Davidson 1, Wofford 0
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Davidson freshman LHP Henry Sisson threw a no-hitter with nine strikeouts as the Wildcats defeated Wofford, 1-0 in Southern Conference baseball action Friday night at Wilson Field.
Junior shortstop Michael Zeblo scored the lone Davidson (12-19, 4-12 SoCon) run on a solo home run to right field to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning.
It was the first Davidson no-hitter since Wes Self threw one against High Point on Feb. 15, 2001 and just the sixth in Wildcats history.
RHP Brandon Yarusi (3-4) pitched well for Wofford (13-20, 3-10 SoCon) as well, pitching all eight innings and allowing just the one run, six hits and two walks, while also striking out nine.
Sisson (2-1) allowed four base runners to reach base, three on walks and one on an error when he dropped a toss from senior first baseman Calvin Sigelbaum attempting to cover first base in the second inning.
Sisson used his defense in the top of the ninth inning to accomplish the feat. Junior third baseman Andrew Barna fielded a grounder and completed the throw for the first out and senior centerfielder Drew Gadaire successfully tracked a high, pop-fly in centerfield for the second. Senior second baseman James Cerbie made a tough play to his left and an accurate throw to beat third baseman Eric Brenk by a step for the final out.
Davidson and Wofford will continue the series Saturday at 2 p.m.
Davidson All-Time No Hitters
- James Groome vs. South Carolina, April 28, 1915
- Bill Miley vs. Elon, Apr. 26, 1920
- Thomas Hunter vs. Wofford, Apr. 18, 1923
- Steve Condon vs. Furman, Mar. 22, 1986 (7 innings)
- Wes Self vs. High Point, Feb. 15, 2001
- Henry Sisson vs. Wofford, Apr. 13, 2012
College of Charleston 7, Samford 3
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - College of Charleston scored seven runs on 12 hits to defeat Samford, 7-3, in the first game of the weekend series at Patriots Point on Friday night.
The Cougars (24-11, 13-6) won their third game in a row and tallied double digits in hits for the third straight game. Samford fell to 20-14 and 9-7 in the Southern Conference. The victory was also the first Friday win in a SoCon series in the last three weeks.
Redshirt-sophomore Daniel Aldrich continued his hot streak with a 2-for-4 day at the plate, tying his career high with three runs scored. Aldrich slapped a double and a triple, his team-best fifth three-bagger of the season. Aldrich also made several dynamic plays in right field to help the defensive cause.
Josh Renfro (5-3) picked up the win for CofC with 5.0 IP, allowing three runs, two earned, and striking out three batters against five hits. Senior Nick Osterman pitched three outstanding innings, allowing just one Bulldog hit and one unearned run, to get the game to the Cougar closer David Peterson in the ninth inning.
Junior Bradley Goodson drove in Aldrich twice as he went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Marty Gantt tallied one hit and two walks with an RBI and a run in his second straight game in the leadoff spot.
Samford got on the board first in the top of the second inning, scoring two runs on two hits, including a triple from C.K. Irby. However, College of Charleston responded at the bottom of the inning as the Cougars took advantage of two Samford errors and Rob Harding hit an RBI double to tie the score at two.
"Even though it was early, that was the turning point of the game," head coach Monte Lee. "We needed to respond after falling behind 2-0. We scored two and started chipping away. We had a lot of two-out RBIs and two-strike hits. Daniel Aldrich was the MVP of the game for us."
The Cougars scored two runs in the fourth inning as Aldrich led off the inning with a triple to center and scored on a single from Goodson. Base hits from Brandon Glazer and Gunnar Heidt loaded the bases for Marty Gantt who walked in a run to put the Cougars up 4-2.
Samford rallied to get one run back in the fifth after an error on Renfro in the beginning of the inning, but the Aldrich-Goodson combination worked again in the bottom half of the frame as Aldrich doubled and Goodson drove him in to put the margin at 5-3.
Tyler Jackson picked up an RBI double in the sixth and Cody Martin scored on an error by Samford's catcher in the eighth inning to put the final margin at 7-3. Peterson came in and closed out the ninth inning with two strikeouts.
Samford's Charles Basford (5-1) picked up the loss for the Bulldogs, his first of the season. Basford went 5.2 IP, allowing nine hits and six runs, four earned. Irby went 2-for-3 with a triple, RBI and a run, and Saxon Butler and Tommy Corbin each notched RBIs.
College of Charleston's Christian Powell will face off against Samford's Josh Martin in tomorrow's 3 p.m. game at Patriots Point. Immediately following the game, the Cougars will be "shaving heads and saving lives" as part of the St. Baldrick's charity for cancer research.
The Citadel 3, UNCG 0
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Austin Pritcher tossed a complete-game four-hitter to give head coach Fred Jordan his 700th career victory as The Citadel blanked UNC Greensboro 3-0 Friday evening to open their three-game Southern Conference series at Riley Park. The Bulldogs improve to 14-21 on the season and 5-8 in the league.
Pritcher was magnificent on the mound, striking out nine Spartans and scattering four hits, walking none. The complete-game shutout was the first for The Citadel since Matt Talley did it against UNCG on May 15, 2010 and was Pritcher's first complete-game effort.
With tonight's win, Jordan becomes the 36th active member of the 700-win club of NCAA Division I head coaches. In his 21st season, Jordan is 700-529 all-time at the helm of the Citadel program.
The Bulldogs jumped on the scoreboard early, scoring once in the second and twice in the third for a 3-0 lead. With one out in the second, Drew DeKerlegand reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to second on a throwing error by TJ Spina at short. Bailey Rush jumped on a 1-1 pitch by Spartans starter Tyler Hollstegge for a RBI single up the middle, plating DeKerlegand from second.
Mason Davis led off the third with a triple off the wall in right, his second of the season. Justin Mackert followed up with a RBI single off Hollstegge's foot to score Davis for a 2-0 lead. Mackert stole second and with Bo Thompson at the plate, Mackert swiped third and scored when Cambric Moye's throw from the plate went into right field for the three-run cushion.
Hollstegge took the loss for UNCG (18-14, 4-9), allowing three runs on six hits in 2-2/3 innings. Zach Leach had two of the Spartans' four hits.
Mackert led the Bulldogs with two hits and three stolen bases.
Saturday's first pitch against is set for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Sports Radio 1450 AM with the "Voice of the Bulldogs" Danny Reed handling the play-by-play. The broadcast can also be heard online at CharlestonSportsRadio.com.
No. 27 Appalachian State 5, Georgia Southern 1
STATESBORO, Ga. - Behind a quality start from Ryan Arrowood, No. 27 Appalachian State snapped the Georgia Southern Baseball team's seven-game win streak with a 5-1 victory in the series opener Friday night at J.I. Clements Stadium. The loss was the first the Eagles suffered in the month of April.
Arrowood (6-0) walked five batters including two in the third inning that led to Georgia Southern's (20-16, 8-8) only run of the game, but he settled down to limit the Eagles to just one run on six hits over seven innings. The senior pitcher also struck out seven batters, including four in the third and fourth innings combined, to remain perfect on the year.
Appalachian State (25-7, 10-3) struck for three runs in the first inning after Chris Beck (Jefferson, Ga.) struggled with his location. Walks to both Daniel Kassouf and Jeremy Dowdy loaded the bases and plated the first run of the game for the Mountaineers. Trey Holmes followed with a two-RBI single to drive in two more runs, putting ASU up 3-0. The junior right-hander also gave up two singles after retiring the leadoff batter, Hector Crespo, to put the first two runners on base.
After being handed the early lead, Arrowood retired the side in order before getting into a bases-loaded jam in the second inning. Chase Griffin (Leesburg, Ga.) doubled to lead off the inning and moved to third base after a one-out single from T.D. Davis (Evans, Ga.). Casey Kicklighter (Jesup, Ga.) drew a walk to load the bases, but the senior right-hander got out of the inning with a double play.
Beck (4-3) had struggled in his career against Appalachian State, but battled after the early runs to keep the Eagles within striking distance after allowing four runs on seven hits and five walks over six innings. The junior right-hander faced the minimum in an inning just twice but held the Mountaineers scoreless in his final three innings on the mound.
The two teams traded a single run in the third inning before both pitching staffs settled down for five scoreless innings. Daniel Kassouf struck for Appalachian State's fourth two-out run of the game in the top half of the third inning with a solo homer off the left field foul pole, but the Eagles got the run back in the bottom half of the inning on a bunt single by Eric Phillips (Carrollton, Ga.).
The Mountaineers got back on the scoreboard after being held scoreless for five innings with a RBI single off the bat of Will Callaway. Stryker Brown (Dalton, Ga.) came up quickly with the throw and delivered the ball to the plate in advance of the runner Crespo, but he was called safe at the plate. Georgia Southern was unable to spark a ninth inning rally off of Nathan Hyatt after Davis reached base to open the frame on a wild pitch. Hyatt struck out all four batters he faced in the frame to close the book on the Eagles.
The two teams will continue the series following tomorrow's Blue White spring game with first pitch set for 6 p.m. The final game of the three-game series is set for 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.
All baseball games this season can be heard on the Boomer 103.7 FM and inside J.I. Clements 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 3, Furman 0
Cullowhee, N.C. - Sophomore Jordan Smith tossed seven shutout innings while scattering seven base hits as Western Carolina claimed game one of its Southern Conference series with Furman on Friday evening, blanking the Paladins, 3-0, at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
Game two of the three-game set is scheduled for a 4:00 pm first pitch on Saturday afternoon. Saturday's game is the "Think Pink" game in Cullowhee; the Catamounts will take batting practice in special "Whee Think Pink" T-shirts that will also be on-sale at the ballpark with a portion of the proceeds going to help fund breast cancer research.
Smith (3-4) struck out six against three walks to pick up his first win in his last four starts for the Catamounts. He held Furman without any extra base hits and did not allow a Paladin runner past second base in the win. Closer Preston Hatcher tossed the final two frames of one-hit, shutout relief to score his seventh save of the season. Hatcher fanned four of the seven batters he faced including all three outs in the one-hit ninth.
Sophomore Cody Jones belted a two-RBI double down the left field line in the second inning to stake the Catamounts to a 2-0 advantage as a part of a 2-for-4 showing at the plate to lead the Catamounts. Freshman Bradley Strong drove home an insurance run in the sixth inning as WCU matched its win total from the 2011 season, improving to 23-11 overall, 8-5 in league play.
Furman starter Bobby Lyne (5-3) took the loss after allowing all three runs on eight hits including three extra base knocks. Lyne struck out five with two walks and a hit batsman. Alex Abrams, who finished 2-for-4 at the plate as the Paladin designated hitter, finished the final inning on the mound with hitless, scoreless relief for Furman.
Abrams as well as leftfielder Will Owens posted multi-hit games for Furman as Owens was a game-high, 3-for-4, at the plate but was stranded on base twice.
Western Carolina got on the board first with a two-out rally in the home half of the second inning. Julian Ridings doubled to left field to extend the inning following the second out with Aaron Attaway drawing a five-pitch walk to put two on with two gone. Jones, a left-handed batter, then went the opposite way with a double down the left field line on the first pitch of his at bat to score two as the runners took off at the crack of the bat.
In the sixth inning, Tyler White legged out a double to right center on the first pitch of his at bat to lead-off the frame for his lone hit of the evening, and was moved to third on a single up the middle by Dykota Spiess. Two batters later, Strong pulled a single through the right side to plate White, but Spiess was gunned out at third for the second out. Ridings then grounded to second to end the Catamount threat.
Leading 3-0 heading into the top of the seventh inning, Smith - a Liberty, N.C., native - surrendered back-to-back singles to put the first two runners aboard when Hatcher was summoned from the bullpen. The right-hander from Atlanta, Ga., struck out the first batter he faced before getting a fly ball out to left field and ground out on a fantastic play by Strong charging the middle of the diamond to end the Paladin threat.
Hatcher pitched around a single up the middle with three strikeouts in the ninth to earn the save.
Both teams finished with eight hits apiece with the Paladins stranding nine and WCU leaving eight on base in the series opener.
Game two gets underway at 4:00 pm on Saturday afternoon. WCU is expected to start junior left-hander Morgan McKinney (4-1, 2.81 ERA) while Furman counters with a junior leftie of its own in Nate Smith (2-3, 5.60 ERA).
Elon 17, Towson 9
ELON, N.C. -- Tyler McVicar homered in back-to-back at bats and the Elon Phoenix scored in every inning as the maroon and gold picked up a 17-9 non-league baseball victory over the visiting Towson Tigers on Friday night.
The 17 runs were the most scored by an Elon team this season and McVicar became the first Elon player to hit homers in back-to-back at bats since Neal Pritchard did so against High Point in May of 2009. Garrett Koster added four hits, including his team-leading eighth home run of the season, as the Phoenix improved to 20-16 on the season.
Eight of Elon's nine starters had at least one hit and seven players posted multi-hit nights. Along with Koster (4-for-5, two runs, two RBI) and McVicar (2-for-6, two runs, two RBI), Sebastian Gomez (2-for-5, four runs), Alex Swim (2-for-4, two runs, three RBI), Ryan Kinsella (2-for-3, two runs, two RBI), Jake Luce (2-for-4, three RBI) and Chris Bresnahan (3-for-5, two runs, one RBI) all posted multiple hits.
Towson (17-17) actually got on the board first, scoring two runs on a Kurtis Voytell double in its first at bat.
Trailing 2-1 in the last of the second, Elon sent nine men to the plate and scored four runs. McVicar led it off by driving a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right to knot the game at two. After Gomez reached and went to second on an error, Swim put the Phoenix in front for good with a single up the middle. A Luce single drove in the final two of the inning.
McVicar led off the third with his second bomb, this one hit off the scoreboard in left-center. Elon would score one more that inning to make it a 7-2 game.
Elon took an 11-3 lead into the sixth before Towson rallied for four runs, including two on a homer by Ben Winter.
The Phoenix came right back with two in the bottom half to add to its cushion. With the score 13-7, Koster drilled a 3-2 pitch deep over the fence in left-center.
Towson scored single runs in the eighth and the ninth while Elon plated three in the eighth to provide the final 17-9 score.
Dylan Clark won for the seventh time this year, upping his record to 7-2. He went 5.2 innings and allowed four runs. John Antonelli threw the final 3.1 innings to garner his second save of the season.
Sean Bertrand fell to 0-1 as he allowed 10 runs (seven earned) on 11 hits in just 4.1 innings.
Elon and Towson will play game two of this three-game series at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday night.