoCon) tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning as Luke Gragg beat out an infield single to plate a run. Attaway then tripled to right center, scoring classmate Gragg, with senior Austin Schultz singling through the right side to drive in the game's final run in the 6-0 win.
The Citadel threatened numerous times in the game, but clutch pitching and solid defense helped the frosh hurler Smith work in-and-out of jams. The Bulldogs stranded nine base runners in the game including leaving at least two on base in three frames.
Heffley led the Catamounts with a 3-for-4 outing at the plate while Attaway was 2-for-3 with the three-bagger. Johns finished 1-for-3 with the homer, also drawing a walk, scoring two runs for the Catamounts.
Russell (1-7) gave up three runs on eight hits in the starting role, walking two and striking out four for the Bulldogs. Reliever Jeremy Long was tagged with three runs on three hits in two thirds of a frame with Ryan Hines tossing the final third of an inning.
Justin Mackert led The Citadel offense with a 3-for-4 performance at the dish while Drew DeKerlegand was 2-for-4 for the Bulldogs in the losing effort.
UNCG 3, Wofford 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - After taking a week off for exams, the Wofford baseball team returned to the field on Friday night and was defeated 3-0 by UNC Greensboro at Russell C. King Field. The Spartans scored one in the sixth and two runs in the eighth and the Terriers are locked into ninth place in the final Southern Conference standings.
Wofford is now 22-31 on the season and 9-19 in the Southern Conference. UNC Greensboro is 32-18 overall and 20-8 in conference play. The Terriers were led by Konstantine Diamaduros with two hits and Cash Collins went 7.1 innings on the mound with only two earned runs allowed. The Spartans were led by Ray Crawford with two hits and an RBI.
The Terriers had runners at first and second in the bottom of the third when Konstantine Diamaduros singled through the right side. A throw to the plate from the right fielder was in time to get the third out of the inning.
In the top of the fourth, Trevor Edwards led off with a double but he was stranded at third to end the half of the inning. The Spartans added a double in the top of the fifth, but the runner was left on base.
The Spartans got on the board in the top of the sixth. Drew Gehringer singled and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and then to third on a fly ball. Cody Walker reached on an error that scored Gehringer for a 1-0 lead.
Wofford opened the bottom of the sixth with singles by Mac Doyle and Konstantine Diamaduros, but both were left on base. In the top of the eighth, the Spartans led off with a single, fielder's choice and a single. Cody Walker hit an RBI single and Crawford added a double to right field that scored a run for a 3-0 lead that proved to be the final score.
Wofford starter Cash Collins (8-4) went 7.1 innings and allowed eight hits and three runs and had two strikeouts. John Cornely threw the final 1.2 innings and allowed only one hit and a strikeout.
UNC Greensboro starter Warren Slack (7-1) went six innings and allowed six hits with seven strikeouts. Jarrett Miller threw the final three innings without allowing and hit and striking out seven for his third save of the season.
Western Carolina defeated The Citadel 6-0 on Friday night, moving the Catamounts to 11-19 in the standings. Western Carolina earns the eight seed to the Southern Conference Tournament and Wofford will finish ninth in the SoCon standings.
The Terriers will play the final two games of the season on Saturday beginning at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader. Wofford's eight seniors will be honored prior to the start of game one.
Elon 14, Furman 0
ELON, N.C. -- The 10 Elon baseball players celebrating Senior Day on Friday will never forget their final game at Latham Park as the Phoenix shutout the Furman Paladins 14-0 to clinch the 2011 Southern Conference regular-season title, its fourth in program history and third in the last four seasons.
The Phoenix improved to 36-19 overall and 23-7 in the SoCon while Furman fell to 23-31, 13-16.
"It's for the players," said Elon head coach Mike Kennedy of his team's 2011 title. "In order to be in these positions, to have a chance to celebrate and win championships, you have to be driven. It's just great for them that it's theirs, it's all theirs. These things aren't easy. They're not easy to win. Our freshmen may not get another one. This means that we've had a group of kids who've just come in and passed the torch. I just think it speaks volumes for our program."
Elon jumped out big in the third inning, scoring seven times and sending 11 hitters to the plate. Ben Scott got it started with a single up the middle and moved to second on a ground out. Niko Fraser gave the Phoenix a 1-0 lead with a triple to left-center. Jake Luce made it a 2-0 game when his ground out allowed Fraser to score. Sebastian Gomez kept things going with a two-out single down the right field line. He was then able to ride home on Neal Pritchard's bomb to center. The blast was the eighth of the year for Pritchard. Ryan Kinsella followed by crushing his fifth bomb of the year down the right field line as Elon built a 5-0 lead. Alex Swim extended the inning with a single to right and stole second before Garrett Koster was hit by a pitch. After a wild pitch advanced both runners, Scott singled for the second time in the inning to plate both Swim and Koster as the Phoenix lead reached 7-0.
The Phoenix offense kept the attack going in the fourth as Elon loaded the bases with walks to Fraser and Luce before Gomez was hit by a pitch. Pritchard picked up his third RBI when his walk forced Fraser in from third with the eighth Elon run. Kinsella extended the Phoenix advantage to 9-0 by lining a single to left that allowed Luce to score. Swim lined one to left to score Gomez with the 10th run of the afternoon. A bases loaded sacrifice fly from Scott finished the scoring in the frame as Pritchard scored to make it 11-0.
The score remained 11-0 until the last of the seventh when Pritchard drew his second bases-loaded walk of the afternoon. This one forced home Scott who had been hit by a pitch to start the inning. Kinsella was also issued a free pass with the bags full, allowing Austin to trot home from third after he had earlier reached on a single. Pinch-hitter Matt Kirchner then drew the third consecutive walk to force Gomez in from third. Gomez was aboard after being hit by a pitch for the third time in the game.
Dylan Clark needed just 83 pitches to work through seven scoreless innings on his way to evening his record at 3-3 with the win. Clark walked one and struck out three. John Brebbia and Greg Amorosso each tossed a scoreless frame to secure the Phoenix victory and seventh shutout of the year.
Furman's Tyler Wood dropped to 3-4 after he allowed seven runs on eight hits in just 2.2 innings.
Seniors Pritchard (1-for-3, two runs, four RBI) and Scott (2-for-3, two runs, three RBI) to lead the Elon attack. Kinsella also drove in three runs while going 2-for-3.
J.B. Jenkins (3-for-4) and Will Miller (2-for-3) combined for five of Furman's nine hits on the afternoon.
Elon will enter the SoCon Tournament as the top seed and will play a to-be-determined foe at 5 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon in Charleston, S.C.