No. 7 South Carolina 5, Furman 2

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Seventh-ranked South Carolina combined three hits with an error to score three fifth-inning runs on the way to a 5-2 win over Furman in baseball action Tuesday afternoon at Carolina Stadium.

The victory improved South Carolina to 6-1 on the season while Furman fell to 5-2. The two teams will play again on April 3 in a 7 p.m. game at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.

With one out in the fifth in a scoreless game, South Carolina’s Max Schrock doubled, Graham Saiko walked and LB Dantzler singled through the right side off of Furman pitcher Elliott Warford (0-1) to load the bases. Warford was replaced on the mound by Drake Browne, who got Erik Payne to ground to third base, but Furman’s Chris Ohmstede, after stepping on third to record an out, threw wide of first base, allowing Schrock and Dantzler to score. Payne later came home on Grayson Greiner’s single to shortstop to give the Gamecocks a 3-0 lead.

South Carolina added runs in the sixth and seventh to make it a 5-0 game before Furman broke up the shutout by scoring twice in the ninth. Singles by Hunter Burton, Taylor Johnson and Paul Nitto off of USC reliever Joel Seddon scored Burton. Griffin Davis kept the rally going with his third pinch-hit single of the season, a line drive down the right-field line off of Gamecock closer Tyler Webb that scored Johnson, but Davis was tagged out after losing his footing approximately 20 feet shy of second base. Nitto was stranded at third after Webb recovered by striking out Jake Jones and Heath Burton to end the game.

South Carolina starting pitcher Jack Wynkoop (1-0) earned the victory, throwing shutout ball while allowing five hits over five innings. He fanned two.

Wynkoop got out of the only trouble he faced in the third when Furman banged out three singles, but a pickoff at first base and a Saiko throw from left field that retired the Paldins’ Jordan Simpson at the plate ended the threat.

Warford allowed three runs, only one of which was earned, on three hits over 2 1/3 innings to take the loss.

Schrock and Chase Vergason had two hits apiece, including a pair of doubles, for South Carolina, which collected 10 hits in the contest.

Will Muzika, Hunter Burton, and Simpson collected two hits each to lead Furman’s nine-hit — all singles — attack. Muzika’s two safeties gave him 201 hits for his career.

The Paladins play host to USC Upstate on Wednesday at Latham Stadium. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.

 

No. 16 Georgia Tech 11, Georgia Southern 4

STATESBORO, Ga. – No. 16 Georgia Tech scored five runs in the sixth inning and three more in the seventh to complete an 11-4 come-from-behind victory over Georgia Southern in game one of the two-game midweek series at J.I. Clements Stadium.

Georgia Tech's Zane Evans capped off the sixth inning with a two-run home run and drove in all three runs in the seventh with a second homer off the batter's eye in center field. Daniel Palka added three hits and scored two runs for the Yellow Jackets (7-1), who finished with 14 hits.

Alex Cruz (1-0) picked up the win in relief of Georgia Tech starter Josh Heddinger. Cruz tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out six batters, including two each in the fourth and fifth innings. Heddinger gave up three runs over 1 2/3 innings and was lifted after allowing a RBI single to Ben Morgan in the second inning.

Morgan and Brent Pugh led Georgia Southern (4-3) with two hits each, and Morgan and Chase Griffin each drove in two runs. Eagle starter Justin Hess held the Yellow Jackets to just one run over five innings but ran into trouble in the sixth inning after the first four batters crossed the plate. Hess (0-2) was tagged with the loss after giving up five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five.

Georgia Tech's Sam Dove led off the sixth inning with a double and scored two batters later on a double from Palka. A.J. Murray lined a ball off of Hess' leg to score Brandon Thomas for the second run of the inning, and a balk by reliever Josh Steveson scored Palka before the homer from Evans.

Georgia Southern responded to a first-inning Georgia Tech run with a two-run bottom half of the inning. Scooter Williams led off the inning with a hit-by-pitch and Griffin drove a two-run homer over the right-field wall for an early 2-1 lead.

The Eagles added single runs in the second and fourth innings to extend their lead to 4-1. Pugh scored both runs after reaching base in his first three at-bats on the night. Morgan picked up both RBI after recording a pair of base hits.

Georgia Southern concludes the series with Georgia Tech on Wednesday at 6 p.m. It will be Greek night at the ballpark, and freshman lefthander Evan Challenger will take the mound in his second start of the year for the Eagles.

 

Alabama 5, Samford 4

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama baseball team plated four runs in the fifth inning to overcome an early three-run deficit and defeat the Samford Bulldogs, 5-4, Tuesday evening at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.

Samford used five pitchers in the game, and the group combined to issue nine walks.

Samford was led at the plate by Christiaan Durdaller, who went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and an RBI. C.K. Irby went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while Tommy Corbin went 2-for-5.

Andres Gracia (0-2) pitched a third of an inning in relief, allowing one unearned run on two hits to take the loss on the mound for Samford. Patrick Maronde, Parker Curry, Mark Donham and Phillip Ervin also saw time on the mound for Samford.

For Alabama, Mikey White went 3-for-5 at the plate. Austen Smith went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Kyle Overstreet drove in two runs in a 1-for-2 performance. Mitch Greer (1-0) pitched two innings in relief, giving up no runs and just one hit to earn the win for the Crimson Tide.

Samford jumped on top first with a run in the top of the second inning. After Caleb Bryson walked and Durdaller doubled, Bryson scored from third base on a groundout by Damon Waller for a 1-0 Samford lead.

The Bulldogs added two runs in the top of the third inning to make the score 3-0. Irby doubled down the right-field line to drive in Austin Allison for the first run in the inning. Drew McWhorter then singled to right field to drive in Corbin for a three-run Samford lead.

Alabama took the lead with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. White scored Alabama’s first run of the game on a Samford error. Ben Moore scored the second run of the inning when Kenny Roberts singled and went to second base on another Samford error. Overstreet then singled to center field to drive in Roberts and Brett Booth to give Alabama a 4-3 lead.

Alabama added another run in the bottom of the seventh inning. White scored from third base when Smith reached base on an infield single to give Alabama a 5-3 lead.

Samford cut the lead to 5-4 with a run in the top of the eighth inning. Durdaller hit a solo home run to left field to pull Samford to within one run.

Samford will return to action on Friday when the Bulldogs open a three-game series with Purdue. Friday’s game, originally scheduled for 6 p.m. Central, has been moved to 4 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field.

 

Longwood 4, Western Carolina 1

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Longwood pounded out 12 base hits and turned a Catamount error into two runs as the Lancers held off Western Carolina for a 4-1 victory Tuesday night in the first-ever meeting between the two nonconference foes at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.

Longwood pitching scattered eight hits and stranded 11 Catamount base runners in the win, relegating WCU to its fourth straight loss.

Game two of the two-game, midweek nonconference set is scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday. Fans can follow all of the action online with live streaming audio (free) and live GameTracker (free) on CatamountSports.com with live streaming video (subscription) through Catamount All-Access.

Senior Adam Curtis (1-1) was saddled with the loss, surrendering two runs on 10 hits through 5 1/3 innings of his second start of the season. The Arden, N.C., native struck out three batters, exiting with the bases loaded in the sixth inning. Freshman Jonathan Waszak tossed a career-long 1 2/3 innings, posting his first career strikeout while allowing one hit.

For the Lancers, starter Kyler Morgan (1-0) worked six scoreless innings in the start, fanning two against one walk while scattering five hits to earn his first victory of the season. Despite struggling out of the gates, Aaron Myers picked up his second save on the year by tossing three innings of three-hit, one-run relief, striking out two with a pair of walks.

Trailing by two runs, WCU welcomed Myers in the seventh with a lead-off double to left-center by Bryant Noteboom, followed by an infield bunt single by Bradley Strong to put runner at the corners. Myers then balked, driving in what proved to be the Catamounts’ lone run, trimming the Lancer lead to one, 2-1. With Strong at second base, however, Myers settled to retire three straight Catamounts to end the threat.

Noteboom finished 2-for-4 with the double. Sophomore Austin Neary was the only other Catamount to record a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-3 also with a double.

Western Carolina (3-5) threatened in the first inning, putting runners on the corners after stand-up triple by Aaron Attaway before Tyler White legged out a dribbler down the third base line that he turned into an infield single with one out. Sophomore Jacob Hoyle then hit a ground ball to third with the throw coming home to get Attaway out after a short pickle. White and Hoyle advanced to second and third with Neary hit by Morgan to load the bases for Cody Jones with two out. However, Longwood induced an inning-ending ground ball with a force play at second.

The Lancers got on the board first in the top of the third inning, executing a perfect hit-and-run as short stop Matt Dickason hit a line drive just over the Strong’s head with the ball rolling to the right-center wall to score C.J. Roth from first, just beating the cut-off relay from Strong and Adam Martin’s swipe tag attempt at the plate.

Longwood (3-2) added to its lead in the top of the sixth, loading the bases on three-straight singles before a force play at the plate on a throw by Hoyle recorded the first out, but chasing Curtis. Waszak plunked the first batter he faced to drive home the Lancers’ second run while keeping the bases loaded with one out. The Wendell, N.C., native then struck out Roth before getting Travis Burnette to ground out to third to end the frame, stranding three.

WCU again looked to rally  with one out in the bottom of the sixth as Neary picked up the second Catamount double of the game, lacing one down the left field line to give WCU a one-out base runner. However, the home squad could not do anything with the runner at second as back-to-back infield ground outs ended the WCU half of the sixth.

Longwood stretched its lead to three, 4-1, by capitalizing on a two-base throwing error. With runners on first and second with two outs in the top of the eighth, Roth hit a ground ball to relief pitcher Bryce Danielson. After fielding the grounder, Danielson slipped on the wet infield grass with his throw to first skipping off the dirt, careening wide of Hoyle at first and rolled toward right field, bringing in both base runners.

Longwood had five players record two hits in the win, with Scott Burkett and Conner Hall both finishing 2-for-3. Dickason legged out two doubles with an RBI, while Hall posted the only other RBI on the bases-loaded HBP.

 

Davidson vs. USC Upstate (ppd.)

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Heavy rains have forced the postponement of Tuesday evening’s scheduled nonconference baseball game at Wilson Field between Davidson and USC Upstate. A makeup date has not been determined.

This is the third game that Davidson has had either canceled or postponed due to weather this season. USC Upstate was going to make its first visit to Wilson Field on Tuesday after its inaugural trip last season, which was also supposed to be Davidson’s home finale, was rained out. The Wildcats are scheduled to face the Spartans in Spartanburg, S.C., on April 9.

Davidson opens a three-game Southern Conference series against Appalachian State on Friday at 6 p.m. at Wilson Field. Saturday’s game will also be at 6 p.m., while Sunday’s will be at 2 p.m.

 

Elon vs. Liberty (ppd.)

ELON, N.C. – The Elon baseball game scheduled for 4 p.m. on Tuesday against Liberty at Latham Park has been postponed due to rain.

Elon, which will play its next seven games at home, will open up Southern Conference play on Friday at 4 p.m. against Furman. Saturday's first pitch is set for 2 p.m. and Sunday's series finale will begin at 1:30 p.m.