The Citadel 4, Charleston Southern 0
Charleston, S.C. - Four Bulldog pitcher combined on a three-hit shutout and Mason Davis had a two-run triple in a four-run seventh inning as The Citadel blanked visiting Charleston Southern 4-0 Tuesday evening at Riley Park. The Bulldogs improve to 9-11 overall and travel to face Big 10 foe Minnesota for a three-game series this weekend.
After the two teams kept each other scoreless through six frames, the Bulldogs exploded for four runs in the seventh to earn the victory. Bo Thompson led off the inning with a single through the right side and Hayden Hendry pinch ran for the Bulldogs' designated hitter. Drew DeKerlegand dropped a sacrifice bunt to move Hendry to second and a walk by Calvin Orth put a pair of runners on and sent Buccaneer starter Kevin Buran to the bench. Ryne Hardwick grounded out to third, advancing the runners to second and third for Hughston Armstrong.
Armstrong connected on a 3-1 pitch from Zach Hagaman for a RBI single into right field to score Hendry for the 1-0 lead and moved to second on the throw to the plate. Davis drove a 0-1 pitch from Hagaman that painted the right-field line, racing around the bases for a two-run triple and putting the home side up 3-0. Davis would later score on a wild pitch by Hagaman for the 4-0 Bulldog lead.
TJ Clarkson picked up the win in relief for the Bulldogs, tossing two innings of no-hit ball with two walks and one strikeout. Brett Tompkins started the game for The Citadel, going the first four innings and allowing just one walk. Davis and Justin Mackert each had a pair of hits.
Buran suffered the loss for Charleston Southern, allowing two runs on five hits in 6-1/3 innings with two walks and two strikeouts. Hagaman gave up a pair of runs on two hits in two-thirds of an inning of work.
Davidson 4, North Carolina Central 1 (7 inn.)
DURHAM, N.C. - Lightning in the vicinity of Durham Athletic Park halted the non-conference baseball game between the Davidson Wildcats and NC Central Eagles following the seventh inning, giving Davidson a 4-1 win Tuesday night.
Junior RHP Bryan DaCanal earned the win in his first career start for Davidson (8-10), surrendering just one run on three hits and three walks in 5.1 innings of work.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. With one out, sophomore left fielder Forrest Brandt (1-for-3) and senior centerfielder Drew Gadaire (1-for-4) reached base on back-to-back base hits, and junior third baseman Andrew Barna (1-for-3) drove in both with a triple off the wall in left-center field. Junior second baseman James Cerbie (0-for-2) then drove in Barna on an RBI-groundout to the shortstop.
The ‘Cats extended the lead to 4-0 in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by senior right fielder Jake Berman (0-for-3).
NC Central got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning. Centerfielder Nate Smith (0-for-1) walked and second baseman Tyson Simpson (1-for-3) scored him from first base with a double to the wall in right field.
The Eagles had a chance make the game tighter in the sixth inning when they loaded the bases with one out. Freshman RHP Matt Saeta relieved DaCanal and fell behind in the count 3-0 to Simpson, but Saeta battled back to make it a full count, and then Simpson grounded into a double play to end the inning.
Saeta retired the side in the seventh and then lightning was detected in the area, forcing both teams to clear the field. Lightning remained in the area and heavy rains moved in, forcing the game to be called after seven innings.
Davidson opens a three-game Southern Conference series at College of Charleston Friday at 6 p.m. in Charleston, S.C.
Georgia Southern 17, Jacksonville 11
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern Baseball team exploded for 15 runs over three innings but had to hold on for a 17-11 win over the Jacksonville Dolphins on Tuesday at J.I. Clements Stadium. Chase Griffin (Leesburg, Ga.) drove in five of the runs on four hits and two long balls, including his first career grand slam.
Justin Hess (Panama City, Fla.) (1-0) got Georgia Southern (10-11) off to a good start by holding Jacksonville (10-12) without a hit the first time through the order but struggled finding the third out in the fifth inning. Hess allowed seven runs - four earned - on seven hits and no walks. The junior pitcher struck out six batters in five innings for his first win of the season.
The Eagles finished the day with a season-high 18 hits. Six different Georgia Southern hitters tallied two hits or more and all but two of the 11 batters to record an at-bat picked up a base hit.
The Eagles took advantage of the early success by Hess. After he faced the minimum with four strikeouts in the first two innings, Georgia Southern exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the second and took a 15-2 lead after a six run fourth inning.
Casey Kicklighter (Jesup, Ga.) and Griffin both homered in the second inning to plate three runs, all before five-straight batters reached base to score five more runs. Eric Phillips (Carrollton, Ga.) and T.D. Davis (Evans, Ga.) combined to drive in four of the runs with a pair of two-RBI base hits.
The Dolphins' starter, Spencer Jack (0-1), was lifted after hitting Ben Morgan (Evans, Ga.) with a pitch with one out in the second inning. He was tagged with the loss after surrendering four runs on three hits and one walk. The bullpen did not fare much better for Jacksonville, as four of the six pitchers used out of the pen allowed multiple runs to score.
Griffin added his second home run of the game in the fourth inning, plating four of the six runs in the fourth inning on his first career grand slam. Davis started the scoring with a base hit to center, and Stryker Brown (Dalton, Ga.) plated another run with a bunt single before the home run.
Jacksonville batted around in the fifth inning and scored five runs on six hits to pull within 10 runs of the Eagles. Dan Gulbransen plated two runs on a single to left field, and Adam Brett Walker plated another run with a double.
Georgia Southern added two more runs in the seventh inning after the Dolphins struck for two runs in the top half of the frame. Hunter Thomas' (Johns Creek, Ga.) first career-hit drove in Griffin and Williams, who recorded a single and a walk around a sacrifice bunt by Morgan. Thomas entered on defense in the fifth inning and walked in the sixth inning before delivering a one-out double into the left-center gap.
Jacksonville pulled within six runs in the eighth inning before Jarret Leverett (Eatonton, Ga.) closed the door with a one-two-three ninth inning. Dan Gulbransen homered to left field to score himself and Taylor Ratliff, who led off the inning with a double, for two runs in the eighth.
Georgia Southern returns to Southern Conference play at Furman this weekend. The three-game series opens Friday night at 6 p.m. and continues at 4 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
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. 23 Clemson 6, Elon 2
CLEMSON, S.C. -- The 23rd-ranked Clemson Tigers turned three walks into three first-inning runs on their way to a 6-2 victory over the Elon Phoenix on Tuesday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
Elon (12-9) out-hit Clemson (10-8) 10-9 on the night, but the Tigers took advantage of seven free passes issued by Phoenix pitching.
Clemson began the bottom of the first inning with three consecutive walks to load the bases before Phil Pohl lined a single to center to plate the first run. A fielder's choice brought home the second run before a Spencer Kieboom sac fly drove home the third marker of the first frame.
The Phoenix made it a 3-1 game in the third inning when Sebastian Gomez hit a two-out single to center that drove home Casey Jones.
After the Tigers made it a 4-1 contest in the fourth, Elon closed the gap to two again in the sixth. Ryan Kinsella's lead-off walk was followed by a Garrett Koster single. After a wild pitch advanced both runners Jones drove home Kinsella with an infield single. The Phoenix would not be able to pull any closer and left two runners stranded in the inning.
Clemson tacked on two insurance runs in the seventh on RBI singles from Tyler Slaton and Steve Wilkerson.
Jonathan Meyer (1-1) was the winning pitcher as he allowed one run on seven hits over five innings.
Grant McCoury (0-1) suffered the loss and was charged with three runs on one hit in just two-thirds of an inning. The Phoenix remained close in large part because of the relief efforts of Ryan Pennell. Pennell threw 4.1 innings, allowing one run on five hits while striking out five Tiger hitters.
Both Koster and Jones had two-hit nights for the Phoenix and Alex Swim extended his hitting streak to a SoCon-leading 14 games with a single in the seventh.
The two teams will face off again on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.
No. 6 South Carolina 8, Furman 5
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Joey Pankake had five hits and Evan Marzilli went 4-for-5, homered, and scored four runs to propel nationally sixth-ranked South Carolina to an 8-5 victory over Furman in front of 5,965 fans at Fluor Field on Tuesday evening.
The win improves South Carolina to 16-4 on the season while Furman falls to 11-11 on the campaign.
Pankake had five consecutive hits before hitting into a double play in the ninth to spoil his bid for a perfect evening. The freshman from Ealsey doubled and drove in a pair or runs.
Marzilli's work at the plate included a three-run home run down the right field line in the sixth inning that gave the Gamecocks a 6-2 lead.
South Carolina banged out a season high 16 hits.
Will Miller headlined Furman's offense with a 3-for-4, 3-RBI display. The senior center fielder cracked his team leading sixth home run in the seventh to pull the Paladins to within three runs at 8-5.
Taylor Johnson also homered for the Paladins, hitting a two-run shot to left field in the fourth that tied the game at 2-2.
The win was credited to Hunter Privette (1-0), who came on for Gamecock starter Jordan Montgomery with two outs in the bottom of the fifth with USC leading 3-2.
Furman starter Tyler Wood (3-2) was charged with the loss, yielding three runs on seven hits in five innings of work. He walked four and fanned two.
South Carolina took a 2-0 lead with a run in the first and another in the third on Christian Walker's sacrifice fly.
Johnson tied it with a 2-run blast off Montgomery in the fourth, but South Carolina answered with a run in the fifth for a 3-2 lead and with a three-run sixth on Marzilli's three-run clout that sailed over the right field wall just inside the Pesky Pole.
Furman left the bases loaded in the sixth after Tyler Webb retired Paladin pinch-hitter Harrison Farmer on a fly to right following a 13-pitch at bat.
The Paladins put runners at first and third with one out in the eighth but failed to score.
Evan Beal worked a perfect ninth to notch his fourth save.
Six South Carolina pitchers combined to record 15 strikeouts, including a career high eight by Montgomery.
Furman opens a three-game Southern Conference series against Georgia Southern this Friday at Latham Stadium. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.
UNC Wilmington 7, College of Charleston 3
WILMINGTON, N.C. - UNC-Wilmington used a three-run third inning to go up 4-0 on College of Charleston and eventually 7-3 on Tuesday evening in non-conference action.
With the win, the Seahawks (10-10) won their second game in a week against the College of Charleston (15-6).
Tyler Molinaro led the way for UNC-Wilmington with a 3-5 day at the plate, including a two-run home run to add insurance in the eighth inning. Jack Lane (1-0) picked up the win for the Seahawks. UNC-Wilmington tallied 12 hits, while allowing only six CofC hits.
Ryan West (2-2) was tagged with the loss as he allowed four runs and seven hits in 2.2 innings. The CofC bullpen did well to limit Wilmington to just one run until the home run in the eighth inning.
Junior Dre Watts hit his first home run of the season, and Ryan Welke hit a double and scored a run.
Despite a diving grab by Cody Martin to rob a double in the second inning, UNCW was able to load the bases and walk in a run with two outs to take a 1-0 lead.
The Seahawks then added three more runs on three straight singles by Molinaro, Thomas Pope and Hunter Ridge and a two-out double from Corey Dick to build a 4-0 lead after the third frame.
UNC-Wilmington continued to find holes with three singles in the fourth, including an RBI by Pope, to load the bases with just one out. However, a strikeout from reliever Drew Freie and a groundout got out of the inning with CofC down 5-0.
College of Charleston's offense awoke in the fifth inning with a leadoff solo home run from Dre Watts, his first of the season. Watts has come on in the last week, hitting 5-11 since his three-walk performance against UNCW last Tuesday.
In the seventh inning, CofC's Ryan Welke reached on a hard-hit double and advanced to third on a single by Gunnar Heidt. Bradley Goodson picked up an RBI with a hard-hit grounder that bounced off the shortstop for an error and scored Welke. With two outs, Marty Gantt singled to right field to score Heidt and extend his reached base streak to 18 games, making the score 5-3 after the top of the seventh.
Despite the CofC run, UNC-Wilmington's Tyler Molinaro put the game out of reach in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run home run to right field to extend the lead to 7-3.
The Cougars will play at Charleston Southern tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. in North Charleston, S.C.
No. 1 Florida 5, Samford 3
GAINESVILLE, Fla.-The Samford baseball team fell in a hard-fought contest at the top-ranked Florida Gators, 5-3, Tuesday evening at McKethan Stadium.
Samford falls to 13-8 with the loss. Florida improves to 20-1, collecting its 18th-straight win.
Samford was led at the plate by Brad Moss, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. C.K. Irby also went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Bulldogs.
Lex Rutledge (0-2) pitched 1.1 innings, giving up three runs on three hits to take the loss on the mound for Samford. Joseph Burns, Andres Gracia, Taylor Hammond, Tyler Vanderheiden and Irby also saw time on the mound for the Bulldogs.
For Florida, Mike Zunino went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Josh Tobias went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Preston Tucker was 2-for-4 for the Gators.
Johnny Magliozzi (2-0), pitched 4.0 innings, giving up one run on three hits and striking out six batters to earn the win on the mound. Austin Maddox pitched the final inning to earn his seventh save of the season.
Samford jumped on top first with a run in the top of the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead. Zeth Stone doubled to lead off the inning. After back-to-back strikeouts, Brandon Miller singled through the left side of the infield to drive in Stone for the first run of the game.
Florida answered with a run in the bottom of the first inning to tie the score at 1-1. Daniel Pigott singled with one out to start the rally. Tucker then singled and Pigott advanced to third base. Pigott then scored on an infield single by Zunino to tie the score.
The Gators took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the second inning. Tobias singled to drive in Justin Shafer for the inning's first run. Tobias later scored on a wild pitch to give Florida a 3-1 lead.
Samford came back with a run in the top of the fifth inning to cut the Florida lead to 3-2. Kevin Putkonen singled to center field to lead off the inning. Putkonen moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Austin Allison. With two outs in the inning, Putkonen stole third base. Moss then doubled to left-center field to drive in Putkonen to bring the Bulldogs to within one run.
Florida added a run in the bottom of the fifth inning to push its lead back out to two runs at 4-2. Tucker doubled to lead off the inning for Gators. Tucker later scored on a single by Taylor Gushue.
The Bulldogs added a run in the top of the seventh inning to cut the Gator lead back to one run. With two outs in the inning, Stone reached base and advanced to second on a Florida error. He then stole third base and later scored on a single by Moss to make the score 4-3.
The Gators answered with a run in the bottom of the seventh to push their lead to 5-3. With one out in the inning, Pigott was hit by a pitch. With two outs, Zunino doubled to drive in Pigott for a two-run Florida lead.
Samford will return to action on Friday, March 23, when the Bulldogs open a three-game Southern Conference series at Wofford. Friday's series-opener is scheduled for a 5 p.m. (CT) start from Spartanburg, S.C.
ASU-High Point Baseball Postponed
HIGH POINT, N.C. - Tuesday's baseball game between Appalachian State University and High Point was postponed due to rain and lightning. No makeup date has been announced.
Appalachian (17-3, 6-0 SoCon) returns to action on Friday when it opens a pivotal three-game Southern Conference series at Elon. First pitch is set for 6:30