Elon 7, Georgia Southern 6 (11 inn.)
ELON, N.C. -- For the fourth time this season, the Elon Phoenix claimed a victory in its final at bat of the game. On Sunday, the win came in the bottom of the 11th as Ryan Kinsella's single to right-center drove home the game-winner in a 7-6 contest against Georgia Southern. The win completed the series sweep for the Phoenix which improved to 10-5 overall and 5-1 in Southern Conference baseball action.
Kinsella delivered two big blows in the game. Along with his single in the 11th, he belted the first pitch thrown by Will Middour deep over the wall in right for a three-run home run that tied the game at six in the last of the seventh. Kinsella ended the day with three hits and four RBI.
"It's tough to get a sweep in this league, especially against a good team," said Elon skipper Mike Kennedy. "We're playing a little bit better and we have a little bit of confidence and we've been pitching well. We try and preach to them that we have to play nine innings. You never know which run might beat you. When you're in the bottom half, you always feel you have a chance to win the game."
Georgia Southern (7-9, 0-3) started the scoring in the top of the third as an Elon error allowed a two-out run to score. Later in the inning, Eric Phillips doubled home a second Eagle run.
Elon came right back in the bottom half, scoring three times to take a 3-2 lead. With one out, Sebastian Gomez reached on an infield single before scoring on a Jake Luce triple. Luce scored to tie the game at two on an Alex Swim sacrifice fly. Kinsella followed with a triple to right-center and then scored on a wild pitch.
A three-run fourth for GSU was highlighted by RBI singles from Tyler Avera and Stryker Brown along with a sac fly by Scooter Williams.
After the Eagles tacked on a run in the sixth to make it a 6-3 contest, Elon began its half of the seventh with back-to-back walks to Luce and Swim. Kinsella then made GSU pay with his first homer of the season.
Nate Young (2-0) earned the win with two scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Middour (0-2) took the loss after he allowed two runs on two hits in 4.2 innings.
Elon will conclude its five-game home stand by welcoming in North Carolina State in a 4 p.m. game on Tuesday afternoon.
Western Carolina 6, The Citadel 5
Charleston, S.C. - Western Carolina scored two runs in the eighth inning to rally past The Citadel for a 6-5 victory Sunday afternoon in Southern Conference action at Riley Park, taking the weekend series two game to one. The loss drops the Bulldogs to 7-8 overall and 1-2 in the league.
Trailing 5-4, Western Carolina (12-4, 2-1 SoCon) put the first two batters on base and a RBI single by Jacob Hoyle knotted the game at 5-5. Bryant Noteboom followed with another RBI single to plate Ross Heffley with the eventual winning run.
After Western Carolina opened the scoreboard with a single run in the first on a RBI single by Hoyle, the Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second. Justin Mackert led off the frame with a single and Drew DeKerlegand knocked a RBI double to right center to knot the game at 1-1. Bo Thompson walked and balk on Catamount starter Jeremy Null moved the runners to second and third for Bailey Rush, who hit a RBI groundout to first, giving the Bulldogs a one-run lead.
The two clubs traded single runs in the third to put the score at 3-2 for the home squad. Western Carolina plated its run on a RBI double down the left-field line by Ross Heffley, while the Bulldogs took back the 3-2 lead on a solo home run to right by Joe Jackson, his first career round-tripper.
The Catamounts knotted the score at 3-3 in the fourth on a solo home run to right by Dale Urquhart.
The Citadel pulled ahead once again in the fifth, scoring a pair of runs on Justin Mackert's two-run homer to left center, his fourth of the season and ninth career. Davis reached on fielding error at third to open the frame and one batter later, Nick Orvin reached on a fielder's choice to third, with Davis out on the play. Mackert then took a 2-1 pitch from Catamount reliever Adam Curtis over the wall in left center.
Western Carolina chipped away at the Bulldogs' lead with a run in the sixth to make the score 5-4 on Heffley's second RBI double of the afternoon. The Catamounts then plated the pair of runs in the eighth to take the lead and the weekend series from the Bulldogs.
Preston Hatcher picked up the win for the Catamounts, tossing 2-1/3 shutout innings of relief and allowing two hits. Null went four innings, allowing four runs on four hits with five strikeouts. Heffley led the Catamounts' offense with a pair hits and two RBI.
Ross White took the loss for the Bulldogs, allowing two unearned runs on two hits. Citadel starter Logan Cribb tossed six innings, scattering seven hits and allowing four runs and striking out eight. Jackson and Mackert each had two hits for the Bulldogs.
The Citadel returns to action Wednesday evening with a non-conference matchup against Winthrop at Riley Park. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
Samford 10, UNCG 1
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Samford's Saxon Butler went 4-5 with two home runs and Josh Martin pitched seven strong innings as Samford downed UNCG, 10-1, on Sunday afternoon at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Samford (11-5, 2-1 SoCon) scored in each of the first four innings, including six in the fourth inning.
Butler drilled his first of two solo shots in the top of the first to put Samford up, 1-0. The Bulldogs' Tommy Corbin singled down the left field line in the second inning to extend the lead to 2-0.
In his second at-bat of the afternoon, Butler connected with his second blast of the day to make it, 3-0, in the top of the third inning.
The Bulldogs put the game out of reach after Samfords' Zeth Stone scored Corbin with a sacrifice fly to start the scoring in the fourth. Brad Moss then stepped up to the plate and delivered a two-run double down the left field line to make it a 6-0 game.
Butler kept it going for Samford as he struck for the third time on the afternoon with an RBI single, and Phillip Ervin followed with a two-run double to put the Bulldogs up, 10-0.
After an unearned run crossed in the top of the sixth for the Bulldogs, UNCG (10-5, 1-2 SoCon) got on the scoreboard after an RBI double by Thomas Troelstrup that scored Cole Harrison and cut the deficit to 10-1.
Samford starter Josh Martin (4-0) pitched seven innings of four-hit ball with a walk and a strikeout and ended the afternoon right under the century mark, with 99 pitches.
UNCG's Nick Chapman paced the team with two of the teams' hits as he went 2-3 to increase his batting average to .345.
The Spartans welcome No. 6 North Carolina on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
College of Charleston 13, Furman 11
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Bradley Goodson went 3-for-5, homered, and drove in six runs to power College of Charleston to a 13-11 Southern Conference victory over Furman Sunday at Latham Stadium, completing the three-game series sweep.
Goodson's three-run clout in the eighth inning off Paladin reliever Brant Masters gave the College of Charleston (12-3, 4-2 SoCon) a 13-5 lead, and as it turned out the Cougars needed the round tripper to hold off Furman (8-8, 0-3 SoCon), who rallied for six runs in the bottom of the frame.
In the Paladin eighth Will Owens' two-out, two-run single off CofC reliever Drew Freie made it 13-11 and moved pinch-runner Heath Burton to third.
With Will Owens at the plate, Cougar catcher Ryan Welke blocked a Freie pitch in the dirt. On the play Burton broke for home but Freie scooped up the ball in front of home plate and flipped to Welke, who applied the tag to end the inning.
In the ninth, Furman's Will Muzika stroked a one-out single to right field, but David Peterson, the seventh pitcher of the contest for CofC, regrouped by striking out Paul Nitto and Alex Abrams to end the game and notch his fourth save of the season.
Furman out-hit College of Charleston 15-11 but could not overcome its own pitching, as seven Paladin hurlers combined to surrender 10 walks, seven of which scored. The Paladins also stranded 12 base runners in the contest.
CofC's pitching yielded eight walks, including six in the final three innings.
The Paladins grabbed a 1-0 lead on Miller's first inning solo home run to left field off Cougar starting pitcher Matt Pegler.
College of Charleston got to Paladin starting pitcher Ben Carlson in the fourth. Brandon Murray's leadoff home run to right field tied the game at 1-1. Daniel Aldrich then walked and scored on a Marty Gantt double to right center field to make it 2-1.
CofC upped it to 3-1 in the fifth on a Welke solo home run, but Furman knotted the game in its half of the fifth on RBI singles by Owens and Will Muzika.
The Cougars took the lead for good with a two-run sixth and made it 8-3 in the seventh, combining two hits with three walks to plate three runs.
Charleston's five-run eighth, highlighted by Goodson's three-run blast to left center field, stretched the advantage to 13-5 and appeared to set the Cougars up for a decisive win, but for the second straight game CofC's bullpen nearly imploded. Combining three walks with four hits and a Cougar fielding error, Furman pushed across four unearned runs, highlighted by Will Owens' two-out, two-run single to make it a two-run game.
Despite the late game run splurge, the starting pitchers both earned the decisions, with Pegler (3-1) getting the win after yielding three runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out three. Carlson (1-2) was charged with the loss after working 5 2/3 inning and yielding five runs on six hits. He walked three and fanned six.
Owens paced Furman at the plate, going 2-for-5 with three RBI. Muzika, Nitto, and Hunter Burton also had two hits, as did freshman Jake Jones in his first collegiate start.
Marty Gantt went 2-for-2 and scored twice, and Cody Martin drove in a pair of runs and scored three times for the Cougars.
Furman returns to action on Tuesday with a 7:05 contest at East Tennessee State.
Appalachian State 5, Davidson 4 (10 inn.)
BOONE, N.C. - True freshman Michael Pierson (Coral Springs, Fla./Pine Crest) beat out an infield single with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning to drive in the winning run of Appalachian State University baseball's 5-4 victory over Davidson on Sunday afternoon at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
With the triumph, Appalachian (13-2, 3-0 SoCon) extended its winning streak to 11 games and swept its first Southern Conference series of the season, marking the first time in 16 years that ASU has achieved either feat.
The Mountaineers squandered a 4-1 lead in the ninth to send the game to extra innings but with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 10th, Pierson hit a high chopper to the left side of the pitcher's mound. Davidson shortstop Andrew Barna charged the ball and made a bare-handed grab-and-throw to first but it was not in time to get the speedy Pierson. Trey Holmes (Rockwell, N.C./East Rowan), who started ASU's 10th-inning rally with a one-out single, scored easily from third with the winning run.
The extra-inning triumph was keyed by late-game subs. In addition to Pierson, who went 2-for-2 with a run scored and the game-winning RBI after he came in the ballgame as a pinch-runner in the eighth, left fielder Preston Troutman (Rockwell, N.C./East Rowan) and winning pitcher Tyler Moore (Banner Elk, N.C./Watauga) also played key roles after entering the contest in the ninth.
Appalachian likely would not have had a chance to win the game in extra frames if it weren't for Troutman making perhaps the club's defensive play of the year in the ninth. With the score knotted at 4-4 and runners on first and second, Davidson's Michael Zeblo slapped a single through the left side of the infield. Moving on contact, DC's Forrest Brandt attempted to score the go-ahead run from second but Troutman fielded the hit cleanly and made a perfect throw to the plate that beat Brandt by several feet. Catcher Jeremy Dowdy (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) applied the tag to maintain the tied score.
Moore (2-0), who came on in relief of ASU closer Nathan Hyatt (Brevard, N.C./Brevard) with the bases loaded and nobody out in the ninth, worked two scoreless innings to earn the win. The right-handed junior was particularly impressive in the 10th inning when he worked around a two-out hit and walk to keep the Wildcats off the board and set up Pierson's heroics in the bottom of the stanza.
Despite not entering the ballgame until the eighth inning, Pierson was the only Mountaineer with multiple hits on Sunday. However, senior Daniel Kassouf (Lexington, N.C./North Davidson) and junior Tyler Zupcic (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) both contributed to Appalachian's nine-hit effort and extended their hitting streaks to eight games. Dowdy also had a hit and walked twice to reach base safely for the 14th time in his 14 contest this season.
No. 9 hitter Daniel Gerow went 4-for-5 and Brandt had two RBI to lead Davidson (4-9, 0-3 SoCon). Relief pitcher Jip Richards (0-1) walked four and allowed two hits in 1.2 innings to suffer the loss.
Appalachian now sets its sights on two big non-conference road games this week. The Mountaineers travel to face Duke for the second time in seven days on Tuesday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park before visiting two-time-defending national champion South Carolina on Wednesday. Tuesday's contest at Duke begins at 3 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m. first pitch for Wednesday's matchup at USC.
Eastern Kentucky 10, Wofford 2
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - On Sunday afternoon, the Wofford College baseball team was defeated 10-2 by Eastern Kentucky at Russell C. King Field. The Colonels had a 3-1 lead after the third inning and added four runs in the ninth inning to take the weekend series 2-1.
Wofford is 8-8 overall and Eastern Kentucky is 6-9 overall. The Terriers were led by Stephen Cantrell with two hits and an RBI, while Mac Doyle added two hits. The Colonels had three hits each from A.J. Jamison, Richie Rodriguez, and Sean Hagen. Wofford had four errors in the game and Eastern Kentucky left 16 runners on base.
In the top of the third inning, the Colonels got on the board when Sean Hagen singled and then two Wofford errors allowed one run to score. With two runners on base, Richie Rodriguez hit a double to drive in two runs for a 3-0 lead. A walk and single loaded the bases with one out, but Eastern Kentucky left three runners on base to end their half of the inning.
The Terriers scored in the bottom of the third when Matt Moore walked and a double down the right line by James Foster made it a 3-1 game. In the top of the fourth, Eastern Kentucky added a run on an RBI single by A.J. Jamison for a 4-1 lead. The Colonels loaded the bases with another single and an error, but all three were stranded.
Wofford left a runner on base in the bottom of the fourth and Eastern Kentucky stranded two in the top of the fifth. In the top of the sixth, a double, single, and hit by pitch loaded the bases, but again all were left on base. The Colonels added a run in the top of the seventh when Sean Hagen doubled and was driven home with an RBI single from A.J. Jamison. A wild pitch scored a second run to take a 6-1 lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, Wofford put a run on the scoreboard when David Roney reached on an error and he scored on a double by Stephen Cantrell to make it 6-2. In the top of the ninth, the Colonels loaded the bases with a walk, single and hit by pitch. Richie Rodriguez had an RBI single and a sacrifice fly by Jacob Daniel added two runs. A hit by Austin Grisham scored two runners for a 10-2 lead. Wofford was retired in order in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.
Wofford starter Pete Noordsy (1-1) went six inning and allowed seven hits and four runs, only one of which was earned, along with six strikeouts. Ryan Traylor worked an inning and gave up two runs on two hits. J.D. Osborne made his first appearance of the season and went an inning with one hit allowed and a strikeout. Anthony Rowland allowed four runs on two hits. Gus White went the final three outs with one hit allowed and a strikeout.
Eastern Kentucky starter Shane Grimm (1-3) went seven innings with two runs allowed on four hits with three strikeouts. Matt Fyffe threw an inning and gave up one hit with a strikeout. Anthony Bazzani closed the game and had two strikeouts in the final inning.
The Terriers will host East Tennessee State on Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. in a game that was added to the schedule. The Southern Conference slate begins for Wofford on Friday night at the College of Charleston.