Western Carolina 8, No. 24 Appalachian State 6
No. 24 Appalachian State 5, Western Carolina 4
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Trailing 4-0 in the top of the ninth inning, No. 24 Appalachian State University rallied for five runs and pulled off a stunning 5-4 victory over Western Carolina on Friday evening that clinched the Mountaineers' first Southern Conference championship in 25 years.
Appalachian's heart-stopping win combined with second-place College of Charleston's 10-8 loss at UNC Greensboro gave the Mountaineers no less than a share of their first conference title since 1987 and sixth SoCon championship overall. By virtue of taking 2-of-3 games from Charleston (36-18, 20-9 SoCon) in April, Appalachian (38-13, 21-8 SoCon) wins the tiebreaker should it lose and CofC win in tomorrow's regular-season finales. The top-seeded Mountaineers will open SoCon Tournament action on Wednesday at 5 p.m. versus No. 8-seeded Furman at Flour Field in Greenville, S.C.
For much of the night, the story was WCU starter Morgan McKinney, who shut the Mountaineers out for eight innings before Trey Holmes (Rockwell, N.C./East Rowan) led off the ninth with a single up the middle. The leadoff base hit chased McKinney from the ballgame and brought on Western closer Preston Hatcher, who had thrown 37 pitches earlier in the day to finish off the Catamounts' 8-6 win over ASU in a game that was was suspended due to rain on Thursday evening.
Hatcher's second outing in less than six hours started well enough when he got Preston Troutman (Rockwell, N.C./East Rowan) to fly out to the warning track in right field for the first out of the inning. However, true freshman pinch-hitter Alex Leach (Charlotte, N.C./Ardrey Kell) followed with a sharp single to left and Western Carolina left fielder Garrett Brown - a ninth-inning defensive replacement - made the first of WCU's three errors in the ning inning to put ASU runners on second and third with only one out.
From there, things really got interesting when Hector Crespo (Miami, Fla./Florida Christian) hit a tapper back to the mound that was misplayed by Hatcher, allowing the Mountaineers to load the bases. Tyler Zupcic (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) followed with a high chopper up the first-base line that WCU could do nothing with, allowing the Apps to plate their first run of the game at cut the deficit to 4-1.
Will Callaway (Greenville, S.C./Eastside) then singled to right field on a 1-2 pitch to bring the Mountaineers within two at 4-2. From there, things really got wacky, as Hatcher was wild twice in the span of four pitches. Hatcher's first wild pitch, combined with a throwing error by catcher Adam Martin, allowed both Crespo and Zupcic to score to knot the ballgame at 4-4. Two pitches later, Hatcher sent another ball to the backstop and Callaway came home from third with the go-ahead run.
Head coach Chris Pollard brought closer Nathan Hyatt (Brevard, N.C./Brevard) on in the ninth to finish off the victory but Hyatt made it interesting when he walked WCU leadoff hitter Aaron Attaway to start the bottom of the ninth. Hyatt easily retired the next two hitters he faced but walked cleanup batter Tyler White on an extremly close 3-2 pitch to put the tying run in scoring position with two outs. However, Hyatt struck pinch-hitter Luke Gragg out looking on just three pitches to clinch the SoCon title and set off a spirited celebration by the Mountaineers on their archrivals' home field.
Appalachian State starter Seth Grant (Etowah, N.C./West Henderson) turned in his third-straight impressive start on the mound, allowing just one earned run over seven innings but, as has been the case in each of his last four starts, did not figure in the decision. Ryne Frankoff (Apex, N.C./Apex) allowed one run on one hit in the eighth to earn the win and move to 2-1 on the campaign. Hyatt worked the ninth to pick up his Appalachian-record 14th save of the season.
Zupcic led the Mountaineers' 12-hit attack by going 3-for-5 with a double, RBI and run scored. Trey Holmes and Brandon Burris (Concord, N.C./Mount Pleasant) paced the Apps with two RBI apiece.
With the SoCon title already in hand, Appalachian closes the regular season with a three-game series rubber match versus WCU on Saturday at 1 p.m.
UNCG 10, College of Charleston 8
GREENSBORO, N.C. - UNCG's top four hitters combined for seven hits, seven RBI and six runs as UNCG dropped College of Charleston in a slugfest, 10-8, in Southern Conference action on Friday night at UNCG Baseball Stadium in Greensboro, N.C.
In a game that saw both teams put up seven runs in an inning, College of Charleston in the third and UNCG in the fifth, the Spartans played spoiler as the victory denied the Cougars a chance to win the Southern Conference regular season title outright as Appalachian State holds the tiebreaker.
UNCG (25-26, 10-19 SoCon) reached the 25-win mark for the 17th time under the reign of head coach Mike Gaski. Bobby Martin, Christian Wolfe, Lloyd Enzor and Cole Harrison each enjoyed multi-hit performances in the 14-hit 10-run offensive explosion as the Spartans defeated the Cougars in Greensboro for the first time since 2008.
College of Charleston (36-18, 20-9 SoCon) saw Brandon Glazer hit a home run for the fourth straight game, but lost despite scoring seven runs in the third inning.
UNCG started the scoring affair in the bottom of the first inning as Edwards collected an RBI via sacrifice fly to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead. In the second, the Spartans' Eric Kalbfleisch plated TJ Spina with an RBI fielders' choice to stretch the lead to two, 2-0.
In the top-half of the third, the Cougars exploded for seven runs, but did it on two hits. College of Charleston scored its first four runs thanks to four consecutive bases-loaded walks. After chasing UNCG starter Dylan Hathcock, College of Charleston's Cody Martin dug in against Tyler Hollstegge and cleared the bases with a three-run double to left center to make it a 7-2 game.
However, the Spartans showed no signs of quit as it would plate a single run in the fourth inning thanks to an RBI single by Enzor. UNCG duplicated the Cougars seven-run third by plating seven in the bottom-half of the fifth inning. Pinch-hitter Harrison plated Tino Leite with an RBI single to single. Martin followed suit with an infield RBI single to make it a 7-5 game. UNCG didn't slow down as it saw Enzor strike again, this time with a two-run single to left center. Redshirt junior Edwards joined in on the action as he smoked a two-run double down the right field line to give UNCG a lead it'd never relinquish, 9-7. Senior Thomas Troelstrup hit a run-scoring single, UNCG's fourth hit in a row, to plate Edwards and to make it a 10-7 game after five innings.
Both pitching staffs settled in as neither team scored a run until the ninth inning. Glazer blasted a solo shot in the top of the ninth off of Corey Taylor to make it a 10-8 game. However, Taylor buckled down and retired the next two batters to secure the victory.
Hollstegge (6-6) gathered the win for UNCG as he went 2 1/3 innings and scattered four hits and allowed one run. Taylor picked up his first career save as he was marvelous through four innings as he scattered five hits and struck out four batters while allowing one run on 63 pitches. UNCG starter Hathcock allowed one hit in 2 2/3 innings of work, but walked four batters and allowed six runs (one earned) on 60 pitches.
Drew Freie (0-1) took the loss as he failed to record an out and allowed four runs (all earned) on three hits. The Cougar's starter Ryan West didn't factor into the decision despite leaving the game with the lead as he went 3 2/3 innings and allowed six hits and three runs (all earned) while striking out four batters.
The Cougars' Martin paced the offense with three RBI as Glazer scored two runs and had a pair of RBI.
The Spartans' Enzor and Edward collected three RBI apiece as all but one starter recorded a hit for UNCG.
UNCG will go for the series victory in its final game of the 2012 season at 1 p.m. at UNCG Baseball Stadium on Saturday. Seven seniors will be honored prior to first pitch.
Elon 4, The Citadel 2
ELON, N.C. -- Spencer Medick tossed 7.1 innings and Elon used a three-run seventh as the Phoenix completed a three-game Southern Conference series sweep of The Citadel with a 4-2 victory on Friday afternoon. Elon ends its regular season with a 31-24 overall record and a 20-10 SoCon mark, giving the program its fourth season with at least 20 SoCon victories. The Bulldogs will enter next week's SoCon Tournament with a 24-31, 13-17 record.
After both team hit solo homers in the second - The Citadel's by Mason Davis and Elon's by Alex Swim - the game went into the last of the seventh without another run scoring. Swim got things going in the bottom of the seventh wiht a single to right and raced to second when the throw in from the outfield was errant. A one-out wild pitch sent Swim to third before Sebastian Gomez ripped a double down the left field line to put the maroon and gold in front, 2-1. Jake Luce's two-out double down the right field line plated Gomez. Luce would come in to make it 4-1 as Sam Paone doubled to the gap in left-center to pick up his first career RBI.
The Citadel cut its deficit to 4-2 on Nick Orvin's RBI ground out in the eighth.
The Bulldogs did not go quietly in the ninth. Justin Mackert and Joe Jackson started the frame with back-to-back singles. Nate Young came on and retired Bo Thompson on a sacrifice bunt that left both runners in scoring position. After a walk loaded the bases, Grant Richards hit a ball that was slightly deflected by Young's glove, but continued on to Gomez at second. Gomez fielded and began the double play that ended the threat and sealed the victory.
Medick (2-3) lowered his ERA to 2.99 on the year as he was the winning pitcher. He gave up two runs on five hits while recording five strike outs in the win. Young was credited with his 10th save of the season. He is just the sixth Elon pitcher to ever record 10 or more saves in a season.
Bulldog starter Logan Cribb (3-3) took the loss as he gave up four runs on five hits in 6.2 innings of work.
For Elon, Swim had two of the club's six hits to increase his career total to 217. He is three hits shy of moving into a tie for ninth on the program's all-time chart with Chase Austin (2007-09). Playing his final game at Latham Park, Luce went 1-for-3 with a run scored and one RBI.
Elon will enter next week's Southern Conference Tournament with a seed no lower than third. The tournament begins on Wednesday at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.
Furman 5, Davidson (12 inn.)
Furman 3, Davidson 2 (10 inn.)
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman swept Davidson in a Friday Southern Conference doubleheader at Latham Stadium, posting a 5-4, 12-inning victory in game one and taking game two, 3-2, in 10 innings.
In winning the twinbill the Paladins (26-29, 13-17 SoCon) completed the three-game series sweep of the Wildcats (17-31, 8-22 SoCon) and finished the regular season tied for seventh with The Citadel in the conference standings. Furman, which won its final four league games, takes the No. 8 seed into Southern Conference Tournament action, scheduled for May 23-27 at Fluor Field in Greenville's West End, and will play Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. against the No. 1 seed (TBD).
The two wins marked the first time in Furman baseball history (1896) the Paladins had won two extra inning games on the same day.
In the opener Will Miller singled with one out in the 12th inning, stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error, and scored the game winning run on a Taylor Johnson sacrifice fly to give Furman the 5-4 decision.
The finish in game two was very similar. With the score knotted at 2-2, Hunter Burton led off the Paladin 10th with a single, swiped second, and advanced to third after Wildcat catcher Daniel Gerow's throw to second bounded into center field. After a walk, Zack Greenwell served a 2-1 offering from Davidson reliever Brian Russell into short center field for a single that drove home Burton for the winning run.
Both contests were extended to extra frames with clutch, two-out hitting.
In game one Furman trailed 3-2 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth when pinch hitter Paul Nitto, making his first appearance in a game since being struck on the right wrist against Wofford on May 5, stroked a single off Wildcat starting pitcher Ryan Overcash through the left side of the infield to score Heath Burton and tie the game at 3-3. Burton, who had entered the game as a pinch runner with one out, stole second, and move to third on a throwing error before coming home on Nitto's base hit.
Davidson turned the tables on Furman in the ninth in the second game with a two-out, RBI single by Jake Berman that plated Seth Freeman from second base to knot the game at 2-2.
Furman racked up 13 hits in the opener, led by Will Miller's 3-for-6 performance. Johnson, Hunter Burton, and Jake Jones also collected two hits for the Paladins, who received strong relief pitching from Tyler Wood. The sophomore right hander came on the sixth with Davidson leading, 3-2, and shut out the Wildcats over the next four innings, surrendering only two while striking out three.
Wood gave way in the 10th to Elliott Warford, who yielded a run in the 11th before getting bailed out by a Jake Jones two-out RBI single in the bottom of the inning that deadlocked the game at 4-4. Johnson's game winning sacrifice fly in the 12th earned the victory for the freshman right-hander, who improved to 5-0 on the campaign.
Drew Gadaire and Andrew Barna had three hits apiece in Davidson's 14-hit effort in the opener.
The Paladins and Wildcats compiled 12 hits apiece in game two. Will Owens, Jarrod Rickman, and Hunter Burton registered two hits apiece for Furman, and Gadaire paced Davidson with two doubles, part of a 3-for-5 performance.
Michael Zeblo's solo home run in the second, the only round tripper of the day for either team, staked Davidson to a 1-0 lead before Furman tied it in the sixth with a Miller sacrifice fly that scored Owens.
Nitto's second pinch hit single of the day started the Furman eighth, and pinch runner Will Muzika later scored on a Jake Jones base hit to give the Paladins a 2-1 lead that Davidson matched with Berman's two-out RBI single in the ninth.
Furman used six pitchers in the second game, finishing with Stephen Gary (4-1), who earned the win after yielding a run on three hits in two innings of work. He walked one and fanned three.
Brian Russell (4-7) was charged with the loss in both games, with throwing errors leading to decisive unearned runs in each contest.
Georgia Southern 7, Wofford 4
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - On Friday night, the Wofford baseball team was defeated 7-4 by Georgia Southern at Russell C. King Field. The Terriers had a 4-3 lead after six innings, but the Eagles came back with two runs in the seventh and ninth innings.
Wofford is 20-32 overall and 7-21 in the SoCon. Georgia Southern is 30-24 overall and 15-13 in league play. The Terriers were led by Matthew Pelt with three hits and Konstantine Diamaduros with two RBIs. Brandon Yarusi added ten strikeouts. The Eagles were led by Scooter Williams and Chase Griffin with three hits each.
The Eagles got on the board in the top of the first when three hits, including a double by Michael Burruss, plated two runs. Wofford had runners on the corners after a walk by James Foster and a single by Matthew Pelt. A sacrifice fly by Konstantine Diamaduros made it a 2-1 game after the first inning.
In the top of the third inning, Georgia Southern added an unearned run to take a 3-1 lead. The Terriers loaded the bases in the bottom of the third. A ground out into a double play allowed one run to score. A single to left field by Konstantine Diamaduros added a run to tie the game at three.
Georgia Southern loaded the bases in the top of the fourth with two outs, but a strikeout ended the scoring chance. Each team left one runner on base in the fifth inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Konstantine Diamaduros singled and stole second. With two outs, James Plaisted hit a double to right center to make it a 4-3 game.
The Eagles opened the seventh inning with a double by Eric Phillips and he scored on a single by Chase Griffin to tie the game at four. With the bases loaded, a walk gave Georgia Southern a 5-4 lead before a double play ended the inning. Wofford loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh on three walks, but all three were stranded to end the seventh inning.
Both teams were retired in order in the eighth inning. In the top of the ninth, two Eagles were on bases after walks when a double by T.D. Davis scored both runners for a 7-4 lead. Wofford had a hit by Matthew Pelt in the bottom of the ninth, but he was left one base.
Wofford starter Brandon Yarusi (5-7) threw seven innings and allowed five runs on eleven hits and he tied a career-high with ten strikeouts. He reached 107 strikeouts on the season, moving him into second place in school history for a single season. The school record is 129 set in 1956 by Tom McIntyre. Alex Wilson threw the eighth and had one strikeout without allowing a hit. J.D. Osborne allowed two runs on one hit. Connell Anderson went an inning and had one strikeout.
Georgia Southern starter Chris Beck (5-7) went six innings and gave up four runs on six hits with seven strikeouts. Jarret Leverett threw three innings and allowed one hit with six strikeouts for his sixth save of the season.
The series against the Eagles will conclude with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 2:00 p.m. The nine seniors on the team will be honored prior to the start of the game on Saturday.
No. 24 Oklahoma 6, Samford 2
NORMAN, Okla.-The Samford baseball team dropped a 6-2 decision in the second game of a three-game series at 24th-ranked Oklahoma Friday evening at L. Dale Mitchell Park.
With the loss, Samford drops to 35-20. Oklahoma improves to 34-21 with the win.
Samford was led at the plate by Saxon Butler, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Brandon Miller went 2-for-4 with a double, while Brad Moss went 2-for-4 and Tyler Filliben went 2-for-3 for the Bulldogs.
Charles Basford (8-2) pitched 5.0 innings, giving up four runs on six hits to take the loss on the mound for Samford. Gil Walker and Andres Gracia also saw time on the mound for Samford.
For Oklahoma, Jack Mayfield went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Max White went 2-for-4. Cody Reine hit a solo home run in a 1-for-4 performance, while Garrett Carey drove in two runs in a 1-for-3 performance.
Jonathan Gray (7-4) tossed 7.0 innings, allowing two runs on eight hits and striking out nine batters to earn the win for the Sooners. Steven Okert pitched the final 2.0 innings to pick up his fourth save of the season.
Samford jumped on top first with two runs in the top of the first inning. Zeth Stone led the inning off with a single through the right side of the infield. With one out in the inning, Butler hit a two-run home run to left field for a 2-0 Samford lead. The homer was Butler's 13th of the season and his second of the series.
Oklahoma plated a run in the bottom of the third inning to cut the Samford lead to 2-1. Carey was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Carey moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt and third base on a bunt single. Carey then scored when Reine grounded into a double play for the Sooners' first run of the game.
The Sooners took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. With one out in the inning, Evan Mistich and Mayfield hit back-to-back singles to start the rally. With two outs, Carey singled to drive in Mistich and Mayfield for a 3-2 Oklahoma lead.
Oklahoma added another run in the bottom of the fifth inning to push its lead to 4-2. With one out in the inning, White doubled down the left-field line. White then scored on a two-base wild pitch for a two-run Sooner lead.
Oklahoma plated two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to make the score 6-2. With one out in the inning, Reine hit a solo home run to center field for the first run of the inning. White then doubled down the left-field line. White moved to third base on an error and then scored on a single by Mayfield for a four-run Oklahoma lead.
The same two teams will conclude their three-game series with a game Saturday at 2 p.m. The game can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu. Fans can also follow the game online via GameTracker at www.samfordsports.com.