Furman 9, UNCG 8
GREENSBORO, N.C. - After trailing 6-1, UNCG scored six unanswered runs to take the lead, but Furman's Taylor Johnson connected on a go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the ninth as Furman slipped past UNCG, 9-8, at UNCG Baseball Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Furman (15-13, 5-6 SoCon) much like yesterday, put up a run in the top of the first to take a 1-0 lead after a half inning of play. UNCG starter Max Povse hit leadoff man Will Owens and Jake Jones followed with a single to put two men on with no one out. The Paladin's pulled off a successful double steal setting the table for cleanup hitter Will Miller. Miller put Furman on the board with an RBI groundout.
Jones paced the Paladins with three hits and Johnson enjoyed a multi-hit game as he had two hits on the day.
However, UNCG (14-12, 3-8 SoCon) responded in the bottom half of the frame with a run thanks to an RBI single from redshirt junior Trevor Edwards that scored Bobby Martin.
With the scored tied at 1 after two innings, Furman would plate two runs in the top of the third after Will Muzika produced an RBI groundout to give the Paladins a 2-1 lead. Spartan killer Paul Nitto continued to torment UNCG pitching by delivering the first of his three hits in the form of an RBI double to give Furman a 3-1 lead.
The Paladins struck again in a three-run fifth inning as they chased Povse as Muzika and Nitto hit back-to-back singles to extend their lead to five, 6-1.
Needing to keep it close, UNCG's offense came to life in the bottom of the fifth inning by putting up a five spot. The rally started as TJ Spina led the inning off with a single and Martin was plunked to put runners on first and second. Zach Leach roped a triple down the right field line scoring two runs and cutting the deficit in half, 6-3. The Spartans would continue to produce, following a Thomas Troelstrup walk, Lloyd Enzor smacked a two-run double down the left field line to bring UNCG within one, 6-5. Senior Kris Richards belted an RBI single to left field to tie the game at six. Paladin reliever Elliot Warford would end the threat by inducing a groundball double play off the bat of Andrew Spleth.
With the score tied at six after five innings, UNCG took its first lead of the game and of the series, 7-6, thanks to an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Troelstrup, who hustled down the line beating the throw by a step.
Dylan Hathcock (2-3) settled in and retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced, but, the ninth inning proved detrimental to the Tampa, Fla. native as he squandered the lead after allowing Johnson to connect on the go-ahead two-run home run. Furman would score an unearned run thanks to an RBI groundout from Nitto and giving the Paladins a 9-7 lead.
Matt Solter (1-1) picked up the win for Furman by tossing 2/3 of an inning while allowing three hits.
The Spartans would not go down easily as Enzor, Richards and Christian Wolfe hit back-to-back-to-back singles to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth. After Spleth notched an RBI via groundout to bring it to 9-8, Paladins' Jacques de Gruy would collect his first save of the season by getting Spina to groundout to short on a bang-bang play at first.
UNCG will try and avoid the sweep as the series finale will take place at 1 p.m. at UNCG Baseball Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Wofford 8, The Citadel 2
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Eric Brenk had three hits, while Jesse Morris and Eric Eck combined to hold The Citadel to one run apiece as Wofford handed the Bulldogs an 8-2 defeat in Southern Conference action Saturday afternoon at Riley Park. The two clubs will play the rubber game of the three-game series Sunday afternoon with a 1 p.m. first pitch.
The Bulldogs (10-16, 2-6 SoCon) opened the scorebook with a single run in the third for a 1-0 lead. Grant Richards led off the frame with a stand-up double down the left-field line and one out later, Nick Orvin laced a 1-2 pitch from Morris into left, plated Richards for his 10th RBI of the season.
Wofford (11-15, 1-7) knotted the score at a run apiece in the fifth, manufacturing a run against Citadel starter James Reeves. Brenk opened the inning with a single through the left side and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by David Roney. Brenk then stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Stephen Cantrell.
With one out in the seventh, Eric Brenk singled up the middle and following a fly out by David Roney, Stephen Cantrell walked on four pitches from Citadel reliever TJ Clarkson. Matt Moore knocked a RBI single over Mason Davis' outstretched glove into right center for a 2-1 lead. The Terriers extended their lead to 3-1 on a double steal with Cantrell beating the throw home after Grant Richards went to second to get Moore.
Konstantine Diamaduros knocked a 0-1 pitch from Clarkson over the fence in right for a solo home run, his fourth of the season to give Wofford an insurance run in the eighth. The Terriers tacked on four more runs in the ninth, highlighted by a two-out, two-run single up the middle by Doyle for the 8-1 final.
The Bulldogs added a run in the ninth when Drew DeKerlegland scored on a wild pitch by Eck, but couldn't muster the offense to overcome the 8-2 final score.
Morris allowed one run on six hits in 6-2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and two walks. Eck tossed 1-2/3 innings of no-hit relief for his sixth save of the season, walking one.
Clarkson took the loss for the Bulldogs, falling to 1-2 on the season. The senior allowed seven runs on seven hits in 2-2/3 innings with two walks and two strikeouts. Reeves scattered three hits over 5-2/3 innings of work with two strikeouts, walking none. Richards tied a career-high with three hits to lead the Bulldogs.
Elon 7, Samford 4
Suspended Game: Samford 1, Elon 1 (8th inning)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.-The Samford baseball team dropped a 7-4 decision to Elon in game one of Saturday's Southern Conference doubleheader, and the second game was suspended due to inclement weather in the seventh inning with the score tied at 1-1 at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
In game one, Samford was led by Brad Moss, going 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and three RBI. Tommy Corbin went 1-for-3. Kyle Putkonen (1-4) pitched 4.0 innings, giving up seven runs on 10 hits to take the loss on the mound for Samford.
Elon was led by Alex Swim, going 5-for-5. Garrett Koster went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Sebastian Gomez went 2-for-5 in game one for the Phoenix. Dylan Clark (6-1) pitched 8.0 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and striking out five batters in earning the win for the Phoenix in game one. Nate Young pitched the final inning to earn his fifth save of the season.
Elon plated three runs in the first inning and one in the third to take a 4-0 lead. Ryan Kinsella drove in two runs and Jake Luce drove in one in the first inning for Elon. In the third inning, Luce singled to center field to drive in Gomez for a four-run Elon lead.
Samford came back with three runs in the bottom of the third inning and another in the fourth to tie the score at 4-4. In the third inning, Moss homered to left field with Zeth Stone and Corbin on base to pull Samford to within one run. In the fourth inning, Putkonen drove in the game-tying run.
Elon took the lead for good with three runs in the top of the fifth inning. Koster hit a three-run home run to left-center field with Kinsella and Swim on base to make the score 7-4.
In game two, Samford plated a run in the first inning when Saxon Butler singled to drive Zeth Stone, who had doubled to lead off the inning, to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
Elon tied the score with a run in the top of the sixth inning. Swim scored from third base on a sacrifice fly by Luce to make the score 1-1.
The Phoenix had a runner on third base with one out in the top of the seventh inning when lightning forced the suspension of the game. The teams will resume the second game at that point Sunday at 12 p.m. The final game of the series will take place 30 minutes after the completion of game two.
Sunday's games can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu. The games can also be viewed online on the Bulldog Big Screen at www.samfordsports.com.
College of Charleston 4, Georgia Southern 1
STATESBORO, Ga. - Behind a gem of a start from Christian Powell, the College of Charleston Cougars evened the Southern Conference weekend series with the Georgia Southern Baseball team with a 4-1 win on Saturday night. The contest was originally slated for 2:30 p.m. but rained pushed the start time back to 6 p.m.
College of Charleston (20-8, 11-3) held the Eagles to just four hits and stranded six base runners to bounce back from a 4-2 loss on Friday night. Powell (5-1) lowered his ERA to 1.11 after tossing seven scoreless frames, the second-longest start of the season for the junior. He gave up just four hits and two walks while striking out five of the 26 batters he faced. David Peterson (7) struck out two batters in a hitless ninth frame to pick up the save.
Georgia Southern (13-15, 4-7) struck for a run off relieve Kyle Owings in the eighth inning but left a runner stranded at third base after a strikeout of Chase Griffin (Leesburg, Ga.). The run was all the offense could muster on just four hits. Justin Hess (Panama City, Fla.) (1-1) threw a quality start but was tagged with the loss after allowing a three-run homer in the fourth inning. Hess allowed three runs on six hits over six innings and struck out five batters.
The College of Charleston broke open a scoreless tie with the long ball from Tyler Jackson in the fourth. Rob Harding led off the frame with a single, but two straight outs threatened to leave him stranded. Brandon Murray kept the inning alive with a two-out walk, and Jackson drove in the two baserunners with a fly ball over the right field wall.
The Cougars added a fourth run in the seventh inning to take a four-run lead. Gunner Heidt singled through the left side of the infield and stole second base. He would reach third base on a base hit from Harding, his third of the contest, and came around to score on a balk by Taylor Burke (Statesboro, Ga.).
The Eagles got the run back in the eighth inning on a wild pitch. Owings hit two of the first three batters he faced out of the bullpen, and a double steal moved both runners into scoring position. Michael Burruss (Marietta, Ga.), who hit into a fielder's choice, scored from third base on the wild pitch after it bounced over the head of the catcher.
The same two teams will meet tomorrow for the conclusion of the weekend series at 1:30 p.m. Will Middour (Atlanta, Ga.) (0-2, 4.42) is set to make his third start on the mound and faces undefeated Matt Pegler (5-0, 1.69) at J.I. Clements Stadium.
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.
Western Carolina 12, Davidson 6
Davidson 7, Western Carolina 5
Cullowhee, N.C. - Two decisive innings that erased three-run deficits highlighted play at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium on Saturday afternoon as Western Carolina and Davidson split the Southern Conference double-header.
WCU pushed across nine runs in what proved to be the game-winning inning in the 12-6 series-opening victory, while the Wildcats capitalized on four walks and three Catamount errors to plate six runs in the sixth inning of the night cap to even the series with a 7-5 win.
Sunday's finale will be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network with air time of 12:45 pm with streaming video through Catamount All-Access (subscription required), both online at www.CatamountSports.com.
Three Catamounts recorded four-hit days in the doubleheader as Julian Ridings (4-for-9), Tyler White (4-for-10) and Aaron Attaway (4-for-11) led the way for the Catamounts. Cody Jones finished 3-for-7 with two extra base hits including a double and a two-run home run coming in the bottom of the second inning in the series opener. Jones led WCU with four RBI in the two games.
Dykota Spiess posted a 2-for-7 day with a pair of walks while also blasting his fourth home run of the year coming in game two that helped stake the Catamounts to a three-run, 4-1, lead.
In the series opener, Western Carolina rallied from a three-run deficit to pick up the victory. Trailing by three runs, 6-3, the Catamounts plated nine runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull out the win. Davidson struck first with a solo home run by James Cerbie in the top of the second only to have Jones belt a two-run shot in the bottom of the frame to put the Catamounts on top, 2-1.
The Wildcats reclaimed the lead with two runs in the top of the third as Drew Gadaire lifted a sacrifice fly to center and Andrew Barna hit an RBI single to left to push Davidson back on top, 3-2. Senior Ross Heffley tied the game in the home half of the same frame on a RBI single to left field, driving home Attaway and creating a 3-3 deadlock.
Davidson was able to pull back in front with three runs in the top of the fifth inning and chase WCU starter, Jordan Smith. The Wildcats scored runs on a RBI double by Gadaire and singles by Barna and James Cerbie to lead, 6-3, after four and a half.
Smith factored in a no-decision after surrendering six runs on seven hits. The Liberty, N.C., native struck out four but walked five in four and a third innings of work.
But it was the nine-run sixth inning that led the Catamounts to the victory. In the decisive frame, WCU took advantage of four walks with both Ridings and White delivering a RBI center up the middle, while Jones drove in his third run of the game on a single to center. Strong delivered the big swing with a three-RBI triple in a pinch-hit role, later scoring on a wild pitch to cap scoring in the inning.
Reliever Jeremy Sluder (1-0) scored the victory for the Catamounts in the first game, tossing three and a third innings out of the bullpen, holding the Wildcats scoreless with three strikeouts. Hunter Brister faced one batter, inducing a double-play ball to end the fifth inning, while Andrew Blackwell also threw two-thirds of an inning.
In game two, Davidson came back from a 4-1 hole with six runs to hold on for a 7-5 victory over WCU to set up Sunday's rubber match.
The Wildcats took the early one-run lead in the top of the first inning as Berman drew a lead-off walk and later scored on an error down the third base line, 1-0. Then, in the home portion of the second inning, Jones hit a one-out double to left center ahead of Spiess who belted a two-run homer over the scoreboard in right center to give the Catamounts a 2-1 lead.
Western Carolina added a two-spot in the home half of the sixth inning to pull out to a three-run, 4-1, lead over Davidson. White and Heffley singled to open the inning with Luke Gragg successfully sacrificing the two into scoring position. Jones plated one run on a sacrifice fly to left field with Adam Martin singling to score the fourth run.
The three-run edge was short lived, though, as Davidson scored six runs in the top of seventh inning to pull out to a 7-4 lead. The Wildcats took advantage of three hits, three WCU errors and four walks in the decisive seventh inning.
Down by three, WCU threatened in the ninth as Strong singled to center with a failed pick-off attempt moving him to third base. Ridings then drove him home on a double down the left field line, trimming the deficit to two, 7-5. With Ridings at third base, White swung and missed a strike out three but reached on a throwing error by the catcher. As the ball sailed over the head of first baseman Calvin Sigelbaum, Ridings attempted to scamper home. However, second baseman James Cerbie scooped up the loose ball and threw home, nailing Ridings at the plate.
Heffley singled to continue the Catamounts' threat with two out in the ninth, but WCU was unable to muster any more runs in the 7-5 loss.
WCU freshman Tyler Powell (0-3) was tagged with the loss after allowing Forrest Brandt to single in the seventh. Powell only faced one batter, giving way to Preston Hatcher who tossed two thirds of an inning out of the bullpen. Hatcher allowed two runs on two hits with a pair of walks. Redshirt senior Vance Chavis tossed the final two innings for WCU, striking out three against one walk of scoreless relief.
Starter Morgan McKinney struck out a career-high 10 in six and a third innings, also factoring in a no-decision. The Gainesville, Fla., native allowed one earned run of the four allowed, walking four.
Brandt and Barna both collected four hits apiece to lead Davidson while Gadaire drove in four runs on two hits on the day for the Wildcats.
Appalachian State 13, Oakland 8
BOONE, N.C. - A record crowd was on hand to see Appalachian State University baseball rally from a five-run deficit and beat visiting Oakland, 13-8, on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
The second game of Saturday's scheduled doubleheader was suspended due to rain with Appalachian leading, 10-3, in the bottom of the sixth inning. That contest will resume on Sunday at noon, immediately followed by the finale of the clubs' three-game series.
Appalachian (20-5) made a Smith Stadium-record crowd of 993 sweat through four-and-a-half listless innings before the Mountaineers took control with a seven-run fifth in the series opener.
Oakland starter Jeff Gorecki cruised through three innings and even after ASU cut a 4-0 deficit in half with two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, OU (3-19) came right back with three runs of its own in the top of the fifth to stretch its lead to 7-2.
However, the Mountaineers needed only one inning to climb out of the five-run hole. They strung together six hits and benefited from four walks to plate seven runs in the bottom of the fifth and turn the 7-2 deficit into a 9-7 advantage. Five of Appalachian's first seven batters in the seven-run fifth banged out base hits, capped by a two-out RBI double from Jeremy Dowdy (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) that knotted the score at 7-7 and chased Gorecki (1-4) from the game. Gorecki's replacement, Russell Luxton, walked all four batters he faced, forcing in two runs that gave the Apps their first lead of the day at 9-7.
Highlighted by a three-run, opposite-field homer from first baseman Trey Holmes (Rockwell, N.C./East Rowan), Appalachian tacked on four runs in the seventh to stretch its advantage to 13-7. Oakland responded with a single run in the top of the eighth but in his first appearance of the season after missing 24 games due to illness, junior left-hander Ryne Frankoff (Apex, N.C./Apex) worked a perfect ninth to seal the victory.
The pesky Grizzlies roughed up ASU ace Ryan Arrowood (Rutherfordton, N.C./R-S Central) for six runs in 4.1 innings but true freshman Jamie Nunn (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) came on to limit Oakland to a run on two hits over 2.2 innings, allowing the Mountaineers to overcome the big deficit. Nunn moved to 3-0 in his young career with the clutch performance out of the bullpen.
After their early struggles at the plate, every member of the Mountaineers' starting lineup wound up contributing to Appalachian's 15-hit attack. True freshman Brandon Burris (Concord, N.C./Mount Pleasant) led the way by going 3-for-3 to raise his batting average to .524. Holmes had a season-high four RBI, Hector Crespo (Miami, Fla./Florida Christian) added three RBI and Dowdy, Will Callaway (Greenville, S.C./Eastside) and Tyler Tewell (Charlotte, N.C./Butler) drove in two runs apiece to help pace the 13-run outburst.
With the victory, ASU moved to 13-0 at home this season and became just fourth team in program history to win 20 of its first 25 games.