The Citadel 7, Akron 1

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel struck for three runs in each of the first two innings and coasted to a 7-1 victory over Akron in the opener of a two-game set Tuesday at Riley Park.

The Bulldogs have won six of their last seven to improve to 11-6 on the season, while the Zips fell to 1-12. The teams will wrap up the nonconference series Wednesday at 4 p.m.

Brett Tompkins went the first four innings and allowed five hits and the lone Akron run. He struck out one and did not walk a batter in picking up his first collegiate win in 20 appearances, including five starts.

Connor Walsh and Zach Sherrill combined for three shutout innings before Layton Meacham made his Citadel debut and worked the final two innings without allowing a run.

The Bulldogs quickly took control of the game with a three-run first that began with a Mason Davis single and two bunts on which the Zips failed to get a runner out. Drew DeKerlegand drove in the first two runs with a single, and Johnathan Stokes followed with an RBI base hit to give The Citadel a 3-0 lead after one.

Bret Hines, starting at third base for the second time this season, got his first collegiate hit to reload the bases before Akron starter Pat Dyer was able to limit the damage.

The Citadel got right back at it at the plate in the second when Davis doubled into the left-field corner. After Dyer retired the next two batters, Tyler Griffin was hit by a pitch and DeKerlegand followed with a run-scoring double to make it 4-0.

Stokes singled to left to score Griffin, and DeKerlegand also came across when the ball was misplayed by Daulton Mosbarger to increase The Citadel lead to 6-0 after two.

Davis, Stokes and Hughston Armstrong each had three hits to lead a 14-hit Bulldog attack, with Stokes establishing a new career high in that department. The red-hot Armstrong extended his hitting streak to a career-long six games and is batting .667 (14-for-21) over that stretch.

Davis was thrown out trying to steal in the seventh, the first time he has been caught in 12 attempts this season.

 

Furman 7, Eastern Kentucky 3

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Will Muzika went 3-for-5 and belted his first home run of the year to lead Furman past Eastern Kentucky, 7-3, in baseball action Tuesday afternoon at Latham Stadium.

Muzika, a senior outfielder from Spartanburg, S.C., singled and scored in both the first and fourth innings and cracked his 23rd career home run – a solo shot to left field in the sixth – to help Furman (13-4) win for the sixth time in its last seven games.  The Dorman High School product also drove in pair of runs, scored three times and tallied his 10th stolen base of the season.

Furman senior catcher/first baseman Paul Nitto extended the longest active hitting streak in NCAA Division I to 25 games with an RBI single in the fourth.  He also singled in the sixth in a 2-for-4 performance, and Chris Ohmstede had two hits in four at-bats.

Tyler Wood (2-0) earned the victory after working five innings before departing with a 5-2 lead.  He surrendered two runs on five hits and walked a pair while striking out four.

The Paladins banged out 11 hits against Eastern Kentucky (4-8) and made a loser of Colonel starting pitcher Cameron Langfels (0-1), who was touched for six of Furman’s seven runs, yielding eight hits and three walks.  He struck out two.

Furman grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first after Muzika singled, moved to second on a wild pitch and stole third before coming home on a second wild pitch by Langfels.

The Paladins broke the game open with a five-run fifth, combining five hits with an Eastern Kentucky error.  Alex Abrams led off with a solo home run to right field.  Three batters  later, Andrew MacLatchie’s single to center field scored Griffin Davis, and Muzika followed with an RBI single to drive in Chris Ohmeste.  A Taylor Johnson sacrifice fly plated Jordan Simpson for the inning’s fourth run, and Nitto capped the outburst with a base hit to left field to drive in Muzika for a 6-0 Furman lead.

Eastern Kentucky got on the board in the fifth with a two-run home run by Matt Phipps off of Wood.

The Paladins went to their bullpen in the sixth and Ryan Dittmar, Abrams and Matt Solter combined to work the final four innings, allowing a run on one hit.

The Colonels were led at the plate by Austin Grisham, who went 2-for-4 with a run.

Furman opens a Southern Conference series on Friday with a 6 p.m. game at Davidson.  Saturday’s contest at Davidson is a 2 p.m. start, and Sunday’s finale will be played at Greenville’s Fluor Field, with first pitch set for 2 p.m.  The Wildcats will be the home team in all three games.

 

Georgia Southern 10, Mercer 8

STATESBORO, Ga. – T.D. Davis broke open a 7-7 tie with a RBI double and Georgia Southern scored three runs in the top of ninth inning as the Eagles snapped a 14-game home winning streak for the Mercer Bears with a 10-8 win.

Georgia Southern (10-6) sent eight batters to the plate in the final inning to score three runs. Chase Griffin led off the inning with a single and scored the first run on the double by Davis. Robbie Dodds kept the rally going with a base hit before Arthur Owens drove in Davis with a single. After Zac Lenns drew a walk to load the bases, Tyler Avera drove in the final run of the inning with a sacrifice fly.

Matt McCall (1-0) picked up his first career win as an Eagle after coming on in relief to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning. McCall allowed one run in the ninth inning but retired the side with the bases loaded. McCall gave up three hits over 2 1/3 innings and struck out two batters.

Ben Lumsden (2-1) suffered the loss for Mercer (14-4) after giving up the final three runs on six hits. Lumsden tossed 1 1/3 innings and struck out two batters on 40 pitches.

Georgia Southern finished with 13 hits and had six different hitters record two hits. Griffin, Davis and Dodds each recorded two hits and drove in two runs, while Scooter Williams, Griffin and Brent Pugh all scored two runs each. Mercer recorded 13 hits and was led by Chesny Young's three singles.

The Eagles took a 3-2 lead after three innings of play. Pugh doubled with one out in the third inning. Morgan followed with a two-out walk and both runners scored on a single by Griffin.

Mercer rallied to take a 5-3 lead with three runs in the sixth inning.

Logan Gaines drove in Austin Barrett, who doubled two batters earlier, for the first run of the inning. Sasha Lagarde followed with a two-out home run to plate Gaines.

Georgia Southern retook the lead with a four-run seventh inning. The Eagles sent nine batters to the plate and tallied four hits. Williams drove in a leadoff double from Stryker Brown to start the scoring. Davis followed with a RBI single and Dodds plated two more runs with a base hit.

Georgia Southern continues a five-game road swing at Samford on Friday. The Eagles will open a three-game weekend series against the Bulldogs at 7 p.m.

 

Samford 12, Jacksonville State 2

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford designated hitter C.K. Irby went 3-for-3 with a home run, a triple, a double and three RBI to lead the Bulldog baseball team to a 12-2 win over in-state rival Jacksonville State on Tuesday evening at Joe Lee Griffin Field.

Behind Irby for Samford, Phillip Ervin went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Richard Greene went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI, while Patrick McGavin went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI, and Zeth Stone went 2-for-4.

Cole Limbaugh (1-0) earned the win on the mound for Samford. He pitched three innings, allowing one run on three hits. Limbaugh was one of seven pitchers to see action in the game. Patrick Maronde, Andres Gracia, Luke Leeth, Ervin, McGavin and Arthur Strauss all pitched for the Bulldogs. The seven pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts and no walks.

For Jacksonville State, Coty Blanchard went 2-for-4 with two RBI to lead the Gamecocks at the plate. Griff Gordon and Stephen Bartlett had two hits each for JSU. Kurt Lipscomb (0-4) pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on five hits to take the loss. The Gamecocks also used seven pitchers in the contest.

After Jacksonville State got on the scoreboard first with a run in the top of the first inning, Samford took control of the game with two runs in the first inning and four runs in the second. In the first inning, Ervin and Caleb Bryson drove in a run each. In the second inning, Greene doubled to drive in the first run, and Irby later tripled to drive in two more runs. The final run of the second inning was driven in by McGavin, who doubled to drive in Irby for a 6-1 Samford lead.

The Bulldogs added a run in the third inning and another in the fourth to make the score 8-1. Greene singled to drive in Brandon Haarer for the run in the third inning. In the fourth inning, Irby homered with one out for a seven-run Samford lead.

Jacksonville State cut the Samford lead to 8-2 with a run in the top of the sixth inning. Blanchard singled to drive in Gordon to bring JSU to within six runs.

Samford plated a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to push its lead to 9-2. With one out in the inning, Austin Allison was hit by a pitch. Allison later scored on a wild pitch for Samford’s ninth run of the contest.

The Bulldogs added three final runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to make the final score 12-2. McGavin, Brandon Powell and Greene drove in a run each in the eighth inning for Samford.

With the win, Samford improved to 11-7 on the season. Jacksonville State dropped to 8-10 with the loss. The win was Samford’s fourth straight in the series with the Gamecocks.

Samford will return to action on Friday, when the Bulldogs open a three-game Southern Conference series with Georgia Southern at Joe Lee Griffin Field. The teams will play Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. All times are Central.

 

UNCW 7, Elon 3

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Elon loaded the bases in the top of the ninth inning, bringing the tying run to the plate, but was unable to overcome UNCW as the Phoenix fell 7-3 in non-league baseball action on Tuesday.

Trailing 7-3 entering the ninth, the Phoenix (7-8) loaded the bases thanks to two walks and a hit batter.  UNCW's William Shepley then came on and got a ground ball to end the game and pick up his first save of the season.

The Seahawks (10-6) jumped on top in the last of the third with one unearned run.  Terence Connelly led off with an infield single and was able to take second on a throwing error.  After a groundout advanced the runner to third, Luis Renvill lined a single to center to drive in the game's first run.

UNCW added to its lead in the fourth, scoring one on a Drew Farber sacrifice fly to grab a 2-0 lead.

The Elon fifth began with Casey Jones drawing a walk.  He was able to reach second safely on a fielding error by the UNCW shortstop on a grounder by Wil Leathers.  Danny Lynch got the Phoenix on the board by ripping a double to left-center, plating Jones.  With two outs, Lynch on third and Quinn Bower on second after reaching on a fielder's choice and stolen base, Alex Swim found the hole between first and second to score both runners and give Elon a 3-2 edge.

Elon's lead was short-lived, though, as the Seahawks began the fifth with a Renvill double and back-to-back singles from Hunter Ridge and Luke Dunlap to tie the game at 3.  With runners on second and third with one away, Ryan LaGrange put UNCW on top 5-3 with a two-RBI single down the left-field line.

UNCW added a solo run in the sixth before Farber led off the last of the eighth with a solo homer to left that made it 7-3.

Ryan Pennell (0-1) took the loss after surrendering two runs on two hits in two-thirds of an inning.  Freshman Tyler Manez made the first start of his career and went 3 1/3 innings, allowing two unearned runs on five hits.  He struck out two.

Blaze Tart (1-1) was the winning pitcher as UNCW head coach Mark Scalf picked up career win No. 700.  Tart gave up three unearned runs on four hits over seven innings.  He struck out six.

Elon will return home to Latham Park on Wednesday to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies in a 4 p.m. contest.

 

Lehigh 9, UNCG 8

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG baseball team carried a one-run lead over Lehigh into the ninth inning Tuesday, but the visitors scored twice in the top of the ninth to record a 9-8 nonconference victory at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.

The Spartans dropped to 8-6 while the Mountain Hawks improved their record to 9-4.

Senior outfielder Christian Wolfe posted a pair of extra-base hits in the contest with a double and a three-run home run to end the day with two runs scored and three RBI in five at-bats. Also tallying multiple hits was senior infielder Trevor Edwards, as he clubbed his 30th career home run to lead off the bottom of the third. Edwards is the Southern Conference active career leader in round-trippers.

Suffering his second loss of the season was sophomore right-hander Tyler Frazier, as he allowed two runs on two hits while walking a pair of batters in the top of the ninth. The Blue and Gold used seven pitchers in the game, receiving an effective performance by junior Dylan Thompson. He threw two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three. He was in line for the win before Lehigh’s late rally.

The Mountain Hawks began the scoring with two runs in the first inning. Justin Pacchioli led off with a single and would later score when Tyler Brong reached on an error. Joe Ablen followed with a RBI single, which plated Casey Turner. UNCG responded in the bottom of the frame when senior infielder Lloyd Enzor roped a RBI double to right-center, which scored Wolfe. Wolfe had led off the inning with a double of his own.

A three-run bomb to right center with two outs by Wolfe in the bottom of the second gave the Spartans a 4-2 lead, but Lehigh exploded for five runs in the top of the third on five hits to move in front 7-4. The Blue and Gold did not back down, however, as Edwards smashed a leadoff home run and redshirt freshman infielder Nin Marrero recorded a sacrifice fly with two outs to pull the Spartans within a run.

Things quieted down a bit in the fourth before UNCG tallied two runs in the fifth to go ahead 8-7. Senior outfielder Zach Leach walked to lead off the inning and sophomore outfielder Eric Kalbfleisch singled to put runners on the corners. Marrero then laid down a textbook bunt down the first-base line that was able to score Leach from third. A big moment for freshman catcher Jake Hall happened next as the rookie laced a single to left center for his first career RBI.

Neither squad scored in the sixth, seventh or eighth frames. A sacrifice fly with one out in the ninth scored the Mountain Hawks’ first run of the inning before Lance Kirschenbaum came through for his team with a two-out, pinch-hit single to plate Brong for the winning run.

UNCG will host Atlantic 10 member Rhode Island on Wednesday with a scheduled 4 p.m. first pitch.

 

UNC Asheville 7, Wofford 5

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford baseball team was defeated by UNC Asheville 7-5 Tuesday night at Russell C. King Field. Wofford scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth and had the tying run at the plate but the game ended on a groundout.

The Terriers fell to 7-10 on the season, while the Bulldogs improved to 7-10.  Wofford was led by Eric Brenk, who drove in two runs.  Hunter Bryant and Sam Turner each had two RBI for UNC Asheville.

Wofford took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first after Matthew Kaskow scored on a sacrifice fly by Seth Neely to center.  Kaskow reached on a walk and advanced to third after a sacrifice bunt by Alec Paradowski and single by Josh Hyman.

UNC Asheville responded to tie the game at 1 in the top of fourth with a sacrifice fly of its own.  Eli Miller singled and advanced to second on Kyle Towles’ sacrifice bunt.  After two walks, Miller scored on Todd Joyner’s sacrifice fly to right field.

Both teams were held scoreless in the fifth inning, but the Bulldogs would take a 6-1 lead after a five-run sixth inning.  An RBI double by Bryant gave UNC Asheville the lead.  Then, Justin Woods singled to score Bryant.  Another RBI double by Phillip Treadway pushed the Bulldog advantage to 4-1.  Turner then hit a two-run single to right to give Asheville a 6-1 lead.

In the Wofford half of the seventh, Brenk drove in Hyman with a groundout to second to cut the lead to 6-2, but the Terriers would strand a runner at third.  The Bulldogs added another run in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Bryant to center.

After two walks in the bottom of the ninth, Brenk singled to score Neely.  Then, Clark Wise drove in Matthew Ramsay with a pinch-hit single up the middle.  Brenk scored on a wild pitch, but with the tying run at the plate, a groundout ended the game.

Wofford starter Tanner Hawley went five innings and gave up one run on two hits.  Connell Anderson got the loss and fell to 0-2 this season.  Brandon Yarusi pitched one inning and didn’t allowe a run on two hits.

UNC Asheville starter Corey Randall (1-1) went six innings to get the win.  He gave up two runs on six hits.

Wofford returns to the field on Wednesday when it hosts the Blue Hose of Presbyterian College. The game is set to begin at 6 p.m. at Russell C. King Field.

 

Georgia 9, Appalachian State 4

ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia erased Appalachian State’s 3-2 lead by scoring five runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning and the Bulldogs went on to defeat the Mountaineers, 9-4, on Tuesday evening at Foley Field.

Preston Troutman hit a leadoff home run in the top of the fifth inning that snapped a 2-2 deadlock and gave Appalachian State (8-5) the one-run advantage that it would maintain until the bottom of the seventh.

However, with Appalachian State just one out away from taking the 3-2 lead into the eighth, Georgia got back-to-back RBI singles from Daniel Nichols and Brett DeLoach to take its first lead of the game at 4-3.

Following DeLoach’s go-ahead base hit, things got worse for the Mountaineers, as they walked a batter, hit another, surrendered two more run-scoring singles, including a two-RBI shot up the middle by D.J. Smith. By the time Appalachian State finally recorded the third out of the inning, UGA had turned the 3-2 Mountaineer lead into a demoralizing 7-3 deficit.

Georgia (8-8) stretched the advantage to 9-3 in the eighth on a towering two-run homer by DeLoach. Hector Crespo drove in the final run of the game with an RBI single through the left side in the top of the ninth, but it would not be nearly enough to keep Appalachian State from falling for the third time in four games.

Crespo, Troutman and true freshman Preston Tiller had two hits apiece to pace Appalachian State’s 10-hit effort. Curt Powell (3-for-4, two runs) and DeLoach (three RBI) led Georgia to its sixth win in eight games.

Appalachian State looks to salvage a split of the two-game midweek series when it squares off with Georgia again on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. at Foley Field.