Georgia Southern 4, College of Charleston 2
STATESBORO, Ga. - A career night from Chris Beck (Jefferson, Ga.) and a shutdown performance from the bullpen helped make an early 3-0 lead stand in a series-opening win over the top team in the Southern Conference. The junior pitcher tallied 16 strikeouts, two short of the school record set by Ray Mims in 1959 and four short of the SoCon mark, in a 4-2 win over the College of Charleston on Friday night.
Georgia Southern's (13-14, 4-6) Kyle Rowe (Valdosta, Ga.) (S, 1) and lefties Drew Johnson (Peachtree City, Ga.) and Jarret Leverett (Eatonton, Ga.) helped secure just the Eagles' second win in 11 tries when scoring five runs or less. The bullpen combined to allow just one hit and no runs over three innings. Beck (3-2) tossed six frames and allowed two runs on seven hits for the win while walking just two batters. He was limited by his pitch count after throwing a career-high 126 pitches.
The College of Charleston (20-7, 10-3) got a quality outing from Josh Renfro (4-2), but he was handed the loss after allowing three first-inning runs. Renfro went six innings as well and struck out seven batters to just one walk. Nick Osterman tossed the remaining two innings and allowed a run on a hit and three walks.
After Beck left two runners stranded in scoring position in the top of the first inning, Georgia Southern cashed in for three runs on four hits. Eric Phillips (Carrollton, Ga.) plated the first run of the game with a double to right-center field and scored the third run of the inning after Hunter Thomas (Johns Creek, Ga.) beat out an infield base hit to the left side. Before the two-out hit from the freshman, Tyler Avera (Baxley, Ga.) drove in Michael Burruss (Marietta, Ga.) with a bases-loaded single to center field.
The Eagles picked up an insurance run in the seventh inning after Chase Griffin (Leesburg, Ga.) grounded into a bases-loaded double play. Scooter Williams (Detroit, Mich.) and Phillips both walked in the frame to load the bases after Burruss beat out a bouncing ball to shortstop. Griffin rolled into a standard double play, but it was enough to get the run in from third base.
The Cougars got the offense back on track after having 11 of 12 batters set down after a first inning walk of Brandon Murray. Beck struck out 10 of the first 14 batters he faced before allowing a two-out walk to reach base in the fourth inning. Back-to-back singles by Cody Martin and Gunnar Heidt drove in the free pass to Rob Harding for the College of Charleston's first run of the game.
Brandon Murray added a second run in the fifth inning with a solo shot off the batter's eye in center field to pull the Cougars within a run, 3-2. Murray had one of just three extra-base hits for the Cougars, who finished with just eight base knocks.
The three-game series continues tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. with Justin Hess (Panama City, Fla.) (1-0, 7.59) on the mound in his return to the starting rotation. Hess will square off against one of the best in the SoCon in College of Charleston's Christian Powell (4-1, 1.34).
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.
The Citadel 8, Wofford 4
Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel used a six-run seventh inning to rally from a 4-2 deficit and defeat Wofford College 8-4 Friday evening in Southern Conference action at Riley Park. The Bulldogs improve to 10-15 on the season and 2-5 in the SoCon. Game two of the series is Saturday at 2 p.m.
Trailing by two runs, the Bulldogs used two hits, two Wofford errors and five walks to push across six runs, five unearned, and take an 8-4 lead in the bottom of the seventh. Bo Thompson got things started when his pop fly to shallow left fell in the midst of three Wofford players for a lead-off single. Drew DeKerlegand sacrificed Thompson to second and Tyler Griffin drew a full-count walk to put a pair of runners on for Bailey Rush. A wild pitch by Wofford starter Brandon Yarusi advanced the runners and Rush drew another walk to load the bases.
Hughston Armstrong hit into what should have been an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play, but Matt Moore's throw from second was in the dirt and Armstrong was safe on a fielder's choice and Thompson and Griffin came home to knot the game at 4-4. Alex Wilson relieved Yarusi for the Terriers and promptly walked Nick Orvin and gave up an infield single to Mason Davis to reload the bases with two outs. Back-to-back walks by Justin Mackert and Joe Jackson forced home a pair of runs and gave the Bulldogs a 6-4 lead. Thompson came to the plate for the second time in the frame and reached on a throwing error by Eric Brenk at third, allowing Jackson and Mackert to score on the play for the 8-4 final score.
Wofford (10-16, 0-7) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, scoring an unearned run on a throwing error by Jackson. With one out, Konstantine Diamaduros singled to left and Mac Doyle walked on four pitches to put runners at first and second. The Terriers pulled a double steal and Jackson's throw to third was off the bad and sailed into left field, giving Wofford the early lead.
After a RBI double by Doyle gave Wofford a 2-0 lead in the top of the third, The Citadel knotted the game with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame. Griffin was hit by a pitch from Yarusi, putting the lead-off man on for the Bulldogs. Rush followed with a RBI triple that kicked up the chalk down the right-field line and scored Griffin from first. Armstrong added a RBI groundout to short to bring in Rush with the tying run.
Wofford regained the lead with a single run in the fourth, moving ahead 3-2 on a RBI single to center by Moore with two outs. The Terriers tacked on another run in the fifth, scoring an unearned run when Rush's throw to first on the back-end of a double play attempt was in the dirt and skipped away, allowing James Foster to score for a 4-2 lead.
Pritcher improved to 3-1 on the season for the Bulldogs with the win. The junior allowed four runs, two earned, on six hits over seven innings with two strikeouts. Ryan Hines tossed two perfect innings of relief with one strikeout. Davis collected two of The Citadel's five hits on the evening.
Yarusi suffered the hard-luck loss for Wofford, striking out nine batters over 6-2/3 innings. He scattered three hits and gave up five runs, three earned, with three walks to fall to 2-3 on the season.
Furman 11, UNCG 3
GREENSBORO, N,C. -- Paul Nitto doubled twice and drove in a career high six runs to power Furman past UNC Greensboro, 11-3, Friday evening in the opening game of a three-game Southern Conference series at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
The win marked the seventh triumph for Furman (14-13, 4-6 SoCon) in the last eight meetings with UNC Greensboro (14-11, 3-7 SoCon). The Paladins and Spartans play game two of the series on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
Nitto, a junior catcher from Greenville and J.L. Mann High School, delivered a two-out, three-run double in the third inning to give Furman a 4-0 lead and an inning later stroked a two-run double into the left center field gap to extend the Paladins' advantage to 9-0. He notched his sixth RBI in the sixth when Will Miller scored from third on an infield error.
For Nitto, the six RBI topped his previous career high of five runs batted in registered in a 16-inning contest against Western Carolina a year ago.
Furman banged out 13 hits in the contest on the way to its third SoCon win in the last four outings. Miller continued his recent torrid hitting pace by going 3-for-5 with an RBI, stolen base, and three runs scored, and Will Owens had a pair of hits and drove in two runs.
The strong run support made a winner of Bobby Lyne (4-2), who breezed through the first four innings before allowing three runs in the fifth. He yielded five hits and a pair or walks while striking out two.
UNCG starting and losing pitcher Corey Taylor (2-2) was roughed up for five runs on six hits over 3 1/3 innings. He walked three and fanned two.
Heath Burton got Furman's big evening off to quick start with a solo home run to left field, the first of his career, in the first to stake the Paladins to a 1-0 lead.
The Paladins scored three times in the third, all after two outs. Singles by Will Miller and Taylor Johnson, and a walk by Will Muzika loaded the bases, and Nitto followed with a double to right field off Taylor that cleared the bases.
Furman tacked on five more runs in the fourth on the strength of RBI singles by Owens, Miller, a bases loaded walk by Muzika, and Nitto's two-run double that plated Miller and Taylor Johnson.
The Paladins made it 10-0 in the fifth on Owens' double to left center field that drove home Chris Ohmstede.
After UNC got to Lyne for three runs in its half of the fifth, Nitto closed out the scoring with a Nitto's sixth RBI of the contest in the sixth to give the Paladins the 11-3 bulge.
Six Paladin pitchers combined to limit UNCG to just five hits in the contest. The Spartans aided the Paladins with three errors.
Baseball Postponed; Doubleheader Saturday Beginning at 2 pm
Friday's series-opening game against Davidson is postponed until 2 pm Saturday afternoon
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina officials have decided to postpone its series-opening game against Davidson due to rain in and around the Cullowhee area. The Catamounts and Wildcats will play a doubleheader Saturday with game one set to begin at 2 p.m. with the second game to follow thirty minutes after the conclusion of game one.
Friday's game - originally scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch - was first moved to 6:15 p.m. with steady rain falling in Cullowhee in the afternoon hours. With rain continuing to fall, a decision was made at 6:45 p.m. to postpone the game until Saturday afternoon.
Western Carolina will throw Jordan Smith in game one with Davidson set to throw Henry Sisson. Smith is 2-3 for the season while Sisson is 1-1 in eight appearances. Continue to check CatamountSports.com for any weather-related updates.
SAMFORD FRIDAY BASEBALL AGAINST ELON POSTPONED, DOUBLEHEADER SET FOR SATURDAY
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.-Samford's baseball game against Elon, originally scheduled for Friday night at 6 p.m., has been postponed due to inclement weather in the Birmingham area. The teams will now play a doubleheader Saturday, beginning at 2 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
In addition to the doubleheader on Saturday, the teams will wrap up the Southern Conference series with a single game Sunday at 1 p.m.
All three games of this weekend's series can be viewed online on the Bulldog Big Screen at www.samfordsports.com. Sunday's game can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu.