College of Charleston 14, Furman 6
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Cody Martin homered and drove in five runs and College of Charleston scored in each of the first six innings en route to a 14-6 Southern Conference victory over Furman Friday evening at Latham Stadium.
The win improved the Cougars to 10-3 on the season and 2-2 in SoCon play while the Paladins had their five-game winning streak snapped and fell to 8-6 overall on the campaign and 0-1 in the SoCon.
Martin went 3-for-5 to highlight a Cougar 15-hit attack that also featured a 3-for-6 performance by Marty Gantt and two-hit efforts by Dre Watts and Bradley Goodson.
Will Muzika paced Furman at the plate with three hits, two RBI, and two runs, and Will Miller had two doubles and scored twice.
CofC's solid run support made a winner of Josh Renfro (2-1), who allowed five runs on eight hits over five innings. He fanned two.
Martin's two-run single in the first, which followed a Furman error, helped stake CofC to an early 3-0 lead.
The Cougars made it 4-0 in the second and in the third stretched it 5-0 on Martin's towering solo home run to dead center field off Paladin starting and losing pitcher Bobby Lyne, who was touched up for seven runs, five of which were earned, over four innings. He walked one and struck out four.
Goodson opened the Cougar fifth with a triple off the left field fence and scored on another Paladin error to give CofC a 6-0 advantage.
Furman sliced the lead in half with a three-run fourth that featured five consecutive hits.
The Paladins made it a 7-5 game in the fifth on an RBI double by Miller, who stole third and later scored on an error.
That would be as close as Furman would get, however, as CofC answered with a four-run sixth, highlighted by a two-run single by Martin.
Brandon Glazer's pinch-hit two-run single in the eighth capped the offensive display for the Cougars.
Furman registered 12 hits but committed four errors, which led to four unearned runs. Paladin pitchers also combined to hit five Cougar batters in the contest.
Saturday's game is a 4:00 p.m. start.
UNCG 4, Samford 3
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Samford raced out to a 3-1 lead after three innings of play, but UNCG rallied behind six strong innings of relief from pitcher Dominique Vattuone for the come-from-behind victory over Samford, 4-3, on Friday evening at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
The game marked the Southern Conference opener for both squads.
With the two teams tied at three through seven innings of play, UNCG (10-3, 1-0 SoCon) was able to manufacture a run in the bottom of the eighth to completed the comeback. Eric Kalbfleisch led off with a walk and then Ricky Guile came in to pinch run for him.
Guile moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kris Richards and advanced to third on a groundout. With two outs, Zach Leach delivered a single back up the middle to easily score Guile and put the Spartans ahead, 4-3.
Vattuone (2-1) earned the victory after coming into the game in the top of the fourth and shutting down the Bulldogs over the final six innings. He allowed just two hits and one walk over those six innings of work, while striking out six batters. He also retired the first 11 batters he faced after entering the game.
Samford (9-5, 0-1 SoCon) was able to jump on the board in the first inning to take the lead. Zeth Stone led off with a four-pitch walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. After a walk and fly out, Phillip Ervin slapped a single into center field to score Stone and make it 1-0.
The Spartans immediately answered in the bottom half of the inning in similar fashion. Leach hit a leadoff single up the middle and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. After moving over the third, Leach scored when Trevor Edwards grounded out to the first baseman to tie the score at 1-1.
An error by UNCG in the top of the second allowed Samford to come back and take the lead. After Tommy Corbin was hit by a pitch to start the inning, UNCG got a pair of fly outs by Samford. It appeared as if it would be three fly outs, but the Spartan left fielder dropped the would-be fly out allowing Corbin to come around and score to make it 2-1.
It was Corbin who struck again in the third inning that helped the Bulldogs stretch their lead to 3-1. With two outs, C.K. Irby singled up the middle and Corbin followed with a double to the gap in left center that allowed Irby to score all the way from first.
The score would stay that way until the bottom of the fifth when UNCG was able to take advantage of some Bulldogs miscues to tie the game. Thomas Troelstrup and Edwards led off the inning with back-to-back walks when a wild pitch by Kyle Putkonen allowed both runners to move up. As Troelstrup was sliding into third, the catcher's throw sailed into left field to allow Troelstrup to come home and make it 3-2.
Lloyd Enzor followed with a single through the left side of the infield to move Edwards over to third before Putkonen balked, which allowed Edwards to walk home and tie the game at 3-3.
The Spartans and Bulldogs will meet again on Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Citadel 4, Western Carolina 2
Charleston, S.C. - Joe Jackson knocked a pair of RBI base hits and Justin Mackert hit a two-run home run as The Citadel opened its Southern Conference schedule with a 4-2 victory over visiting Western Carolina Friday evening at Riley Park. Austin Pritcher tossed seven innings to improve to 2-1 on the season, while TJ Clarkson picked up his second save. The two teams meet for game two of the series Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
The Citadel opened the scoring with a three-run third inning to jump on Catamount starter Jordan Smith. With one out, Mason Davis doubled to right center and Joe Jackson followed with a RBI single up the middle to plate Davis. Jackson advanced to second on the play when Western Carolina center fielder Julian Ridings misplayed the rolling grounder. Nick Orvin flied out to center for the second out and Justin Mackert crushed a 2-2 pitch from Smith over the wall down the left-field line for his third round-tripper of the season and a 3-0 Bulldog lead.
The Bulldogs extended their lead to 4-0 in the fourth. Bailey Rush reached on a fielder's choice to the pitcher and stole second. Rush advanced to third on a fly out to right by Calvin Orth and scored on a RBI double down the left-field line by Jackson, his second RBI base-hit of the game.
Western Carolina got on the board with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings, but the Bulldogs' bullpen preserved the win. A pair of singles and a fielder's choice put runners at the corners with two outs for the Catamounts in the seventh, but Pritcher was called for a balk to bring home the runner from third. The Catamounts plated their second run in the eighth on a RBI groundout by Jacob Hoyle that scored Bryant Noteboom from third.
Pritcher scattered seven hits over seven innings, allowing both runs and striking out five. Clarkson gave up one hit over the final 1-2/3 innings, adding a strikeout to the mix with no walks. The Bulldogs collected nine hits on the evening, highlighted by Jackson's two-hit effort, but left 15 runners on base.
Western Carolina's Smith was touched for four runs on six hits in 4-2/3 innings for the loss, walking five and striking out seven.
Appalachian State 10, Davidson 4
BOONE, N.C. - Daniel Kassouf (Lexington, N.C./North Davidson) went 4-for-5 with two RBI and Tyler Moore (Banner Elk, N.C./Watauga) turned in 2.2 perfect innings out of the bullpen to lead Appalachian State University baseball to its ninth-straight win, a 10-4 triumph over Davidson in the Southern Conference opener for both teams on Friday afternoon at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
Kassouf's career-high four hits included an RBI single that capped a three-run first inning and an RBI double in the third that helped stake Appalachian (11-2, 1-0 SoCon) to a commanding 5-0 lead.
ASU stretched its lead to 8-1 with a three-run fourth inning but Davidson (4-7, 0-1 SoCon) cut the Mountaineers' advantage to 8-4 with a run in the fifth and two in the sixth. The Wildcats appeared to be on the verge of drawing even closer when they chased Appalachian starter Ryan Arrowood (Rutherfordton, N.C./R-S Central) from the game with runners on the corners and just one out in the sixth. However, Moore came on to strike out Davidson slugger Drew Gaidaire and get cleanup hitter Andrew Barna to pop up to third to squelch the threat.
After getting the Mountaineers out of the jam in the sixth, Moore retired the side in order in the seventh and eighth. The right-handed junior's stellar relief allowed ASU to put the game out of reach with single runs in the bottom of the seventh and eighth frames. Josh Wilson (Edgefield, S.C/Strom Thurmond) sat the Wildcats down in the ninth to close out the victory.
Despite Moore's heroics out of the ‘pen, the story of the day was Kassouf, who recorded multiple hits for the fifth time in seven games and raised his average to a lofty .426. The 6-1, 230-pound senior has hit .577 (15-for-26) during his current six-game hitting streak.
Kassouf's performance highlighted a terrific day by the first four hitters in Appalachian's lineup. Hector Crespo (Miami, Fla./Florida Christian), Tyler Zupcic (Charlotte, N.C./Providence), Will Callaway (Greenville, S.C./Eastside) and Kassouf all had multiple hits and combined to go 11-for-18 with seven RBI and eight runs scored. In all, 8-of-9 starters contributed to the Mountaineers' 16-hit effort.
Despite not having terrific command on a cool, blustery afternoon, Arrowood battled through 5.1 innings to earn the 20th win of his career and move to 3-0 on the campaign. The right-handed senior allowed nine hits and walked four but struck out seven before leaving the game after throwing 103 pitches.
Forrest Brandt went 3-for-3 with two RBI and two walks to pace the Wildcats offensively. Davidson's starting pitcher, Ryan Overcash (1-3), was tagged for eight runs on 12 hits in just 3.1 innings to suffer the loss.
Appalachian and Davidson continue their three-game SoCon series on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Smith Stadium.
NOTES: Appalachian still has not allowed more than four runs in a game through 13 contests this season ... ASU won its SoCon opener for the first time since 2005, a 5-3 victory at Furman ... the win was the Mountaineers' eighth-straight over Davidson and seventh in a row over the Wildcats in Boone ... ASU's nine-game winning streak is its longest since it also won nine in a row from April 6-17, 2010 ... Zupcic also extended his hitting streak to six games, matching Kassouf and Tyler Tewell (Charlotte, N.C./Butler) (Feb. 25-March 3) for the club's longest streaks of the season ... Jeremy Dowdy (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) has reached base in all 12 games that he's played this season.
Elon 4, Georgia Southern 3
ELON, N.C. -- In game one of a key Southern Conference baseball series, the Elon Phoenix received a stellar outing from starting pitcher Kyle Webb and a game-winning homer from Sebastian Gomez to defeat the visiting Georgia Southern Eagles 4-3 on Friday afternoon at Latham Park.
Webb helped the Phoenix improve to 8-5 overall and 3-1 in the SoCon by tossing 8.1 innings. In that span, Webb (2-2) struck out six and did not allow a walk. All three runs were charged to the Elon starter. Nate Young struck out the final two hitters to earn his second save of the year.
"We just need him (Webb) to keep the ball down like he did," said Elon skipper Mike Kennedy. "When he does that, he gets so many weak outs."
With the game knotted at two in the bottom of the seventh, Gomez faced a 2-0 count with two outs before turning around a Chris Beck pitch for a two-run homer that cleared the tall wall in left field. It was the second home run of the season for Gomez who was one of three Elon hitters to have two-hit games.
Georgia Southern (7-7, 0-1) started the scoring in the fourth when back-to-back Elon errors to begin the frame eventually led to a RBI single from Michael Burruss.
The Phoenix answered with two runs in its half of the fourth. Ryan Kinsella kicked things off with a double to right-center and advanced to third on a Garrett Koster single. Niko Fraser's sinking liner fell in center for a single allowing Kinsella to score the first Elon run. After a passed ball, a wild pitch scored Koster to give the maroon and gold the lead.
In the fifth, the Eagles evened the score at two on a solo home run to left off the bat of T.D. Davis.
With two outs and a runner on second in the top of the sixth, Eric Phillips grounded a single through the left side of the infield. The runner raced around third, but a strong throw from Jake Luce gunned down the potential go-ahead run at the plate to end the inning.
Beck (1-2) suffered the loss after he gave up four runs on eight hits in eight innings. He walked three and struck out eight.
Koster and Fraser were the other two Elon players to have two-hit outings and the Phoenix swiped four bases in the game.
The Phoenix and Eagles will be back in action on Saturday at 2 p.m. in game two of this three-game league set.
Eastern Kentucky 8, Wofford 3
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - On Friday night, the Wofford College baseball game opened a three-game series against Eastern Kentucky with an 8-3 loss at Russell C. King Field. The game was tied after five innings, but the Colonels scored five unanswered runs in the final three innings to win the contest.
Wofford is 7-7 overall and Eastern Kentucky is 5-8 overall. The Terriers were led by Konstantine Diamaduros with two hits, including a home run, and two RBIs. David Roney and Taylor Rozier also added two hits each. The Colonels had eight innings from their starting pitcher, Matt Harris. Dustin Dunlop had four hits, while Jacob Daniel and Bryan Soloman each had two RBIs.
The Colonels scored in the top of the first when Dustin Dunlap singled and stole second. A single through the right side by Jacob Daniel drove in the run for a 1-0 lead. The Terriers had the first hit of the game in the bottom of the second on a single by David Roney. In the top of the third, Eastern Kentucky loaded the bases but a fly ball ended the scoring opportunity.
Wofford got things going in the bottom of the fourth inning. After singles by Konstantine Diamaduros and David Roney, an infield single by Taylor Rozier scored Diamaduros to tie the game at one. The Terriers left the bases loaded to end the fourth inning.
In the top of the fifth, the Colonels loaded the bases on a double, single and walk. A ground out by Jacob Daniel scored one run and another walk loaded the bases again. A single by Austin Grisham added a run for a 3-1 game and a double play ended the inning for the Colonels.
The Terriers had two outs in the bottom of the fifth when Mac Doyle doubled. A home run by Konstantine Diamaduros to right field tied the game at 3 at the end of the five innings. The lights went out at the end of the fifth, causing a 20 minute delay in the action. In the top of the sixth, the Colonels loaded the bases with two singles and a hit by pitch but all three runners were stranded.
Eastern Kentucky added two runs in the top of the seventh on a shot by Bryan Solomon the cleared the left center fence. After Wofford was retired in order in the bottom of the seventh, the Colonels added a run in the top of the eighth. After two singles, an error on a fielder's choice allowed one run to cross the plate for a 6-3 advantage.
In the top of the ninth, the Colonels had runners on the corners after two Wofford errors. A single and a sacrifice fly scored two runs to make it an 8-3 contest. The Terriers were retired in order in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.
Wofford starter Cash Collins went five innings and allowed three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts. Anthony Rowland gave up two hits in two-thirds of an inning. Ryan Traylor worked a third of an inning and did not allow a hit. Alex Wilson (1-1) threw two innings and gave up three runs on four hits with three strikeouts. Connell Anderson went the ninth and gave up two hits and two unearned runs.
Eastern Kentucky starter Matt Harris (1-2) threw eight innings and gave up three runs on nine hits with seven strikeouts. Brent Cobb closed the game and did not allow a hit in the ninth.
The Terriers series with the Colonels continues Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Next week Wofford will host East Tennessee State on Wednesday night.