Elon 24, No. 8 NC State 12

ELON, N.C. – The eighth-ranked NC State Wolfpack visited Elon's Latham Park having allowed 26 runs in 11 games and riding a 10-game winning streak.  NC State left having allowed nearly double that run total as the Phoenix handed the Wolfpack a 24-12 loss on Tuesday.

The 24 runs scored by Elon (6-5) were its most-ever against a Wolfpack team and it was the first time the Phoenix scored 20 or more in a game since May 9, 2009, in a 27-6 win over Western Carolina.  The win also marked Elon's 23rd over a top-25 foe since the 1999 campaign.

Elon had three players drive in at least five runs – Antonio Alvarez with five, Alex Swim with five and Sebastian Gomez with a career-high six RBI.

NC State (10-2) grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the first inning before Elon answered with three runs in the bottom half.  Ryan Kinsella tied the game with a RBI single before an error let the second run score.  The final tally came in on a Gomez single.

After the Wolfpack had tied the game with two unearned runs in the second, the Phoenix scored 15 unanswered runs and led 18-3 after four innings.  The Maroon and Gold plated five runs in the second with RBI from Alvarez, Swim, Kinsella and Gomez.

In the third, Elon sent 15 men to the plate and scored nine runs.  Gomez delivered three runs in the inning with a bases-loaded triple to right-center and Swim drove in two with a single through the right side.

NC State did not go quietly, however, and scored four in the fifth to make it 18-7, including two on a Trea Turner homer.  After Elon got two back in the bottom half of the fifth, the Wolfpack pushed across five in the sixth – including a three-run homer from Turner.

The Phoenix added its 21st run in the sixth to lead 21-12 before scoring three in the eighth for the final margin.  In that three-run eighth, Alvarez delivered a two-run homer to right-center, his second of the season.

Alvarez, who began his career in Raleigh with the Wolfpack, finished the day 4-for-4 with five runs scored and five RBI to raise his average to .455.  Gomez, Kinsella and Quinn Bower all had three-hit nights for Elon.  Bower also scored five times.

Picking up the win for Elon was John Antonelli (1-0).  Antonelli allowed one hit and struck out one in his lone inning of relief work.  Starter Spencer Medick lasted 4 2/3 innings and gave up seven runs (one earned) on seven hits.

Anthony Tzamtizis (0-1) took the loss and was charged with seven runs (six earned) on four hits in an inning-plus.

 

College of Charleston 6, UNCW 5

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – College of Charleston scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning and defeated UNCW, 6-5, on a walk-off hit-by-pitch RBI from Cody Martin.

The Cougars (7-5) won in walk-off fashion for the first time since last season’s home finale against Coastal Carolina, while UNCW (6-6) lost in the bottom of the ninth after playing all three weekend games to extra innings.

Trailing by two runs in the bottom of the ninth, Gunnar Heidt hit a one-out single to right field and advanced to second on a walk from freshman Carl Wise. Ryan Welke scored Heidt with an RBI single to left, and Brandon Murray tied the game with an RBI double to right. After an intentional walk to Bradley Goodson loaded the bases, relief pitcher Ricky Holden hit Martin on a 2-2 count and pinch-runner Lorenzo Wright scored the game-winning run.

Senior Ryan West (1-0) picked up his first win of the season, finishing the game with 4 1/3 innings pitched and four hits allowed, including a solo home run in the top of the ninth game that extended UNCW’s lead to 5-3. West made a season-high five strikeouts.

CofC starter Blake Ross made his first career start and pitched well, scattering three hits and striking out three through four innings. Reliever Jimmy Revan allowed four runs on four hits in the top of the fifth, but West came in and got the Cougars out of the inning with no more damage.

UNCW reliever Kelly Secrest (1-1) was tagged with the loss as he gave up four runs, three earned, and allowed all of the base-runners in the ninth inning.

Four different Cougars had multi-hit games as CofC tallied 12 team hits. Heidt hit his fourth double of the season, and his ninth-inning single started the comeback rally. Goodson and Martin each had two hits and scored a run, and Welke picked up two hits and an RBI.

Corey Dick led the Seahawks with a 3-for-5 day, registering three RBI, including a solo home run in the ninth inning.

College of Charleston will play at Charleston Southern on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Senior RHP Griffin Jones will be making his first start of the season for CofC.

 

Furman 4, Coastal Carolina 1

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Tyler Wood pitched five shutout innings and Will Muzika scored three runs to lead Furman past Coastal Carolina, 4-1, in Tuesday afternoon college baseball action at Pelican Stadium.

The win improves Furman to 9-3 on the season while Coastal Carolina falls to 4-7.  The two teams will play again on Wednesday at Pelican Stadium, with first pitch set for 4 p.m.

Wood (1-0), a junior right-hander, surrendered two hits and three walks but used two strikeouts and a pair of double-play balls to keep Coastal Carolina off the scoreboard before departing with a 1-0 lead.  He was followed by four relievers, who combined to limit the Chanticleers to a run on three hits over the final four frames.

Muzika broke the scoreless tie in the fifth after drawing a one-out walk and advancing to second before coming around to score on a Taylor Johnson double down the left-field line off of Coastal Carolina starting  pitcher Seth Ramando (1-1).

In the seventh, Muzika was hit by a pitch and later scored on a double play to give Furman a 2-0 lead.

Coastal Carolina cut it to 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh on Zach Remillard’s groundout that plated Ted Blackman.

The Paladins struck again in the ninth, tallying two runs on a hit and two Coastal Carolina errors.  Muzika led off with a single, advanced to second on a balk and on to third on a Hunter Burton’s sacrifice bunt attempt that Chanticleer catcher Will Remillard fielded but threw into left field, allowing Muzika to score.  Paul Nitto then drove in Burton with a groundout to stretch the lead to 4-1.

Matt Solter pitched around a leadoff single in the ninth to retire the Chanticleers and collect his third save of the season.

Taylor Johnson and Jordan Simpson had two hits apiece in Furman’s 10-attack.  Nitto went 1-for-5 with a single in the seventh inning to extend his hitting streak to 20 games, the longest active streak in the SoCon.

Jacob May had two of Coastal Carolina’s five hits.

 

Western Carolina 12, Georgia 7

ATHENS, Ga. – Senior Bryant Noteboom drove in two runs on a game-high three hits and classmate Tyler White blasted his team-leading fourth home run of the season as Western Carolina claimed its second straight road win over Georgia, scoring in bunches Tuesday night to upend the Bulldogs 12-7 in midweek nonconference action at Foley Field.

Led by Noteboom, five Catamounts turned in multiple-hit games as WCU pounded out a season-high 15 hits against eight different Bulldog pitchers in winning for the third straight game. WCU scored multiple runs in three separate innings, twice lighting the scoreboard for five runs in a single frame in the victory.

Noteboom finished with a career-best three hits including a double and two singles, scoring a career-high three runs to lead the bottom third of the Catamount lineup to seven of the team’s 15 hits. Luke Gragg and Danny Bermudez finished 2-for-4 with in the eight and nine holes while Jacob Hoyle added an RBI on a 2-for-6 outing in the win.

Reliever Hunter Brister (1-0) was credited with the victory as the first arm out of the Catamount bullpen in relief of starter Taylor Sandefur, who scattered two hits and one unearned run in the two innings of his start. Brister tossed an 1 1/3 innings, also allowing two hits with a run while walking and fanning one.

For the eighth time this season, Western Carolina (7-6) grabbed an early lead by pushing across runs in the first inning. The Catamounts scratched the scoreboard for five runs on six hits including two run-producing doubles in the top half of the first inning.

Aaron Attaway led off the game with a walk before advancing on a single by Cody Jones to give the Catamounts a pair of base runners early. Then the skies opened up and rain pelted the playing surface, creating an hour and 20-minute delay. The pause wasn’t enough to cool the Catamount bats, though, as WCU greeted new pitcher Mike Mancuso with a successful sacrifice bunt by Tyler White followed by back-to-back run-scoring hits.

The long first inning continued as Bradley Strong lifted a sacrifice fly to drive in the third run just ahead of RBI by Noteboom and Bermudez, the latter coming on a double.

Georgia answered in the bottom of the frame by plating a run to trim the Catamount lead to four, 5-1, as Hunter Cole delivered a sacrifice fly to bring home Curt Powell. After two and a half scoreless frames, the Bulldogs again scored a solo run as Jared Walsh led off with a double before scoring on Nelson Ward’s RBI single to center.

The Catamounts got both runs back with a two-spot in the top of the fifth inning to reclaim the five-run cushion. Noteboom legged out an RBI double to left to score Strong from first base with Attaway later driving him home by depositing a single into right field with Noteboom at third.

Georgia (5-7) took advantage of what it was given in the sixth inning. A single, failed pickoff attempt and walk put runners at the corners with nobody out. Powell overthrew one in the dirt with the wild pitch advancing both runners before a second walk of the frame loaded the bases. Georgia would score three runs after loading the bases, capitalizing on an infield RBI groundout, a sacrifice fly and a walk to pull back within a pair, 7-5.

However, the top of the seventh proved to be decisive as WCU scored five times on five hits, all coming with one out. Three consecutive singles by Noteboom, Gragg and Bermudez scored the first run with a Bulldog error allowing a second run to cross the plate. With Attaway and Jones aboard, White homered to left to account for his lone hit of the night and three RBI.

Georgia threatened in the home half of the ninth, scoring twice off three straight hits, including a two-RBI double by Jess Posey, but Preston Hatcher settled to get a pair of fly ball outs and a game-ending ground out.

Jared Walsh led Georgia with a 4-for-5 performance, scoring three runs to lead the Bulldogs. Curt Powell added two hits in a 2-for- 5 showing for the home squad. Bulldog starter David Gonzalez (0-1) was saddled with the loss despite facing just two batters in the first inning, not returning after the initial rain delay.

 

Western Carolina stays on the road as it opens Southern Conference play with a three-game weekend series at Davidson this Friday through Sunday. The Catamounts took 2-of-3 from the Wildcats a season ago, claiming the three-game regular season series for a 12^th straight time. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. with a 2 p.m. start Saturday and 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday.

 

No. 1 North Carolina 10, Davidson 2

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Cody Stubbs drove in three runs and four pitchers combined to keep Davidson’s bats in check as No. 1 North Carolina defeated the Wildcats, 10-2, in nonconference baseball action on a rainy Tuesday afternoon in Boshamer Stadium.

Corner infielders Andrew Barna and Ryan Lowe drove in the two Davidson (5-5) runs, as the ‘Cats were held to four hits.

The first two innings were scoreless, but North Carolina (11-0) took command with five runs in the bottom of the third inning. After a pair of walks, third baseman Colin Moran (1-for-5, 2 RBI) drove in a run from second on a base hit to left field, center fielder Chaz Frank (1-for-4) scored from third base on a wild pitch, and then Moran scored on an errant throw on a single by right fielder Skye Bolt (2-for-3).  Stubbs followed with a two-run home run to right field.

Right-hander Trent Thornton (2-0) held Davidson hitless until right fielder Nathan Becker singled in the top of the fifth inning.

In the bottom of the fifth, Stubbs drove in Bolt again with a sacrifice fly, and Mike Zolk followed with an RBI single to give UNC a 7-0 lead. The Wildcats answered in the top of the sixth inning as second baseman Sam Foy and left fielder Forrest Brandt singled to lead off the inning, and Barna then drove in Foy from third for Davidson’s first run on a grounder to third that was misplayed. Thornton was relieved by left-hander Peter Hendel, but Lowe singled up the middle to drive in Brandt.

Right-hander Trevor Kelley took over for Hendel to get UNC out of the inning and held the Wildcats scoreless in 2 1/3 innings of work. The Tar Heels added two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth for the final margin.

Nick Neitzel (0-1) was tagged with the loss after allowing the third-inning scoring following a scoreless second inning. The Wildcats used six different pitchers.

Davidson will next host Western Carolina in a three-game Southern Conference series. The games are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., 2 p.m., and 1 p.m., respectively, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

 

East Carolina 11, UNCG 9

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The UNCG baseball team jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first two innings, but East Carolina was able to rally on multiple occasions on the way to an 11-9 nonconference victory Tuesday at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

The Spartans dropped to 6-4 with the loss, while the Pirates improved to 7-4.

Senior outfielder Zach Leach had a big day at the dish, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Freshman infielder Nin Marrero delivered two RBI on the day, including his second home run of the season in the seventh inning to give UNCG a brief 9-8 advantage.

The teams combined for 20 runs on 25 hits, scoring 11 of those runs in the fifth through seventh innings. A pair of errors in center field proved costly for the Spartans.

The Blue and Gold struck quickly in the top of the first, scoring two runs on two hits – highlighted by an RBI single by Moye. UNCG added another run in the second when senior infielder TJ Spina scored on a passed ball, but the Pirates plated three runs on three hits in their part of the second to knot the score. The Spartans worked an inning-ending double play to escape further damage.

East Carolina continued its offensive surge in the bottom of the third, pounding out three runs on two hits to establish a 6-3 advantage. After a scoreless fourth inning, UNCG rallied in the top of the fifth. Senior outfielder Zach Leach beat out a ground ball for a base hit before senior infielder Trevor Edwards was hit by a pitch. Moye then walked to load the bases and junior infielder Shawn Hendon singled past the shortstop to score Leach. A groundout and bases-loaded walk capped the frame as the Spartans knotted the score at 6.

With two away in the bottom of the fifth, Phillip Clark roped a single to left field that scored Dylan Brown to allow ECU to edge back in front by a run. Edwards fueled a two-run sixth for the Blue and Gold by smacking a double after Leach led off with a bunt single. Leach would cross home on a wild pitch before senior infielder Lloyd Enzor hit a fly ball to center that scored Edwards and made the score 8-7 in favor of the Spartans.

The Pirates answered yet again in the bottom of the frame. With two outs, Brown looped a double down the right-field line, which plated Jack Reinheimer and deadlocked the game at 8.

In the top of the seventh, the Spartans posted a two-out run of their own when Marrero crushed a ball to left field for a solo home run, but UNCG would ultimately be unable to hold off the home side. A pair of leadoff singles before a sac bunt by Reinheimer put the runners at second and third. Chase McDonald then laced a single to center that was misplayed, allowing two runs to cross home. Nick Thompson finished the scoring off by reaching on a fielder’s choice, which scored Drew Reynolds.

The Spartans had one last chance in the top of the ninth. Sophomore designated hitter Eric Kalbfleisch ripped a one-out double to left and Spina tallied a two-out single, but Marrero struck out to end the game.

UNCG returns to action this weekend, hosting Marist for a three-game series at the UNCG Baseball Stadium. First pitch between the Spartans and Red Foxes on Friday is set for 4 p.m.

 

Appalachian State at East Tennessee State (ppd.)

BOONE, N.C. – Tuesday's baseball game between Appalachian State and East Tennessee State has been postponed due to inclement weather in eastern Tennessee. The game will be made up on Wednesday, April 24, at 7 p.m. at ETSU’s Thomas Stadium.

Appalachian State (7-2, 2-1 SoCon) returns to action on Friday when it opens a pivotal three-game Southern Conference series at Furman (8-3, 2-1 SoCon). Friday's series-opener is set for 5 p.m. at Latham Stadium in Greenville, S.C.

 

The Citadel at Winthrop (ppd.)

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Tuesday's Citadel baseball game at Winthrop has been postponed one day due to the threat of rain in Rock Hill, S.C. The contest will be played on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

 

Georgia Southern at Kennesaw State (ppd.)

STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern's baseball contest at Kennesaw State has been moved to Wednesday at 4 p.m.

The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. but severe weather was expected to enter the Kennesaw area about an hour before first pitch.

Josh Stevenson (0-0, 9.00) will make his first start of the season on the mound Wednesday. The Owls will counter with Steve Janas (0-0, 0.00), who is coming off an injury-shortened sophomore campaign.

 

Samford vs. Troy (ppd.)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford baseball team’s home game against Troy, originally scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. Central time, has been postponed due to inclement weather in the Birmingham area.

A makeup date for the game will be announced on a later date.

Samford’s next game will be at Alabama A&M on Wednesday afternoon. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. Central first pitch.