UNCG 5, No. 22 Georgia Southern 4
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The 13th and final hit for the UNCG baseball team Friday night proved lucky as junior catcher Cambric Moye roped a single to right field with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth to propel the Spartans to a 5-4 Southern Conference victory over No. 22 Georgia Southern at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
UNCG (13-13, 2-6) snapped the Eagles’ eight-game winning streak and dealt the nationally ranked GSU (18-8, 9-2) side just its second loss in league play. The Spartans also picked up their second victory over a ranked squad this season, having previously defeated then No. 16 NC State in Raleigh.
Moye ended the evening 3-for-5 at the dish with his lone RBI proving to be the game-winner. Leadoff batter and senior outfielder Christian Wolfe had a stellar outing as he was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
On the bump, senior LHP Corey Taylor was solid in his third start of the season as he hurled 6 1/3 innings, scattering five hits, giving up four runs and striking out a career-high 10 batters. Rookie RHP Ryan Clark improved to 2-0 on the season as he threw two perfect innings and fanned a pair of Eagles.
After Taylor struck out the first two batters in the top of the first, Georgia Southern produced back-to-back doubles by Chase Griffin and T.D. Davis to grab a 1-0 advantage.
Taylor settled down after the first frame and the Blue and Gold would tie the contest in the bottom of the third. With two outs, Wolfe singled to right field before redshirt sophomore infielder Ray Crawford came through with a double to right field, which plated Wolfe.
After Georgia Southern took the lead back with a RBI single by Tyler Avera in the top of the fifth inning, UNCG struck for three runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 4-2 advantage. TJ Spina poked an infield single to the pitcher to begin the inning before redshirt freshman infielder Nin Marrero doubled to right-center to score Spina. Wolfe then followed with a moon shot over the right-field fence – his third home run of the season.
Taylor ran into trouble in the seventh as Robbie Dodds doubled to lead off. He then walked Arthur Owens to put runners on first and second with no outs. Sophomore RHP Tyler Frazier came on to relieve Taylor and allowed a RBI single to Avera before unleashing a wild pitch, which plated Owens and knotted the score at 4. Frazier then issued a free pass to Ben Morgan with two outs but struck out Griffin to escape the inning and limit further damage.
The Spartans had a great chance to take the lead in the bottom of the eighth. Moye singled with one away before sophomore outfielder Eric Kalbfleisch looped a single to left field to put runners on first and second. After a strikeout by senior outfielder Zach Leach, Spina singled through the right side and Moye attempted to score from second. However, he was gunned down at the plate on a close play as Dodds’ throw was right on target.
Clark worked a quick top of the ninth, inducing two groundouts and striking out Kyle Streicher to send the game to the bottom of the stanza still tied.
Senior infielder Lloyd Enzor struck out to lead off the bottom of the ninth, but he was able to reach first safely as Eagle reliever Justin Hess uncorked a wild pitch that reached the backstop. Enzor was replaced by sophomore Nick Chapman on the bases and Chapman advanced to second on a textbook sacrifice bunt by Marrero. Wolfe was intentionally walked before Crawford struck out swinging. Edwards was also intentionally walked to load the bases for Moye. He would loop a 1-1 pitch to right field that landed a few feet inside the line, and Chapman scored to seal the walkoff win.
With the league series now even, UNCG and Georgia Southern will play the rubber game Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Wofford 9, Appalachian State 1
BOONE, N.C. – Brandon Yarusi threw a complete-game four-hitter to lead Wofford to a 9-1 win over Appalachian State in Friday’s Southern Conference series opener at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
The loss snapped Appalachian State’s 13-game winning streak versus the Terriers and marked the Mountaineers’ largest margin of defeat in the series since a 13-3 loss at Wofford in 2004.
Wofford (13-14, 4-6 SoCon) scored two runs in the first inning and exploded for five in the fifth to grab a 7-0 lead before Appalachian (12-9, 4-5 SoCon) managed its first hit off Yarusi.
With two outs in the top of the first, Wofford’s Josh Hyman was hit by a pitch and stole second. A single to left field by Seth Neely scored Hyman for a 1-0 lead. James Plaisted added a single, and with runners at second and third, an infield single by Clark Wise scored Neely to make it 2-0.
In the top of the fifth, Matt Moore led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Alec Paradowski walked and a single by Hyman scored Moore for a 3-0 advantage. A walk to Neely loaded the bases with one out, and a sacrifice fly by Plaisted made it 4-0. Wise added an infield single to push across another run before a double to left-center by Luke Feisal scored two runs for a 7-0 lead.
The Mountaineers finally broke through against Yarusi in the bottom of the fifth and scored their only run of the ballgame when Preston Tiller followed Dillon Dobson’s two-out triple with an RBI single that made it 7-1.
The Terriers tacked on single runs in the sixth and eighth innings to close out the scoring.
Yarusi struck out nine and walked just one in the third complete game of his career. He was buoyed by Wofford’s 15-hit outburst, which included 4-for-4 performances from Hyman and Neely.
For the first time this season, Appalachian State starter Jamie Nunn was not credited with a quality start (six or more innings pitched and three or fewer runs allowed). The right-handed sophomore surrendered a career-high nine runs in five innings of work, and, despite matching a career high with eight strikeouts, fell to 5-2 on the season.
Dobson was the lone bright spot in Appalachian’s lineup, finishing 2-for-3 with the triple and run scored. The first five hitters in the Mountaineers’ batting order combined to go 0-for-19.
The teams meet again Saturday at 3 p.m. at Smith Stadium.
Elon 6, Davidson 1
ELON, N.C. – Dylan Clark allowed one unearned run over eight innings and the Elon offense got off to a quick start as the Phoenix claimed a 6-1 Southern Conference baseball victory over the Davidson Wildcats at Latham Park on Friday night.
Clark (3-2) scattered seven hits and walked just one while striking out three Wildcat hitters as Elon improved to 15-11 overall and 8-5 in league play. Davidson (8-16, 4-9) did not score off of him until an eighth-inning error allowed a run to cross the plate.
Elon's offense got going right away on Friday, as the Maroon and Gold scored four first-inning runs. Blaine Bower got things started with a single through the right side of the infield before Alex Swim singled up the middle. After the Phoenix loaded the bases thanks to a walk to Antonio Alvarez, Ryan Kinsella cleared the bases with a shot off the top of the wall in center to put Elon on top 3-0. Kinsella would later score on a Wil Leathers single.
The Phoenix added a single run in the second when Casey Jones scored on Alvarez's infield single. Elon pushed its final marker across in the last of the seventh when Jones came in on a Swim single to right.
In the eighth, David Daniels led off the Wildcat half with a single up the middle and headed to second on a Forrest Brandt single. Andrew Barna followed with a foul out to right that allowed Daniels to tag and head to third, but the ball was dropped on the transfer and Daniels raced home to make it a 6-1 game.
Davidson starter Ryan Lowe (2-4) was charged with six runs on 12 hits in 6 2/3 innings to take the loss.
At the plate, Elon's Swim went 3-for-4 to climb past Chris Price and into fourth place on the school's all-time hits chart. His total now stands at 251 and is just one behind Gary Morris' 252 and third place.
Both Bower (2-for-3) and Jones (2-for-4) had two-hit outings for the Phoenix.
For Davidson, Brandt recorded two of the team's seven hits.
Elon and Davidson will conclude the three-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. During the first game, children will be able to hunt for Easter eggs hidden around Latham Park.
Western Carolina 7, The Citadel 6
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Citadel battled back from a late four-run deficit to pull within one in the ninth before Western Carolina held on for a 7-6 victory in the opening game of a Southern Conference series Friday evening.
The Bulldogs dropped to 15-11 and 4-3 in the SoCon with their fourth loss in the past five games and sixth defeat by one or two runs on the year. The Catamounts are 15-12 and 6-4 in the conference and have won 13 of the last 16 games against The Citadel in Cullowhee.
The marathon lasted 3:53, edging out by one minute the longest nine-inning game for The Citadel in games in which box scores are available dating back to the 1970 season. The previous long was 3:52 against Winthrop on March 18, 1997, and Air Force on March 27, 2009.
Game two of the series will be Saturday at 2 p.m. followed by the finale Sunday at 1 p.m., although the weather forecast may dictate a Saturday doubleheader. The Bulldogs need to win both remaining games whenever they take place in order to take their first series at Western since 2002.
The Bulldogs had a final chance to pull the game out in the ninth against Catamount closer Preston Hatcher. Trailing 7-5, Bo Thompson drew a leadoff walk and Jason Smith pinch-ran for him. After a pair of strikeouts, pinch-hitter Brett Bullard drove in Smith with a single to center, but Calvin Orth grounded out to third to leave the tying run on base.
Austin Pritcher started for the Bulldogs and was charged with his second loss of the season. The senior right-hander allowed eight hits and all seven Western runs (six earned) with four walks and five strikeouts in five innings. Kevin Connell allowed two hits and struck out one in 1 1/3 innings, and Zach Sherrill pitched 1 2/3 perfect innings with a pair of strikeouts.
The appearance was the 21st of the season for Sherrill, who leads all of Division I in that category.
Catamount starter Jeremy Null battled through five innings, giving up five hits and three runs (only one earned) with four strikeouts to pick up his third victory in four decisions. Hatcher gave up a run but stranded the tying run on base to earn his seventh save of the year.
The Citadel trailed 7-3 after six innings before scoring twice in the seventh. Mason Davis led off with a bunt single down the third base line for his 100th career hit, and Joe Jackson singled through the right side to put runners on first and third.
Davis scored on a wild pitch on ball four to Thompson, and Jackson later scored on another wild pitch to make it 7-5. Johnathan Stokes singled to put runners on the corners again, but Ryne Hardwick popped out to second in a pinch-hitting role.
The Bulldogs threatened in the eighth with walks to Hughston Armstrong and Davis. Drew DeKerlegand flied out to deep center, and Jackson hit a hard liner that was right at second baseman Bradley Strong.
The teams traded two-run second innings. The Citadel took advantage of a pair of errors on shortstop Aaron Attaway and an RBI single by Armstrong to take a 2-0 lead. Jacob Hoyle drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the frame, and Austin Neary scored from third when Dykota Spiess got into a rundown between first and second to pull the Catamounts even.
A run-scoring single by Tyler White highlighted a two-run Western third and a 4-2 lead. Orth doubled in Tyler Griffin to get the Bulldogs a run closer in the fourth, but the Catamounts responded with a run in their half of the fourth and two in the fifth to build a 7-3 lead.
The Bulldogs hurt their own cause by stranding 11 runners on base and had two runners caught stealing after entering the game successful on 32 of 37 attempts on the year. Davis was thrown out trying to swipe third in the fifth, only the second time in 14 tries he has been caught on the year.
Thompson was held without a hit but walked twice, extending his streak of reaching base to all 22 games this year and 25 in a row dating back to the end of the 2012 season.
College of Charleston 9, Samford 7 (11 inn., game one)
College of Charleston 13, Samford 7 (game two)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford baseball team was swept in a Southern Conference doubleheader by College of Charleston Friday at Joe Lee Griffin Field. The Bulldogs dropped the first game, 9-7 in 11 innings, and they fell in game two by a score of 13-7.
In game one, Samford fell behind early but came back to tie the game late and force extra innings, before falling in the 11th inning, 9-7. Samford jumped out to a 6-2 lead in game two before College of Charleston plated 11 runs in the last three innings to win, 13-7.
With the losses, Samford dropped to 15-12 overall and 5-6 in Southern Conference play. College of Charleston improved to 15-11 overall and 6-4 in league play.
Samford was led at the plate in game one by Tommy Corbin, who went 2-for-6 with two RBIs, while Frankie Navarrete went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Caleb Bryson hit a home run in a 1-for-4 performance. Andres Gracia (0-4) pitched the final five innings in relief, allowing two runs, just one earned, on five hits to take the loss on the mound for Samford.
For College of Charleston in game one, Brandon Murray went 4-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Alex Pastorius and Gunnar Heidt had three hits each for the Cougars. Dre Watts (2-0) tossed 3 2/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits to earn the win on the mound for College of Charleston.
In game two for Samford, Drew McWhorter went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and an RBI. Damon Waller went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, while Brandon Haarer and Bryson had two hits each. Parker Curry (0-1) pitched a third of an inning in relief, allowing five runs on five hits to take the loss on the mound for the Bulldogs.
College of Charleston was led at the plate by Pastorius, who went 3-for-6. Tyler Jackson and Heidt each went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Murray drove in three runs with a triple in a 1-for-4 performance. Jimmy Revan (1-0) pitched 4 1/3 innings in relief, allowing one run on three hits to earn the win for the Cougars.
The teams will wrap up their three-game series with a single game Saturday at 12 p.m. (CT) at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
Furman 8, Presbyterian 3
CLINTON, S.C. – Chris Ohmstede homered twice and Nate Smith pitched eight solid innings to power Furman past Presbyterian, 8-3, in baseball action Friday afternoon at PC Baseball Complex.
The win, which halted Furman’s five-game losing skid, evened the three game series between the Paladins (16-10) and Blue Hose (17-11), who will play Saturday at Latham Stadium in the 4 p.m. finale.
Ohmstede, who was hitting just .130 on March 5, continued his solid work at the plate over the last three-plus weeks with a 3-for-5 performance that included a two-run home run in a five-run Furman sixth inning and a solo clout in the eighth that gave the Paladins a 6-2 lead. The sophomore third baseman has hit .414 (24-for-58) with six home runs and 14 RBIs over the last 14 games.
Alex Abrams went 2-for-5 and drove in three runs, including a two-out, two-run double in Furman’s big sixth inning.
Smith (3-1), meanwhile, delivered a strong start on the mound for the Paladins, pitching shutout ball over the first five frames before surrendering a pair of runs in the sixth. He worked a scoreless seventh before yielding a run in the eighth. The senior left-hander allowed 10 hits — all singles — and had three double plays turned behind him while totaling four strikeouts. He issued only one walk and threw 101 pitches in earning the win.
Furman, which committed two errors that led to five unearned runs in Thursday’s 10-8 loss to PC, played errorless ball for only the sixth time this season.
Smith and PC starter Chandler Knox (2-2) breezed through the first five innings as the Blue Hose managed only two hits off Smith, and the Paladins a single off Knox as both teams turned a pair of double plays in support of their starters.
Furman broke through in the sixth as Paul Nitto drove in the first run on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly, and Abrams followed with a two-run double into right-center field to make it 3-0. Ohmstede completed the five-run inning with his first of two home runs in the contest, a two-run job that cleared the left-field fence.
The Blue Hose got on the board with two runs in the bottom of the sixth on RBI singles by Aaron Preston and Brandon Paul.
Ohmstede delivered again in the eighth when he hammered a pitch by PC reliever Ryan Morris over the left-field fence to stretch Furman’s lead to 6-2.
PC cut it to 6-3 in the eighth but its bid for more runs was cut short by a Furman double play — the third of the contest for the Paladins.
Getting an RBI single from Abrams, the Paladins tacked on two more runs in the ninth and turned the game over to Matt Solter, who closed out the Blue Hose in order to secure the victory.