UNCG 6, North Carolina A&T 2
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG baseball team limited North Carolina A&T to three hits Tuesday on the way to a 6-2 nonconference victory at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
The Blue and Gold (19-26) swept the season series with the Aggies (14-32) while also improving to 38-6 all-time against their crosstown neighbors. The win also snapped UNCG’s six-game skid.
Infielders Lloyd Enzor and Nin Marrero tallied three hits each in the contest, accounting for half of the Spartans’ base knocks. Both UNCG players were also credited with an RBI. Senior outfielder Christian Wolfe failed to record a hit for the first time in 21 contests, but his recent hitting streak tied him for the program’s longest on record.
Junior LHP Dylan Hathcock (3-4) picked up the win for the Blue and Gold, throwing two scoreless innings while giving up just one hit and striking out one. The Spartans used six pitchers in the game as they combined for seven strikeouts.
Starter and RHP Brennen James set North Carolina A&T down in order in the top of the first before the UNCG offense went quickly to work. Senior infielder TJ Spina singled with one out and would steal second with two away. Enzor came through with an RBI double and sophomore outfielder Eric Kalbfleisch followed suit with a two-bagger of his own to make the score 2-0 after an inning.
UNCG plated another run in the bottom of the second as sophomore outfielder Zac MacAneney singled to center and advanced to second on a wild pitch with one out. Marrero kept the inning going with an infield single to put MacAneney at third. The Spartans would execute a double steal after Wolfe struck out as MacAneney crossed home safely for a 3-0 UNCG advantage.
The teams were held scoreless in the third inning, but the Blue and Gold struck again in the bottom of the fourth. Junior outfielder Cole Harrison singled to begin the frame then proceeded to steal second. Marrero also singled, advancing Harrison to third. Wolfe would get an RBI in his next at bat as he reached on a fielder’s choice, which allowed Harrison to score. The Spartans would end the fourth inning with a 4-0 lead.
The Aggies plated their only two runs in the sixth thanks to a one-out home run just inside the left foul pole by Kelvin Freeman. Luke Tendler scored on the blast after drawing a walk with one away.
UNCG was able to answer in the bottom of the seventh, quickly loading the bases with no outs on the board via two singles and a walk. After Kalbfleisch lined to second for the first out, junior catcher Cambric Moye drove a ball to center for the sacrifice fly, plating Spina from third. A wild pitch would score senior infielder Trevor Edwards with two gone as the Spartans assumed a 6-2 lead.
The Blue and Gold recorded the game’s only hit in the final inning and a half – a single to center by Marrero.
UNCG kicks off its final road swing of the regular season this weekend, traveling to Birmingham, Ala., for a Southern Conference series with Samford. The teams will begin the set Friday with a contest at 7 p.m. inside Joe Lee Griffin Field.
North Florida 5, Georgia Southern 4 (11 inn.)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ryan Roberson hit a walk-off single in the 11th inning to lift the North Florida Ospreys to a 5-4 win over the Georgia Southern Eagles at Harmon Stadium on Tuesday.
Georgia Southern (23-21) held a 4-2 lead after seven innings before a pair of runs scored on an error by first baseman T.D. Davis. Davis had trouble fielding a high hop that bounced off his chest and into foul territory down the right-field line.
The two runs erased a solid start from Josh Stevenson, who pitched into the eighth inning. Stevenson left with a no decision and allowed four runs – three earned – on 10 hits. The senior right-hander walked just one and struck out four batters.
The win for North Florida (33-12) was the 1,000th in the school's history and came after Roberson drove a ball off the wall in left field. Chris Myers retired the first two batters in the 11th inning with groundouts but allowed a single to Tyler Marincov. After Drew Johnson hit the only batter he faced, Clint Taylor allowed the walk-off single. Myers (0-1) received his first decision after allowing the one run over 2 2/3 innings.
Corbin Olmstead (3-0) picked up the win after throwing 1 1/3 scoreless frames. Olmstead allowed one hit and struck out a pair of batters to earn his third win of the season.
After North Florida started the scoring with a first-inning RBI infield single by Donnie Devees, the two teams traded runs in the third inning. Brent Pugh scored the Eagles' first run on a wild pitch in the top half of the frame, and Marincov plated a run in the bottom of the frame on a single to center field.
GSU tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Ben Morgan. Davis scored the run after reaching base on a one-out double.
The Eagles took a 4-2 lead in the sixth inning on back-to-back RBI base hits from Tyler Avera and Morgan. Chase Griffin walked to lead off the frame and scored on Avera's single to center field. Morgan doubled in Davis, who reached with a base hit.
Georgia Southern returns home to host Charleston Southern on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Wofford 7, Winthrop 3
GREENVILLE, S.C. – On Tuesday night, the Wofford baseball team defeated Winthrop 7-3 at Fluor Field. The game was tied at 3 after four innings, but the Terriers scored four runs in the sixth inning for the victory.
Wofford is now 19-28 on the season and Winthrop is 15-29 overall. The Terriers were led by Clark Wise with two hits and two RBIs and Matt Ramsay with two RBIs. Stephen Wallace had two hits and scored two runs for the Eagles.
In the bottom of the first inning, Demetrius Jennings walked and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. After he stole third, a sacrifice fly by Josh Hyman made it a 1-0 game.
The Eagles tied the game in the top of the second on a solo home run by Wallace.
After Wofford was retired in order in the bottom of the second, the Eagles opened the third inning with a single. An RBI double off the wall in left field by Jace Whitley made it a 2-1 game.
In the top of the fourth, Winthrop had runners at first and second when Kyle Edwards hit an RBI single for a 3-1 lead.
The Terriers opened the bottom of the fourth with a single by Alec Paradowski, but a double play erased the base runner. Seth Neely added a double, and he scored on a single by Ramsay to cut the lead to 3-2. Ramsay stole second and third then crossed home on a single by Wise to tie the game at 3-3.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Terriers had singles from Paradowski and Hyman. Both runners advanced on a double steal and Neely drove in Paradowski with a single for a 4-3 lead. Hyman scored from third on a sacrifice bunt by Ramsay to take a 5-3 advantage. Wise singled to center field to drive in Neely, but the ball went all the way to the wall on a fielding error and Wise was able to score to make it a 7-3 game.
In the top of the ninth, the Eagles loaded the bases on two walks and a single, but a double play ended the game.
Wofford starter Connell Anderson threw four innings with three runs allowed on seven hits and three strikeouts. Matthew Milburn (3-2) worked two innings and gave up one hit with three strikeouts.
Winthrop starter Sam Kmiec went four innings and gave up three runs on four hits with three strikeouts. Josh Strong (2-1) threw two innings and allowed four runs on four hits with two strikeouts. Jared Keels did not allow a hit and had three strikeouts in two innings of work.
Next up for Wofford is a three-game home series against the College of Charleston that begins on Friday at 7 p.m.
Wake Forest 2, Elon 1 (13 inn.)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Nate Young struck out a career-high nine hitters a six innings of work out of the Elon bullpen, but the Phoenix came out on the wrong side of a 2-1 score in a 13-inning pitchers' duel at Wake Forest on Tuesday night.
With the game tied at 1 since the seventh inning, the Demon Deacons (25-23) began their late-inning heroics with a one-out single to center by Brett Armour. After a failed pickoff attempt allowed Armour to race around to third, Grant Shambley hit a fly ball to center that allowed Armour to just beat the throw home to score the winning run.
Wake Forest got on the board first in the fifth when Shambley scored from third on a Joey Rodriguez single.
Elon (23-24) then knotted the score at 1 in the seventh. With one out, Joey Tomko walked before Tyler McVicar was hit by a pitch. A two-out single up the middle off the bat of pinch-hitter Danny Lynch then plated Tomko to tie the game.
The Demon Deacons had chances to end the game earlier in the extra frames, but Young just kept snuffing out the attempted rallies. Wake loaded the bases with one out in the 10th on two infield singles and a walk before Young got a strikeout and a ground ball to escape. In the 11th, Wake had a runner on second with one out before Young again slammed the door shut.
When entering the game in the seventh, Young also ended a potential rally. The senior came on with runners on second and third with no outs and promptly struck out the next two hitters before inducing a routine fly ball to end the threat. He allowed only two hits in his six innings of work.
The loss went to Ryan Pennell (0-2). Pennell allowed one unearned run on one hit in 2/3 of an inning. Making the first start of his career, Brandon Kacer gave up just two hits and no runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Niko Spezial (4-0) grabbed the win after tossing one scoreless frame.
Of Elon's seven hits on the night, two came from Ryan Kinsella.
Wake Forest only tallied eight hits, with two coming from Rodriguez.
The Phoenix and Demon Deacons will meet again on Wednesday night at Elon's Latham Park. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
Samford 4, UAB 3
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford baseball team scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a one-run lead and then held on for the final two and a half innings for a 4-3 win at UAB on Tuesday evening at Young Memorial Field.
Samford was led at the plate by Christiaan Durdaller, who went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Phillip Ervin was 2-for-5 with an RBI for the Bulldogs.
Freshman pitcher Parker Curry (1-2) earned his first collegiate win in the victory. Curry pitched 1 1/3 innings in relief, allowing no hits to pick up the win. Patrick McGavin, Eric Wright, Cole Limbaugh, Arthur Strauss and Andres Gracia also saw time on the mound for the Bulldogs.
UAB was led by Chase Davis, who went 3-for-5 with an RBI. Cory Eller (2-2) pitched 1 1/3 innings in relief, giving up two runs on one hit to take the loss on the mound for the Blazers.
With Samford leading 4-3, UAB threatened to score in the bottom of the ninth inning. With one out in the inning, Tyler Mims was hit by a pitch. Davis then singled but was thrown out at second base, and Mims advanced to third base. John Frost then bunted down the third-base line, and Samford’s Tommy Corbin fielded the ball and made a perfect throw to beat Frost by a step to preserve the win for the Bulldogs.
Samford struck first with a run in the top of the first inning. With one out in the inning, Ervin singled. With two outs, Ervin stole second base and moved to third on a UAB error. Ervin then scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 Samford lead.
UAB tied the score with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Ivan De Jesus led the inning off with a double. After moving to third base on a groundout, De Jesus scored on a groundout by Jacob German to tie the score at 1-1.
The Bulldogs took the lead again with a run in the top of the third inning. With one out in the inning, Ervin reached base on an error. After moving to second base on a wild pitch, Ervin scored on a single by Durdaller for a 2-1 Samford lead.
The Blazers came back with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 3-2 lead. German singled to lead off the inning. With one out, Tyler Hamby reached base on a three-base Samford error and German scored on the play to tie the score. Davis then singled to drive in Hamby to give UAB the lead.
Samford came back with two runs in the top of the seventh inning to take the lead for good at 4-3. With one out in the inning, Richard Greene tripled to right-center field. Danny Rodriguez walked and Zeth Stone was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Greene scored when Ervin reached base on a fielder’s choice, and Rodriguez scored on the play on a UAB error to give Samford the lead.
With the win, Samford improved to 24-21 on the season. UAB dropped to 17-29 with the loss. The win was Samford’s eighth straight over its crosstown rival.
Samford will return to action on Friday, when the Bulldogs open a three-game home Southern Conference series with UNCG. Friday night’s series opener is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT) at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
Appalachian State 3, East Tennessee State 1 (completion of suspended game from April 24)
East Tennessee State 7, Appalachian State 6
BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State split its annual series with longtime local rival ETSU on Tuesday at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium. Appalachian State opened the evening by finishing off a 3-1 victory in a game that was suspended in the seventh inning last Wednesday due to rain. In the regularly scheduled series finale between the two clubs, Appalachian squandered a 5-2 seventh-inning lead and fell, 7-6.
Tuesday’s action started in quite unconventional fashion. Appalachian State took its own home field as the visiting team with a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning, which is where last Wednesday’s contest at ETSU stood before the rain moved in. Appalachian reliever Josh Wilson made the two-run lead stand up, as he retired nine of the 10 batters he faced to close out the win. Wilson did not surrender a hit in three scoreless innings to pick up his second save of the season.
All of the Mountaineers’ offense in the victory came last Wednesday in Johnson City, Tenn. Michael Pierson, Josh Zumbrook and Noah Holmes had an RBI apiece before play was halted. Six days after he worked three scoreless innings out of the bullpen, Jeffrey Springs was credited with the win to move to 2-2 on the campaign.
In the nightcap, Appalachian State (24-17) banged out 10 hits but committed a season-high-tying five errors and left 11 runners on base in the frustrating loss.
Appalachian was in position to sweep the season series from ETSU (25-18) for the first time since 2010 when it plated four unearned runs with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 5-2 lead. However, the Bucs regrouped during a 42-minute rain delay in the top of the seventh and scored five runs of their own to retake a 7-5 lead.
The Mountaineers committed three of their five errors and reliever Rob Marcello issued three walks during ETSU’s five-run seventh. Thanks to the Apps’ sloppy play, the Bucs needed only two hits to turn the 5-2 deficit into a 7-5 advantage.
Appalachian threatened to regain the lead in the eighth when it cut the deficit to 7-6 on William Head’s RBI single. The Mountaineer had the tying and go-ahead runs on base with just one out, but the opportunity slipped away when Will Callaway and Jaylin Davis struck out to end the inning, leaving the bases loaded for the third time in the ballgame.
Highlighted by a two-out, bases-loaded triple in the Mountaineers’ four-run sixth, Head went 3-for-4 with four a career-high-tying four RBIs in the nightcap. The junior drove in four runs for the second time in three games, as he also had four RBI in last Friday’s 10-5 win over Samford.
Marcello was tagged for four runs in one-third of an inning to fall to 1-3 on the campaign.
Appalachian State returns to action on Friday when it opens a three-game Southern Conference series versus Elon. Friday’s series opener is set for 6:30 p.m. at Smith Stadium.