Appalachian State 6, Duke 3
DURHAM, N.C. - In only his second-career start, true freshman Jamie Nunn (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) did not allow an earned run over six strong innings to help lead Appalachian State University baseball to its 12th-straight win, a 6-3 triumph over Duke on Tuesday afternoon at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Appalachian's 12-game winning streak stands alone as the second-longest in school history, just two wins shy of the school-record 14-straight victories that the Mountaineers put together from March 27-April 12, 1986. After going 37 years between wins over Duke, Appalachian (14-2) beat the Blue Devils twice in seven days to sweep the season series between the two clubs.
Nunn was the story of ASU's 12th-consecutive win. The right-hander kept the Blue Devils off-balance for six innings, allowing just one run (unearned) on three hits while striking out eight. After surrendering the unearned run on a pair of singles and his own throwing error on a failed pickoff attempt in the bottom of the first inning, Nunn (1-0) settled in to retire nine-straight and 16 of the final 19 batters that he faced overall.
Making Nunn's job easier was the fact that he was handed a 3-0 lead before he threw a pitch when the Mountaineers' offense scored three times in the top of the first. As has been the case for much of ASU's impressive start to the season, it was two-out hitting that helped stake the Apps to the early advantage. With runners on first and second and two away, Tyler Tewell (Charlotte, N.C./Butler) drove a 2-2 pitch high off the "Blue Monster" wall in left center field for a two-run double. Jeremy Dowdy (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) followed with a double of his own to left, scoring Tewell from second to give Appalachian the early 3-0 advantage.
After Duke's unearned run in the bottom of the first, the score remained 3-1 until fourth when Preston Troutman (Rockwell, N.C./East Rowan) stretched the ASU lead to 4-1 on an RBI single to left-center field. Daniel Kassouf (Lexington, N.C./North Davidson) made it 6-1 in the eighth with a mammoth two-run home run over the high wall in left center field, his team-leading fifth homer of the season.
The Blue Devils made it interesting when they cut the deficit to 6-3 with two runs in the bottom of the eighth and loaded the bases with just one out in the ninth. However, ASU closer Nathan Hyatt (Brevard, N.C./Brevard) struck out the final two batters of the ballgame to seal Mountaineers' 12th-straight win and earn his sixth save of the season.
All nine members of Appalachian's starting lineup had at least one hit in the club's 12-hit effort. Hector Crespo (Miami, Fla./Florida Christian), Will Callaway (Greenville, S.C./Eastside) and Noah Holmes (Rockwell, N.C./East Rowan) led the way with two hits apiece while Kassouf and Tewell combined to drive in four of the Mountaineers' six runs.
Grant McCabe, who Hyatt struck out to end the ballgame, went 2-for-4 to lead Duke (7-12). Blue Devil starter Dalton Brown (0-1) allowed three runs in three innings to suffer the loss.
Appalachian looks to extend its winning streak to 13 on Wednesday night when it squares off with No. 3-ranked South Carolina. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. at USC's Carolina Stadium.
Furman 7, East Tennessee State 4
JOHNSON CITY, TENN. -- Tyler Wood won his third straight decision and Paul Nitto drove in three runs to power Furman to a 7-4 victory over East Tennessee State in Tuesday afternoon baseball action at Thomas Stadium.
The win halted a three-game losing skid for Furman (9-8) while East Tennessee State (8-6) dropped its second encounter of the season against Southern Conference foes.
Coming off a seven-inning, two-hit performance in a 6-1 win over UNC Asheville last week, Wood (3-1) worked six innings, allowing three runs on six hits before departing with a 4-3 lead. The sophomore right-hander walked one and struck out five.
The Paladins fell behind 3-0 before tying the game with three runs in the fifth. Nitto drew a leadoff walk, advanced to third on an Alex Abrams double, and then scored along with Abrams on a Taylor Johnson double to center field. Johnson came around to score the game tying run on a single to right field by Harrison Farmer.
Furman took the lead for good in the sixth when Will Miller stroked a leadoff double, moved to third on a balk, and came home on a Nitto sacrifice fly.
The Paladins added three insurance runs in the eighth, two of which came on a Nitto single to center field off Buccaneer reliever Kerry Doane that stretched the lead to 7-3.
Paladin relievers Daniel Stallsmith and Matt Solter worked a scoreless seventh and eighth, respectively, and Elliott Warford allowed a run in the ninth before nailing down the victory.
Clinton Freeman went 3-for-4 to lead East Tennessee State's 11-hit attack, and Derek Niesman had two hits, including a two-run single in the fourth that staked the Buccaneers to a 3-0 lead.
Jimmy Nesselt (0-2) held Furman hitless over the first four frames before the Paladins got to him in the fifth. He ended up taking the loss after yielding four runs on four hits and two walks. He fanned two.
Furman returns home to take on USC Upstate on Wednesday in a 6:00 p.m. game at Latham Stadium.
Davidson 12, North Carolina Central 3
DAVIDSON, N.C.- Drew Gadaire and Andrew Barna combined to drive in seven runs for Davidson, as the Wildcats turned in a season-best offensive performance against NC Central in a 12-3 victory in non-conference baseball action Tuesday night at Wilson Field.
Davidson (5-9, 0-3 SoCon) had four hitters with multi-hit games. Gadaire, a senior centerfielder, went 4-for-5 with a walk, three runs scored and three RBI, while Barna, a junior third baseman, went 3-for-5 with a walk, two runs and four RBI. Junior shortstop Michael Zeblo (3-for-5, two RBI) and sophomore catcher Chris Dyer (2-for-5, run, RBI) also had productive days at the plate.
Third baseman Troy Marrow went 1-for-4 with two RBI and catcher Carter Williamson went 1-for-3 with an RBI for NC Central (3-14, 2-1 MEAC) as the Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 lead on four hits in the first inning. Davidson starter LHP Henry Sisson settled in though and allowed just two hits and a walk over the next 3.1 innings he pitched. RHP Ryan Lowe (1-1) followed with three scoreless innings, allowing just a hit and two walks while striking out three, as Davidson scored a season-high 12 unanswered runs.
The Wildcats also set single-game season high marks for hits with 14, walks with 10 and stolen bases with eight. RHP Jasper Jones held Davidson scoreless through the first two innings, but senior right fielder Jake Berman and sophomore left fielder Forrest Brandt drew one-out walks in the bottom of the third inning, moved into scoring position with a double steal, and then scored on an RBI-groundout by Gadaire and an RBI-single by Barna, respectively.
Davidson tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth inning as senior first baseman Calvin Sigelbaum drew a two-out walk and then scored from first base on a double to right center by Dyer.
Neither starting pitcher factored into the decision as RHP Gabe Brown (1-1) took over for NC Central in the fifth inning and allowed two runs. With Barna and Gadaire on second and third base, respectively, senior second baseman James Cerbie plated the game-winning run with an RBI-groundout to shortstop and Zeblo followed with a single to left field.
The Wildcats put the game out of reach with three runs in the sixth inning and four more in the seventh. Barna drove in two in the sixth with a triple that bounced over the left fielder and rolled to the wall. Zeblo then drove in Barna with a base hit to left field. Gadaire drove in two on a double with the bases loaded in the seventh, and following an RBI-single by Barna, scored on a sacrifice fly by Cerbie.
The win snapped a seven-game losing streak for the 'Cats. Davidson will next resume Southern Conference play when it hosts Elon in a three-game series beginning Friday night at 7 p.m. at Wilson Field.
No. 24 Wake Forest 14, Georgia Southern 4
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Georgia Southern Baseball team dropped their fourth-straight road contest at #24 Wake Forest on Tuesday afternoon. The Eagles trailed early and were down 10 runs before cracking the scoreboard for the first time in the sixth inning.
Wake Forest (14-4) jumped ahead with five runs over the first two innings and got a great start from Chris Wilson (2-0) to pick up their 14th straight victory. The redshirt freshman allowed two runs over six innings and held Georgia Southern (7-10) scoreless for the first five frames. Josh Adams (Bath, S.C.) (0-1) was tagged with the loss after giving up five runs on four hits in two innings.
Eric Phillips (Carrollton, Ga.) tallied three of the Eagles' eight hits in his fifth three-hit game of the season. The senior third baseman extended his hit streak to a career-high 18 games with a bunt single in the first inning and also posted base hits in the sixth and eighth innings. Scooter Williams (Detroit, Mich.) returned to the lead off spot for the first time in seven games and responded with two hits, a run and a RBI.
A solo home run from Carlos Lopez capped off a two-run first inning for the Demon Deacons and a sacrifice fly from Conor Kaniry started the scoring in the three-run second inning. Mac Williamson drove in the final two runs in the frame with a single into right field to put Wake Forest up 5-0.
An inside the park home run opened the four-run fourth inning. Evan Stephens hit a ball hard off the wall in right-center field and it bounced over the head of Williams allowing him to round the bases for the first run of the inning. A walk and back-to-back singles drove in a run, before Charlie Morgan cleared the bases with a three-run homer down the line in right field.
Georgia Southern finally got on the scoreboard in the sixth inning on a RBI-double from Michael Burruss (Marietta, Ga.) and a base hit to center off the bat of Phillips. Wake Forest got one of the runs back in the bottom half of the frame on a solo shot from Mac Williamson.
The Demon Deacons added three more runs without a hit in the eighth inning and jumped ahead by 11 runs going into the final inning. Wake Forest batted around without a hit after three batters were walked and two were hit by a pitch.
Georgia Southern returns home for a conference series against UNCG this weekend. The three-game series opens on Friday at 6 p.m.
All games can be heard on Boomer 103.7 FM and inside the stadium on 88.1 FM. Audio for all games is also available on the web and subscription video is available for all home games at GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com/Eaglevision.
No. 19 North Carolina State 8, Elon 1
ELON, N.C. -- Facing its eighth top-30 foe in its 16th game of the season, the Elon Phoenix baseball program was dealt an 8-1 set-back by #19 North Carolina State at Latham Park on Tuesday night.
For the first time this season Elon (10-6) surrendered double-digit hits as the Wolfpack (12-3) picked up 11 hits in the game.
NC State took a 1-0 lead in the first when Brett Austin singled home Trea Turner.
Elon answered with its lone run of the contest in the bottom of the third. Sebastian Gomez led things off with a single up the middle and stole second before a Jake Luce single put runners on the corners. Alex Swim picked up the RBI with a sacrifice fly to knot the score.
The undoing for the Phoenix was in the fourth inning. With one out, a walk and single put two men aboard. Jake Fincher followed with a triple into right-center to drive home both runners. The inning was extended on a dropped third strike with two outs and the Wolfpack took advantage. One run scored on that play before Andrew Ciencin connected on his third home run of the season to make it a 6-1 game.
The Wolfpack tacked on single runs in both the sixth and ninth innings to complete the scoring.
Swim collected two of Elon's seven hits on the night to extend his hitting streak to nine games.
Jim Stokes (1-2) took the loss after giving up six runs (three earned) on six hits in 3.2 innings. He fanned a career-high five hitters.
Picking up the win for NC State was Vance Williams (1-0). Williams tossed five innings and allowed just one run on five hits.
Elon will play again in less than 24 hours as the Phoenix makes the short trip to Greensboro, N.C., to face the North Carolina A&T Aggies in a 3 p.m. contest.
No. 5 North Carolina 5, UNCG 1
GREENSBORO, N.C. - UNCG fell into an early 1-0 hole in the first inning and No. 5 North Carolina rode starter Benton Moss for nearly six innings as the Spartans fell, 5-1, on Tuesday evening at UNCG Baseball Stadium in front of 2,726 fans.
Moss (2-0) earned the win after going 5 2/3 innings and striking out five batters. He gave up just four hits without yielding a run or walk. Dylan Hathcock (2-1) was credited with his first loss of the season for UNCG (10-6) after allowing just on earned run in three innings of work.
The Tar Heels (14-2) jumped on the Spartans early to take the lead. With one out, Tommy Coyle singled to right field and then moved to second on a groundout. It looked like UNCG would get out of the inning, but the Spartan throw to first on a groundball was in the dirt and Coyle was able to score from second to make it 1-0.
UNC added to its lead in the top of the third when Chaz Frank led off with a triple to the gap in right center and later scored on a groundout to make it a two-run game.
Another Spartan miscue led to a run for North Carolina in the top of the fifth to make it 3-0. After three-straight walks, UNCG was called for a balk to allow a run to walk home.
In the seventh inning, UNC added a run on an RBI double by Colin Moran and Moran was able to score later in the inning on a wild pitch to make it 5-0.
UNCG was finally able to get on the board in the bottom half of the seventh as Kris Richards led off with a single to center field. After a strikeout, Thomas Troelstrup singled to center, as well, to move Richards to second.
After another UNCG strikeout, Lloyd Enzor doubled to the gap in left center to score Richards. The Spartans would load the bases on a TJ Spina walk, but UNC got out of the jam by striking out the next Spartan batter.
The Spartans hit the road for the first time this season this weekend as they travel to Georgia Southern for a three-game series beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday.
UNC Wilmington 6, College of Charleston 3
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - UNC Wilmington took a 6-3 win over College of Charleston baseball on Tuesday night at Patriots Point.
The Seahawks (7-9) pitching staff combined for 16 strikeouts and allowed only three runs to pick up the non-conference win over the Cougars (12-4).
William Prince (2-1) picked up the win for UNCW while Griffin Jones (0-1) earned his first loss of the season for CofC. Jones pitched five innings, allowing four hits and five runs, three unearned. Senior Nick Osterman pitched effectively in four innings of relief, striking out three and only allowing two hits and one unearned run.
Senior Rob Harding led the way for College of Charleston offensively, tallying two RBIs on a two-out single for his team-best 10th and 11th two-out RBIs this season. Junior Dre Watts tallied a hit, an RBI and three walks.
Wilmington's Corey Dick went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI as six different Seahawk players scored the six team runs.
UNCW jumped on the scoreboard with four runs in the top of the third inning, using three walks and two hits to move runners around the bases. The first two runs came on bases loaded walks from Tyler Molinaro and Hunter Ridge. A two-out error from CofC's Devon Reed allowed two more runs to score and Wilmington went up 4-0.
College of Charleston cut the lead in half in the bottom half of the inning when a fly ball from Daniel Aldrich fell in short left field to load the bases. Harding singled up the middle to score Devon Reed and Marty Gantt and the Cougars trailed just 4-2.
The Cougars pulled to within one run in the fifth inning after a two-out single from Harding and two wild pitches advanced the senior to third base. Watts singled back up the middle to score Harding and CofC was within 4-3.
The Seahawks slowly pulled away by picking up a run on a two-out single in the 6th inning from Dick to score Drew Farber. The visitors scored again in the 8th inning when a potential double play ball got away from Cody Martin at first and allowed Thomas Pope to score from third and make it 6-3.
UNCW's Tyler DeLoach struck out four in the eighth and ninth innings to earn his first save of the season.
The Cougars will play again on Wednesday, March 13 at Coastal Carolina. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.