Georgia Southern 3, Samford 2
STATESBORO, Ga. - In the third one-run game of the series, the Georgia Southern Baseball team finally came out on top with a 3-2 victory on Sunday afternoon at J.I. Clements Stadium. In a tie ball game, the Eagles struck for the winning run in their final inning at the plate to avoid the series sweep.
Georgia Southern (26-23, 12-12) got a lead off walk from Michael Burruss (Marietta, Ga.) to start the eighth inning and cashed in the free pass from Michael Gunter in the next at-bat. Eric Phillips (Carrollton, Ga.) followed with a double into the left field corner to drive in the winning run. Three pitchers later with the bases loaded, C.K. Irby coaxed a fly out to prevent any further damage.
In the top of the ninth inning, Kyle Rowe (Valdosta, Ga.) retired the side in order to pick up his team-best sixth win of the season. Rowe
(6-1) delivered two scoreless innings to close out the game and worked around a pair of hits in the eighth inning. Gunter (1-2) took the loss for Samford (32-17, 18-9) after giving up the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth.
Both starting pitchers bounced back after struggling in their starts last week and both left the game with a no decision in a 2-2 tie. Will Middour (Atlanta, Ga.) shut down Samford over the first three innings but allowed two runs on six hits and struck out four batters over five innings. Kyle Putkonen recorded a similar line over his five innings of work and allowed two early runs on six hits.
The Eagles struck for single runs off of Putkonen in the second and third innings. T.D. Davis (Evans, Ga.) provided a two-out RBI single in the second inning to drive in a lead off base hit from Chase Griffin (Leesburg, Ga.). Phillips used his first of three hits in the third inning to score Scooter Williams (Detroit, Mich.) from third base.
The three-hit day pulled Phillips to within four hits of tying the school record of 326 career hits set by Scott Henley. The senior co-captain now has 322 hits in his career after going eight-for-12 in the three-game series.
Trailing by two runs after the third inning, the Bulldogs scored single runs in back-to-back innings. Middour recorded two quick outs to start the fourth inning but gave up three straight hits. A base hit from Brandon Miller plated a two-out double by Phillip Ervin. Samford tried to add a second run on a double by Irby, but Miller was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.
Pitching in relief, Josh Stevenson (Social Circle, Ga.) faced the minimum over the next two innings to slow the Bulldogs' offensive momentum. Stevenson allowed one hit in the sixth inning, but Brent Pugh (Atlanta, Ga.) was able to turn a double play to end the inning.
Georgia Southern will have a week off for finals before closing out the home slate with a three-game series against Western Carolina.
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.
Furman 9, Wofford 5
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman's three Wills - Will Miller, Will Muzika, and Will Owens - homered and combined to both drive in and score seven runs to power the Paladins to a 9-5 Southern Conference series clinching victory over Wofford in baseball action Sunday afternoon at Latham Stadium.
The win gave Furman (22-25, 9-15 SoCon) the series two games to one and allowed the Paladins to hold on to eighth place in the league standings with two conference series remaining on the schedule. Furman plays at The Citadel next weekend and wraps up the 2012 regular season with a three game set at home against Davidson. The top eight teams qualify for the SoCon Tournament, set for May 23-27 at Fluor Field in Greenville's West End.
The loss was the ninth for Wofford (19-28, 6-18 SoCon) in its last 10 clashes with Furman.
The home run trifecta by Miller, Muzika, and Owens, who have combined to hit 57 round trippers during the Paladin tenures, marked the second time the Paladin trio had homered in the same game, the only other occasion coming in an 11-3 victory over College of Charleston in 2010.
The Paladins needed the long ball to overcome a 3-0 deficit after Wofford's Konstantine Diamaduros drilled a pitch by Furman starting pitcher Tyler Wood over the right field fence for a three-run round tripper in the first inning.
Miller got Furman on the board with solo clout to left field off Terrier starter Cash Collins in the second.
The Paladins tied it at 3-3 in the fourth after Miller led off with a single and Muzika's line drive cleared the fence in left field for a two-run clout.
The two teams traded runs in the sixth before Wofford went up 5-4 in the seventh on a Mac Doyle RBI grounder that plated James Foster, whose slide beat a high throw from Paladin third baseman Chris Ohmstede.
Furman turned the game around with three runs in the bottom of the seventh. Owens' leadoff home run tied it a 5-5, and with one out Taylor Johnson singled and Miller walked to bring Muzika to the plate. On a 1-1 pitch the junior second baseman from Spartanburg ripped a double down the left field line to score Johnson and Miller for a 7-5 lead.
The Paladins added two more runs in the eighth, tallying the first on a defensive interference call on a rundown between third and home involving Furman's Heath Burton, and the second on a Miller RBI single through the right side that scored Owens.
Stephen Gary (3-0), who came on in the seventh in relief of Wood, earned his second win of the series by throwing no-hit ball over the final 2 2/3 innings. He walked one and fanned three.
Collins (4-7) took the loss after surrendering seven runs on nine hits over seven frames. He walked two and struck out a pair.
Furman out-hit Wofford 11-7, with Miller's 3-for-4, two-RBI, three-run performance leading the way. Muzika went 2-for-4, drove in four runs, and scored twice.
Doyle led Wofford with two hits and an RBI.
Furman entertains Winthrop on Tuesday in the makeup of an earlier rained out contest. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m.
UNCG 10, No. 28 Appalachian State 8
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University baseball jumped out to a 7-1 lead on Senior Day but UNC Greensboro roared back to hand the 28th-ranked Mountaineers a rare home defeat, 10-8, on Sunday afternoon at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
Highlighted by a three-run home run from Jeremy Dowdy (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) and three two-out RBI from Will Callaway (Greenville, S.C./Eastside), Appalachian (34-11, 18-6 SoCon) led 7-1 after four innings but UNC Greensboro (22-23, 7-17 SoCon) scored three runs in the fifth inning and four in the sixth to grab a 8-7 advantage.
The Mountaineers knotted the score at 8-8 when Trey Holmes (Rockwell, N.C./East Rowan) drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh but UNCG scored two runs with two outs in the top of the eighth to retake the lead for good.
As was the case for the vast majority of the game's scoring, the Spartans plated the deciding runs in the eighth with two outs. ASU reliever Tyler Moore (Banner Elk, N.C./Watauga) easily retired the first two batters of the inning and was one strike away from getting out of the frame but walked Zach Leach on a 3-2 pitch. Moore was once again one strike away from escaping the stanza unscathed when UNCG cleanup hitter Lloyd Enzor lifted a fly ball into right field. The hit landed in front of right fielder Tyler Tewell (Charlotte, N.C./Butler) and took an unusually high bounce over Tewell's head that went all the way to the wall for an RBI triple that gave the Spartans a 9-8 lead. One pitch later, Thomas Troelstrup lined a single into left-center field that brought Enzor home from third and stretched the UNCG advantage to 10-8.
Appalachian had opportunities over its final two at-bats to draw even but both threats were thwarted by untimely double plays.
The Mountaineers had 12 hits on the afternoon but left nine men on base in addition to the back-breaking double plays in the final two innings. Tewell led the 12-hit attack with a 3-for-5 effort that raised his batting average to a team-high .391. Dowdy and Callaway drove in three runs apiece.
Seven Appalachian pitchers combined to allow 11 hits, but more detrimentally, walked nine and hit two batters. ASU also committed an error that led to an unearned run.
Despite having its eight-game Southern Conference winning streak snapped, Appalachian remains atop the league standings and controls its own destiny in the quest for its first conference championship in 25 years. Regardless of what the other three teams in title contention (College of Charleston, Samford and Elon) do down the stretch, the Mountaineers can clinch no less than a share of the SoCon championship with four wins in their final six league games.
Appalachian, which dropped to 23-2 at home this season, takes a five-day break for final exams this week before resuming SoCon play with a three-game series at Samford next weekend. The three-game set opens with a doubleheader on Saturday at 2 p.m. (ET) in Birmingham, Ala.
The Citadel 15, Davidson 2
The Citadel 2, Davidson 0
DAVIDSON, N.C. - The Citadel earned a 15-2 victory in the first game and then held Davidson to four hits in a 2-0 victory in the second game Sunday in a Southern Conference baseball doubleheader at Wilson Field.
Both starters in Game 2 did not allow a hit until the fifth inning. Freshman RHP Clark Beeker (2-3) threw a career high eight innings for Davidson (17-28, 8-19 SoCon) and allowed just one run on five hits and three walks while striking out six. For The Citadel (22-27, 11-13 SoCon), LHP Logan Cribb (3-2) yielded two hits and a walk and struck out three in six innings. RHP James Reeves allowed a hit and walk with two strikeouts, and RHP Ryan Hines earned a 1.1 inning save, allowing just a double to sophomore left fielder Forrest Brandt and striking out one.
Brandt went 2-for-4 in the second game, leading the top of the ninth inning off with a double and moving to third base on a wild pitch, but Hines retired the next three batters in order to secure the win.
Second baseman Mason Davis drove in the game-winning run for the Bulldogs with an RBI-single to centerfield in the seventh inning, breaking the scoreless deadlock. The Citadel added an insurance run in the top of the ninth inning, taking advantage of a Davidson throwing error.
Davis was the Bulldogs' leading hitter in the first game too, going 3-for-5 with four RBI and three runs scored. Designated hitter Joe Jackson also went 3-for-5 in Game 1 and drove in three runs.
For Davidson, junior third baseman Andrew Barna and sophomore centerfielder Kelly Myers had two hits, and freshman designated hitter Ryan Lowe and senior first baseman Calvin Sigelbaum drove in the Wildcats' two runs.
The ‘Cats were unable to drive in base runners early, leaving the bases loaded in the first inning without scoring a run, and leaving 11 total on base for the game. The Citadel starter LHP Kevin Connell pitched into the fourth inning, surrendering a run on six hits and four walks. He did not get an out in the fourth as Davidson loaded the bases with a walk and a pair of singles, and then scored a run when Sigelbaum drew a walk. RHP TJ Clarkson (2-3) relieved him and retired the next three batters to escape the jam, and then finished the game, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out three.
The Citadel took control of the game early as Davis reached base in the first inning after hitting a pop up that landed untouched on the pitcher's mound, stole second, and was then driven in by Jackson. The Bulldogs then scored four runs in the second inning for a 5-0 lead, and went ahead 6-0 in the fourth inning by taking advantage of a pair of fielding errors and a wild pitch.
The ‘Cats scored in the bottom of the fourth, but a seven-run fifth inning for the Bulldogs put the game out of reach. The Citadel finished with 15 hits to Davidson's nine.
The losses put a damper on Davidson's Senior Day, as seniors Jake Berman, Drew Gadaire, James Cerbie, Seth Freeman, Brian Russell, Calvin Sigelbaum, Michael Loeb and Ryan Overcash were all honored in between games.
Davidson will host USC Upstate in the home finale Wednesday at 6 p.m., and then conclude the regular season May 17-18 at Furman.
Western Carolina 11, Elon 9
ELON, N.C. -- Elon chipped away at a five-run deficit over its final few at bats, but could not complete the comeback and dropped an 11-9 decision to the Western Carolina Catamounts at Latham Park on Sunday night.
Elon (27-23, 16-10 Southern Conference) stranded 15 runners, including leaving the bases loaded three times, as it lost a home SoCon series for the first time since April of 2010. The Phoenix had won 11 straight league series at Latham Park.
A Ross Heffley homer gave Western Carolina (29-17, 13-10) a 1-0 lead in the top of the first before the Phoenix tied it in the bottom half when Joey Tomko drew a walk with the bases loaded.
The Catamounts extended their lead to 5-1 with two runs in both the second and fourth innings before Elon closed its deficit to 5-4 in the last of the fourth. The first run scored on a throwing error on a Sebastian Gomez infield single. Alex Swim then drove home Gomez with a single of his own before later scoring on a Tomko single.
The maroon and gold grabbed the lead in the fifth as Swim dropped a double down the left field line to plate both Quinn Bower and Blaine Bower.
Western quickly reseized the lead, scoring six times in the sixth. Only one of the runs was earned as Elon committed three errors in the inning.
Elon tried to chip away at the Catamount advantage, scoring once in the sixth on a Chris Bresnahan sac fly that was nearly a three-run homer. The Phoenix added another in the eighth on a Bresnahan single, but would leave the bases loaded in that inning.
Gomez started the last of the ninth with a double to left-center and went to third on a ground out before making it 11-9 on a Ryan Kinsella. Tomko picked up his third hit of the night to put the tying run aboard, but a double play ended the Elon threat and the game.
Jordan Darnell (1-2) took the loss as he allowed six runs (one earned) on four hits in an inning. Ryan Pennell threw 3.2 scoreless innings to keep Elon in the game. He matched a career-high with five strike outs.
For the second straight night Jon Nadale (4-2) picked up the win. Nadale gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits in 2.1 innings. Preston Hatcher earned his second save of the series and his 10th of the season by recording the final six outs.
Elon will look to salvage the series in game three which begins at 2:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon.
Clemson 12, College of Charleston 3
CLEMSON, S.C. - Clemson used an eight-run seventh inning to win a 12-3 decision over the Cougars in the second game of the weekend series.
With the win, Clemson moved to 28-19 on the season while the Cougars go to 31-15 on the season and 0-2 in the series.
Despite tallying eight hits, the Cougars did not get on the scoreboard until the eighth inning when Brandon Murray hit a three-run home run to right field for CofC's only runs.
Clemson starter Kevin Pohle (5-2) pitched seven shutout innings and struck out five batters to earn the victory. Pohle had to work out of trouble in numerous innings as he stranded six Cougar runners and scattered six hits.
CofC's Josh Renfro (6-5) picked up his second straight loss as he worked 4.0 innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits.
The Tigers' Thomas Brittle and Richie Shaffer each tallied three hits and combined for three runs and three RBI. Brittle and leadoff batter Steve Wilkerson hit back-to-back triples to lead off the eight-run seventh inning. Spencer Kieboom and Brad Felder each tallied two RBI.
Murray led the Cougar offense with his three-run homer in the eighth inning that scored Marty Gantt and Bradley Goodson. Gantt tallied a hit and two walks on the day. Brandon Glazer hit a single to extend his team-best hitting streak to 13 games.
The Tigers got on the board in the second inning when a hard hit ball ate up Goodson at short and allowed Jay Baum to score, unearned, with two outs. Clemson scored its second run two innings later on another two-out ball hit hard at an infielder as Felder was credited with the RBI single to score Baum and make it 2-0.
The Cougars had runners in scoring position in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings but could not get the runners home.
Clemson added two runs in the fifth off hits from Brittle and Shaffer, and then put the game away with the eight-run seventh inning which featured seven hits and one Cougar error.
The final game of the series will start at 4 p.m. on Monday afternoon. The Cougars will start RHP Matt Pegler while the Tigers will counter with RHP Jonathan Meyer.