Elon 5, Samford 3 (18 inn.)
Elon 7, Samford 5

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.-The Samford baseball team resumed its suspended game with Elon from Saturday night, falling to the Phoenix, 5-3 in 18 innings on Sunday. The Bulldogs then dropped game three of the series, 7-5 Sunday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field.

With the wins, Elon earns the sweep of the series with Samford. The Bulldogs fall to 17-11 overall and 7-5 in the Southern Conference play with the losses. Elon improves to 18-11 overall and 11-4 in SoCon games.

The first game was originally the second game of a doubleheader to be played on Saturday. However, the game was suspended due to inclement weather Saturday evening in the top of the seventh inning with the score tied at 1-1.

When the game resumed on Sunday, Elon plated a run in the top of the seventh inning and Samford answered with a run in the bottom of the seventh to tie the score at 2-2.

The score remained tied until the 17th inning when Elon plated a run in the top of the inning. Sebastian Gomez singled with one out to start the rally. He later scored on a balk to give the Phoenix a 3-2 lead.

Samford came back to tie the score again with a run in the bottom of the 17th inning. Phillip Ervin led the inning off with a solo home run to make the score 3-3 and force an 18th inning.

In the top of the 18th, Elon plated two runs to take a 5-3 lead. Quinn Bower singled to center field to drive in Eric Serra for the first run of the inning. Niko Fraser later singled up the middle to drive in Bower for a two-run Elon lead.

In the bottom of the 18th inning, Samford loaded the bases with two outs, but the Bulldogs were unable to plate any runs as Elon held on for the win.

The game was the longest contest in Samford baseball history, and was just two innings away from tying the Southern Conference record of 20 innings. Samford pounded out 18 hits in the loss, while Elon tallied 15 hits.

Samford was led at the plate by Saxon Butler, going 4-for-6 with three doubles and an RBI. Ervin went 4-for-7 with a home run and two RBI. Zeth Stone went 3-for-8, while Brad Moss went 2-for-8.

Michael Gunter (0-1) pitched 1.0 inning in relief, allowing two runs, just one earned, on one hit, to take the loss on the mound for Samford. Charles Basford, C.K. Irby, Joseph Burns, Tyler Vanderheiden, Lex Rutledge and Taylor Hammond also saw time on the mound for Samford.

For Elon, Alex Swim went 5-for-9 at the plate. Niko Fraser went 2-for-9 with two RBI. Nate Young (3-1) pitched 2.0 innings, giving up one run on three hits to earn the win on the mound for the Phoenix.

In the final game, Elon built a four-run lead and a late rally by Samford fell just short as the Phoenix completed the series sweep with a 7-5 win.

Elon plated one run in the first inning and Samford came back with a run in the bottom of the second inning to tie the score at 1-1.

The Phoenix took a 4-1 lead with three runs in the top of the third inning. Samford then came back with two runs in the bottom of the third to cut the Elon lead to 4-3.

Elon added one run in the fourth inning and two more in the seventh to push its lead to four runs at 7-3.

Samford came back with two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to cut the lead to7-5. Brandon Miller doubled down the left-field line to drive in Stone and Moss to pull Samford to within two runs.

The Bulldogs had runners on second base and third base with one out, but they were unable to drive in any more runs and the game ended with a 7-5 Elon victory.

In the final game for Samford, Miller went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI. Moss went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Josh Martin (6-1) pitched 6.0 innings, giving up five runs on nine hits to take the loss on the mound for Samford.

Elon was led in the final game by Jake Luce, going 3-for-5 with a double, a triple and three RBI. Andrew MacDonald (4-1) pitched 3.0 scoreless innings in relief to pick up the win for the Phoenix. Jason Antonelli tossed the final two-thirds of an inning to earn his first save of the season.

Samford will return to action on Tuesday, April 3, when the Bulldogs play at Alabama A&M. The game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start from Normal, Ala.

 

Georgia Southern 4, College of Charleston 2

STATESBORO, Ga. - Behind the third quality start in as many days, the Georgia Southern Baseball team rallied from a one-run deficit to knock off the College of Charleston Cougars on Sunday. The Eagles picked up their second Southern Conference series victory with a 4-2 win over the top team in the league standings.

Will Middour (Atlanta, Ga.) threw the third-straight quality start from the Eagles' pitching staff, who allowed just eight runs and struckout 36 batters in the series. Middour tallied career highs in strikeouts and innings pitched to keep the deficit to one-run, before Georgia Southern (14-15, 5-7) went on top 3-2 with two runs in the sixth inning.

Middour struck out five batters in seven innings and held College of Charleston (21-8, 11-4) to just two runs on five hits before turning the game over to the bullpen. Jarret Leverett (Eatonton, Ga.) (S, 2) allowed two hits in the ninth inning but combined with Drew Johnson (Peachtree City, Ga.) to close the door. Both relief pitchers struck out a pair of batters in their respective frame, and Leverett pick up his second career save against the Cougars.

Georgia Southern retook a one-run lead after Ben Morgan (Evans, Ga.) plated the deciding run on a two-out infield single in the sixth inning. The first three Eagles reached base to start the frame and drove in the first run of the inning on a bouncing ball up the middle from Stryker Brown (Dalton, Ga.). Chase Griffin (Leesburg, Ga.), who singled through the left side, came around to score on Morgan's hit after being moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt by T.D. Davis (Evans, Ga.).

The Eagles added an insurance run in the eighth inning to increase their lead to two runs. Hunter Thomas (Johns Creek, Ga.) notched a pinch-hit single to score Brown, who tripled to lead off the frame. Thomas was caught stealing second base, before Morgan added his second hit in as many at-bats, a double into the right field corner.

College of Charleston got to Middour in the fourth and fifth inning before he retired five-straight batters to end his day on the mound. The Cougars scored a single run in both innings to take a 2-1 lead. A sacrifice fly from Tyler Jackson drove in Marty Gantt, who led off the inning with a single, after a sacrifice bunt from Daniel Aldrich moved two runners into scoring position. Bradley Goodson added a two-out solo shot in the fifth to go up 2-1, just one of two hits allowed by the sophomore starter in the final three innings.

Georgia Southern struck for a single run in the third inning to take an early lead on a two-out hit from Michael Burruss (Marietta, Ga.). After a ground out to start the frame, Scooter Williams (Detroit, Mich.) reached on a bunt single down the third base line and stole second base to move into scoring position. Burruss dropped a ball into to left field to score Williams without a throw for the first run of the game.

Georgia Southern wraps up a four-game homestand on Wednesday against Bethune-Cookman before heading off to Davidson for a three-games series which starts on Thursday. The Eagles will welcome in former pitching coach Jason Beverlin, who is in his first season at the helm with the Wildcats, with a 6 p.m. first pitch.

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 5, Davidson 3

Cullowhee, N.C. - Sophomore Cody Jones finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored while freshman Bradley Strong drove in three as Western Carolina claimed the Southern Conference series Sunday rubber match over Davidson, 5-3, at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. Behind Jones' three-single outing, WCU pounded out 14 hits in the victory.

Freshman starter Jeremy Null (4-0) tossed seven solid innings to earn the victory, striking out six against three walks through seven innings. The Claremont, N.C., native scattered five base hits while holding Davidson to three earned runs on the afternoon.

"I liked that we were able to fight back after not playing very well last night," said WCU head coach Bobby Moranda. "Our pitchers did a great job on the mound today. Playing at home, we want to win every series - especially conference games. Today was a very important win for us."

WCU improved to 20-9 overall on the year including a 6-3 mark in SoCon play. Davidson dropped to 10-15 on the season, 3-9 in league action.

In addition to the strong showing at the plate by Jones, Strong finished 2-for-4 with three RBI.

Western Carolina started the bottom of the first inning with three-consecutive hits capped by an RBI double by Ross Heffley to drive in Tyler White from second base to tally the first run of the game. In the home portion of the second inning, WCU again lit the scoreboard for a solo run as Dykota Spiess doubled before being plated on a RBI single by Julian Ridings, who finished with two hits on the afternoon.

Davidson got on the board in the top of the third with a solo homerun by Jake Berman, his first of two round-trippers on the day. Berman finished 2-for-4 with three RBI to lead the Wildcats.

The Catamounts answered Berman's homerun with runs of their own in the bottom of the third. With runners on second and third, Strong singled through the right side of the infield to score both Jones and Jacob Hoyle, who along with Adam Martin singled to load the bases. WCU led 4-1, through three innings.

Berman hit his second homerun of the day to pull Davidson back within one run of WCU's 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth inning, bringing in Calvin Sigelbaum from third base. Sigelbaum reached on a two-out triple hit to the gap in right-centerfield.

The Catamounts would add an insurance run in the fifth inning as Jones reached first safely with a single to right field to lead things off for the Catamounts. A stolen base put Jones on third before Dykota Spiess was hit by relief pitcher Rob Bain. A hit-and-run by Strong scored Jones - the final Catamount run of the game - and moved Spiess to third with one out. The Wildcats avoided further damage in the inning by throwing out Strong who was caught stealing second and grounding out Julian Ridings.

Tyler Powell came in to relieve Null at the start the eighth inning. Powell pitched an inning and a third, only allowing one hit and recording a strikeout. Giving up his only hit in the top of the ninth, Moranda went back to the bullpen for redshirt senior Vance Chavis with one on and one gone in the top of the final frame.

A native of Laurinburg, N.C., Chavis induced a game-ending double play as he got Wildcat short stop Michael Zeblo to ground out - but the play was not without its theatrics. Zeblo laced a shot up the middle, just to the right of the second base bag. Second baseman, Heffley, sprinted to his right, dove to collect the ground ball. Without removing the ball from his mitt, the preseason All-America selection flipped the ball to shortstop Aaron Attaway with his glove to begin the 4-6-3 double play to end the game.

WCU turned three double plays on Sunday as part of six turned by the Catamounts in the three-game series.

Chavis was credited with his second save of the season while facing only one batter.

Wildcat starter Danny Mooney (1-2) took the loss after allowing four earned runs on eight hits after being chased in the third inning. Second reliever out of the bullpen, Ryan Lowe - who started the game as the designated hitter - recorded the only three strikeouts by Davidson pitching tossing three innings in relief while holding WCU scoreless on only one hit.

In addition to Berman's 2-for-4 outing, second baseman James Cerbie was also 2-for-4 with Sigelbaum tallying the third Davidson run in the loss.

Western Carolina concludes a four-game home stand on Tuesday night as it returns to action at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. The Catamounts face the Georgia Bulldogs for the second time this season, upending the eighth-ranked Bulldogs, 5-3, in Athens, Ga., back on February 29. First pitch is slated for 5:00 pm Tuesday evening.

 

The Citadel 8, Wofford 7 (10 inn.)

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Mason Davis' RBI single to right center in the bottom of the 10th inning capped a wild comeback by the Bulldogs as The Citadel took its first Southern Conference series of the season with an 8-7 victory over Wofford Sunday afternoon at Riley Park. The Bulldogs return to action Tuesday evening at Riley Park as they host Coastal Carolina in non-conference action at 6 p.m.

Trailing 5-0 after four innings and 7-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Bulldogs (11-16, 3-6 SoCon) engineered the comeback by scoring all eight runs over the final five frames, including three in their last at-bat to send the game into extra innings.

With two down and the game knotted at 7-7 in the 10th, Bailey Rush singled to left and Nick Orvin followed up with a single up the middle to give the Bulldogs runners at first and second. Davis laced a 3-1 pitch from Wofford reliever Alex Wilson into the gap in right center to score Rush from second and set the Bulldogs' dugout into celebration mode.

The Citadel almost didn't get the opportunity to enjoy the extra-inning heroics of Davis, as Wofford had a 7-4 lead in the bottom of the ninth with closer Eric Eck on the mound, who shut down the Bulldogs the day before. This time however, The Citadel tallied three runs off Eck to knot the game. With one out and Hayden Hendry at second, Orvin ripped a RBI double down the left-field line to bring the Bulldogs within two. One out later, Justin Mackert reached on a infield single and stole second to put runners at second and third for Calvin Orth. Orth, who entered the game as a defensive replacement, drilled a two-out, two-run single throught the right side to plate Orvin and Mackert and send the game into the extra frame.

Wofford (11-17, 1-8) jumped all over the Bulldogs early, scoring in the first inning on a solo home run by Mac Doyle and adding two more in the second on a two-run single by James Foster. A pair of runs in the fourth put the Terriers up 5-0 and Wofford starter Cash Collins had the game seemingly in hand, no-hitting the Bulldogs through five innings.

The Citadel chipped away at the deficit with a run in the sixth on a RBI single by Mackert and pair of runs in the seventh on a two-run double by Orvin, cutting the Wofford lead to 5-3. The Terriers regained a four-run margin in the eighth, scoring on back-to-back RBI singles by Matthew Kaskow and Foster. The Bulldogs scored a single run in the bottom of the frame and RBI groundout by Grant Richards to set up the ninth-inning rally and Davis' 10th-inning game-winner.

Ryan Hines picked up the win for the Bulldogs, improving to 2-1 on the season. The junior allowed one hit over the final 2-1/3 scoreless innings and walked one. Starter Logan Cribb allowed five runs on five hits in 3-1/3 innings with two walks and two strikeouts. Orvin finished with three hits and three RBI. The senior also scored a run to move past current associate head coach David Beckley into 5th place on the career runs chart with 199. Davis and Mackert each added two hits to the offensive attack.

Wilson suffered the loss for Wofford, allowing one run on three hits in one inning. Collins went 6-2/3 innings, scattering three hits and allowing three runs, one earned, with two strikeouts. The Bulldogs tagged Eck for three runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning. Matt Moore and Eric Brenk recorded three hits apiece for the Terriers, while Foster had two hits and three RBI.

 

UNCG 9, Furman 4

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Sophomore Cambric Moye hit his first home run of the season highlighting a three-run second inning that propelled UNCG to a 9-4 victory over Furman in Southern Conference action on Sunday afternoon at UNCG Baseball Stadium.

For the third game in a row, Furman (15-14, 5-7 SoCon) would draw first blood and take a 1-0 lead after one and a half innings of play. Chris Ohmstede hit the first of his career-high four hits, all singles, starting the scoring for the Paladins. Two batters later, Hunter Burton launched an RBI triple to the deepest part of the park to score Ohmstede.

UNCG (15-12, 4-8 SoCon) would score early and often by scoring in four consecutive innings from the second inning to the fifth inning. In the second inning, Lloyd Enzor was hit by a pitch giving UNCG its first base runner on the day. Thomas Troelstrup would help UNCG maintain its national lead as he laid down the teams' 50th sacrifice bunt on the year to advance Enzor to second, setting the table for senior Kris Richards. Richards delivered with an RBI double to right center to tie the game at 1.

Goldsboro, N.C., native Moye blasted the first pitch he saw from Paladins' Ben Carlson (1-4) out of the ballpark to give UNCG a lead it'd never relinquish, 3-1, after two innings of play.

In the top of the fourth, Paul Nitto led the inning off with a double, Ohmstede followed up with a single and Heath Burton walked to load the bases up with no outs. UNCG starter Tyler Hollstegge (3-2) buckled down and struck out the next batter before inducing an inning-ending double play to escape unscathed.

Troelstrup followed the lead of his teammate, Richards; by scoring Trevor Edwards thanks an RBI double of his own in the third inning. Moye hit a run-scoring double in the fourth to collect his third RBI of the day and to give UNCG a 5-1 lead after four innings.

The Spartans would continue to distance themselves as freshman Nick Chapman hit a two-run single to right field bringing the score to 7-1 in UNCG's favor after five innings.

However, the Paladins would not go down quietly as they loaded up the bases again in the sixth inning with one out. Will Owens scorched a ball down the third base line, but Troelstrup made a beautiful back-handed grab to retire Owens as Ohmstede would cross the plate cutting the deficit to five, 7-2.

Furman would strike for two more runs in the seventh inning as Paul Nitto hit a sacrifice fly and collecting his 11th RBI of the series. Ohmstede blooped an RBI single to center field to bring the score to 7-4.

The duo of Troelstrup and Chapman struck again in the bottom of the eighth as both Spartans chipped in an RBI and giving UNCG some breathing room, 9-4, after eight innings.

Furman made it interesting by loading the bases once again in the ninth, but thanks to another defensive gem by Troelstrup and timely pitching from Lee Gilliam, the Paladins were unable to score.

Hollstegge collected his third win on the season by going a season-high 6 2/3 innings while allowing four runs on 11 hits. Gilliam gathered his first save of the year by throwing 41 pitches in 2 1/3 innings of shut-out ball.

Furmans' Carlson took the loss as UNCG touched him up for four runs on four hits in only three innings of work.

With the win, UNCG avoided being swept for the first time since May 2010 when Furman completed the feat. Zach Leach enjoyed his fifth multi-hit game in the last eight games. Furman stranded 14 runners and used eight pitchers on the day while UNCG left 11 on base and used only two pitchers.

 

Appalachian State 14, Oakland 5
Appalachian State 10, Oakland 5

BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University baseball completed its fourth weekend series sweep of the season by taking a pair of decisions from visiting Oakland on Sunday at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium. Appalachian downed Oakland, 14-5, in the completion of Saturday's suspended game then topped the Grizzlies, 10-5, in Sunday's regularly scheduled series finale.

By completing the three-game series sweep, Appalachian (22-5) moved to 15-0 at home this season and became only the third club in program history to win 22 of its first 27 games.

After easily finishing off the victory in Saturday's suspended game (ASU led 10-3 in the fifth inning when play resumed on Sunday), the Mountaineers rode Trey Holmes (Rockwell, N.C./East Rowan) and Tyler Tewell (Charlotte, N.C./Butler) to the sweep, with Holmes hitting a pair of home runs and Tewell going 4-for-5 in Sunday's finale.

Holmes' towering two-run blasts in the second and fifth innings landed in nearly identical spots to the left of the scoreboard beyond the 375-foot mark in right-center field. In addition to going deep twice for the first time in his ASU career, the senior first baseman also matched a season high with four RBI.

Tewell, who finished 3-for-4 in Saturday's suspended game, picked up right where he left off with two singles and two doubles in his first four trips to the plate in Sunday's finale. Along with his career-high four hits, the junior right fielder drove in a pair of runs and scored three more in the victory.

The terrific run support allowed starting pitcher Rob Marcello (Royal Palm Beach, Fla./Royal Palm Beach) to battle through 5.2 innings and earn the win. Marcello (4-1) cruised through the first four stanzas but, staked with a 6-0 lead, struggled in the fifth as Oakland (3-21) strung together six hits and cut the Appalachian advantage to 6-5.

After Holmes' second homer stretched the lead back to three runs, Marcello easily dispatched the first two batters he faced in the top of the sixth but gave up a bunt single and a double to put runners on second and third with two outs. He was replaced by Tyler Moore (Banner Elk, N.C./Watauga), whose first pitch was drilled to left field by Oakland's Mike Carson and it appeared that the Grizzlies would once again cut the ASU lead to one. However, true freshman Brandon Burris (Concord, N.C./Mount Pleasant) made a spectacular diving catch that definitely saved two runs and likely killed any OU hopes of stealing a victory.

Sparked by Burris' big play in left field, Tewell and Jeremy Dowdy (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) put the final nail in Oakland's coffin with an RBI double and RBI single, respectively, that put the Mountaineers up 10-5 in the bottom of the sixth. From there, Moore, Chad Farmer (Evans, Ga./Greenbrier) and Nathan Hyatt (Brevard, N.C./Brevard) each worked a scoreless inning to close out the triumph.

Appalachian continues an eight-game homestand on Tuesday when it hosts longtime rival East Tennessee State at Smith Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.