College of Charleston 6, Davidson 0
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - College of Charleston earned its fourth shutout of the season with a 6-0 win over Davidson to garner a series sweep over the Wildcats. It marked the third straight SoCon series sweep for the Cougars and fourth sweep of the season.
College of Charleston (18-6, 10-2) scored runs in the first inning for the third straight time over Davidson (8-13, 2-7), while the Cougar pitching staff continued to build on its league-leading ERA of 2.28.
Matt Pegler (5-0) earned his fifth win of the season and lowered his season ERA to 1.69. He pitched 7.0 IP and scattered five hits while striking out three batters with no walks. Dre Watts and Kyle Owings pitched the eighth and ninth innings to shut the door on the Wildcats.
Senior Marty Gantt continued his stellar season with a two-run homer and two stolen bases, while Brandon Murray went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and three walks. Bradley Goodson tallied two hits and Jimmy Holton hit his first career triple.
Davidson's Danny Mooney (1-1) earned the loss for the Wildcats, giving up four earned runs and seven hits in 4.1 IP.
The Cougars put together consecutive hits to lead off the first inning for the third time this weekend. With two outs and runners on the corners, Murray singled through the right side to score Jackson. Rob Harding continued his propensity for two-out RBIs with a single to right center to score Dre Watts and make the score 2-0.
CofC plated a run in the second inning after a triple from Holton landed fair in deep right field. Goodson grounded out to the right side to score Holton and bring the score to 3-0.
Davidson loaded the bases in the fifth inning with none out, but Pegler induced infield popouts from Chris Dyer and Jake Berman and then Gunnar Heidt made an outstanding diving catch on a blooper to short center field to keep the Wildcats off the board.
College of Charleston earned another run in the bottom half of the fifth inning with some small ball. Beginning with a leadoff walk and steal from Gantt, the Cougars then advanced him with a groundout to the right side and he scored on a single from Murray.
Gantt then launched a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to give the Cougars all the cushion they could need, 6-0. The homer was the second in two days, and the fifth for Gantt this season.
The Cougars turned two double plays in the game, bringing the total to five for the weekend series. CofC was very efficient on the weekend, walking just four batters and striking out 26, while also earning 19 walks themselves.
College of Charleston will next host Charleston Southern in a midweek game on Tuesday, March 27 at 6 p.m.
UNCG 5, Western Carolina 1
Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina dropped its Southern Conference series finale to UNC Greensboro on Sunday afternoon, falling 5-1 at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. UNCG took the lead with a four-run top of the third inning to prevent the series sweep.
The loss is WCU's first inside at home this year, while also halting a 14-game home win streak that dated back to the final three-game series of the 2011 season.
Spartan pitching stymied the potent Catamount lineup, limiting WCU to just seven singles while allowing just two runners past second base on the afternoon. Starter Max Povse (2-2) went six innings in the win, scattering four hits while countering two walks with a pair of strikeouts. Reliever Dylan Hathcock picked up the save by working three scoreless innings, holding WCU to just three base hits with a walk and three strikeouts.
Western Carolina (17-7, 4-2 SoCon) took the early lead as Dykota Spiess, who earned the start in left field, drove in his eighth run of the three-game set lifted a sacrifice fly to deep center field after both Jacob Hoyle and Cody Jones had both singled and moved up one base on a passed ball. WCU led 1-0 after two.
Jones and freshman Bradley Strong accounted for four of the WCU seven hits as Jones was 2-for-3 with a walk while Strong finished 2-for-4.
In the top of the fourth, UNCG (13-10, 3-6 SoCon) plated four runs on five hits, loading the bases on three-consecutive singles including two that didn't leave the infield. Christian Wolfe tied the game with a sacrifice fly to center field before Trevor Edwards belted his first of two home runs on the day - a three-run shot that made it 4-1 heading into the bottom of the third.
Edwards, who finished 2-for-4 with four RBI, hit a second round tripper in the fifth inning, homering with two out to provide the final tally, 5-1. Also for UNCG, Cole Harrison went 2-for-4 on the day.
The Catamounts threatened in the seventh inning with two runners on, but could not plate a run. Then, in the eighth, Ross Heffley had a two-out single but was left at the right corner. All told, WCU batters combined to fly out 15 times against the UNCG pitchers.
WCU starter Jon Nadale (2-3) was saddled with the loss after surrendering five runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Freshman Tyler Powell threw an inning of hitless, scoreless relief while Vance Chavis and Jeremy Sluder combined to toss the final two frames with Sluder fanning two in 1.2 innings.
Western Carolina closes a four-game home stand by hosting Kennesaw State in a mid-week, home-and-home series. The Catamounts host the Owls on Tuesday evening at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium beginning at 5:00 pm before traveling to Kennesaw State on Wednesday with first pitch at 5:00 pm.
Elon 11, #29 Appalachian State 2
ELON, N.C. -- After splitting the first two games of a key Southern Conference baseball series, the Elon Phoenix came out hot and rolled to an 11-2 victory over 29th-ranked Appalachian State at Latham Park on Sunday.
David Whitehead (1-2) picked up his first win of the season for Elon (14-11, 8-4 SoCon) after he allowed just two runs on five hits in six innings. Jordan Darnell went three scoreless innings to claim his second save of the year.
The Phoenix offense saw Garrett Koster drive in a career-best five runs, including four on a sixth-inning grand slam, as the team belted out 12 hits and matched its season-high with 11 runs scored. All nine of Elon's starters had at least one hit and seven of the nine scored at least one run.
"If (Whitehead) commands his fastball then he is going to be successful," said Elon skipper Mike Kennedy. "He pitched well and we needed every one of those innings. We had some really good at bats early on. We had guys in scoring position early in the game and we had several guys come up and do something well."
Elon got things going quickly in the first inning as Niko Fraser was hit by a 1-1 pitch. With one out, Alex Swim singled to put runners on the corners and extend his hitting streak to 18 games. Koster followed by reaching on an error and drove home Fraser with the game's first run. Ryan Kinsella followed with a single to drive home the second run before a Joey Tomko sacrifice fly gave the maroon and gold a 3-0 lead.
The Phoenix extended its lead to 5-0 in the second thanks to a RBI single by Sebastian Gomez and a double from Swim.
Appalachian State (18-5, 7-2) scored its only two runs in the third. The first came in when Will Callaway's sac fly plated Trey Holmes and the second scored when Hector Crespo raced home on a Daniel Kassouf single.
Elon immediately responded, scoring a run in the bottom of the third on a Quinn Bower single.
The score remained 6-2 until the last of the sixth when Koster connected for his fifth homer of the year. It was the first grand slam of Koster's Elon career. Another sacrifice fly in the seventh brought home the 11th Phoenix run.
ASU's Rob Marcello (3-1) took the first loss of his season after he was charged with seven runs (six earned) on nine hits in 5.1 innings of work.
Elon will be back in action on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. when the Phoenix hosts UNC Wilmington.
Furman 9, Georgia Southern 8
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Chris Ohmstede and Jake Jones both homered and scored three runs, and Furman turned a dramatic game ending double play to hold off Georgia Southern, 9-8, in Sunday's Southern Conference baseball series finale at Latham Stadium.
The victory gave the Paladins (13-12, 3-6 SoCon) the series victory over the Eagles (11-13, 3-6 SoCon) two games to one.
Furman, which trailed 8-4 in the sixth inning, battled back to tie the game with three runs in the seventh, and then took a 9-8 lead in the bottom of the eighth when Will Muzika slid home just ahead of the tag on Will Owens' sacrifice fly to center field.
In the Georgia Southern ninth Garren Palmer led off with a single and with one out pinch runner Zac Lenns moved to third on a Tyler Avera single through the right side. Ben Morgan followed with a pop up bunt that both pitcher Elliott Warford and first baseman Taylor Johnson dove to catch. The ball bounced in fair territory off Warford, who collected it and from his posterior threw to Muzika at first base to get the out. Muzika then fired to shortstop Hunter Burton at second to put the tag on Avera for the game's final out before Lenns, who initially froze at third, could get halfway home with the potential game tying run.
Warford (2-0) was credited with the victory after working a scoreless eighth and ninth, allowing two hits and a walk.
Drew Johnson (0-1) took the loss, yielding the game deciding run in the eighth on a hit in 1 1/3 innings of work. He walked one and struck out one.
Muzika's leadoff flare double down the right field line in the eighth helped cap the Paladin comeback. He was sacrificed to third by Paul Nitto, and after a pair of walks loaded the bases, came home on Owens' sacrifice fly.
Furman grabbed a 2-0 lead in the third, but Georgia Southern responded with a three-run fourth, highlighted by Morgan's two-run double to right field off Paladin starting pitcher Ben Carlson.
The Eagles made it 4-2 in the fifth on a Chase Griffin RBI single.
The Paladins tied the game in their side of the fifth on back-to-back solo home runs by Ohmstede and Jones.
It didn't remain tied long as Georgia Southern put up four runs in the sixth on the strength of a Casey Kicklighter solo home run and two-run round tripper by Scooter Williams that gave the Eagles an 8-4 advantage.
Will Miller's RBI groundout in the sixth cut the lead to 8-5, and an inning later the Paladins tied it with three more runs. Ohmstede doubled to lead off and scored on Jones' triple. Owens then drove home Jones with an infield hit and later scored on a swinging third strike wild pitch from Johnson.
Ohmstede and Jones, both freshmen, went 3-for-3, homered, and scored three runs to pace Furman's 11-hit attack.
Georgia Southern banged out 13 hits in the contest, with Morgan, Avera, and Michael Burruss collecting two hits apiece.
Furman returns to action on Wednesday with a 6:00 p.m. road contest at Winthrop that will be broadcast by Furman Greenville flagship station WOLT-FM 103.3 and also through StretchAudio at www.furmanpaladins.com. Dan Scott, "The Voice of the Paladins" will deliver the play-by-play.
Samford 11, Wofford 4
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - After a brief rain delay prior to first pitch, the Wofford baseball was defeated 11-4 on Sunday afternoon at Russell C. King Field. The Bulldogs took an early 6-1 lead after two innings on the way to swept the season series against the Terriers.
Wofford is 9-15 overall and 0-6 in conference play. Samford is 16-8 overall and 7-2 in the SoCon. The Terriers were led by James Foster with two hits and two RBIs, while Eric Brenk and Konstantine Diamaduros each added two hits. The Bulldogs had three hits by Saxon Butler and Austin Allison. The teams combined to leave 23 runners on base in the contest.
The Bulldogs opened the game with three straight singles, with Saxon Butler driving in the first run. Phillip Ervin and Kevin Putkonen added RBI singles to take a 3-0 lead. Wofford got one run back with a lead-off home run by James Foster in the bottom of the first.
In the top of the second, Samford added a run on a sacrifice fly by Brad Moss. Brandon Miller tacked on a two-run homer for a 6-1 advantage. Wofford had singles from David Roney and Eric Brenk in the bottom of the second, but both were left on base.
Samford added one run in the top of the third on a bunt single from Austin Allison. The Terriers had a solo home run by Mac Doyle in the bottom of the third to make it a 7-2 contest. The Bulldogs added a run in the fifth and a run in the sixth inning, both on ground outs, to increase the lead to 9-2.
Wofford added a run in the bottom of the sixth when with runners at first and third, a single by James Foster drove in one run. The bases were loaded when a throwing error to first allowed Nick Peterson to score and it was a 9-4 contest. The Terriers left two on base at the end of the sixth.
The Bulldogs added two more runs in the top of the seventh with RBI singles from Austin Allison and Brad Moss to take an 11-4 lead. After a scoreless eighth inning, Samford loaded the bases in the top of the ninth but a strikeout ended the scoring chance. Wofford was retired in order in the bottom of the ninth to end the contest.
Wofford starter Jesse Morris (1-1) went two innings and gave up six runs on seven hits with two strikeouts. Pete Noordsy threw three innings with three runs allowed on four hits. Ryan Traylor worked an inning without allowing a hit. J.D. Osborne went two innings gave up two runs on two hits with one strikeout. Eric Eck threw the ninth and allowed one hit with two strikeouts.
Samford starter Josh Martin (6-0) threw 5.1 innings and gave up nine hits and four runs with five strikeouts. Michael Gunter went two innings without allowing a hit with three strikeouts. Taylor Hammond worked two-thirds of an inning with one strikeout. Lex Rutledge struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth.
James Foster set the school record for career singles with a hit in the sixth inning which was his 184th single. He topped the previous record of 183 set by Strat Stavrou (1999-2002). The home run for James Foster was his first of the season and second of his career. Mac Doyle hit his sixth home run of the season, which gives him 40 for his career.
On Wednesday night, the Terriers will host UNC Asheville at 6:00 p.m. before heading to Charleston on Friday night for the start of a three-game series at The Citadel.
Minnesota 5, The Citadel 0
Minneapolis, Minn. - Austin Lubinsky tossed eight shutout innings to lead Minnesota to a 5-0 victory and a three-game sweep of The Citadel Sunday afternoon at the H.H.H. Metrodome. The loss drops the Bulldogs to 9-14 on the season as they head to a Tuesday evening contest with South Carolina at Riley Park. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.
Minnesota (12-13) opened the scoring with a four-run third inning to jump on the Bulldogs for the second straight game. After Bulldog starter Logan Cribb retired the first batter of the frame, Trip Schultz drew a full-count walk and advanced to second on a balk by Cribb. Troy Larson singled to deep short, keeping Schultz at second. Andy Henkemeyer followed with a RBI single to right, putting runners at the corners for Kurt Schlangen. The Gophers' catcher knocked a RBI single to left for a 2-0 score.
Cribb would hit cleanup hitter Dan Olinger to load the bases and with Kyle Crocker at the plate, Joe Jackson tried to pick off Henkemeyer at third, but the throw was low, hitting Henkemeyer and skipped away, allowing a run to score and the runners to advance. Cribb struck out Crocker for the second out, but a wild pitch to Matt Puhl allowed Schlangen to score from third for a 4-0 Gophers' lead.
The Gophers added another run in the seventh for a 5-0 advantage. Leadoff man Larson singled up the middle and stole second. Larson then advanced to second on Henkemeyer's fly out to center and scored on Schlangen's sacrifice fly to right.
Lubinsky scattered four hits over the eight innings, striking out four and walking none. Larson finished with three hits and Schlangen added two hits and two RBI.
Cribb took the loss for the Bulldogs, falling to 1-2 on the season. The southpaw was tagged for seven hits in 6-2/3 innings, allowing five runs, three earned, with five strikeouts and three walks. TJ Clarkson struck out one in 1-1/3 innings of perfect relief. Mason Davis recorded a pair of hits, while Drew DeKerlegand had an eight-inning triple, the Bulldogs' only extra-base hit of the weekend.