College of Charleston 4, No. 8 South Carolina 3
COLUMBIA, S.C. - College of Charleston hit three home runs in the first three innings and the pitching staff carried the lead for the rest of the game as the Cougars knocked off #8 South Carolina at Carolina Stadium on Tuesday night.
The win was the first for CofC over South Carolina since 2007 and the second victory this season over a ranked team. College of Charleston (26-12) has now won five of the last six games. The Gamecocks fell to 27-11 on the season.
The Cougars offense was led by redshirt-sophomore Daniel Aldrich who went 2-of-4 with a two-run home run that put the Cougars up in the first inning. The reigning SoCon Player of the Week Bradley Goodson hit a solo home run along with sophomore Brandon Glazer who hit a solo shot to left field.
Starter Ryan West (4-3) earned the win for College of Charleston with an admirable pitching performance, allowing just three hits and one run through six innings. West worked out of jams in several innings. Josh Renfro came on in relief to work the Cougars out of a jam in the seventh inning, and David Peterson earned his ninth save of the season. Peterson gave up two runs in the eighth, but preserved the win by retiring the top of the Gamecock order to end the inning and shutting USC down in the ninth inning.
"I was really proud of the way that we battled against a great team," head coach Monte Lee said. "Our offense got the game going with some big-time swings, and our pitching staff was able to finish the deal. We made some excellent defensive plays as well. It was an outstanding program win."
L.B. Dantzler tallied two hits and an RBI for South Carolina and Connor Bright notched two hits and scored a run. Starter Nolan Belcher (2-2) gave up all four runs in the loss and was pulled in the third inning.
The Cougars got off to a hot start in the first inning as Gantt doubled down the left field line and Aldrich blasted a two-run homer to right field to put College of Charleston up 2-0. The bomb was just the third home run for Aldrich and first since February. His two RBI put him over 100 for his career.
College of Charleston kept the home run fest going in the second and third innings as Glazer and Goodson each lifted solo shots that cleared the fence in left field. The long ball was the second this season for Glazer, while Goodson extended his team lead in RBI to 32.
West pitched well for College of Charleston as he kept the Gamecocks off the board until the fifth inning when Dantzler hit a two-out double to score Marzilli.
South Carolina threatened to score in the seventh inning as Marzilli was hit by Kyle Owings and Christian Walker singled to advance Marzilli to third. However, Josh Renfro came on in relief and struck out Dantzler and got pinch-hitter Brison Celek to fly out to center.
The Gamecocks went on a dramatic rally in the bottom of the eighth inning, loading the bases against CofC closer Peterson with none out. Freshman Tanner English hit a single through the left side to score two runs and bring the margin to within 4-3. However, Peterson then set down the top of the Gamecocks order, striking out Joey Pankake, getting a flyout from Marzilli and a groundout from Christian Walker.
Peterson gave up a two-out hit in the top of the ninth, but Griener flew out to Aldrich to end the game.
College of Charleston returns home this weekend for a SoCon series against crosstown rival, The Citadel. Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Furman 5, No. 26 Georgia 4
ATHENS, GA. -- Chris Ohmstede belted a two-run home run to highlight a five-run Furman fourth and the Paladins held on to defeat 26th-ranked Georgia, 5-4, in baseball action action Tuesday evening at Foley Field.
The victory snapped a five-game losing skid for Furman (18-20) and marked the Paladins' third triumph in the last four meetings with Georgia (23-15).
The Paladins trailed 2-0 after three innings, but struck for all five of their runs in the fourth against Bulldog pitcher Michael Palazzone.
Jake Jones led off the Furman fourth with a single, stole second, and came around to score after Taylor Johnson beat out a single to first base and the throw sailed wide of the covering Palazzone. After a walk to Wil Miller, Will Muzika stroked a double into left center field to drive home Johnson. Alex Abrams followed with a RBI groundout to make it 3-1, and Ohmstede capped the frame with a towering two-run home run to left field, his fifth clout of the campaign, to stake the Paladins to the 5-1 advantage.
Georgia answered in the bottom of the fourth with a Nelson Ward RBI single, and the Bulldogs cut it to 5-4 an inning later on a Levi Hyams sacrifice fly.
Furman put its first two batters on in both the sixth and seventh but faied to score.
Joey Delmonico led off the Georgia sixth with a double, but Paladin reliever Jacques de Gruy stranded him there by striking out Curt Powell, getting Peter Verdin on an infield fly, and Ward on a groundout.
Matt Solter came on for de Gruy in the seventh and worked around a one-out walk by retiring Powell on a fly to right field with the tying run at third base.
Abrams moved from third base to the mound in the ninth and quickly recorded two outs. Kyle Farmer singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch, but Abrams recovered by striking out Colby May to end the game just as rain showers descended on the stadium.
Elliott Warford (3-0) was credited with the win after making only the second start of his career. He overcame a shaky first inning that saw him surrender three walks and a pair of runs. He ended up working three innings and was the beneficiary of the five-run Paladin fourth.
Abrams earned his second save of the season.
Palazzone (1-5) was charged with the loss after yielding all five Paladin runs on four hits in the fourth.
Both teams finished with seven hits.
Furman returns to action on Wednesday when it entertains Winthrop in a 6:00 p.m. game at Latham Stadium.
Davidson 8, Duke 4
DURHAM, N.C. - Davidson used a six-run fifth inning and strong pitching from junior RHP Bryan DaCanal to secure an 8-4 win over Duke in non-conference baseball action Tuesday night at Jack Coombs Field.
The win extends Davidson's (15-19) winning streak to four games and gives the Wildcats their first home-and-home series sweep of Duke (14-24) since 2000. The ‘Cats earned a 2-1 victory over Duke earlier this season on Mar. 27.
Junior third baseman Andrew Barna and senior second baseman James Cerbie both went 2-for-4 for the ‘Cats, while sophomore catcher Daniel Gerow was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Cerbie led the team with three RBI, and Barna and senior centerfielder Drew Gadaire (1-for-5) each had two RBI. Six of Davidson's nine hits were extra-base hits (five doubles, one triple).
DaCanal (2-1) entered in the fifth inning and finished the game, allowing just one run on three hits and a walk and striking out four.
Davidson batted around in the top of the fifth inning, scoring six runs. Gerow started the scoring by driving in freshman designated hitter Ryan Lowe from second base with a double to left field with one out. Seniors Calvin Sigelbaum and Jake Berman then drew back-to-back walks to load the bases and chase starter RHP Nick Piscotty (0-2).
RHP Andrew Istler struck out the first batter he faced for the second out of the inning, but Gadaire drove in two runs to tie the game at 3-3 with a base hit to center. Barna and Cerbie then hit back-to-back doubles, with Barna's driving in Berman and Cerbie's driving in Gadaire and Barna, for a 6-3 Davidson lead.
Davidson added two runs in the seventh inning. Sophomore left fielder Forrest Brandt led the inning off with a double down the left field line and scored on a triple to straightaway center by Barna with one out. Cerbie then roped a double down the left field line to score Barna for an 8-3 Davidson lead.
Duke scored the first runs of the game in the fourth inning. Left fielder David Perkins (1-for-4) and centerfielder Anthony D'Alessandro (1-for-4) both hit RBI-doubles in the inning, and shortstop Angelo La Bruna (2-for-3) hit a sacrifice fly to cap the scoring. The Blue Devils added another run in the eighth inning on an RBI-single by catcher Mike Rosenfeld (1-for-4).
Davidson will return to action at 6 p.m on Friday at UNCG to begin a crucial three-game Southern Conference series.
The Citadel 10, Winthrop 3
ROCK HILL, S.C. - Mason Davis posted career-highs with three hits and three RBI, including a two-run home run to lead The Citadel to a 10-3 victory over Winthrop in non-conference action Tuesday evening at the Winthrop Ballpark.
Davis went 3-for-6 at the plate with a double and a home run, scoring three times and stealing a base. Nick Orvin tied a season-high with four hits and Justin Mackert and Joe Jackson chipped in two hits each. Connor Walsh picked up the victory for the Bulldogs, allowing two hits in two innings of a predetermined split. The freshman southpaw walked one and struck out one for his first collegiate win.
The Bulldogs (17-21) got the ball rolling in the second frame, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead. Orvin reached on a two-out single to left center and promptly stole second. Davis drilled a 2-0 pitch from Winthrop starter Preston Johnson over the wall in right for his second round-tripper of the season and a two-run Bulldog advantage.
Winthrop (12-26) cut the lead to 2-1 in the sixth on a RBI single by Max Vogel. Patrick Gamblin led off the frame with a single to left and stole second. A single to left off the bat of Matt Lobacz put runners at the corners and Vogel lined a 1-2 pitch from Citadel reliever Ross White into right, plating Gamblin.
A five-run seventh gave the Bulldogs all the insurance runs they would need to close out the game. Hughston Armstrong walked to lead off the frame and Orvin followed with a single to left. A wild pitch by reliever Austin Stuart moved both runners into scoring position and a second wild pitch by Stuart plated Armstrong for a 3-1 lead and moved Orvin to third. Davis drilled a RBI double down the right-field line to score Orvin and another double to right center by Mackert put runners at second and third with the Bulldogs up 4-1.
One out later, pinch-hitter Tyler Griffin lined a two-run double off the wall in right center to clear the bases for a 6-1 Citadel lead. Drew DeKerlegand was hit by his team-high 12th pitch and Grant Richards recorded his seventh RBI of the season with a single to left that score Griffin on a hit-and-run for a 7-1 lead.
The Bulldogs tacked on two more runs in the eighth to seal the win. Orvin reached on a fielding error at short and Davis collected his third hit of the game with a single to right. A wild pitch by Steven Atherton moved Orvin to third and Davis stole second before Mackert lifted a sacrifice fly to deep center to bring home Orvin. Jackson followed with a RBI single to right that scored Davis.
Winthrop closed the scoring with a pair of runs in the ninth on a solo home run by Chas Crane and a sacrifice fly to center by Justin Hopper.
The Bulldogs return to Southern Conference action this weekend as they face the College of Charleston in a three-game series at The Ballpark at Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant. Friday's first pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. and can be heard on Sports Radio 1450 AM with Danny Reed handling the play-by-play.
No. 1 Florida 8, Georgia Southern 2
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The Georgia Southern Baseball team faced a #1 ranked Florida Gator team for a second-straight season in a mid-week contest but was unable to duplicate the success from a year ago. The Gators struck for eight two-out runs in an 8-2 victory on Tuesday night at McKethan Stadium.
Brian Johnson drove in five of the runs on two extra-base hits to tie his career high for RBIs set earlier this season against Miami. Johnson launched his fifth home run of the season off the scoreboard in right field in the first inning to hand Georgia Southern (22-17) an early three-run deficit. In the seventh inning, he ended any thought of a comeback with a two-out double to extend Florida's (29-8) lead to six runs.
Greg Larson threw three solid innings in a controlled start for the Gators and picked up his fourth win of the season. Larson (4-0) allowed one run on a pair of singles in the third. Michael Burruss (Marietta, Ga.) plated Tyler Avera (Baxley, Ga.), who led off the frame with a base hit, with a blooper that dropped in front of the center fielder.
Starter Lucas Hart (Atlanta, Ga.) lasted just over an inning and gave up three runs in the first inning. Hart (1-1) was tagged with his first career loss after allowing the first inning runs. After a double play ball emptied the bases, the redshirt-freshman right-hander was unable to take advantage of the fresh start and allowed a single to Preston Tucker and a free pass to Mike Zunino before the long ball from Johnson.
Georgia Southern tallied nine hits in the game with four coming from Burruss. The junior outfielder tallied his second four-hit game and the 16th multi-hit game of the season. Burruss singled in all four plate appearances but did not advance past first base in any of his at-bats.
The Eagles did not score their second run of the game until the 9th inning. Hunter Thomas (Johns Creek, Ga.) led off with a single to center field and benefited from a wild pitch to move into scoring position. Thomas later scored on a pinch-hit ground out by Garren Palmer (Dalton, Ga.).
A lead off walk of Fontana in the fifth inning by Josh Stevenson (Social Circle, Ga.) cost Georgia Southern another run after he crossed the plate on a passed ball. Stevenson got a pair of ground outs after the walk but both outs moved Fontana up a base and allowed him to score on the misplayed pitch.
A pair of wild pitches scored Casey Turgeon, who singled with one out, from second base in the sixth inning. Florida added another single run in the eighth inning after a lead off walk reached base. Josh Adams (Bath, S.C.) came close to getting out of the inning with a pair of fly outs but gave up a RBI single to Justin Shafer.
Georgia Southern will remain on the road and in non-conference play at Indiana this weekend. The series with the Hoosiers opens at 3 p.m. on Friday.
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.
Wake Forest 10, UNCG 2
GREENSBORO, N.C. - In a game that had a two-hour delay, Wake Forest's Pat Blair reached base six times and had two RBI as Wake Forest downed UNCG, 10-2, in nonconference action on Tuesday evening at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Wake Forest (23-15) wasted no time as it jumped all over UNCG starter Brennen James for three runs in the first inning while the first four batters of the game reached base successfully.
The Demon Deacons Pat Blair drew a five-pitch walk to start to game and Wake Forest followed up with back-to-back-to-back singles to take an early 3-0 lead. Mac Williamson blooped an RBI single to plate the game's first run. Carlos Lopez followed suit as he connected on a run-scoring single, but was thrown out at second trying to stretch the hit into a double. The next batter, Charlie Morgan, collected an RBI via groundout to give the Demon Deacons a lead it'd never relinquish.
UNCG (18-17) was held at bay until the fourth inning when it plated two runs. Senior Thomas Troelstrup started the rally as he roped a double down the left field line. Cambric Moye duplicated his teammate as he plated Troelstrup with an RBI double down the left field line to cut the deficit to two, 3-1. Two batters later, Nick Chapman delivered an RBI single up the middle to make it a 3-2 game in Wake Forest's favor.
Following a Morgan triple to lead off the sixth inning, Jack Carey collected an RBI after he reached on a fielder's choice to push the Wake Forest lead back out to two, 4-2. Three pitches into Blair's fourth at-bat, the skies opened up and halted the game for 119 minutes.
After the lengthy delay, Wake Forest's bats came to life as Blair finished his at-bat with a two-run single to give the Demon Deacons a four run lead, 6-2.
The offensive explosion from the visiting team didn't stop as they scored two runs in the seventh and eighth inning. With two outs in the seventh, Grant Shambley roped an RBI single to right and Mark Rhine tapped home plate following an UNCG error to make it 8-2.
Wake Forest would score the evenings final two runs in odd fashion as one run scored via catcher's interference and the other scored after the Spartans Tyler Frazier uncorked a wild pitch, which allowed the pesky Blair to score his second run of the evening.
UNCG's Lloyd Enzor continued to swing a hot bat as he went 3-for-5 on the evening. Kris Richards and Zach Leach extended their respective hitting streaks with singles. Richards reached the 12-game mark with his single to lead off the sixth inning. Leach is staying on pace as his single in the third inning extended his streak to 11 games.
The final four pitchers of the evening for Wake Forest tossed five innings of five-hit shutout ball.
The Spartans James (2-2) took the loss after he allowed three runs (all earned) in one inning of work.
Niko Spezial (2-0) of Wake Forest gathered the win as he pitched two innings of one-hit ball and induced a double play in the sixth inning.
The teams combined to use 14 pitchers on the evening as the first pitch was thrown at 6:03 p.m. and the game concluded at 11:14 p.m as UNCG dropped its fourth straight game.
UNCG returns to action on Friday evening when it squares off in a vital three-game series with Southern Conference foe, Davidson. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
Gardner-Webb 6, Western Carolina 4
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Solo home runs by Aaron Attaway and Julian Ridings staked Western Carolina to a 4-0 lead over Gardner-Webb Tuesday night. However, the Runnin' Bulldogs scored six unanswered runs to rally past the Catamounts, 6-4, at John Henry Moss Stadium.
Attaway, who finished 1-for-4 in the loss, drove the first pitch of the game over the fence in left center to stake the Catamounts to a 1-0 lead, with the Catamounts plating two in the third on an RBI double by Cody Jones and run-scoring single by Ross Heffley. An inning later, Ridings then belted his third round-tripper of the season to give WCU the 4-0 lead.
Scott Coleman went 4-for-4 with a solo home run to lead the Runnin' Bulldogs on Tuesday evening.
The Bulldogs started the rally a run in the bottom of the fourth with two in the fifth and sixth innings collectively to pull ahead for good.
Gardner-Webb cut into the lead in the bottom of the fourth, lacing four consecutive singles with one out. Brad Collins' base knock to centerfield drove home Dusty Quattlebaum to trim the lead to 4-1, but WCU starter Jon Nadale rolled a 6-4-3 double play one batter later to end the inning.
A walk by Danny Yelverton and an infield single by Zeke Blanton put runners at first and third in the bottom of the fifth, and Ryan Hodge plated Yelverton with a groundout to cut the lead to 4-2. John Harris followed with a sharp single to right and Blanton scored when the ball was bobbled in the outfield to trim the lead to 4-3. Quattlebaum stepped to the plate and ripped a line drive shot, but first baseman Tyler White snagged the ball and doubled Harris off at first to snuff out the rally.
The Runnin' Bulldogs took the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Brad Collins ripped a fastball deep over the fence in left for a two-run home run and a 5-4 edge.
Western Carolina got a leadoff single from White in the top of the eighth, and loaded the bases with two outs, but closer Adam Izokovic struck out Bradley Strong to end the threat, and the 'Dogs added to the lead in the bottom half.
Coleman hammered the first pitch he saw over the fence in left for his second home run of the year and a 6-4 score, adding some cushion late in the game. Izokovic made the lead stand in the top of the ninth, striking out Attaway and getting a pair of fly balls to end the game.
Ridings, Dykota Spiess and Tyler White all finished with two base hits with Spiess legging out a pair of doubles for the Catamounts.
Relief pitcher Jeremy Sluder (1-1) suffered the loss after surrendering a two-run home run to Brad Collins in the sixth inning that gave the Runnin' Bulldogs a 5-4 advantage. Starter Jon Nadale factored in a no-decision after working five innings in the start, striking out three while allowing three runs, two earned.
Vance Chavis surrendered just his second extra base hit of the season on a solo home run to stretch the GWU lead to two, 6-4, working an inning and a third out of the bullpen while Preston Hatcher tossed two thirds of a frame with a strikeout.
WCU returns home to host UNC Asheville in midweek nonconference play on Wednesday night at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 pm.
ASU-EKU Baseball Rained Out
BOONE, N.C. - Tuesday's mid-week series opener between Appalachian State University and Eastern Kentucky was postponed due to rain. The two-game series will now be played as a doubleheader on Wednesday, beginning at 1 p.m. at ASU's Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
Samford Baseball At UAB Postponed
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Tuesday night's Samford at UAB baseball game has been postponed due to inclement weather in the Birmingham area. The game will now be played on April 25th at 6:30 p.m.
The Bulldogs and the Blazers will also play Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field. Tomorrow night's game at Samford and the April 25th game at UAB can both be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu.