College of Charleston 11, Elon 6

ELON, N.C. – College of Charleston scored six runs in the seventh inning to overcome a four-run deficit and eventually beat Elon, 11-6, on Saturday, evening the Southern Conference series at one apiece.

The Cougars (9-6, 1-1) earned their first SoCon win of the season with 11 runs, all coming in the sixth inning and later. Elon (7-6, 2-3) blew a 4-0 lead with nine runs allowed by the Phoenix bullpen.

Junior Ben Boykin led the Cougar offense with a career-high three doubles, scoring three runs and tallying two RBI. Freshman Blake Butler tallied two hits and Brandon Murray hit a big two-RBI single in the seventh inning to give the Cougars the lead.

CofC starter Jake Zokan allowed four runs in the second inning and was pulled in the sixth frame after allowing the first two runners to reach. Junior Blake Ross (1-0) got CofC out of the inning and earned his first career win, going 2 2/3 innings and allowing just one hit.

Junior Michael Hanzlik finished the game after Dre Watts issued four walks to open the ninth inning. With the tying run on deck, Hanzlik struck out Alex Swim and Ryan Kinsella and induced a foul out from Sebastian Gomez to end the game.

Elon starter Kyle Webb had a quality start, allowing just two unearned runs in six innings while striking out 10 and just walking two. The Elon bullpen struggled as John Antonelli, Andrew MacDonald (3-1) and Brandon Kacer combined for just 11/3 innings, allowing five hits, six walks and nine runs.

Blaine Bower tallied a two-RBI single for Elon in the fourth, and Quinn Bower finished with two hits and an RBI.

The Cougars got on the scoreboard in the sixth inning after a two-out double from Boykin. Gunnar Heidt was hit by a pitch and Murray earned a walk to load the bases. Cody Martin popped up a ball in the infield, but first baseman Kinsella misplayed it and allowed two runs to score, cutting the score to 4-2.

The Phoenix added a run in the bottom of the sixth with a sacrifice fly RBI from Antonio Alvarez to push the Elon lead to 5-2.

Butler led off the seventh inning with a walk and Alex Pastorius reached on a single to left field. The runners advanced a base on Jimmy Holton’s sacrifice bunt and then Bradley Goodson loaded the bases with a walk. Boykin walked in a run and Heidt was hit by a pitch to score another run, making the score 5-4.

Murray then pulled a ball through the hole on the right side, scoring two runs and giving CofC a 6-5 lead. After a wild pitch scored Heidt, Cody Martin knocked a base hit to drive in another run and CofC led 8-5 after the top of the seventh.

Ross made a leaping catch on a comebacker in the bottom of the seventh to blank the Phoenix, and then the Cougars added three more runs on just one hit, an RBI double from Boykin, to extend the lead to 11-5 in the eighth inning.

Watts struggled with his control in the ninth inning and his four walks drew the Phoenix to within five with Swim coming to the plate with the bases loaded and no one out. However, Hanzlik struck out Swim and Kinsella and Gomez fouled out to Holton to end the game.

College of Charleston will face Elon in the Sunday rubber game with a 1:30 p.m. first pitch.

 

Furman 6, Appalachian State 5

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Taylor Johnson went 2-for-4 and drove in four runs to power Furman past Appalachian State, 6-5, in Southern Conference baseball action Saturday afternoon at Latham Stadium.

Furman (12-3, 4-1 SoCon), which claimed a 3-1 win over Appalachian State (7-4, 2-3 SoCon) in Friday’s series opener, has won five straight games and will go for the series sweep in Sunday’s 1 p.m. finale.  The start to the season is the program’s best since 1926.

Johnson, a senior from Greer, S.C, stroked a two-run double in the third inning and added a two-run single in the seventh to extend a one-run lead into a 6-3 advantage.

Appalachian State cut it to 6-5 with two runs in the eighth against Furman’s Matt Solter, but Solter retired the Mountaineers in order in the ninth to nail down the victory and record his fourth save.

Alex Abrams (2-0), who relieved Furman starter Elliott Warford after three innings due to illness, pitched 1 1/3 innings to earn the victory.  He allowed a run on three hits and a walk while striking out two.

The loss was charged to Mountaineer starter Jeffrey Springs (0-2), who surrendered four runs on six hits and a walk.  He recorded two strikeouts.

Appalachian State gave Springs a 1-0 lead with unearned run in the top of the first, but Furman used a four-run third to grab the advantage.  Jordan Simpson led off with a single and stole second.  After Hunter Burton walked, both runners advanced on a passed ball and scored on Johnson’s double down the left-field line.  Paul Nitto followed with a single through the left side to drive in Johnson to make it 3-1 and later scored on a Jarrod Rickman sacrifice fly.

Nitto’s base hit extended the Greenville native and J.L. Mann High School product’s hitting streak to 23 games — the longest active streak in the SoCon.

The Mountaineers chipped away at the Furman advantage with a Noah Holmes RBI single in the fifth, but Appalachian State’s bid for more was short-circuited by Paladin reliever Drake Browne, who came on for Abrams to get William Head on a foul pop and Alex Leach on a strikeout to strand runners at second and third.

Appalachian State put its first two batters on base in the sixth against Browne but again failed to capitalize as Brown’s replacement, sophomore left-hander Ryan Morse, got Preston Troutman to pop up a sacrifice attempt and then struck out Dillon Dobson looking before battling back from a 3-0 count to fan Josh Zumbrook swinging to end the inning.

Appalachian State cut it to 4-3 in the seventh, but Furman responded in the bottom of the frame behind Johnson, who stroked a two-run single through a middle of a drawn-in infield to plate Burton and Simpson for a 6-3 lead.

Jaylin Davis’ single in the Mountaineer eighth off Solter scored Will Calllaway to make it 6-4, and Davis later came home on a Zumbrook double into right center field.

Solter recovered to strike out Holmes to end the inning and preserved the one-run difference with a perfect ninth.

Johnson and Simpson had two hits apiece for the Paladins, who finished with 10 hits.

Callaway followed his three-hit performance in Friday’s opener by going 3-for-4 with an RBI.  Holmes and Dobson added two hits each in the Mountaineers’ 11-hit attack.

Appalachian State reliever Josh Wilson came on in relief of Springs in the third and retired 10 of the first 11 Paladins he faced before running into trouble in the decisive Furman seventh.

 

Davidson 7, Western Carolina 5

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Davidson scored runs in each of the first six innings with contributions throughout the lineup en route to a 7-5 victory over Western Carolina in Southern Conference baseball action Saturday at Wilson Field.

In leading Davidson (6-6, 2-3 SoCon), third baseman David Daniels and left fielder Lee Miller both had two hits, a walk and an RBI, while Daniels also scored once. Right fielder Nathan Becker went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, and center fielder Forrest Brandt went 0-for-3, but reached on an error and was hit by a pitch twice, allowing him to score twice. Designated hitter Ryan Lowe hit his first career home run and Western Carolina (8-7, 1-1 SoCon) committed five errors, which resulted in a pair of unearned runs.

Third baseman Tyler White went 4-for-5 but did not score or drive in any runs for the Catamounts. He and designated hitter Luke Gragg, who hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning to force a save situation, had the only multi-hit games for Western Carolina.

RHP Danny Mooney (2-1) allowed two runs on seven hits and four walks in 6 1/3 innings while striking out five for the win. Michael Zeblo (1) went 2-for-4 with a run scored while playing shortstop, then took the mound in the ninth for his first save of the season.

Daniels scored the first run of the game in the first inning after he reached on an infield single and then scored from first on an errant pickoff throw by the catcher that rolled deep into right field foul territory. The Wildcats scored two runs in the second inning, as Lowe slugged a home run into the trees in right-center field to lead-off the frame. Zeblo then singled up the middle, stole second and advanced to third on the errant throw and scored from third on a groundout by Becker.

After stranding two runners in scoring position in both the first and second innings, the Catamounts scored their first run in the third inning on an RBI groundout by first baseman Austin Neary. However, Davidson answered in the bottom half of the frame after Brandt was hit by a pitch and then scored from first base for a 4-1 lead on a triple down the right-field line by Miller.

Becker singled to lead off the fourth inning and advanced to third on a pair of groundouts, allowing Daniels to drive him in with a single up the middle. Aaron Attaway bounced a home run off the top of the fence for the Catamounts to lead off the top of the fifth inning, but the ‘Cats restored the four-run advantage when Brandt reached on an error and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches and then scored on a sacrifice bunt by first baseman Andrew Barna.

Becker was hit by a pitch to start the sixth inning, advanced to second and third on a sacrifice bunt and fielding error, respectively, and then scored on a wild pitch for a 7-2 advantage.

Mooney induced a foul pop out to start the seventh inning for Davidson, but then gave up a walk and a single and was relieved by Bryan DaCanal. DaCanal was able to get the first Catamount he faced to hit into a 3-6-1 double play and end the threat, but he allowed a pair of singles to start the eighth and surrendered Gragg’s three-run homer before retiring the next two batters to end the frame.

Looking to tie the game for Western in the top of the ninth for the second day in a row, Neary came to the plate with a runner on third base, but he struck out swinging to end the game.

Jordan Smith (1-2) allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits and a walk and struck out three. Jon Nadale pitched the final 2 2/3 innings for WCU and allowed just one hit and struck out four to quiet the Wildcats’ bats late.

Davidson and Western Carolina will conclude the series Sunday at 1 p.m. at Wilson Field. A pair of lefties will start on the mound, as Morgan McKinney will take the ball for Western, and Rob Bain will do the same for Davidson.

 

The Citadel 2, Samford 1

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel extended its winning streak to five games in dramatic fashion, scoring the tiebreaking run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for a 2-1 victory over Samford in the middle game of a Southern Conference series at Riley Park.

Johnathan Stokes reached on an infield single to plate Tyler Griffin and set off a celebration near the first base bag. Griffin singled to lead off the inning, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and ground out and scored when Samford shortstop Frankie Navarrete threw high to first base after making a nice pickup of a grounder up the middle.

Skylar Hunter worked the ninth for The Citadel and allowed one hit with one strikeout to gain the win and even his record at 1-1. The combination of starter James Reeves and relievers Zach Sherrill, David Rivera and Hunter limited Samford to just five hits on the day.

The winning streak is the longest for The Citadel (10-5, 2-0 SoCon) since running off five in a row from April 23-May 4, 2011. The Bulldogs are five games over .500 for the first time since finishing the 2010 season with a record of 43-22.

The Bulldogs will go for a sweep over defending SoCon tournament champion Samford (9-7, 0-2) in the series finale Sunday at 1 p.m. Citadel freshman right hander Austin Mason (1-0, 2.79) will face junior righty Alex Milazzo (3-0, 3.00).

The Citadel offense, which produced five home runs and 12 runs on Friday, was held in check for most of the afternoon by Samford starter Eric Wright, who entered the game with a 2-0 record and ERA of 1.77.

The Bulldogs trailed 1-0 before scoring in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game but also ran into some bad luck in the inning. With Hughston Armstrong and Mason Davis on first and second and two outs, Bo Thompson lofted a double that fell just inside the line in deep right.

Armstrong scored easily but the speedy Davis was forced to return to third when the ball hopped over the fence for a ground rule double. Davis was stranded at third when Griffin flied out to right. The RBI was the sixth of the series for Thompson, who hit three homers and drove in five runs in Friday's victory.

Wright left with one out in the ninth but allowed the single to Griffin and was charged with his first loss of the season. He was staked to a 1-0 lead in the second when a Caleb Bryson single drove in Christiaan Durdaller for Samford's only run of the game.

Reeves picked up a no-decision despite turning in his best performance of the season. The sophomore left hander allowed three hits in five innings, walked one and struck out one. Sherrill pitched two innings of one-hit relief, and Rivera pitched a perfect eighth.

 

Georgia Southern 3, Wofford 0

STATESBORO, Ga. – Jason Richman threw seven shutout innings as Georgia Southern defeated Wofford 3-0 to win its first Southern Conference series of the year on Saturday afternoon at J.I. Clements Stadium.

Richman (3-1) allowed just three hits and three walks to earn his third win of the season. The freshman lefthander struck out five batters, including two in his final inning to strand a runner at second base. Richman combined with relievers Matt McCall and Justin Hess to post the Eagles' first shutout since the Southern Conference Championship win over Samford on May 29, 2011.

Hess (S, 1) threw 1 1/3 innings and worked around a two-out double in the ninth inning to record his first career save. The senior right-hander struck out the side in the ninth inning and left two runners stranded in the eight after coaxing a ground out from Matthew Ramsay.

Georgia Southern (8-6, 2-0) scored three runs off 12 hits. Robbie Dodds led the team with three hits and scored two runs. Arthur Owens and Tyler Avera recorded two hits each, and Avera drove in two of the team's three runs. Josh Hyman and Matthew Pelt led Wofford (7-8, 0-2) with two hits each.

Jesse Morris (3-1) was tagged with his first loss of the season after giving up three runs on 10 hits. Morris tossed six innings and struck out three batters in a quality start. Morris allowed a single run in the second inning and two more in the fourth.

The Eagles tallied four straight singles in the second inning to score the game's first run. Dodds singled with one out and scored from third base on a base hit from Tyler Avera.

GSU added two more runs in the fourth inning on an Owens' base hit and an Avera double. Dodds doubled down the left field line to open the fourth and scored on the single by Owens. After reaching second base on a wild pitch, Owens scored the Eagles' final run on the double by Avera.

The weekend series concludes tomorrow at 1: 30 p.m.

 

UNCG 9, Marist 4

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Seniors Christian Wolfe and Trevor Edwards combined to go 8-for-9 from the dish Saturday as the UNCG baseball team picked up a 9-4 nonconference victory over Marist at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.

Wolfe was 4-for-5 with two runs scored while Edwards smashed his third home run of the season and added two RBI as part of a 4-for-4 performance. Junior catcher Cambric Moye also hit a three-run round-tripper as part of a six-run bottom of the fourth.

Sophomore right-hander Max Povse picked up his first victory of the season on the bump, throwing 5 1/3 innings and allowing three runs (one unearned) while scattering three hits and striking out six. Classmate Tyler Frazier entered to pitch the final two innings, striking out four batters to keep the Red Foxes from rallying late.

Povse ran into a bit of trouble in the top of the first inning but was able to get Zach Shank to line into a double play to eliminate the threat.

UNCG scored first in the home half of the second on an infield single by Wolfe that plated senior outfielder Zach Leach. Marist scored on an infield error in the third, but the Spartans took the lead for good with another run in their half of the third as Edwards clubbed a leadoff home run to left field to make the score 2-1.

The Blue and Gold broke the game open with six runs in the fourth. The big blows were a two-run triple by senior infielder T.J. Spina and Moye’s three-run shot to left field. All of the runs occurred with two outs as Marist starter Kevin McCarthy was chased from the contest.

Marist clawed back in the sixth on a two-run double by Mike Orefice, but UNCG added a run in the sixth on a RBI double by senior infielder Lloyd Enzor. The Red Foxes closed out the scoring in the eighth when Mark Swertfager drew a bases-loaded walk.

The teams will play the rubber match of the series Sunday at 1 p.m.