Wofford 11, Elon 5
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - In the first game of a three-game Southern Conference series, the Wofford baseball team won 11-5 over Elon at Russell C. King Field. The Terriers had a 3-1 lead before scoring six runs in the sixth inning to break open the contest.
Wofford is 15-22 overall and 4-12 in the Southern Conference. Elon is 22-18 overall and 12-7 in conference play. The Terriers were led by Josh Hyman with three hits and Matthew Pelt with two hits, including a home run, and two RBIs. Wofford pitcher Brandon Yarusi allowed one run with six strikeouts for the win. The Phoenix was led by Sebastian Gomez with two hits and Blaine Bower with two RBIs.
After both sides were retired in order in the first inning, the Phoenix got on the board in the top of the second. Ryan Kinsella led off with a double and a double by Jake Luce made it a 1-0 game. In the bottom of the second, Wofford had runners on the corners after a walk to Eric Brenk and a single by Konstantine Diamaduros. A ground out by Matthew Pelt scored Brenk to tie the game at one.
In the top of the fourth inning, the Phoenix left two runners on base. With two out in the bottom of the fourth, Matthew Pelt hit his first career home run to give the Terriers a 2-1 lead.
The Phoenix left two runners in scoring position in the top of the fifth. Wofford led off their half of the fifth with a double by David Roney. After moving to third on a sacrifice bunt, Roney scored when Josh Hyman reached on an error for a 3-1 advantage.
Elon left two runners on base in the top of the sixth. Wofford had runners at first and third with two out when a double steal allowed Eric Brenk to score for a 4-1 lead. An RBI double down the right line by Stephen Cantrell added a run. James Foster reached on an error that plated two more runs for the Terriers. A balk allowed Foster from third base. Mac Doyle reached on a single and Josh Hyman was able to score from second on the play with help from an error as the Terriers extended the lead to 9-1.
After Elon left two runners on base in the top of the seventh, the Terriers loaded the bases on a walk and singles by Matthew Pelt and Luke Feisal. A sacrifice fly by Stephen Cantrell scored one run, while a throwing error on the play allowed a second run to score as Wofford took an 11-1 advantage.
In the top of the eighth, the Phoenix added two runs on wild pitches. A single up the middle by Blaine Bower drove in two runs as Elon cut the lead to 11-5. Wofford left one runner on base in the bottom of the eighth. In the top of the ninth, Elon led off with a double by Garrett Koster and he moved to third on an error. Three straight strikeouts by Alex Wilson ended the game.
Wofford starter Brandon Yarusi (4-4) threw 6.1 innings and allowed only one run on six hits with six strikeouts. J.D. Osborne went two-thirds of an inning with a strikeout and four runs scored. Alex Wilson threw the final two innings and allowed three hits with five strikeouts.
Elon starter Dylan Clark (7-3) worked 5.1 innings and allowed five runs on six hits with six strikeouts. Andrew MacDonald went a third of an inning with two hits and four runs allowed and one strikeout. Jim Stokes went the last 2.1 innings and gave up two runs on four hits.
Due to impending weather on Sunday, Wofford and Elon will begin the second game at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday as part of a double header. Prior to the contest on Saturday, a dedication ceremony for the halo surrounding home plate will be held in memory of Jason Derrick '96. Derrick was a pitcher for the Wofford baseball team from 1993-96.
Appalachian State 14, Furman 2
BOONE, N.C. - Daniel Kassouf (Lexington, N.C./North Davidson) homered twice and Tyler Zupcic (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) hit the first grand slam of his career to lead Appalachian State University baseball to a 14-2 rout over visiting Furman in the teams' Southern Conference series opener on Friday evening at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
With the victory, Appalachian (26-9, 11-5 SoCon) regained sole possession of first place in the SoCon standings, percentage points ahead of College of Charleston (27-12, 15-7 SoCon).
The Mountaineers trailed Furman (18-21, 7-12 SoCon), 1-0, after one-and-a-half innings but took the lead on Preston Troutman's (Rockwell, N.C./East Rowan) two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the second and never looked back. Appalachian went on to score two runs in the third and fourth innings, sent 11 men to the plate in a seven-run sixth and capped the 14-run onslaught with a single tally in the seventh.
Kassouf led the Mountaineers' season-best 18-hit attack by going 4-for-5 with three RBI, four runs scored and his SoCon-leading 14th and 15th home runs of the campaign. The senior's first homer of the evening was a towering two-run blast to left center in the third inning and his second was a line drive over the left-field wall in the seventh. With the big night, Kassouf raised his batting average to a team-high .392 and may find himself back atop the SoCon's triple crown categories by the end of the evening with 44 RBI to go along with the league-best 15 home runs.
Zupcic provided the evening's other big swing with a grand slam off the left-field foul pole that fueled ASU's seven-run sixth inning. Zupcic, who said after the game that he had never hit a grand slam at any level of baseball, finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored to go along with the slam. His four RBI matched a career high.
Hector Crespo (Miami, Fla./Florida Christian) also had three hits while the bottom two hitters in Appalachian's batting order, Troutman and Noah Holmes (Rockwell, N.C./East Rowan) combined to go 4-for-5 with two walks, four RBI, three runs scored and a perfectly executed squeeze bunt laid down by Holmes in fourth inning.
Perhaps overshadowed by the offensive explosion was a third-straight solid start on the mound by ASU ace Ryan Arrowood (Rutherfordton, N.C./R-S Central). Arrowood scattered seven hits and surrendered only two runs over seven innings. The right-handed senior struck out five and didn't issue a walk to up his record to 7-0 on the season.
Catcher Paul Nitto was the lone bright spot for the Paladins, going 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI single to account for both of Furman's runs.
The clubs resume their three-game SoCon series on Saturday at Smith Stadium. First pitch has been moved up three hours to NOON due to a forecast for rain later in the day.
Davidson 7, UNCG 5
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Davidson's freshman Henry Sisson threw his second consecutive complete game and Drew Gadaire went 2-for-5 with three RBI as Davidson scored twice in the decisive sixth inning to defeat UNCG, 7-5, in Southern Conference action on Friday evening at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
For the second game in a row, the visiting team hung a three-spot on the Spartans to take an early 3-0 lead.
UNCG (18-18, 4-12 SoCon) starter Max Povse didn't make it out of the first inning as he allowed three runs, three hits and walked three in 2/3 of an inning of work.
Davidson (16-19, 7-12 SoCon), winners of five straight, used a gutsy performance from Henry Sission (3-1), who last Friday threw a no-hitter against Wofford, gave his bullpen the night off as he went the distance in a 124 pitch outing. Sisson scattered 10 hits on the evening and allowed only four hits after the Spartans tagged him for four runs in the fourth inning.
The Wildcats offense came to life early and often as Jake Berman drew a leadoff walk to start the game. Forrest Brandt reached on a single up the middle and putting runners on first and second, setting the table for Gadaire. Following a wild pitch, Gadaire poked an RBI single through the right side to give Davidson a 1-0 lead in the top of the frame. Povse looked as if he'd escape the rest of the inning unscathed as he retired the next two batters, but, Ryan Lowe had other ideas as he roped a two-run single down the left field line to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.
In the bottom of the frame, UNCG did its best impression of the Wildcats as Bobby Martin led off with a walk and Zach Leach singled to put runners on first and second with no outs. Two batters later, redshirt junior Trevor Edwards delivered an RBI single through the right side to get the Spartans on the board, 3-1. However, Sisson buckled down and retired the next two batters via fly out to end the threat.
Leach's single in the first extended his hitting streak to a team-high 12 games.
Leading 3-1 in the top of the fourth, Davidson's Calvin Sigelbaum chipped in with an RBI single to right. Two batters later, Brandt lofted a sacrifice fly to center to extend the Wildcat lead to four, 5-1.
UNCG's offense woke up in the bottom of the fourth as it scored four runs on three hits in the frame. Cambric Moye scored Thomas Troelstrup on a sacrifice fly of his own to cut the deficit to three, 5-2. The big blow came off the bat of Cole Harrison as he smacked a two-run double to left center to bring the home crowd to its feet and the score to 5-4. Leach plated Harrison thanks a sacrifice fly to right and would tie the score at 5.
Knotted up at 5 a piece in the top of the sixth, Davidson continued to apply pressure as David Daniels singled to start off the rally. Daniels would advance to second after a failed pickoff attempt. Sigelbaum reached safely as he was granted first base after a catcher's interference call. Three batters later, Gadaire struck again, this time with a two-run single that ricocheted off the glove of Troelstrup. The Spartans Tyler Hollstegge would retire the next batter to keep the damage to a minimum as the score board read 7-5 in Davidson's favor.
UNCG would put runners on first and third with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Sisson thwarted the threat as he got a groundout to end the inning.
Brandt, Gadaire and Lowe all chipped in with two hits each for the Wildcats as Berman drew three walks and scored a run
Moye paced the Spartan offense as he went 2-for-3 with an RBI while Edwards enjoyed a 2-for-5 performance with an RBI of his own. All but one Spartan starter recorded a hit.
Harrison finished the night 1-for-4 with two RBI and made a magnificent diving catch on the warning track in the top of the eighth.
With the loss, UNCG has dropped a season-high five in a row and for the second straight Friday in a row, the opposing teams' starter has thrown a complete game.
Adam Boghosian (0-1) took the loss for the Spartans as he allowed two runs (one earned) off of one hit in two innings of relief work. Hollstegge provided the UNCG with 3 2/3 quality innings of relief as he allowed only allowed two hits and struck out a batter.
Before the game, roughly 12 UNCG players shaved their heads for the St. Baldrick's foundation initiative. By the end of the evening, UNCG had raised $3,680.20 for the event
UNCG will look to bounce back on Saturday as it will face Davidson in a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. Sunday's game has been moved to Saturday due to the threat of inclement weather on Sunday. Game two will start approximately 30 minutes after game one.
College of Charleston 8, The Citadel 4
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - College of Charleston opened the weekend series against crosstown rival The Citadel with an 8-4 victory on Friday evening at Patriots Point.
After The Citadel scored runs in the top of the second and third innings, the Cougars exploded for four runs in the bottom of the third and never trailed for the rest of the game.
The win extended the Cougars' winning streak to three games, as College of Charleston (27-12, 15-7) has won six of the last seven contests. The Citadel snapped its four-game winning streak and has now lost two in a row to the Cougars at Patriots Point, dating back to last season.
Josh Renfro (6-3) picked up the win after he settled down after the third inning. Renfro pitched 6.0 innings, allowing just four hits, two runs, one earned and striking out four while walking one. Nick Osterman and Dre Watts each allowed one run in relief appearances.
The Cougar offense was sparked by leadoff-hitting senior Marty Gantt. The center-fielder went 3-for-5 with two doubles and three runners batted in to give the Cougars their 11th game of double digit hits.
Rob Harding hit 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI, and Gunnar Heidt tallied a double, two runs and an RBI. Catcher Jimmy Holton hit a sacrifice fly and doubled and scored.
For the Bulldogs, Hughston Armstrong notched two hits, including a triple, while scoring a run, and Justin Mackert went yard for a solo home run. Starter Austin Pritcher (4-3) was tagged with the loss after giving up 11 hits and six earned runs in just 4.2 innings of work.
The Citadel scored first in the second inning after a Cougar error allowed Drew DeKerlegand to reach first with one out. After a double by Calvin Orth, DeKerlegand came home to score on an RBI groundout from Johnathan Stokes.
The Bulldogs added to the lead in the next inning when Justin Mackert hit a two-out solo home run over the left field fence to put The Citadel up, 2-0.
College of Charleston quickly recovered in the bottom of the third inning, scoring four runs on five hits and taking advantage of a Citadel error. Holton, Gantt, Bradley Goodson and Brandon Murray all notched RBIs in the inning that saw all nine Cougars come to the plate.
The Cougars scored two more runs in the fourth inning as Holton hit a double and advanced Heidt to third and Gantt was able to drive both runners in with a double, extending the CofC lead to 6-2.
Renfro was forced to work out of a major jam in the fifth inning as The Citadel loaded with the bases with just one out and the heart of the lineup coming up. However, the senior southpaw struck out Mackert on a full count and had Joe Jackson rung up on a checked swing to get out of the inning.
The Cougars added more runs in the fifth and sixth innings off of two-out RBI hits from Heidt and Harding, pushing the margin to 8-2.
The Citadel struck for runs in the eighth and ninth innings with leadoff triples from Jackson and Armstrong, but the Bulldogs were unable to build big innings and the CofC bullpen held off the rally to preserve the 8-4 win.
Both teams will be back in action tomorrow for a 3 p.m. contest at Patriots Point. Before the game, former players Chris Campbell and Nick Chigges will be inducted into the College of Charleston Baseball Wall of Fame.
Samford 6, Western Carolina 3
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.-The Samford baseball team plated four runs in the seventh inning to earn a 6-3, come-from-behind win over Western Carolina in the first game of a three-game Southern Conference series Friday evening at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
For Samford at the plate, Zeth Stone went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Phillip Ervin went 2-for5 for the Bulldogs. Brad Moss, Brandon Miller, C.K. Irby and Austin Allison had an RBI each in the win for Samford.
Charles Basford (6-1) overcame a slow start to earn the win on the mound for Samford. Basford pitched 7.2 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and striking out four batters. Joseph Burns pitched the final 1.1 innings, allowing just one hit to pick up his first save of the season.
"I did everything I could to keep battling because I knew we were going to have a big inning," Basford said. "I did everything I could to give my team a chance to come out with the win. I wasn't in a rhythm for the first three innings, but I just tried to keep battling and give the team a chance."
Western Carolina was led at the plate by Aaron Attaway, going 2-for-3. Tyler White had a double and two RBI in a 1-for-4 performance. Ross Heffley had a double and one RBI, going 1-for-3 at the plate.
Jeremy Sluder (1-2) took the loss on the mound for the Catamounts. Sluder tossed two-thirds of an inning, giving up four runs, just two earned, on one hit.
Western Carolina jumped on top first with a run in the top of the first inning. Attaway singled to lead off the inning, and Cody Jones reached base on a fielder's choice, with Attaway being thrown out at second base. After Jones advanced to second base on a wild pitch, he scored when Heffley doubled down the left-field line for a 1-0 WCU lead.
Samford came back with two runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 2-1 lead. Stone singled up the middle and advanced to second base on a wild pitch to start the rally. Moss then walked and Saxon Butler was hit by a pitch to load the bases. With one out in the inning, Miller walked with the bases loaded to bring Stone home to tie the score. Irby then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to drive in Moss for a 2-1 Samford lead.
Western Carolina answered with two runs in the top of the third inning to take a 3-2 lead. Julian Ridings singled and Attaway walked to get things started for the Catamounts. Ridings then moved to third base and Attaway to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jones. After Heffley was intentionally walked to load the bases, White doubled to right-center field to drive in Attaway and Ridings to give the Catamounts the lead.
The score remained 3-2 until Samford came back with four runs in the seventh inning to take a 6-3 lead.
Ervin singled through the left side of the infield to lead off the seventh inning. With one out in the inning, Irby walked and Ervin moved to second base. With two outs in the inning, Christiaan Durdaller was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Allison was then hit by a pitch to bring home Ervin to tie the game. Stone then reached base on an infield single, driving in Irby, and a Western Carolina error allowed Durdaller to score for a two-run Samford lead. The final run was scored when Moss reached base on a fielder's choice to drive in Allison to push Samford's lead to three runs.
With the win, Samford improves to 23-15 overall and 11-8 in Southern Conference play. Western Carolina drops to 25-13 overall and 10-6 in league play.
The teams will continue their three-game series with a game Saturday at 2 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field. The game can be viewed online on the Bulldog Big Screen at www.samfordsports.com. Fans can also follow the game online via GameTracker at www.samfordsports.com.
Indiana 7, Georgia Southern 2
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana Hoosiers struck for two runs in the first inning and scored three unearned runs in the eighth inning to pick up a 7-2 win over the Georgia Southern Baseball team in the series opener. The Eagles were unable to get the bats going early and crossed the plate for the first time in the seventh inning.
Chris Beck (Jefferson, Ga.) struggled in the first inning for the second-straight start and gave up two runs in the opening frame on a Sam Travis two-run home run over the center field wall. Indiana (17-21) was aggressive early in the count and had early success with three runs in the first three innings.
Dillon Dooney gave the Hoosiers a three-run lead in the third inning with a RBI single to right field. Kyle Schwerber picked up his second hit in as many at-bats and doubled to lead off the inning. The Hoosiers tallied six hits in the first three innings, before Beck (4-4) struck out the side in the fourth inning.
Beck punched out 11, including seven from the fourth inning on, to post his fourth-career 10+ strikeout game for Georgia Southern (22-18). The Junior right-hander took the loss though, after allowing seven runs - four earned - in his third complete game of the season. Beck did not walk a batter but gave up a career-high 12 hits in his fourth loss of the season.
Joey DeNato tossed his fifth-straight quality start for Indiana and held the Eagles scoreless through six innings. DeNato (6-1) picked up his first win at home after allowing just one earned run on six hits in 6.1 innings. The bullpen of Ryan Halstead and Jonny Hoffman combined to throw 2.2 scoreless frames and allowed just a hit each. Hoffman (S, 2) earned the save after tossing the final 1.2 innings.
Georgia Southern finally got to DeNato in the seventh inning and scored two runs on one play. With two runners in scoring position, Tyler Avera (Baxley, Ga.) chopped a ball down the third base line that scored Chase Griffin (Leesburg, Ga.) on a play at the plate. The throw from a fielding DeNato sailed high of the catcher and allowed another run in T.D. Davis (Evans, Ga.) to cross the plate.
A two-out error in the eighth inning kept the inning alive and gave the runs back. Eric Phillips (Carrollton, Ga.), who had two hits on the day, was unable to get a handle on a ball hit to him by Will Nolden. Chris Sujka doubled to right field to plate the first two runs in the frame, and Dustin DeMuth struck for another run on a bouncing ball back up the middle.
The three-game series continues tomorrow at 1 p.m. and concludes on Sunday with another 1 p.m. first pitch at Sembower Field.
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.