The Citadel 12, Samford 3

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Bo Thompson returned from a three-game absence with a vengeance, slamming home runs in each of his first three at-bats to lead The Citadel to a 12-3 win over Samford in the Southern Conference opener for both teams Friday at Riley Park.

The Citadel won its fourth in a row to improve to 9-5 overall, while Samford saw its four-game winning streak come to an end and fell to 9-6. The two teams meet in the middle game of the series Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and wrap up the set Sunday at 1.

Thompson injured his ankle against VCU and missed the doubleheader sweep over UNC Asheville and Wednesday's victory over Winthrop. He was in the lineup as the designated hitter on Friday and in his first at-bat capped off a three-run first inning with a two-run shot to left-center to give the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead.

The sophomore slugger added another two-run shot in the third and had a solo homer just inside the left field foul pole in the sixth to build The Citadel margin to 6-1. All three of Thompson's home runs came off starter C.K. Irby, the reigning SoCon Pitcher of the Week, who was touched up for seven hits and six runs in six innings.

Thompson is the second player this season to hit three home runs in a game for The Citadel, joining Tyler Griffin, who blasted three against North Florida on Feb. 23. It is the fifth time in school history that a player had three round-trippers in a game, with the others being Garrick Haltiwanger vs. South Carolina in 1994, Philip Hartig vs. UNCG in 2001 and Richard Jones vs. Davidson in 2009.

After drawing a walk in the seventh, Thompson had one more chance for his fourth homer of the night in the eighth but settled for a single to left as part of a five-run inning that put the game out of reach. He tied his career high with four hits and set a new personal best with five RBI. Thompson took over the team lead in home runs this season with five, one more than Griffin.

Calvin Orth added a solo homer to get the bottom of the eighth started, and Drew DeKerlegand added a three-run shot to right to give The Citadel five home runs in the game.

Austin Pritcher was the beneficiary of the big offensive night for the Bulldogs in earning his third win of the season without a loss. The senior allowed five hits and all three Samford runs, walked four and struck out eight to raise his career win total to 17, the most among active SoCon pitchers. Pritcher fanned the side in the fourth as part of a span in which he punched out seven batters in three innings.

Pritcher gave up a single to Zeth Stone and an RBI double to Tommy Corbin in the first to see his consecutive innings streak of not allowing an earned run at Riley Park end at 37 1/3. Samford scored twice in the top of the seventh on RBI singles by Corbin and Irby to cut The Citadel lead to 7-3 before reliever David Rivera got a grounder to the mound to leave the bases loaded.

In addition to his three-run homer, DeKerlegand also had a run-producing single following a leadoff triple by Mason Davis in the bottom of the first that wiped out an early 1-0 Samford lead. Hughston Armstrong also contributed two hits to the Bulldog attack.

 

Elon 3, College of Charleston 2 (10 inn.)

ELON, N.C. – The fans in attendance at Elon's Latham Park on Friday were treated to an incredible pitcher's duel that was decided on a 10th-inning, walk-off single by the Phoenix's Alex Swim as the Maroon and Gold knocked off the visiting College of Charleston Cougars 3-2 in Southern Conference baseball action.

Elon (7-5, 2-2 SoCon) starter Dylan Clark was outstanding, limiting the Cougars (8-6, 0-1) to two runs, only one of which was earned, over 8 1/3 innings. Clark, who matched a career best in innings pitched, struck out five.

He was matched by CofC's Matt Pegler, the preseason SoCon Pitcher of the Year. Pegler gave up two runs on seven hits in eight innings. He fanned six.

But neither starter was around when Swim connected on a 3-2 pitch for a soft liner into the outfield grass that allowed Quinn Bower to race home from second with the winning run with two outs in the 10th. Bower was aboard after he drew a one-out walk and stole second.

The Cougars got on the board first when Carl Wise led off the second inning with a home run over the left field wall.

The score remained 1-0 until the last of the fifth when Chris King connected on his first career homer, this one also clearing the 12-foot wall in left. Aboard for the ride was Wil Leathers, who had reached on a one-out single.

In the top of the seventh, Blake Butler reached on an infield single. Bradley Goodson followed with a grounder to third, but the throw to second was wild, leaving runners at first and second with one out. Gunnar Heidt then evened the score at 2 with a single through the right side of the Phoenix infield.

Picking up the win for Elon was Andrew MacDonald (3-0). MacDonald allowed just one hit in his 1 2/3 scoreless frames.

Drew Freie (2-2) took the loss after giving up one run on two hits in 1 2/3 innings.

The two preseason SoCon favorites will play game two of this three-game series at Latham Park on Saturday at 2 p.m.

 

Furman 3, Appalachian State 1

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Nate Smith pitched 7 2/3 inning of strong baseball to propel Furman past Appalachian State, 3-1, in the opening game of a Southern Conference baseball series Friday afternoon at Latham Stadium.

The victory was the fourth straight for Furman (11-3, 3-1 SoCon) and gave the Paladins their best start to a baseball season since 1926, when Furman posted a 13-1 start to the campaign. It also halted a string of five consecutive regular-season losses to Appalachian State (7-3, 2-2 SoCon).

Smith (1-0), a senior left-hander, earned the win after allowing a run on eight hits and two walks while striking out seven. He surrendered three straight singles to load the bases in the eighth with two outs before being relieved by Ben Carson, who ended the threat by striking out Appalachian State’s Jailyn Davis. In the ninth, Carlson pitched around a couple of singles by fanning the Mountaineers’ William Head to end the game and notch his second save.

Appalachian State starting pitcher Jamie Nunn (3-1) suffered the loss but also threw effectively, working seven innings and giving up seven hits, three runs, two of which were earned, and two walks. He struck out six.

Furman took advantage of two Mountaineer errors in the second to open the scoring. Chris Ohmstede reached on a throwing error and then came around to score on Jarrod Rickman’s single to center field, on which Appalachian State’s Davis allowed the ball to skip under his glove.

The Mountaineers tied it at 1-1 in the fourth after Will Callaway led off with a double, moved to third on a groundout, and then scored on a Davis single to second base.

It remained tied until the Furman sixth, when the Paladins tallied twice against Nunn. Hunter Burton walked to lead off, stole second, and scored on a Taylor Johnson double that bounced off the top of the fence in left-center field and back into play. Johnson moved to third on Paul Nitto’s single up the middle and came home on a fielder’s choice grounder off Alex Abrams’ bat for a 3-1 lead.

Smith retired the Mountaineers in order in the seventh and got the first two batters he faced in the eighth before Alex Leach stroked a 1-2 pitch through the right side. Callaway followed with a solid single through the left side, and Noah Holmes loaded the bases with a base hit to second, leading to Smith’s exit. Carlson came on and doused the threat by fanning Davis looking.

Smith threw 107 pitches in the contest, 79 of which were strikes.

Burton and Rickman both went 2-for-3 for Furman, which finished with seven hits. Nitto’s single in the sixth extended his SoCon-leading hitting streak to 22 games.

The Mountaineers managed five of their 10 hits in the final two frames but no runs. Callaway went 3-for-4 with a double to lead the Mountaineers, who also got two hits apiece from Davis and Hector Crespo, who singled and set a new Appalachian State career stolen base standard in the first inning with his 86th steal.

Saturday’s game between Furman and Appalachian State is a 4 p.m. start.

 

Western Carolina 9, Davidson 4 (13)

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Western Carolina scored five runs in the top of the 13th inning to earn a 9-4 victory over Davidson in Southern Conference baseball action Friday night at Wilson Field.

Davidson (5-6, 1-3 SoCon) had scored four runs in the seventh inning for a 4-3 lead after going hitless until the sixth inning, but first baseman Austin Neary (3-for-6, two RBI) tied the game in the ninth with a solo home run for Western Carolina (8-6, 1-0 SoCon).

Neither team scored in the 10th, 11th or 12th innings, but third baseman Tyler White (3-for-7, HR, three RBI) hit a single through the right side with runners on the corners and no outs to drive in the game-winning run in the top of the 13th. Neary drove in another run by dropping a base hit into shallow left field, and then with the bases loaded, designated hitter Luke Gragg cleared the bases with a double to the right gap for the comfortable margin.

Preston Hatcher (1-2) allowed a pair of Davidson base-runners to reach in the bottom of the 12th with one out after facing the minimum in the 10th and 11th innings but was able to retire the next two batters.

The Catamount comeback spoiled a four-run seventh inning by the Wildcats. WCU starting right-hander Jeremy Null no-hit Davidson for 5 1/3 innings until left fielder Ty Middlebrooks ended the bid in the sixth inning with a single that Neary barely kept in the infield at first base. Null issued a pair of walks to load the bases but induced an inning-ending strikeout to escape unharmed.

However, the Wildcats strung together five consecutive singles to start the seventh to key a rally. Designated hitter Lee Miller (1-for-4, 2 BB) led the inning off with a single and advanced to third on a single by shortstop Michael Zeblo (1-for-5, BB) and a fielding error by the centerfielder, although Zeblo was thrown out trying to advance to second on the misplay.

Hunter Brister relieved Null, but catcher Daniel Gerow (1-for-5, BB) plated Miller with a single to left, and following another single to left by right fielder Nathan Becker (1-for-5), pinch-hitter Ben Arkin hit an infield single to the second baseman, who kicked the ball trying to field it and allowed Gerow to score.

Third baseman Jack McLindon was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and then Becker and pinch-runner Andrew Pope scored when second baseman Sam Foy (1-for-6) hit into a fielder’s choice and the pitcher missed the catch on the double-play attempt.

Western Carolina built a 3-0 lead in the first six innings but stranded 12 base-runners in that period as Ryan Lowe battled through 5 2/3 innings for Davidson, allowing the three runs (two earned) on seven hits and four walks while striking out six.

The Catamounts scored in the first inning without getting a hit. Shortstop Aaron Attaway (2-for-6, BB) reached on a fielding error to lead off the game and Lowe walked two more batters to load the bases. With two outs, Attaway scored on a passed ball following a strikeout.

Attaway singled to lead off the fourth inning and, with one out, scored from second on a double to right field by White. White then homered in the sixth for the three-run advantage.

Matt Saeta was going for a two-inning save when he yielded the game-tying homer in the ninth. He finished the inning and it was the only hit he allowed. Jip Richards (0-1) was tagged with the loss after he faced the minimum nine batters through the 10th, 11th and 12th innings but was unable to retire anyone in the 13th.

Davidson will look to even the series Saturday at 2 p.m. at Wilson Field.

 

Georgia Southern 7, Wofford 2

STATESBORO, Ga. – Sam Howard struck out eight batters over a career-high eight innings as Georgia Southern defeated Wofford 7-2 in its Southern Conference season opener.

Howard (3-1) allowed two runs – one earned – on five hits and one walk to earn his third win of the season. The sophomore left-hander stranded the leadoff runner in the second, fourth and eighth innings and struck out the side in the fifth.

Georgia Southern (7-6, 1-0 SoCon) scored four runs over the first two innings, including a bases-loaded single from Brent Pugh in the second inning, to take an early 4-1 lead. Howard held Wofford (7-7, 0-1 SoCon) to one run over the next six innings, and Evan Challenger threw a perfect inning to close out the game.

Ben Morgan tallied four of the Eagles' eight hits and finished with three RBI and a double. Pugh added two RBI and a pair of walks to go along with his base hit. Josh Hyman and Seth Neely tallied two hits each for the Terriers.

Brandon Yarusi (0-2) was handed the loss after allowing five runs on six hits over six innings. Yarusi struck out nine batters, including the side in the first and second innings.

After Wofford took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, Georgia Southern tied the game at 1-1 with a solo home run by Chase Griffin.

The Eagles added three runs in the second inning on the single by Pugh and a two-out infield hit by Ben Morgan. Yarusi struck out Robbie Dodds to start the inning, but Arthur Owens recorded a base hit to start the rally. Stryker Brown and Tyler Avera followed with walks to load the bases for Pugh, who deposited a base hit into left-center field.

Georgia Southern added a single run in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly from T.D. Davis and struck for two more in the bottom of the eighth inning to take the final five-run lead. Back-to-back lead off walks by Owens and Brown came around to score on Morgan's fourth hit of the night.

Wofford scored its second run of the game in sixth inning. Demetrius Jennings reached on an error to lead off the frame and scored on a two-out single from Hyman.

The series continues Saturday at 2:30 p.m. with Jason Richman on the mound. Wofford will counter with Jesse Morris.

 

Marist 7, UNCG 3

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG baseball team took an early 3-0 lead but Marist fought back to claim game one of the three-game series, 7-3, Friday night at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.

With the loss, UNCG fell to 6-5 on the season, while Marist improved to 4-4.

The Spartans drove in three runs in the top of the first after senior Trevor Edwards doubled home two in the inning. Seniors Christian Wolfe and Zach Leach started the game with back-to-back singles. Edwards picked up his team-leading 13th and 14th RBI on the double to left center. Benigno Marrero brought home another run on an RBI groundout to give UNCG a 3-0 advantage.

UNCG starter sophomore Lee Gilliam went four innings without allowing a hit until the top of the fifth. With one out, Mark Brennan singled through the right side, followed by a fielding error by the Spartans to put runners on first and second with one out. After another single, Brennan scored on a wild pitch to put Marist on the board. Senior Zach Shank singled up the middle to tie the game at 3-3.

Marist starter Chris Bielak settled in after allowing three first-inning runs, allowing only six hits with eight strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings.

The Red Foxes took control in the top of the fifth when Shank drove in two more runs on a two-run single to left field to give Marist a 5-3 lead. Zach Passerelle earned a sacrifice fly to push the score to 6-3.

Marist added to its lead in the top of the ninth when Shank drove a home run to left field to make it 7-3. Shank finished with three hits, five RBI and a home run in the victory.

Bielak improved to 2-1 with the win and Evan Davis picked up the save in relief. Junior Dylan Thompson earned the loss falling to 1-2 on the season.

Wolfe finished the game 2-for-5 with a run scored, while junior Cambric Moye also had two hits.

The second game of the series is set to begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.