The Citadel 1, Georgia Southern 0 (11 inn.)
STATESBORO, Ga. – Joe Jackson singled in Mason Davis with two outs in the 11th inning and The Citadel pitching staff continued to throw up zeroes as the Bulldogs clinched their Southern Conference series with a 1-0 win over Georgia Southern on Saturday at J.I. Clements Stadium.
Logan Cribb and three relievers combined on a three-hitter to emerge victorious in a classic pitchers’ duel against Justin Hess and Kyle Rowe. The Citadel (19-17, 8-6 SoCon) has not allowed a run in 20 innings in the series and will go for a sweep on Sunday behind freshman right-hander Austin Mason.
Cribb worked the first 5 2/3 innings and allowed two hits with a season-high seven strikeouts but did not factor in the decision. Zach Sherrill gave up just one hit in 3 1/3 scoreless innings before David Rivera retired the Eagles in order in the 10th and earned the win after the Bulldogs snapped the deadlock an inning later.
Rivera has been in the right place at the right time this season, recording his team-leading fifth win of the season against one loss in only 31 2/3 innings on the mound. He has three of his wins in conference action.
After Rivera (5-1) hit Garren Palmer to lead off the bottom of the 11th, Skylar Hunter came in and struck out Scooter Williams, Ben Morgan and Chase Griffin to finish off the shutout and earn the eighth save of his freshman season. Bulldog pitchers struck out a total of 12 Georgia Southern batters while walking only three.
Hess matched Cribb and the Bulldog bullpen pitch for pitch, allowing only four hits while fanning nine in nine innings. Kyle Rowe worked around a one-out double by Drew DeKerlegand in the 10th and retired the first two batters in the 11th, when Davis singled to center with two outs to start the game-winning rally.
Davis swiped second for his 15th steal of the year in 18 attempts. Hughston Armstrong walked and Jackson followed with a single to left. Williams fielded the ball quickly but his throw home hit Davis, who slid past the plate but reached back to score the only run of the game.
Davis had two of The Citadel's seven hits in the game and has hit safely in six straight games, including five contests with multiple base knocks, to raise his average up to .307. The Citadel second baseman has been particularly hot against conference foes, batting .364 in SoCon games. Jackson extended his hitting streak to a career-long eight games and upped his team-leading RBI total to 35.
Neither team had many good scoring opportunities over the course of the game. The Eagles got the leadoff batter on in four of the first six innings but could not break through. After giving up a leadoff single in the third, Cribb retired nine in a row before coming out with a runner at second and two out in the sixth.
Sherrill, making his NCAA-leading 29th appearance of the season, got Robbie Dodds on a comebacker to get out of the sixth-inning trouble. Sherrill then retired the side in order in the seventh and eighth and got a line-drive double play to first to end the ninth and send the game into extra innings.
Bo Thompson had a seventh-inning single for his only hit in five trips to the plate, but it was enough to extend his streak of consecutive games reaching base to 35. Armstrong went 0-for-4, marking only the second time in his past 14 games that he failed to get a base hit.
Davidson 5, College of Charleston 4
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Davidson did not lead until it counted, as a two-out single in the 10th inning by Michael Zeblo gave the Wildcats a 5-4 win over College of Charleston in Southern Conference baseball action Saturday afternoon at Wilson Field.
Davidson (10-23, 5-12 SoCon) trailed College of Charleston (19-15, 10-6 SoCon), 4-2, entering the bottom of the ninth inning, but right fielder Nathan Becker (2-for-5) singled, pinch-hitter Ben Arkin walked and left fielder Lee Miller (1-for-3) singled up the middle to score Becker to start the inning. Second baseman Sam Foy (1-for-4) bunted for a base hit to load the bases, and then RHP Dre Watts retired the next two batters but hit designated hitter Ryan Lowe (1-for-4) with a pitch to knock in Arkin for the tying run.
Third baseman David Daniels (2-for-5) led off the 10th inning with a double and, with one out, catcher Daniel Gerow (1-for-1) singled to give the ‘Cats runners on the corners. Following a strikeout, Foy was hit by a pitch to bring Zeblo to the plate, and he delivered with a single through the right side to end the game.
It was the only lead Davidson held during the game, as Charleston led 3-0 after four innings and held the Wildcats hitless in the first three innings and then innings six through eight. Both teams ended up with 11 hits, though, and the Cougars were unable to take advantage of six Davidson errors.
Zeblo joined Becker and Daniels with a two-hit game and led the team with two RBIs.
College of Charleston scored two runs in the first inning on RBI singles by shortstop Gunnar Heidt (2-for-6) and third baseman Carl Wise (1-for-3), and one in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Ben Boykin (2-for-4).
Davidson went hitless the first time through the order, but its bats came to life in the fourth inning with three base hits. However, the inning ended scoreless as the final out was made at home plate. The ‘Cats got the on the scoreboard in the fifth inning, though, as Daniels hit his first career home run, and Zeblo also had an RBI.
Neither team scored until the eighth inning, when center fielder Morgan Phillips (3-for-5) homered for a two-run CofC advantage, but the Cougars were unable to pad it any further despite loading the bases in the ninth inning. RHP Matt Saeta (2-1) entered with one out in the ninth inning to relieve LHP Justin Charles, who had allowed just Morgan’s home run and struck out three in two innings of work. Saeta allowed just one hit in 1 2/3 innings for the win.
LHP Jimmy Revan (1-2) allowed the winning run to reach base in the 10th. Neither starting pitcher worked past the sixth inning, as Davidson’s RHP Danny Mooney allowed three runs on eight hits and five walks while striking out four in 5 1/3 innings. RHP Ryan West struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings and allowed two runs on five hits and a walk.
Davidson and College of Charleston will play the rubber match of the three-game series Sunday at 1 p.m.
UNCG 6, Appalachian State 5 (11 inn.)
GREENSBORO, N.C. – After spotting Appalachian State a 5-2 lead Saturday, the UNCG baseball team scored four unanswered runs and used a squeeze bunt by sophomore outfielder Zac MacAneney in the 11th inning to plate the winning run and take the game 6-5 at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
The Spartans evened the series with the Mountaineers and improved their record to 17-18 overall and 5-9 in league play. Appalachian State fell to 19-11 and 9-7. The Blue and Gold also moved to 3-1 in extra-inning affairs.
UNCG received a great effort at the dish from sophomore outfielder Eric Kalbfleisch, as he was 3-for-5 with two RBIs as well as scoring the winning run on MacAneney’s squeeze. Senior outfielder Christian Wolfe extended his hitting streak to 12 games in a 3-for-5 performance, as he also drove in a run. The Spartans also saw senior outfielder Zach Leach and MacAneney tally three hits in the contest. UNCG rapped out 16 hits as a team, just one shy of its season high.
Freshman RHP Ryan Clark earned the win on the bump, improving to 3-1 in his rookie season. He threw the final three innings, allowing just one hit and keeping Appalachian State off the scoreboard. Josh Wilson took the loss for the visitors, giving up one run on six hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Hector Crespo began the game as he did last night’s contest, with an extra-base hit. He doubled before Dillon Dobson walked. Jaylin Davis came through for his team with an RBI double to make it 1-0 before Will Callaway snuck a ball under second base to score two more runs. Preston Tiller wrapped up the scoring in the top of the first with an RBI double to give the Mountaineers a 4-0 lead.
The Spartans responded in the bottom of the first, as Wolfe led off with a single to left. Redshirt freshman infielder Ray Crawford then walked before junior catcher Cambric Moye drew a walk of his own with one out. With the bases loaded, Kalbfleisch flied out to left, scoring Wolfe and cutting the Appalachian State lead to 4-1. Leach followed with an RBI single to plate Crawford and make it 4-2 after a complete inning.
After a scoreless second, Callaway was able to score on a wild pitch from UNCG sophomore reliever Tyler Frazier. The Mountaineers would not get anything else in the inning, however.
A walk to senior infielder Trevor Edwards and a single by Moye put runners at the corners for the Spartans for Kalbfleisch. He would reach on a fielder’s choice, which was good enough to plate Edwards from third and slice the Appalachian State advantage to 5-3.
Things settled down a bit until the sixth inning. Senior infielder TJ Spina singled on the infield and stole second before moving to third on a groundout by redshirt freshman infielder Nin Marrero. Spina would score on a wild pitch with Wolfe at the plate as UNCG drew within 5-4 before the inning came to a close.
A big balk call in the bottom of the eighth proved beneficial for the Spartans as Spina reached on a fielder’s choice with one out and moved to second on the balk. Wolfe came through for UNCG with his third hit of the contest, which plated Spina from second base and tied the contest. Crawford followed with a single after a pitching change, but Edwards grounded out to end the threat.
The Blue and Gold had a great chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth, loading the bases for Marrero on three hits. However, he grounded out to third to send the contest to extras.
Clark was brilliant in the 10th and 11th innings, as he did not allow a hit and walked just one batter. The Spartans went down in order in the 10th frame, but Kalbfleisch roped a one-out single to right in the 11th before he stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, which was also ball four to Leach, putting the senior on first. On the first pitch to MacAneney, Kalbfleisch took off from third and crossed home easily to win the game on the textbook squeeze bunt by MacAneney.
UNCG and Appalachian State will play the rubber game of the series Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Western Carolina 21, Samford 7
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina plated runs in all but one inning in which it took swings on Saturday afternoon, pounding out 18 hits, including 11 for extra bases, and capitalizing on 11 walks as the Catamounts rolled past the Samford Bulldogs, 21-7, in Southern Conference action at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
With the win, the Catamounts claim their fifth SoCon series of the season and will look for their first series sweep on Sunday in game three. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Western Carolina (21-16, 11-6 SoCon) jumped out to a 5-0 lead through the first two innings before the Bulldogs were able to scratch the scoreboard four times in the top of the third inning to trim the margin back to one, 5-4. However, after being held scoreless in the bottom of the third inning, the Catamounts erupted for three or more runs in four of the remaining five frames to cruise to the victory.
Returning to the starting lineup on Saturday, junior catcher Adam Martin led four Catamounts with multiple hit games with a career-high-tying four base hits in a 4-for-4 outing. The product of Marietta, Ga., who has been nursing a broken finger on his catching hand, doubled and homered in the win, scoring three times and driving in two in the win.
Senior Tyler White posted a 3-for-5 outing, doubling twice and hitting his team-leading ninth home run of the season, while Julian Ridings remained hot at the plate, going 3-for-6 with a two-bag hit. Aaron Attaway drove in a team-best four runs on a 1-for-3 showing but did hit his seventh home run of the year on a towering three-run shot to left in the six-run fifth inning.
Combined, eight different Catamounts recorded multiple-RBIs game in the win as WCU had a season-high 20 RBIs. The 21 runs were also a season-best for WCU – and the most in a game since a 22-2 victory over Iona on March 3, 2012. It also marked the most runs in a league game for WCU since plating 25 against Wofford on April 24, 2011 (W, 25-14 in Cullowhee).
All told, 14 different Catamounts took swings on Saturday, with WCU also stranding 14 runners on base.
On the hill, redshirt senior starter Morgan McKinney (2-2) sat the first six batters down in a row to start his outing on Saturday, tossing seven innings to score his second victory of the year. He scattered seven base hits while allowing four runs – only one of which was earned – with a walk and four strikeouts.
Relievers Colton Davis and Bryce Danielson tossed the final two innings, with Davis allowing three runs on five hits with a walk and strikeout in two thirds of an inning before Danielson faced five batters, allowing one hit in an inning and a third of relief.
Ahead by just a run in the top of the fourth, WCU used three straight extra-base hits to stretch its lead over the Bulldogs. White homered to center field, just to the right of the batter’s eye, to open scoring, with consecutive doubles by Jacob Hoyle and Dykota Spiess plating the second marker of the frame. Attaway later drove in the third run of the inning on a bases-loaded walk.
In the fifth, the Catamounts sent 11 hitters to the plate in pushing across six runs to break open the contest. Sophomore Austin Neary delivered his second pinch-hit double of the series, driving in the first run. Bradley Strong drove in two with a sharp single to right field before Attaway skied a three-run home run that landed beyond the left field fence.
Strong added an RBI double in the sixth inning, with Martin hammering a two-run homer to left center to cap a three-run sixth inning.
Neary drove in a run with a bases loaded sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to make it 18-4.
Samford (19-17, 8-9 SoCon) scored three runs on five hits in the top of the fifth inning off of reliever Davis, loading the bases on three straight singles, with Patrick McGavin halting a run of 13 straight WCU runs by drawing a bases-loaded walk to score a run. Damon Waller plated a run with a single to left with Gonzalez concluding Samford’s scoring with a run-scoring single to right.
WCU got the three runs back in the home half of the eighth as Reece Strong led off with a walk before scoring on an infield error by Samford. White doubled to left to plate a run, with Hoyle flying out to left for a run-scoring sacrifice fly.
C.K. Irby, who also took the loss for the Bulldogs on the mound in his shortest outing of the season, led the Bulldogs offensively with a 3-for-5 showing at the plate. Brandon Powell and Waller both came in as defensive substitutions in the game, finishing 2-for-2 at the plate. Tommy Corbin collected the only extra-base hit of the game for Samford with a double in a 1-for-3 outing.
Irby (5-3) was chased after just an inning and two thirds, surrendering five runs – four of which were earned – on just three hits.
The Bulldogs also committed four errors in the field including a catcher’s interference call in the loss.
The final game of the three-game series is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday. Western Carolina will send junior RHP Jordan Smith (1-3, 4.26 ERA) to the mound, while Samford counters with RHP Cole Limbaugh (3-1, 5.61 ERA).
Furman 13, Wofford 3
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Alex Abrams threw six solid inning in his first collegiate start and Jordan Simpson went 4-for-5 and drove in five runs to spark Furman to a 13-3 victory over Wofford in Southern Conference baseball action Saturday afternoon at Russell C. King Field.
The Paladins’ victory evened the series at a game apiece heading into Sunday’s 1 p.m. finale.
Given his first start to halt Furman’s recent weekend struggles in league play, Abrams (3-0) delivered by allowing only a run on six hits while doubling his longest outing of the season. Prior to Saturday, the junior right-hander had posted 24 career appearances — all in relief. The junior from Charleston, S.C., also collected an RBI double and scored two runs serving in a designated-hitter role.
Simpson, meanwhile, continued his midseason surge with a pair of singles, a double and a triple in his 4-for-5 performance that produced a season high five RBIs. The Paladin freshman second baseman has batted .369 (17-for-46) over the last 12 games.
Furman (19-15, 7-10 SoCon) roughed up Wofford (14-23, 5-12 SoCon) for five runs in the first inning, chasing Terrier starter Luke Leftwich (2-4) before he recorded an out. Taylor Johnson’s RBI double scored Will Muzika, and Paul Nitto’s RBI grounder drove home Jake Jones to give Furman a 2-0 lead. Abrams followed with a double that scored Johnson, and singles by Harrison Farmer and Simpson tacked on the final two runs in the Paladin first.
Furman tallied two unearned runs in the fourth to stretch its advantage to 7-0, and then to 10-0 in the sixth on a Simpson two-run triple and RBI single by Ohmstede.
Abrams yielded his only run in the bottom of the seventh before giving way to the Paladin bullpen.
Simpson wrapped up his big day at the plate with a two-run single in the eighth off of Terrier reliever Dominick Del Monte. His four hits led the way in Furman’s 13-hit attack, which also featured two-hit performances by Ohmstede and Griffin Davis, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter.
Paul Nitto scored three of the Paladins’ 13 runs.
Seth Neely went 4-for-5 to lead Wofford, which finished with nine hits.
No. 8 Louisville 7, Elon 5
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In front of a crowd of 4,573, the third-largest in Patterson Stadium history, the Elon Phoenix jumped on top of eighth-ranked Louisville only to see the Cardinals rally to claim a 7-5 victory over the Maroon and Gold in game two of a three-game baseball series.
Elon (20-17) roughed up Louisville starter Jeff Thompson as he departed after just 2 2/3 innings. The Phoenix scored all five runs off of Thompson, who had allowed only three earned runs all season and began the day with a 0.51 ERA.
With one out in the top of the first, Alex Swim moved in to 10th place on Elon's career doubles list as he lined the 42nd two-bagger of his career to left-center. That was followed by Ryan Kinsella jacking his 13th homer of the season, this one clearing the wall in right, to put the Phoenix on top 2-0. The shot also extended the junior's hitting streak to 14 games, matching a career-long hit streak.
Louisville (27-7) grabbed a 3-2 lead in the last of the inning when Ty Young hit a three-run shot to right only to see the Maroon and Gold come right back in the second. After Quinn Bower drew a walk to begin the top of the second, Danny Lynch unloaded on a Thompson pitch and sent it over the wall in right-center to make it a 4-2 game.
Elon added one to its lead in the third when, with runners on the corners, Chris King stole second and Swim stole home.
With Elon holding a 5-4 lead going into the last of the eight, Louisville mounted its comeback. The rally began with a throwing error that allowed Adam Engel to get to second base. After a sacrifice bunt moved Engel to third, Coco Johnson tripled down the right-field line to tie the game at 5. Young then drove home Johnson with a line drive up the middle. Another single put runners on the corners before another sac bunt made it a 7-5 game.
Spencer MedicK (5-2) suffered the loss after being charged with six runs (five earned) on nine hits in 7 1/3 innings. He did not walk a batter.
Cody Ege (2-1) was the winner after he got the final two outs of the eighth. Kyle McGrath kept Louisville in the game with 4 2/3 shutout innings in relief of Thompson. Nick Burdi threw a perfect ninth to collect his sixth save of the year.
The Phoenix will look to close out the series with a victory on Sunday at 1 p.m.