Western Carolina 7, Kennesaw State 6 (10 inn.)
Kennesaw, Ga. - Sophomore Julian Ridings belted his first collegiate home run, skirting the fence in right center field in the top of the ninth inning to tie Wednesday's nonconference game at six. Then, in the top of the first extra frame, freshman Bradley Strong delivered a RBI double to right field, plating sophomore Adam Martin from second base as Western Carolina rallied to defeat Kennesaw State on the road, 7-6, in 10 innings.
Closer Preston Hatcher (5-0) scored the victory for the Catamounts, tossing the final three innings allowing one run on one hit with a walk and a strikeout and inducing three ground ball outs in a perfect bottom of the 10th inning.
Five Catamount hitters finished with multiple hits with Aaron Attaway and Tyler White finishing 2-for-4 while Martin, Ridings and Cody Jones were all 2-for-5 on the day. Freshmen Jacob Hoyle and Strong recorded doubles in the winning effort with Ridings adding the only other extra base hit among WCU's 13 knocks on the day.
Western Carolina (18-8) jumped out to a three-run lead with single runs in the top of the third, fourth and fifth innings. Hoyle doubled home Ross Heffley in the top of the third inning with Attaway driving home Dykota Spiess - who walked three times on the day - for the second run in the fourth. In the fifth inning, a bases loaded double play allowed Jones to scamper home to make it 3-0 through four and a half innings.
The Owl first baseman Andy Chriscaden hit the first of two solo home runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to trim WCU's advantage to two, 3-1. Chriscaden finished 2-for-2 with a pair of walks including an intentional pass, scoring three times.
For the second-consecutive night, the sixth inning proved to be profitable for Kennesaw State. The Owls erased the two-run deficit with a four-spot on three hits in the home half of the frame to lead 5-3.
In the top of the 10th inning, Martin laced a single through the left side where he was successfully sacrificed into scoring position by Dale Urquhart Jr. On a 1-1 pitch, Strong doubled to right field with Martin racing home to score the go-ahead run for the Catamounts.
In the top of the eighth inning, WCU scratched the scoreboard for two runs to tie the game at five. The Catamounts loaded the bases with two outs as White and pinch hitter Luke Gragg singled and Jones walked. Then, WCU drew back-to-back RBI walks including free passes issued to Martin and Urquhart Jr., to plate the two runs.
All told, WCU drew 13 walks from Owl pitching on Wednesday night, but stranded 17 base runners.
Chriscaden hit his second home run in the bottom of the eighth to give the Owls the lead back, 6-5, through eight innings setting up Ridings' ninth-inning heroics.
Jeremy Null worked three solid innings in a scheduled limited starting role, striking out one with a pair of walks. He gave way to Jon Nadale in the fourth, pitching two and a third innings, surrendering two runs on two hits with two strikeouts against one walk. The Catamount bullpen pieced it together with Andrew Blackwell, Hunter Brister, Tyler Powell and Vance Chavis combining to toss an inning and two-thirds to get the game to Hatcher in the eighth inning.
KSU's Andrew Austin (0-3) took the loss, giving up two runs on four hits in 2.1 innings of relief work, striking out and walking one.
Western Carolina opens a four-game home stand with a three-game Southern Conference series against the Davidson Wildcats this weekend at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. First pitch on Friday evening is scheduled for 6:00 pm with Saturday slated to start at 2:00 pm and Sunday's finale at 1:00 pm.
All three games of the SoCon series will be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network with streaming audio available online at www.CatamountSports.com. Live streaming video through Catamount All-Access (subscription required) will be available online for both Friday and Sunday's games.
UNCG 7, North Carolina A&T 4
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Freshman Nick Chapman hit a two-run double down the left field line highlighting a three-run fifth inning and erasing a four run deficit as UNCG defeated North Carolina A&T, 7-4, in a nonconference game at NewBridge Bank Park on Wednesday evening.
North Carolina A&T (7-17) came out of the gates hot by scoring four runs in the second inning. With two runners on, the Aggies hit back-to-back-to-back singles from Michael Radford, Andre McKoy, and Marquis Riley to give the visiting Aggies a 4-0 after an inning and a half of play.
However, UNCG (14-10) would not go down without a fight as Thomas Troelstrup hit his fifth home run of the year, a rocket to left field, to cut the deficit to three after two innings of play.
The Spartans would strike for another run in the fourth inning following an RBI single off the bat of TJ Spina to bring the score to 4-2 in the Aggies favor.
UNCG would continue to apply pressure by plating three runs in the fifth inning. Trevor Edwards continued his torrid run with a double down the right field line and would eventually score after taking third on a wild pitch and getting the free pass home after a throwing error by Stefan Jordan. With two runners aboard, Chapman smacked a double down the right field line scoring two and giving UNCG a lead it'd never relinquish, 5-4.
The Spartans would plate two more insurance runs in the eighth inning following RBI's from Troelstrup and Zach Leach to extend the lead to 7-4.
UNCGs' pitching staff held the Aggies in check following the second inning tossing seven shutout innings and allowing only five hits while Leach paced the offense with three hits. Edwards, Troelstrup and Spina each had two hits on the evening.
Lee Gilliam (2-1) picked up the win for the Spartans tossing three innings of three-hit ball while using only 48 pitches.
The Aggies' Andrew Clark (0-3) took the loss after going 4 2/3 innings and allowing five runs (all earned) and throwing 108 pitches on the evening.
Zach Furl picked up his second save of the year after only needing seven pitches to get through a perfect ninth.
UNCG has won back-to-back games for the first time since Feb. 24-25 and will look to make it three-in-a-row this weekend.
The Spartans return to action when they welcome the Furman Paladins for a three-game conference series starting at 6 p.m. on Friday at UNCG Baseball Stadium. The two will meet at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
College of Charleston 16, Jacksonville 3
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - College of Charleston tied a school record with 12 runs in the first inning and went on to defeat Jacksonville, 16-3, on Wednesday night at Patriots Point.
The win extended the Cougars' winning streak to five games as College of Charleston (20-6) reached the 20-win mark on the season. Jacksonville fell to 11-15 on the year.
In the remarkable first inning, which lasted nearly 45 minutes, the Cougars tallied 12 runs on 10 hits while Jacksonville surrendered two walks, two hit batsmen and two wild pitches. Marty Gantt's two-RBI double was the only multiple-base hit of the inning. Every batter reached base, and the lineup batted around twice.
For the game, Rob Harding finished with four RBIs including a two-run home run in the fifth inning, while Bradley Goodson hit a solo home run in the fourth inning.
Junior Ryan Welke, redshirt-sophomore Daniel Aldrich, Goodson, Gantt and Harding all tallied multiple RBIs. With Gantt's hit, he now extends his hitting streak to 10 games, tying his previous streak earlier this season.
College of Charleston finished with 16 hits and tied the previous season high of 16 runs set over the weekend against Davidson. The Cougars have now reached double digits in runs five times this season.
Starter Griffin Jones pitched four innings and allowed two runs on six hits for a no decision. Derrick Smith (1-0) earned his first win of his career by pitching the fifth inning and giving up an unearned run with two strikeouts.
The Dolphins used nine different pitchers on the night after starter Corben Madden (1-2) faced five batters in the first inning before being relieved. Adam Brett Walker went 3-for-4 with two runs scored for Jacksonville.
College of Charleston will travel to Georgia Southern for an important SoCon series beginning on Friday, March 30 at 6 p.m.
Wofford 4, UNC Asheville 3
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -The Wofford baseball team defeated UNC Asheville 4-3 on Wednesday night at Russell C. King Field. The Terriers were outhit eleven to three in the game, but were able to score the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Wofford is 10-15 overall and UNC Asheville is 12-14 overall. The Terriers had three hits on the night, with Mac Doyle and Matt Moore each having RBI singles. The Bulldogs were led by Todd Joyner with three hits and Hunter Bryant had two RBIs.
The Bulldogs had the first hit of the game in the top of the second inning and Wofford answered with a single by Konstantine Diamaduros in the bottom of the second. With two runners on base, an RBI single by Matt Moore drove in the first run of the day. A balk allowed David Roney to score from third base for a 2-0 lead after two innings.
In the top of the fifth, the Bulldogs loaded the bases with three straight singles but all three runners were stranded. UNC Asheville got on the board in the top of the sixth when with runners at first and second and two outs, a single by Grant Gajdosz drove in a run. A double by Hunter Bryant drove in two runs as the Bulldogs took a 3-2 lead.
Wofford answered in the bottom of the sixth when James Foster walked and moved to second on a bunt. A single up the middle by Mac Doyle scored Foster to tie the game at 3-3, but the Terriers left two runners on base. In the bottom of the seventh, Wofford had runners on the corners after two walks and James Foster put down a sacrifice bunt to score Clark Wise from third as the Terriers took a 4-3 lead.
The Bulldogs left two on base in the top of the eighth inning and Wofford stranded one runner in the bottom of the eighth. In the top of the ninth, Eric Eck struck out the side in order to secure the victory for the Terriers.
Wofford starter Mason Bradley threw 5.2 innings and allowed three runs on seven hits with two strikeouts. Cash Collins (2-4) went 1.1 innings and gave up two hits with one strikeout. Alex Wilson worked an inning with two hits and three strikeouts. Eric Eck picked up his fifth save of the season by striking out the side in the top of the ninth.
UNC Asheville starter Brian Connolly worked four innings and allowed two runs on two hits with one strikeout. Dillon Tabar worked an inning without allowing a hit. Adam Spracklin and Evan Joura combined for an inning and allowed one run on a hit with a strikeout. Elliott Criss (1-2) threw an inning and gave up one run with one strikeout. Taylor Krugh threw the eighth and did not allow a hit with two strikeouts.
Wofford will head to Charleston on Friday night for the start of a three-game series at The Citadel.
No. 21 Georgia Tech 10, Georgia Southern 5
ATLANTA - A five-run fifth inning for #21 Georgia Tech broke open a 3-3 tie and gave the Yellow Jackets a 2-1 season series victory over the Georgia Southern Baseball team. The Eagles led early but were unable to recover from the big inning, falling 10-5 at Russ Chandler Stadium on Wednesday.
Georgia Southern (12-14) was held to two hits through the first four innings and committed one costly error which led to two runs. Scooter Williams (Detroit, Mich.) and Chase Griffin (Leesburg, Ga.) both tallied multi-hit games for the Eagles, with Griffin collecting three of the team's eight base knocks.
Georgia Tech (16-10) broke open a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning and took the lead for good after batting through the order to score five runs. The Yellow Jackets tallied three of the five runs in the frame on a home run off the light pole in right field. A lead off walk of the freshman, Thomas Smith, came around to score on a double over the head of the centerfielder off the bat of Sam Dove. Jake Davis reached out and poked a ball into left field to drive in the second run of the inning.
Cole Pitts (3-1) picked up the win after a quality start of eight strikeouts. Pitts tossed six innings and allowed three runs on five hits and two walks. Josh Adams (Bath, S.C.) (0-2) was the tough luck loser after two unearned runs crossed the plate in the fourth inning. Adams tossed four innings and allowed four runs on five hits.
Georgia Southern opened the scoring for the second-straight game with a two-run homer from Griffin, his team-leading sixth of the season, in the fourth inning. Eric Phillips (Carrollton, Ga.) walked before the home run and scored the first run of the game.
An error helped give Georgia Tech a 3-2 lead in the bottom half of the fourth inning after Jake Davis plated a run on an infield single. Daniel Palka followed with a double to move two runners into scoring position before a two-out grounder to shortstop was misplayed and allowed both runners to score.
The Eagles tied the contest at 3-3 in the fifth inning with a two-out bloop single off the bat of Scooter Williams (Detroit, Mich.). Ben Morgan (Evans, Ga.) scored on the play after reaching base on a fielder's choice. The sophomore shortstop stole second base to move into scoring position before Williams dropped a ball in front of the rightfielder for an RBI.
Georgia Southern battled to the last out in the ninth inning to cut the deficit to five runs before Clay Dalton struck out Casey Kicklighter (Jesup, Ga.) to end the game. The Eagles tallied three two-out hits and scored a run on Griffin's single to center field. A second run crossed the plate on an errant throw by the Yellow Jackets' shortstop.
Georgia Southern returns home to J.I. Clements Stadium for a three-game series against the Southern Conference's leader in College of Charleston. Game times are 6 p.m. on Friday, 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The game can also be heard on the 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.
Winthrop 5, Furman 2
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- TJ Olesczuk went 3-for-3 and drove in a pair of runs to lead Winthrop past Furman, 5-2, in Wednesday evening baseball action at Winthrop Ballpark.
Olesczuk stroked an RBI single in the first, added another RBI single and scored an unearned run in a three-run third, and doubled in the fourth to key Winthrop (7-19) to the win.
The loss marked the second straight mid-week setback for Furman (13-13).
The Eagles managed only six hits but took advantage of six walks by Paladin pitching and two Furman errors which led to a pair of unearned runs. Winthrop also turned three double plays in the contest.
Will Owens and Will Miller had two hits apiece to lead Furman at the plate.
Miller's RBI single the first inning drove home Jake Jones to give the Paladins a 1-0 lead.
Winthrop quickly tied it in its first at bat on an Olesczuk single to left field that scored Jason Driver.
Jones reached on an error and later scored on a wild pitch to give the Paladins a 2-1 lead in the third, but the Eagles answered with three runs in their half of the frame against Furman starter Tyler Wood, combining two hits with three walks and a Furman error to take a 4-2 lead.
Winthrop tallied its final run in the fourth after Paladin pitcher Anthony Buonopane hit Tony Brandner with a pitch with two outs and then yielded a double to Oleszcuk, whose ball into left was misplayed by Owens, allowing Brandner to score.
Wood (3-3) took the loss for Furman, yielding four runs, three of which were earned, on five hits in three innings. He walked three and fanned two.
Preston Johnson (1-4) picked up his first win of the season after working a designate three innings. He allowed two runs on four hits while walking two and striking out four.
Austin Stuart collected his second save after coming on with two out and two on in the ninth and getting Owens to hit into a game ending double play.
Furman opens a three-game Southern Conference series at UNC Greensboro on Friday, with first pitch set for 6:00 p.m.