The Citadel 5, Appalachian State 3
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel spotted Appalachian State an early two-run lead before scoring five times in a two-inning stretch to defeat the Mountaineers 5-3 Saturday, extending its winning streak to a season-high six games, including five in a row in the Southern Conference.
The Bulldogs improved to 23-17 overall and 11-6 in the SoCon. The overall and conference winning streaks are the longest since The Citadel ran off 13 straight, including seven in league play, near the end of the 2010 season.
Appalachian State dropped to 21-14 and 10-9 in the SoCon. The Mountaineers have lost nine in a row at Riley Park and have not won a series against the Bulldogs in Charleston since 1973.
The Citadel will go for the sweep on Sunday, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. Freshman right-hander Austin Mason, coming off eight innings against Georgia Southern in which he did not allow an earned run, is the probable starter for the Bulldogs against Mountaineer sophomore southpaw Jeffrey Springs.
Will Callaway homered in the first and Hector Crespo added an RBI double in the second before The Citadel began its rally against Mountaineer starter Sam Agnew-Wieland. Brett Bullard doubled to lead off the third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Hughston Armstrong to get the Bulldogs on the board.
With two outs in the inning, Joe Jackson doubled and Bo Thompson walked to put two on for Drew DeKerlegand, who lashed a triple into the alley in left-center to score both runners and give The Citadel a lead it would never relinquish.
An inning later, Bret Hines and Bullard walked with one out and moved up on a groundout by Mason Davis. Armstrong came through again, driving in Hines and Bullard with a single past a diving Callaway in the hole at short to boost The Citadel margin to 5-2.
Armstrong's three RBIs give him seven in the last three games after knocking in only nine over his first 36 games of the season. After going 0-for-4 in his first four trips to the plate, Davis singled in the ninth to extend his hitting streak to 10 games, one shy of his career high established earlier this season.
While the Bulldogs were busy offensively, Cribb allowed only one run and two hits over his final four innings of work. Appalachian State reached him for a run in the fifth when Crespo doubled for the second time in the game and scored on a sacrifice fly by Noah Holmes.
Cribb went six innings and gave up five hits and two earned runs. He tied his season high with seven strikeouts and walked only one in raising his record to 3-2 and 2-0 since rejoining the starting weekend rotation three weeks ago.
Agnew-Wieland, a two-time SoCon Pitcher of the Week this season, surrendered six hits and all five runs in 6 1/3 innings. He struggled with his control, walking seven batters while striking out three in falling to 5-3.
Kevin Connell got the first two outs in the seventh for The Citadel, and David Rivera worked 1 1/3 perfect innings. Skylar Hunter walked a batter and gave up a two-out single to put the tying runs on base in the ninth before getting Preston Troutman to fly out to center to wrap up his 10th save of the year and second in as many days against the Mountaineers.
UNCG 8, Davidson 6 (game one)
Davidson 5, UNCG 4 (game two)
DAVIDSON, N.C. – The UNCG baseball team downed Davidson 8-6 in game one of the teams’ doubleheader Saturday at Wilson Field before the Wildcats held off a Spartan rally in game two and took it by a 5-4 score.
The Blue and Gold is now 18-21 overall and 6-11 in league play ,while Davidson moved to 11-26 and 6-14.
Game one
The Spartans jumped ahead 2-0 in the first two innings thanks to a RBI groundout by redshirt freshman infielder Nin Marrero and a sacrifice fly by sophomore outfielder Eric Kalbfleisch. Redshirt sophomore infielder Ray Crawford and TJ Spina accounted for the runs, scoring from third on both plays.
UNCG would extend its lead to four runs in the fourth as senior outfielder Zach Leach ripped a leadoff home run to deep center before Spina followed with a double to left. He would steal third and score when senior infielder Lloyd Enzor grounded out to third.
Davidson responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth on two hits, but the Spartans answered right back in the fifth. Senior infielder Trevor Edwards led off with a double but was thrown out at third on a fielder’s choice play with junior catcher Cambric Moye at the dish. Moye advanced to second when Kalbfleisch reached on an error by the Wildcat shortstop. Leach then singled on the infield to load the bases. Spina came through with one out, scoring Moye on an RBI single. Enzor drew a bases-loaded walk in UNCG’s next at bat, extending the Spartan lead to 4-0 before Marrero grounded into a double play to end the inning.
An RBI double by Ryan Lowe scored two runs for Davidson in the bottom of the fifth, cutting the UNCG advantage to 6-4, but the Spartans had the answer yet again. With two away in the top of the seventh and Spina on base, Enzor tagged a ball and drove it over the left-field fence for a two-run shot that made the score 8-4.
The UNCG pitching staff held the Wildcats to a single run in the seventh and eighth frames and would carry an 8-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth. Freshman RHP Ryan Clark came on in a save attempt but quickly got into trouble. Michael Zeblo led off with a single before Andrew Barna flew out to right field. Lowe would single through the right side to set up Davidson with runners on first and second with one out.
Forrest Brandt drove in a run with an RBI single to score Zeblo and make the score 8-6. Clark was able to induce a fielder’s choice and force out at third for the second out, which brought Nathan Becker to the dish. Clark worked the count to 0-2 before Becker got a hold of the ball and crushed it to right field. However, senior outfielder Christian Wolfe saved the game for UNCG with a leaping catch at the wall to end the game in the Spartans’ favor.
Spina ended the game a career-best 4-for-5 at the dish with three runs scored and an RBI while a trio of other UNCG batters tallied multiple base knocks. Enzor added three RBIs as the Spartans racked up 13 hits in the contest.
Sophomore RHP Max Povse earned his third win of the season and second in three starts. He hurled six innings, giving up four runs on seven hits while striking out seven. Clark earned his first career save by getting through the ninth inning after allowing three hits.
Game two
A sacrifice fly in the second inning by Leach which scored Moye proved to be the only run through 3 ½ innings in game two. However, things went awry for the Spartans in the bottom of the fourth as senior LHP starter Corey Taylor walked the leadoff man then hit the next batter. He looked to have a force out at third when Becker bunted the ball to the mound, but Taylor threw wide of the base and into the UNCG bullpen to bring two runs across. Lee Miller then laced a single to center to score Becker and make it a 3-1 ball game.
After the Spartans failed to answer in the top of the fifth, Davidson took advantage and plated a two-out run on an RBI single by Brandt to establish a 4-1 cushion.
The Blue and Gold finally found some offense in the seventh, plating two runs on three hits to pull within 4-3. Wolfe delivered an RBI double to left to extend his hitting streak to 16 games before Edwards followed with an RBI single to plate Wolfe. Moye drew a two-out walk, but Kalbfleisch flew out to center to end the threat.
Spartan reliever LHP Caleb Henley could not keep the Wildcats from adding to their edge in the seventh as Barna roped an RBI double to right center to score Ryan Daniels and push the score to 5-3. Senior RHP Vattuone received some help from his middle infield as Marrero and Spina made some solid fielding plays to keep runners stranded at second and third.
Davidson loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, looking to put the game away, but sophomore RHP Tyler Frazier entered for Vattuone and got two big strikeouts to keep UNCG within shouting distance.
The Spartans made it interesting in the ninth, using an Edwards RBI single to plate Wolfe after he doubled with one out to make it a one-run contest. A pair of walks filled the bases for Leach and he was able to battle the count full but grounded out to second as the Wildcats escaped with the victory.
UNCG racked up nine hits in the contest, but was done in by a pair of costly errors. Taylor fell to 0-5 on the season, giving up four runs (one earned) on seven hits with five strikeouts. Henley would be tagged with the eventual winning run, which scored in the seventh. Edwards drove in two runs, while Wolfe and Leach also tallied RBIs in the game.
The Spartans and Wildcats will play the rubber game of the series Sunday at Wilson Field with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
Furman 11, College of Charleston 9 (completion of suspended game)
Furman 6, College of Charleston 5
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – Taylor Johnson homered twice, drove in three runs, and scored four times to lead Furman past the College of Charleston, 11-9, in the Saturday completion of Friday’s Southern Conference game that was suspended in the middle of the eighth inning due to rain. Johnson continued his assault on CofC pitching with a two-run, ninth-inning home run that lifted Furman to a 6-5 win over the Cougars in Saturday’s regularly scheduled game.
Game one
Furman led 9-7 when the contest was suspended Friday evening, but the advantage didn’t last long after play resumed Saturday afternoon as the Cougars took advantage of a pair of walks and a hit batsman by Paladin reliever Elliott Warford to tie the game on Gunnar Heidt’s two-out, two-run single to center field.
The Paladins answered in the top of the ninth, however, loading the bases with no outs on singles by Johnson and Paul Nitto and a walk by Alex Abrams off of Cougar reliever Drew Freie. Chris Ohmstede followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Johnson to give Furman a 10-9 lead. After a Greg Harrison single again loaded the bases, Griffin Davis delivered an RBI single to drive in Nitto for an 11-9 Furman lead.
The Cougars put their first two batters on base in the bottom of the ninth, but Paladin closer Matt Solter rallied to get Cody Martin and Bradley Goodson on fly outs and Morgan Phillips on a strikeout to nail down the win and his seventh save of the campaign.
Johnson’s productive work at the plate, which included solo home run in the first and two-run blast in the fifth, was complemented by a 2-for-3 performance by Abrams, who stroked a solo home run in the fourth and a two-run double in the seventh. In addition, junior designated hitter Greg Harrison, making the first start of his Paladin career following a knee injury in fall practice, homered in his first at-bat, belting a two-run shot to left field in the second inning off of CofC starting pitcher Matt Pegler to give Furman a 3-2 lead.
Abrams’ two-run shot in the fourth, which followed a Nitto single, put Furman ahead 5-4, and Johnson’s two-run shot in fifth extended the lead to 7-4.
The Cougars played long ball in the sixth to tie the game, getting a Cody Martin two-run home run and solo shot by Morgan Phillips off of Furman starting pitcher Nate Smith.
Abrams’ seventh inning double off of Cougar reliever Micheal Hanzlik drove home Johnson and Hunter Burton to give the Paladins a 9-7 lead prior to the game’s suspension.
The Paladins, who finished with 16 hits, got three hits from Griffin Davis and two hits apiece from Nitto and Will Muzika.
College of Charleston matched Furman’s four home runs with four clouts of their own — by Brandon Murray, Carl Wise, Martin and Phillips.
Warford (1-5) was the beneficiary of the Paladins’ two-run ninth, earning the win despite allowing two runs on a hit and two walks in his lone inning of work.
Freie (3-4) was charged with the loss after surrendering two runs on five hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings.
Game two
Johnson, who hit two home runs, tallied three RBIs and scored four times in the series opener, went 2-for-5 and drove in two runs and scored twice in game two.
Furman (21-16, 9-11 SoCon) will go for the series sweep in Sunday’s 1 p.m. finale.
The Paladins, who never trailed in the game, led 2-0, 3-2, and 4-3 before Johnson broke a 4-4 deadlock by drilling a ninth-inning offering by Cougar reliever Dre Watts out of the park down the left-field line. Jake Jones, who stroked a pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh, led off the ninth with a single – his sixth consecutive hit – and scored ahead of Johnson’s clout.
Ben Carlson (4-2) was the beneficiary of the ninth-inning long ball, earning the win after coming on in the eighth and helping the Paladins limit the Cougars to one run following a no-out, bases-loaded jam. Carlson surrendered a run in the ninth but closed out the game by retiring Cody Martin on a fly ball with a runner at second base.
Furman got another solid starting pitching performance from Abrams, who tossed four innings of shutout ball and 70 pitches before turning over a 2-0 lead to the Paladin bullpen.
An Ohmstede RBI single and two-out RBI single by Andrew MacLatchie in the fourth gave Furman the lead, but it was erased in the fifth when the Cougars took advantage of a pair of walks, a hit bastman, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly against Paladin reliever to knot the game at 2-2.
The two teams traded runs in the seventh and eighth, with Hunter Burton’s two-out, pinch-hit single in the eighth, driving home Jordan Simpson for a 4-3 Paladin advantage before the decisive ninth.
Furman posted an 11-10 edge in hits, with Johnson, Jones and Simpson registering two hits apiece.
Devon Reed, Gunnar Heidt and Martin had two hits each for College of Charleston (20-18, 11-8 SoCon).
The loss was charged to Watts (3-1), who allowed both Paladin runs in the ninth.
Elon 15, Wofford 5 (game one)
Wofford 11, Elon 5 (game two)
ELON, N.C. – The Elon baseball team erupted for 15 runs thanks in part to a career game from Ryan Kinsella to win the opener of a Southern Conference doubleheader with Wofford 15-5. The Terriers then claimed the nightcap in an 11-5 contest.
Elon is now 21-20 overall and 13-7 in SoCon action while Wofford is 16-25, 7-13.
Game one
After Wofford grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, Elon tied the game when Alex Swim singled home Kinsella.
The Phoenix then moved on top in the third thanks to a three-run homer to left-center off the bat of Kinsella.
Elon then increased its lead to 10-1 in the fourth after erupting for six runs. It began with a one-out bunt single from Blaine Bower that was followed by a hit-and-run single up the middle from Quinn Bower that put runners on the corners. After a walk loaded the bases, Kinsella drove in two more with a single through the right side. A wild pitch scored Elon's third run of the frame ahead of a walk to Swim. With two down, Joey Tomko drove home Kinsella with a single up the middle. The two runners then raced home on a Chris King double that ended the scoring in the fourth.
With Elon leading 11-5 in the last of the seventh, Kinsella belted his second homer of the day. He earned the first multi-homer game of his career with a two-run shot to left that also gave him a personal-best seven RBIs in the game.
The Maroon and Gold would add one more run in the eighth.
Kinsella finished the game 4-for-6 with seven RBIs and four runs scored. His performance moved him into 10th place on Elon's all-time homer chart with 28. Kinsella now has 15 homers on the year. King went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, while both Blaine Bower and Sebastian Gomez scored three runs for the Phoenix.
Dylan Clark battled through six innings to improve to 5-3 on the year. The lefty allowed just two hits and one run while striking out four.
The loss went to Tanner Hawley (0-2), who was charged with seven runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings as the Terrier starter.
Game two
The second game of the doubleheader began the same way as the first as Wofford grabbed a quick 1-0 lead when Seth Neely singled home Demetrius Jennings.
Elon answered with two runs of its own in the last of the first. Quinn Bower scored the tying run on a Gomez double to left. Swim then tripled home Gomez to make it 2-1.
It remained a 2-1 game until the fifth, when Wofford managed to score seven runs. The inning began with a single to left-center from Matthew Ramsay. A hit batter put runners at first and second before Clark Wise beat out a bunt for a single. On the play, the throw was wild at first and allowed Ramsay to score and leave runners on the corners. After an attempted squeeze eliminated the runner at third, the Terriers pulled off a double steal before Alec Paradowski delivered two runs with a single through the left side to make it a 4-2 contest.
An infield single from Josh Hyman drove in the fifth run of the game and left runners on first and second. Neely picked up his second RBI of the game with a single to right that left runners on the corners. Wofford, which entered the weekend leading the nation in stolen bases, then had another successful double steal, this time with Neely taking second and Hyman scoring. The Terriers would add two more runs in the inning – the first on a double from James Plaisted and the second on a steal of home.
The Phoenix tried to get back in it and scored one in the last of the fifth when King doubled home Kinsella. In the sixth, Danny Lynch led off with a single and headed to third on a Casey Jones double. After a one-out walk loaded the bases, Gomez worked a four-pitch walk to pick up a RBI as the Maroon and Gold's deficit became 8-4. Wofford would escape further damage as Will Stillman got a strikeout and pop out to end the inning as the Phoenix stranded three of the 14 runners it would leave on base in the game.
Wofford pushed across three more in the seventh and Elon plated one in the eight to provide the rest of the scoring.
The win went to Jesse Morris (6-3), who allowed four runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Spencer Medick (5-3) suffered the loss after being charged with nine runs (eight earned) on 11 hits in six innings. He fanned five and did not walk a batter.
Elon and Wofford will play the rubber match of the series at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Following the game, Elon players and coaches will shave their heads to raise funds for The Vs. Cancer Foundation's efforts to battle childhood cancers.
Western Carolina 9, Georgia Southern 8
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Jacob Hoyle drove in the game-winning run in the eighth inning and Preston Hatcher tossed a scoreless ninth inning as the Western Carolina Catamounts topped the Georgia Southern Eagles 9-8 on Saturday.
Georgia Southern (21-18, 10-10 SoCon) rallied from a four-run deficit to tie the game with a two-run eighth inning. The Eagles, however, left the bases loaded in the inning after Hatcher recorded a groundout. The right-hander faced the minimum in the ninth inning to earn his sixth win of the season.
Hatcher (6-2) blew a save opportunity in the eighth inning after allowing RBI hits to Robbie Dodds and Zac Lenns. Cole Watson started the inning by drawing a walk from Tyler Powell and scored a run on Dodds' hit through the left side of the infield. Stryker Brown walked with one out and scored the second run of the frame after Lenns reached safely on an infield single.
Western Carolina (25-16, 14-6 SoCon) tallied three hits in the eighth inning, and Aaron Attaway scored a run after Hoyle drove a ball through the right side off of reliever Kyle Rowe. Rowe (3-2) suffered the loss after allowing one run on three hits.
The two teams combined for 17 runs and 28 hits. The Eagles finished with 12 hits and were led by Dodds' four singles. Chase Griffin added a pair of hits and drove in two runs. Lenns and Tyler Avera also had multi-hit days at the plate. Adam Martin and Tyler White each had three hits and two RBIs to lead Western Carolina, which finished with 16 hits.
After the Catamounts opened the scoring on a sacrifice fly by White in the first inning, GSU took a two-run lead heading into the fourth inning after Chase Griffin plated a pair of runs with a base hit back up the middle.
Western Carolina scored a combined seven runs over the middle three innings and led 8-4 after six innings. Martin plated a pair of runs in the fourth with a double, while Julian Ridings scored two more in the sixth on a triple down the right-field line.
The Eagles scored two runs in the seventh inning before tying the game with two more in the eighth. Dodds led off the seventh with a base hit to left field and scored three batters later after Lenns reached base on a two-out error. Avera scored Lenns from second base with a single.
Neither starter factored into the decision after GSU tied the game. Jason Richman went six innings for the Eagles but allowed eight runs on 11 hits, while Morgan McKinney allowed four runs and struck out seven batters.
The SoCon series concludes Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch from Hennon Stadium.
Samford 8, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 2
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford baseball team broke open a close game with five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to pull away for an 8-2 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the second game of a three-game series Saturday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
Samford pitcher C.K. Irby (6-3) overcame a slow start to earn the win on the mound for the Bulldogs. After falling behind, 2-0, in the second inning, Irby settled in and pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on four hits, striking out seven batters and allowing just one walk. Andres Gracia pitched the final two innings, giving up just one hit to pick up his first save of the season.
At the plate, Caleb Bryson led Samford, going 4-for-4 with two RBIs. Christiaan Durdaller went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double and an RBI, while Austin Allison went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
For Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Dwayne Hysmith went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Dylan Calhoun also drove in a run for the Golden Lions, going 1-for-3 at the plate.
Kyle Schwartz (3-4) pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on six hits to take the loss for UAPB. Schwartz struck out eight batters, while allowing just two walks in the game. Stanten Jones, Grant Glass, Redmond Floyd and Humberto Zavala also saw time on the mound for Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
UAPB jumped on top first, plating two runs in the top of the second inning. Kirby Campbell walked to lead off the inning. After moving to second base on a sacrifice bunt, Campbell scored on a double by Hysmith for the game’s first run. Hysmith then advanced to third base when Patrick Phillips reached base on an infield single. Calhoun then singled to drive in Hysmith for a 2-0 UAPB lead.
Samford put its first run on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth inning. With two outs in the inning, Durdaller doubled to right-center field. Bryson then singled through the left side of the infield to cut the UAPB lead to 2-1.
The Bulldogs took the lead for good with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Irby walked to lead off the inning but was then retired when Phillip Ervin reached base on a fielder’s choice. Ervin then stole second base and Durdaller walked. Bryson then singled up the middle to drive in Ervin to tie the score at 2-2. Tommy Corbin then drove in Durdaller with a sacrifice bunt to give Samford a 3-2 lead.
Samford pulled away with five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. With one out in inning, Durdaller homered to center field for the inning’s first run. Back-to-back singles by Corbin and Bryson and a walk by Richard Greene loaded the bases. Allison then singled to drive in Bryson. Stone then singled to drive in Corbin, and Greene scored on the play on a UAPB error. Allison then stole third base and scored on another UAPB error for an 8-2 Samford lead.
With the win, Samford improved to 21-19 on the season. Arkansas-Pine Bluff dropped to 14-24 with the loss.
Samford and Arkansas-Pine Bluff will conclude their series with a game Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. (CT) at Joe Lee Griffin Field.