Davidson 4, Appalachian State 3

DAVIDSON, N.C. – A single to center field by freshman Sam Foy and a fielding error by the center fielder gave Davidson a walk-off victory over Appalachian State, 4-3, in Southern Conference baseball action Saturday evening at Wilson Field.

Davidson (5-3, 1-1 SoCon) trailed 3-1 entering the bottom of the ninth inning, but the bottom of the order keyed the Wildcat comeback. The seventh and eighth hitters in the lineup, Ryan Lowe (1-for-4) and Nathan Becker (2-for-4), both singled, and nine-hole hitter Chris Dyer (1-for-2, 2 BB) walked to load the bases with no outs.

Taylor Thurber took the mound for Appalachian State (6-2, 1-1 SoCon) in relief of Josh Wilson (0-1) but leadoff batter Jack McLindon was able to drive in Lowe for the first run of the inning by grounding out to second base.

With runners on second and third and one out, Foy (2-for-5) singled to shallow center to drive in Becker for the tying run, but the ball slipped past center fielder Jaylin Davis, allowing freshman pinch-runner Aaron Ruzinsky to score the winning run from second base.

Dating back to 2009, Davidson had lost the last 11 games against Appalachian State.

Davidson starting pitcher Danny Mooney struck out a career-high nine batters, pitching seven innings and then facing the first two batters in the eighth inning. He allowed just six hits and one walk and was charged with all three Appalachian State runs. Matt Saeta (1-0) was perfect in two innings, aside from allowing an inherited runner to score in the eighth, and struck out one batter.

The Wildcats scored the first run of the game in the third inning when center fielder Forrest Brandt (2-for-4) drove in Becker on a bloop single to shallow right field with the bases loaded, but Jeffrey Springs escaped further trouble by inducing a foul pop-out and then rallying for a strikeout after falling behind in the count, 3-0.

The Davidson lead was short-lived as Mountaineer designated hitter Dylan Dobson hit a sacrifice fly in fourth inning to tie the game. Catcher Josh Zumbrook hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning and shortstop Will Callaway (1-for-3, 2B) hit a sac fly in the eighth for the 3-1 Appalachian State advantage.

Springs scattered nine hits and a walk over six innings and then faced the first batter of the seventh, only allowing the one run, before he was relieved by Wilson. Wilson was perfect through two innings until the ‘Cats pounced in the ninth.

Joining Foy, Brandt and Becker with a two-hit game was first baseman Andrew Barna, who is leading the Wildcats with a .441 batting average through the first eight games.

The two teams will decide the three-game series Sunday at Wilson Field with first pitch at 2 p.m.

 

Elon 5, Furman 4 (12 inn.)

ELON, N.C. – Ryan Kinsella's two-out single through the right side of the infield scored Antonio Alvarez to lead the Elon Phoenix to a 5-4 walk-off, 12-inning victory over the Furman Paladins in Southern Conference baseball action from Latham Park on Saturday.

With the score even at 4 entering the last of the 12th, Alvarez drew a two-out walk and stole second. After Furman (7-3, 1-1 SoCon) intentionally walked Alex Swim, Kinsella grounded the first pitch he saw from Ryan Dittmar through the right side and Alvarez slid home just in time for Elon (5-4, 1-1) to even the series with the Paladins at a game apiece.

Furman took a 1-0 lead in the third as a Paul Nitto double down the left-field line drove home Hunter Burton. Elon evened the score in the bottom of the fourth on a Chris King groundout that allowed Casey Jones to score.

The Paladins grabbed a 3-1 edge in the top of the sixth thanks to Jordan Simpson's two-out line drive that just went off the glove of a leaping Sebastian Gomez at second and into right-center.

Elon answered right back in the last of the sixth and took a 4-3 lead. Swim led off with a double to right-center and trotted home on Kinsella bomb over the batter's eye in center field to tie it. It was the fourth homer of the season for Kinsella. Danny Lynch singled with one away and headed to third on a King single. Chris Bresnahan followed with a sacrifice fly to center as the Maroon and Gold moved in front.

Furman loaded the bases in the eighth with two down before tying the game on a passed ball as Chris Ohmstede raced home to make it a 4-4 contest.

The score remained deadlocked into the 12th for the second consecutive game before Elon came away victorious.

Andrew MacDonald (2-0) allowed just one hit over three innings out of the bullpen to earn the win. He struck out three. MacDonald also singled in his first-ever plate appearance for the Maroon and Gold. Starter Kyle Webb allowed three runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. He matched his career high with eight strikeouts.

Dittmar (2-1) took the loss as he surrendered one run on one hit in two-thirds of an inning.

Offensively, Elon saw Kinsella drive in three with his 2-for-6 performance. Alvarez also had two hits for the Phoenix.

For Furman, Ohmstede went 3-for-5, while Nitto, Simpson and Burton had two-hit games.

The rubber match in this series is set for 1:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon at Latham Park.

 

UNCG 9, Albany 0

GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG sophomore right-hander Lee Gilliam tossed a career-high seven scoreless innings, leading the Spartans to a 9-0 shutout over Albany on Saturday afternoon at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.

The shutout was the first of the season for the Spartans and their first since blanking Penn State on March 26, 2012.

Gilliam (1-0) turned in his career-best pitching effort to picking up his first win of the season, surpassing his previous high of six innings set last weekend against Dayton. He only allowed three base-runners on the afternoon as he limited the Great Danes to three hits while striking out two batters.

The Spartans’ offense pounded out 14 hits as five different starters recorded two hits apiece. Shortstop TJ Spina drove in a pair of runs on the afternoon as six different players posted run-scoring hits in the victory.

The Spartans (5-3) opened the scoring in the bottom of the third inning against Albany right-hander Derek Zielinski. After two quick outs, Zach Leach drew a walk before Trevor Edwards dropped down a bunt single to put two aboard. Lloyd Enzor drove in the game’s first run as he lined a single into centerfield, plating Leach. Edwards came all the way home to score as Albany over-threw third base, giving UNCG a 2-0 lead.

UNCG tacked on another two-out run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Benigno Marrero and Christian Wolfe laced back-to-back singles with two outs. Leach followed with the Spartans’ third straight single, bringing home Marrero for the 3-0 lead.

The Spartans kept the attack going in the bottom of the fifth inning, chasing Zielinksi from the game. Cambric Moye and Shawn Hendon led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Spina ended the afternoon for Zielinski as he tripled over the center fielder’s head to make it a 5-0 game. Spina came home to score when the first pitch by reliever Brendan Ryan went to the backstop on a passed ball.

UNCG padded its lead in the bottom of the eighth inning as it plated three more runs against the Albany bullpen. Cole Harrison notched an RBI double and Edwards drove in a run with a sacrifice fly before the Spartans took a 9-0 lead on a wild pitch.

Zielinski (0-3) picked up the loss as he allowed six runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings, walking two batters while striking out three.

The Spartans and Great Danes conclude their three-game series Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.

 

Samford 4, Purdue 1

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford junior pitcher Eric Wright pitched 8 1/3 strong innings to lead the Bulldog baseball team to a 4-1 win over Purdue on Saturday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field.

Wright allowed just four hits and one unearned run in earning the win and improving his season record to 2-0. He allowed just one walk on the day, while striking out two batters. Arthur Strauss came in to record the final two outs of the game to earn his third save of the season.

For Samford at the plate, Caleb Bryson went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. The homer was the first of his Samford career. Tommy Corbin also drove in a run in a 1-for-3 performance.

For Purdue, Jordan Minch pitched six innings, allowing four runs on seven hits to take the loss and drop his record to 0-2. Mike Lutz threw the final two innings for the Boilermakers, allowing just one hit. Purdue was led at the plate by Josh Estill, who went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Purdue jumped on top first with a run in the top of the first inning. Brandon Krieg led the inning off by reaching base on a Samford error. Jake Hansen then reached base on a bunt single, moving Krieg to second base. Krieg later scored on a sacrifice fly by Estill for a 1-0 Purdue lead.

Samford tied the score with a run in the bottom of the third inning. Frankie Navarrete doubled to lead off the inning. With one out in the inning, Navarrete stole third base. Corbin then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring in Navarrete to make the score 1-1.

The Bulldogs took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Phillip Ervin singled to lead off the inning. Christiaan Durdaller then walked, moving Ervin to second base. Ervin and Durdaller then moved up a base each on a sacrifice bunt by Drew McWhorter. Bryson then homered to left-center field to give Samford a 4-1 lead.

Purdue threatened in the top of the ninth inning. The Boilermakers loaded the bases with one out, but Strauss struck out Conner Hudnall and got Stephen Talbott to pop out to end the game.

With the win, Samford improved to 7-5 on the season. Purdue dropped to 3-7 with the loss.

Samford and Purdue will conclude their three-game series with a game Sunday at 1 p.m. Central time at Joe Lee Griffin Field.

 

Georgia Southern 7, Xavier 5

STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern scored four in the fifth inning, and Matt McCall allowed one run over the final four innings as the Eagles evened the Xavier series with a 7-5 win on Saturday afternoon at J.I. Clements Stadium.

Georgia Southern starter Jason Richman (2-1) worked around eight hits and three walks but kept his team in the game. The freshman left-hander picked up his second win of the season after allowing four runs over five innings.

Richman stranded two runners in the first inning after giving up back-to-back hits to lead off the frame. He would again strand the leadoff batter in the fourth inning and the fifth before walking the bases loaded and allowing a run on a sacrifice fly by Joe Forney.

McCall tossed the final four innings for his first career save. The junior transfer from Mercer held the Musketeers hitless over the final three innings and retired the side in order in the ninth inning.

McCall allowed one run on two hits in the sixth inning.

Alex Westrick (1-1) was tagged with the loss for Xavier (3-5) after surrendering four runs over the final three innings. Westrick inherited a bases-loaded jam from starter Vinny Nittoli in the fourth inning but was able to escape unscathed after recording a pair of strikeouts and a fly out. The sophomore left-hander finished with six strikeouts.

Georgia Southern (5-5) finished with eight hits and drew eight walks to win its fifth game of the season. T.D. Davis and Scooter Williams recorded two hits each, and Davis tallied a pair of RBI on a fifth-inning single.

The Eagles opened the game by scoring a first-inning run for the ninth time in 10 games this season. Robbie Dodds drove in Ben Morgan, who doubled in the inning and later walked twice, for the game's first run with a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch; and Stryker Brown plated a second run with a sacrifice fly.

After Xavier took a 3-1 lead in the top of third inning, Georgia Southern tied the game in the bottom half of the frame on a sacrifice fly from Brent Pugh. Chase Griffin, who walked twice and was hit by a pitch, led off the inning with a walk and scored the tying run.

The Eagles added four runs in the fifth inning to take the final lead of the ballgame. Kyle Streicher started the two-out rally with a base hit, and Cole Watson followed with a walk. After Williams was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Morgan drew a walk to score the first run of the inning. Griffin plated a second run after he was hit by a pitch, and Davis drove in the final two runs with a base hit to left field.

Georgia Southern concludes a three-game weekend series against Xavier on Sunday. First pitch at J.I. Clements Stadium is set for 1:30 p.m.

 

No. 30 South Alabama 3, College of Charleston 0

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – No. 30 South Alabama came out on top in a pitcher’s duel at Patriots Point, scoring three runs in the final two innings to win, 3-0, over College of Charleston.

College of Charleston (5-5) managed just three hits in the game, while South Alabama (10-1) had nine hits but did not score until the eighth inning.

Jaguars ace Jacob Noble (3-0) pitched 7 1/3 innings and allowed just three hits while striking out eight and allowing just one walk. Cougars starter Jake Zokan was just as impressive, working out of several jams and striking out a career-high nine batters and walking just one.

Reliever Drew Freie (2-1) gave up the game-winning run in the eighth inning as South Alabama tallied three hits with two outs. Ryan West allowed two runs in the ninth on two walks and a double from Bud Collura and sacrifice fly to Jeff DeBlieux.

Collura finished with three hits and an RBI and Graham Oden had two hits and a run scored for South Alabama.

Gunnar Heidt had two hits for the Cougars, and Alex Pastorius had one base knock.

The Jaguars posed threats in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings with runners in scoring position but Zokan was able to work out of each one. His nine strikeouts were a career high and three of them ended innings with runners on.

Freie had two quick outs in the eighth inning with none on, but Jordan Patterson and Nolan Earley each hit seeing-eye singles through the right side to put runners on first and third. Cofield lined the game-winning hit over the outstretched glove of Bradley Goodson, and Patterson came home to score and give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

South Alabama led off the ninth with two walks and a double from Collura and sacrifice fly from DeBlieux put the Jaguars up 3-0.

USA closer Kyle Bartsch struck out the CofC side in the ninth inning for his second save of the season.

The rubber game of the series will be on Sunday at Patriots Point. First pitch will be at 1 p.m.

 

Hofstra 5, Western Carolina 2

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Runs in consecutive innings with two more tacked on in the seventh erased a 2-1 Western Carolina lead to give the Hofstra Pride a 5-2 victory over the Catamounts in a snowy game one of a three-game series at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Left fielder Kenny Jackson and shortstop Robbie Cafiero each tallied two hits and two RBI to pick up Hofstra’s third win (3-6) of the season, while dropping the Catamounts to 4-6.

Jordan Smith started the game off with three straight strikeouts in the first inning. The Catamounts responded to their pitcher’s effort by picking up the first run of the game as Bradley Strong scored from second on a throwing error by the Hofstra shortstop on a routine ground ball hit by Tyler White.

The Pride came back with a run of its own in the top of the second as Jared Hammer scored from second as shortstop Robbie Cafiero redeemed himself of his first-inning error with a single to center field to knot the game at 1.

In the bottom of the second, WCU scored again as J.D. Long tallied his first career hit, a long double that rolled to the right-center wall to score Cody Jones from first to give the Catamounts a 2-1 lead and what would be their final run of the ballgame.

Hofstra’s catcher Matt Reistetter hit a bloop single to right field to score Cafiero, who reached on a walk, to again even the score in the top of the fourth at two runs apiece before left fielder Kenny Jackson hit a line-drive home run over the right-field fence to give Hofstra its first lead of the game in the top of the fifth.

With Hofstra’s Kenny Jackson on second with one out, Western Carolina head coach Bobby Moranda went to his bullpen to put in Bryce Danielson. Hofstra tacked on another run off a single by Kenny Jackson, scoring Taylor Stuart from second. Third baseman Joe Perez then hit a double to left field to end the day for Danielson and bring in Jonathan Waszak with two runners in scoring position and one out.

Waszak struck out the first batter he faced before Cafiero picked up his second RBI of the game on a single to left. Perez tried to score from second, but Catamount left fielder Austin Neary gunned him out at the plate with catcher Danny Bermudez putting down the tag. Hofstra took a 5-2 lead entering the bottom half of the seventh.

After a leadoff single by Cody Jones in the ninth, the Pride went to Bryan Verbitsky, who struck out Bermudez before Luke Gragg put runners on the corners as he reached first on a ground ball that went right between the shortstop’s legs with one out. Austin Neary popped up to left field, bringing the Catamounts to their final out. Gragg advanced to second on a wild pitch before Bradley Strong struck out, giving the Pride the 5-2 win and the 1-0 advantage in the series.

Cody Jones led Western Carolina offensively as the only Catamount recording more than one hit, going 3-for-4 with a double and a pair of singles. Freshman J.D. Long picked up WCU’s lone RBI – also his first RBI – in the bottom of the second.

Catamount starting pitcher Jordan Smith went 6 1/3 innings giving up seven hits, four runs and five strikeouts to three walks on the day. Waszak gave WCU 2 2/3 innings of excellent relief, giving up just one hit and no runs. Pride starter Joe Burg pitched six and gave up two runs, just one of them earned. Verbitsky picked up his third save of the season.

The second game of Saturday’s scheduled doubleheader was pushed to Sunday. Sunday’s first game will begin at 11 a.m. The second game will start approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first.

 

VCU 11, The Citadel 6

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Vimael Machin hit a grand slam in the sixth inning to stake VCU to an 8-2 lead, and the Rams remained undefeated with an 11-6 victory over The Citadel in day two of the Charleston Crab House Shootout presented by Homewood Suites.

VCU is 7-0 and has scored 23 runs in its first two games of the tournament. The Bulldogs are 5-5 and play UNC Asheville in a doubleheader on Sunday beginning approximately 2:30.

UNC Asheville (4-5) has split its first two tournament games after downing Pittsburgh 5-4 in 10 innings in Saturday's first game. The Panthers (5-3) will play VCU on Sunday at 11 a.m.

The game was not one for the highlight video as The Citadel committed seven errors, leading to five unearned runs for the Rams, walked seven batters, hit three others and left 14 runners on base. The contest lasted 3 hours, 37 minutes, just 15 minutes shy of the school record for longest nine-inning game.

Bill Cullen began the game with a home run against Bulldog starter James Reeves, his second leadoff round tripper in as many days, to help VCU jump out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the fourth.

Mason Davis scored on a balk in the third and Joe Jackson was hit by a pitch with the bases full an inning later to cut the Rams' lead in half. But VCU loaded the bases against Kevin Connell and Zach Sherrill in the fifth, and Machin cleared them with a shot over the scoreboard in left-center to make it 8-2.

Tyler Buckley went the first five innings on the mound for the Rams, and The Citadel took advantage of reliever Logan Kanuik to climb back in the game in its half of the sixth.

Singles by Hughston Armstrong and Drew DeKerlegand and a walk to Davis loaded the bases with nobody out. Kanuik got the next two batters out unscathed before hitting Tyler Griffin to force in a run.

Johnathan Stokes reached on an infield single to drive in another run, and freshman Jason Smith got his first two collegiate RBI on a line-drive single to center to match the VCU four-run sixth and pull the Bulldogs within two at 8-6.

That would be the closest The Citadel would get as Matt Lees shut the door over the next 3 1/3 innings, allowing only two hits and striking out five to earn his fourth save of the season. Buckley surrendered three hits, walked five and struck out four to earn his first win as a Ram.

Reeves was lifted with two outs in the third after giving up four hits and four runs (two earned).

Davis and Smith both stole bases for the Bulldogs, keeping the team perfect in 14 attempts this season. Davis entered the game leading the Southern Conference in that category and is now 8-for-8 on the year.

 

Wofford 6, Marshall 0 (7 inn., game one)
Wofford 9, Marshall 8 (game two)

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On a cold and cloudy Saturday afternoon, the Wofford baseball team took both games of a doubleheader over Marshall at Russell C. King Field. In the first game, Jesse Morris struck out a career-high 10 batters in a 6-0 victory. The Terriers won the second game 9-8 on a bunt single in the bottom of the ninth by Matt Ramsay.

Wofford is now 6-5 on the season, while Marshall is 3-6. The Terriers were led by Seth Neely with four hits on the day, while the Thundering Herd had three RBI from Matt Kirkwood.

In game one, the Terriers loaded the bases in the bottom of the first on singles by Ramsay and Neely along with a walk to Eric Brenk. A single by Alec Paradowski scored two runs, but Wofford left two on base at the end of the first.

In the top of the third, Marshall had Mardu Smith hit by a pitch and Sergi Leon reached on an error but both were left on base. Marshall added a single to lead off the fourth but did not score.

In the bottom of the fourth, Paradowski doubled and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. A double by Matthew Pelt down the left-field line gave Wofford a 3-0 lead. Demetrius Jennings walked and a single by Matthew Kaskow drove in two runs for a 5-0 advantage.

Marshall left one on base in the sixth inning and Wofford had two stranded in the bottom of the sixth. Marshall was retired in order in the top of the seventh to give the Terriers the 5-0 victory.

Wofford starter Morris (3-0) went the complete seven innings and allowed only two hits. His 10 strikeouts set a new career high and are tied for fifth-most in school history.

Marshall starter Wayland Moore (1-1) went 3 1/3 innings and gave up four runs on five hits with one strikeout. Kolin Stanley threw two-thirds of an inning and allowed one run on one hit. Brandyn Sittinger went the final two innings and gave up one run on one hit with one strikeout.

In game two, Marshall and Wofford both stranded two runners in the first inning. The Thundering Herd opened the scoring in the top of the second with a two-run homer over the left fence by Matt Kirkwood for a 2-0 score. In the bottom of the second, the Terriers took advantage of two Marshall errors and plated two runs with a sacrifice bunt by Jennings and a double by Kaskow.

Wofford used three straight singles by Josh Hyman, Neely and Brenk, with Brenk driving in a run for a 3-2 advantage after three innings. Marshall left one on base in the fourth. The Terriers had an RBI double by Hyman in the bottom of the fourth to push the lead to 4-2. Hyman stole third and scored on an infield single by Neely for a 5-2 score.

Marshall loaded the bases in the top of the fifth when a single by Gray Stafford drove in two runs. A single by Kirkwood added a run and an RBI double from Chase Vogelbach gave the Thundering Herd a 6-5 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, Taylor Rozier led off with a single. A walk to Clark Wise and a wild pitch moved the runners and a sacrifice fly by Jennings tied the game at 6. Wofford took a 7-6 lead when Clark Wise scored on a wild pitch.

In the top of the sixth, Marshall had a sacrifice fly by Nathan Gomez to tie the game at 7. After Wofford left two runners on base in the bottom of the seventh, Marshall took an 8-7 lead in the top of the eighth inning on an RBI single up the middle by Eric Escobedo. In the bottom of the eighth, Neely singled and stole second. A single by Paradowski, along with a throwing error by the Thundering Herd, allowed Neely to score and tie the game at 8.

With two outs in the top of the ninth, Marshall had two singles before a fly ball ended the scoring chance. To open the Wofford half of the ninth, Wise hit a double to left field. He moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and Kaskow was intentionally walked. With runners at first and third and one out, Ramsey put a squeeze bunt down the first-base side that scored Wise for the 9-8 win.

Wofford starter Tanner Hawley went 4 1/3 innings and allowed five runs on seven hits with one strikeout. Connell Anderson threw two-thirds of an inning with one run allowed on three hits, while Josh Simpson gave up one run in a third of an inning. Matthew Milburn went 2 1/3 innings and gave up one run on one hit with four strikeouts. J.D. Osborne (1-0) threw the final 1 2/3 innings and did not allow a run on three hits.

Marshall starter Alex Thackston threw four innings and gave up five runs on six hits with one strikeout. Terrance Moore went two-thirds of an inning and gave up two runs on one hit. Ryan Hopkins threw 3 1/3 innings and allowed one run on three hits with three strikeouts. Matt Margaritonda (0-1) went a third of an inning and gave up one run on two hits.

The Terriers wrap up the weekend with a game against Dayton at 1 p.m. on Sunday. On Wednesday, Wofford will travel to Clemson for a 4 p.m. contest.