College of Charleston 10, UNCG 4
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Matt Pegler put together a quality start and the CofC offense tallied 12 hits to lead the Cougars to a 10-4 win over UNCG to finish the 2012 regular season. The Cougars' win, combined with an Appalachian State loss, gave College of Charleston a share of the 2012 SoCon Regular Season title, the program's first since 2007.
College of Charleston (37-18, 21-9) will head to next week's Southern Conference tournament as the second seed as Appalachian State holds the tiebreaker. The Cougars will play seventh-seed The Citadel at 10 a.m. on the first day of the tournament.
Pegler (9-2) went 6.0 innings, allowing just three hits and two runs while walking just one batter and striking out five. He finished the season with a 2.92 ERA, the third-best mark in the Southern Conference. Josh Renfro came in for relief, pitching 1.2 innings and striking out two while not allowing a run. David Peterson pitched the ninth and allowed one run on one hit.
The Cougar offense was led by Rob Harding who hit a three-RBI double in the seventh inning to break the game open. Daniel Aldrich hit a two-run home run in the first inning, his tenth of the season, while Brandon Murray tallied three singles and scored a run with an RBI. Murray finished the regular season with a .315 batting average.
"We had a very good offensive day and a great outing by Matt Pegler," head coach Monte Lee said. "Our whole pitching staff put together a good game, and we were able to get runners on base and drive them in. I'm proud of the way that we won in the last game of the regular season."
Marty Gantt and Bradley Goodson managed the top of the lineup well, combining for two hits, three walks and four runs.
UNCG starter Lee Gilliam (2-3) was tagged with the loss, allowing four runs, three earned, in the first four innings. Christian Wolfe hit a solo home run and finished with two hits, while Kris Richards made two hits and scored two runs.
The Cougars jumped out early as Gantt singled and Aldrich homered in the first inning, a two-run shot to right field that gave CofC a 2-0 lead.
UNC Greensboro got one run back in the bottom half of the inning thanks to a solo homer from Wolfe that landed in a near-identical spot as Aldrich's bomb.
College of Charleston added singular runs in the third and fourth inning due to a sacrifice fly from Harding and heads up base-running from Gunnar Heidt and Gantt that took advantage of two UNCG throwing errors.
After the Spartans scored a run on a groundout in the sixth inning, the Cougars opened the game up in the seventh with five runs on four hits. Gantt walked and Goodson and Murray singled to scored Gantt from third. After a walk from Aldrich to load the bases, Harding doubled to the gap in right center to score three runs. He eventually came home on an RBI single from Cody Martin to make it 9-2.
The Spartans managed an unearned run in the seventh and another run in the ninth, but it wasn't enough as the Cougars claimed a 10-4 victory.
The Cougars' share of the regular season title is the first conference championship for CofC since 2007. CofC's 37 wins in the regular season mark the 11th-straight season that College of Charleston has tallied 30 or more wins in a season.
The 2012 Southern Conference Tournament will begin on Wednesday, May 23, at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. The Cougars will face off against The Citadel in the tournament's first game at 10 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
Wofford 8, Georgia Southern 5
Wofford 3, Georgia Southern 1
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Wofford baseball team won both games of a doubleheader against Georgia Southern on Saturday afternoon at Russell C. King Field. The Terriers won the first game 8-5 after scoring seven runs in the eighth inning and took game two by a score of 3-1 after a two-run walk-off homer by James Foster.
Wofford is 22-32 overall and 9-21 in the SoCon. Georgia Southern is 30-26 overall and 15-15 in league play. The Terriers won the weekend series against the Eagles for the second straight season. Wofford finishes the season in tenth place in the SoCon standings, having won nine games for the third straight season.
In game one, Georgia Southern had singles in the first and second inning. The Terriers loaded the bases in the bottom of the third after a triple by James Foster and walks to Mac Doyle and Konstantine Diamaduros, but all three were stranded. The Eagles added a hit in the top of the fifth inning.
Georgia Southern got on the board in the top of the sixth inning when a failed pickoff attempt allowed Scooter Williams to score. Three doubles in a row by Eric Phillips, Chase Griffin, and T.D. Davis plated two runs to make it a 3-0 lead. A single by Tyler Avera drove in a run for a 4-0 advantage.
The Terriers loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh on three straight singles by Luke Feisal, Eric Brenk, and Stephen Cantrell. A sacrifice fly by James Foster drove in Feisal for a 4-1 score.
After the Eagles were retired in order in the top of the eighth, the Terriers had a single from Konstantine Diamaduros in the bottom of the inning. Josh Hyman singled on a hit-and-run, moving Diamaduros to third. A double steal made it a 4-2 game as the throw went to second base. Luke Fiesal walked and another double steal gave the Terriers two runners in scoring position with two outs.
A single up the middle by Eric Brenk scored both to tie the game at four. Stephen Cantrell walked and a passed ball moved the runners to second and third. James Foster had a single up the middle that scored both runners to take a 6-4 lead. An RBI single by Mac Doyle scored a run, then a wild pitch allowed a run to score for an 8-4 lead. The Eagles added an unearned run in the top of the ninth, but Wofford was able to take the first game 8-5.
Wofford starter Pete Noordsy threw 5.2 innings in his final career start. Noordsy gave up four runs on six hits with five strikeouts. Senior Mason Bradley (1-2) went 2.1 innings and did not allow a hit for his first career win. Alex Wilson threw the ninth and gave up one run on one hit.
Georgia Southern starter Justin Hess went 6.1 innings and gave up only one hit with ten strikeouts. He retired the last eleven batters faced in order. Josh Stevenson gave up one run on three hits. Sam Howard picked up one out. Kyle Rowe (6-2) worked an inning and gave up five runs on three hits with two strikeouts. Jared Cheek gave up two runs on one hit. Chris Myers went the final third of an inning and gave up one hit.
In game two, the Eagles got on the board first when Garren Palmer hit an RBI single to score an unearned run for a 1-0 lead. Wofford got the run back in the bottom of the first inning when Mac Doyle hit a solo home run over the left field fence. It was his 13 homer of the season and 47 of his career.
The Terriers left two runners on base in the bottom of the third inning. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Wofford had two runners on base after a walk to Konstantine Diamaduros and a single by Josh Hyman, but three straight strikeouts ended the scoring chance.
Wofford left one runner on base in the bottom of the seventh after a single by James Foster. In the top of the ninth, Eric Phillips singled and advanced to second on an error. A hit by pitch with two outs put another runner on base, but both were stranded. In the bottom of the ninth, Eric Brenk walked and moved to second on a stolen base. With two outs, James Foster hit a home run over the right field fence to win the game 3-1 for the Terriers. It was his second homer of the season and third of his career.
Wofford starter Cash Collins (5-7) threw a complete game, tying a career-high in innings pitched. He allowed four hits and one unearned run on the day with three strikeouts. It was his fourth career complete game and he ends his career eighth in school history in innings pitched with 243.1 and tenth in career wins.
Georgia Southern starter Will Middour went four innings and gave up one run on four hits with two strikeouts. Sam Howard threw 1.1 innings and allowed two hits with one strikeout. Heath Durand (1-1) went the final 3.1 innings and gave up two runs on two hits with three strikeouts.
The weekend series marked the final home games for a group of nine Wofford seniors, who were honored prior to the first game on Saturday. The nine seniors are: Mason Bradley, Cash Collins, Konstantine Diamaduros, Mac Doyle, James Foster, Pete Noorsdy, David Roney, Anthony Rowland, and Gus White.
Western Carolina 9, No. 24 Appalachian State 7
Cullowhee, N.C. - Sophomore Dykota Spiess broke the game's only tie with a three-run home run on the first pitch of his seventh inning at bat as Western Carolina claimed its Southern Conference series over No. 24 Appalachian State with a 9-7 victory Saturday afternoon at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
The loss for the Mountaineers coupled with College of Charleston's series-winning victory, 10-4, at UNCG means a share of the 2012 Southern Conference regular season championship as both the Cougars and ASU finished 21-9. ASU will be the top seed in the tournament after taking two of three during the regular season from CofC.
Pitching in their final regular season home game in Cullowhee, senior hurlers Andrew Blackwell and Vance Chavis combined to throw the final three and a third innings, scoring the victory and save, respectively. Blackwell (2-0) tossed an inning and a third of scoreless, one-hit baseball with a walk and a strikeout. Chavis tossed the final two frames out of the bullpen, nearly striking out the side in the eighth with two swinging strikeouts. He allowed one unearned run, working around a pair of fielding miscues in the ninth to earn his third save of the season.
Catamount starter Jeremy Null factored in the no-decision, working five and a third while scattering six hits and five runs with three strikeouts against one walk. Junior reliever Hunter Brister threw a third of an inning in the sixth, allowing a run on one hit with a strikeout.
Appalachian State (38-14, 21-9) climbed on top first in the fourth inning as Daniel Kassouf homered to left field, matching the Mountaineers' single-season home run record with 17 round-trippers this season. His two-run shot gave ASU the 2-0 lead through three and a half.
In the home half of the same frame, the Catamounts were able to scratch the board for one to cut the deficit in half. Senior Ross Heffley delivered a single to centerfield before advancing to second base on a wild pitch. Two batters later, Adam Martin drove a RBI single down the right field line to drive Heffley in, making it 2-1 through four innings.
Western Carolina (32-22, 16-14) surged ahead in the bottom of the fifth inning, plating five runs on four hits and capitalizing on one Mountaineer error. Two of the first three batters in the frame doubled, sandwiched around a hit batter. Bryant Noteboom opened with a double down the leftfield line before catcher Connor Andrus was plunked by a pitch to put two aboard. Freshman Bradley Strong, who led the team with four RBI in the series, came up with a double that shot off the leg off starting pitcher Rob Marcello and ricocheted through the right side, scoring Noteboom from second.
The inning continued against relief pitcher Jordan Jessup as Cody Jones reached on a one-out throwing error by ASU second baseman Hector Crespo, allowing both Andrus and Strong to score. Heffley again singled up the middle, plating Jones, before stealing second base and later scoring from third on a single that hugged the chalk down the right field line by Ridings. After the dust had settled in the frame, WCU led 6-2.
The four-run advantage was short-lived, however, as ASU pushed across four runs in the top of the sixth inning to knot the game at six apiece. Trey Holmes delivered an RBI double to center before Noah Holmes plated two on a single up the middle before later scoring in the frame on a RBI bunt single by Tyler Zupcic.
The decisive blow was dealt in the seventh inning for the Catamounts as a two-out rally pushed WCU ahead by three, 9-6. The rally started with a two-out single by Martin up the middle ahead of Ridings who was hit by a pitch to put two on ahead of Spiess. On the first pitch of his at bat, Spiess hammered a shot over the fence in right center field for a three-run bomb - his fifth of the season.
Appalachian capitalized on a pair of throwing errors including one on the would-be final out of the ninth inning to plate a run, but stranded a runner at third with the final out as Tyler Tewell flew out to Jones in right field.
Ridings reached three times in a 2-for-3 showing on Saturday afternoon. The Shelby, N.C., native led WCU on the weekend with a .600 batting average, finishing 6-for-10 with two doubles. Strong and Martin both finished 2-for-4 and Heffley was 2-for-5 for the Catamounts in the win.
Mountaineer reliever Jamie Nunn (5-2) was saddled with the loss after giving up the three-run homer to Spiess in the seventh. He allowed three runs on two hits. ASU starter Rob Marcello was chased in the fifth inning, giving up four runs on six hits with a walk and a strikeout.
In a battle of the top to hitting teams in the SoCon, WCU out-hit ASU on Saturday, 11-to-8 - and held a slim 31-to-29 edge in the three-game series. All told, WCU hit .301 versus ASU's .269 weekend average.
Western Carolina awaits its final seeding for next week's Southern Conference Baseball Championship to be held at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, S.C. The final seed to be set in the league comes down to the final game of a Saturday double-header between Georgia Southern and Wofford. The Terriers took the first game, 8-5.
If GSU loses game two, WCU will be the fifth seed and play No. 4 seed Samford at approximately 8:00 pm on Wednesday, May 23. If GSU wins the final game, they will claim the series and the Catamounts will be seeded sixth, playing at 1:00 pm on Wednesday against No. 3 seed Elon.
No. 24 Oklahoma 13, Samford 3
NORMAN, Okla.-Oklahoma's Hunter Lockwood hit two home runs and drove in three runs to lead the Sooner baseball team to a 13-3 win over Samford in the regular-season finale for both teams Saturday afternoon at L. Dale Mitchell Park.
Samford was led in the game by Saxon Butler, going 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI. The home run was Butler's 14th of the season and his third of the series. Lex Rutledge (1-4) pitched 3.0 innings, giving up six runs, just three earned, on five hits to take the loss for the Bulldogs.
Behind Lockwood for Oklahoma, Max White went 3-for-5 with two RBI. Evan Mistich went 2-for-3 with two RBI, while Caleb Bushyhead was 2-for-5 for the Sooners. Damien Magnifico (3-1) pitched 6.0 innings, giving up two unearned runs on five hits to earn the win. Drew Harrison tossed the final 3.0 innings to pick up his first save of the season.
Oklahoma jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Erik Ross led the inning off with a double down the left-field line. Ross then moved to third base when Cody Reine reached base on a Samford error. White then singled to drive in Ross for the game's first run. Reine then scored when Mistich grounded into a double play for a 2-0 Sooner lead.
The Sooners added four more runs in the bottom of the third inning to push their lead to 6-0. With two outs in the inning, Reine walked. White then singled, moving Reine to third base. Mistich then singled to drive in Reine for the first run of the inning. Jack Mayfield then singled to drive in White. Mistich and Mayfield then scored when Caleb Bushyhead reached base on a Samford error for a six-run Oklahoma lead.
Samford got on the scoreboard with a run in the top of the sixth inning. Tommy Corbin doubled down the left-field line to lead off the inning. After Tyler Filliben reached base on an Oklahoma error, Corbin advanced to third base when Zeth Stone grounded into a double play. Corbin scored on a double by Butler to make the score 6-1.
Oklahoma plated two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to push its lead to 8-1. White and Mistich drove in a run each in the inning for the Sooners.
Samford came back with a run in the seventh inning to cut the lead to 8-2. Brandon Miller singled to lead off the inning. Miller later scored on an Oklahoma error for Samford's second run of the game.
The Sooners added three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to make the score 11-2. Lockwood hit a two-run homer with Bushyhead on base for the first two runs of the inning. Garrett Carey, who reached base on a walk, scored the final run of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Reine for a nine-run Sooner lead.
Samford plated its final run in the top of the eighth inning. Butler led the inning off with a solo home run to right field to make the score 11-3.
Oklahoma plated two final runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to make the score 13-3. Lockwood hit a solo home run, his second homer of the game, for the first run of the inning. Chase Simpson later singled to drive in Drake Roberts for the game's final run.
With the loss, Samford falls to 35-21. The Bulldogs finish with the most regular-season wins in program history. Oklahoma improves to 35-21 with the win.
The Bulldogs will return to action in the Southern Conference Tournament, which begins Wednesday in Greenville, S.C. The pairings for the SoCon Tournament will be announced later this weekend.