Western Carolina 9, Furman 3 (12 inn.)
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Julian Ridings doubled and scored on a wild pitch to break a 4-all tie in the 12th inning and Western Carolina went on to tack on five more runs en route to a 9-3 win over Furman in Southern Conference baseball action Sunday afternoon at Latham Stadium.
The win gave Western Carolina (19-15, 9-6 SoCon) the series win over Furman (18-13, 6-9 SoCon) two games to one, and the defeat continued the Paladins’ struggles at home against SoCon opposition, where Furman has lost six of its last seven league games.
Ridings’ tie-breaking run on the wild pitch was followed by a three-run triple by Bradley Strong and an Aaron Attaway RBI single to right field that completed the cycle for the junior shortstop, who homered in the third inning, doubled in the fifth, tripled in the ninth, and struck out in the 11th before earning his final plate appearance in the Catamounts’ big 12th inning. He went 4-for-6, drove in two runs and scored once.
Western Carolina led the game 3-1 in the ninth with its closer, Preston Hatcher, on the mound, but Hatcher walked pinch-hitter Jake Jones with one out and then yielded a game tying two-run home run to left field by freshman Jordan Simpson.
Neither team threatened in the 10th and 11th, but Western Carolina wasted little time in the 12th in seizing control. Ridings doubled down the right-field line off of Paladin reliever Drake Browne, who then hit Tyler White. Hatcher, who had been inserted into the designated hitter spot upon entering the game, then executed a sacrifice bunt. After Dykota Spiess was intentionally walked to load the bases, Browne struck out Austin Neary for the second out, but he his third pitch to Cody Jones was wild and allowed Ridings to race home for the 5-4 advantage.
Western Carolina grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first on a Jacob Hoyle RBI single, and the Catamounts added two more in the third on solo blasts by Attaway and Hoyle off of Paladin starter Jake Wolff.
Catamount starting pitcher Jordan Smith shut out Furman over the first seven innings, allowing only three hits and three walks before Simpson led off the eighth with a single, followed by walks to Will Muzika and Hunter Burton. He was replaced by Tyler Powell, who struck out Taylor Johnson for the first out of the inning. Paul Nitto worked Powell for a bases-loaded walk, after which Hatcher got the call from the bullpen and limited the Furman rally by getting Chris Ohmstede on a pop fly and Alex Abrams on a groundout.
Hatcher (4-2) worked the final 4 2/3 innings to earn the win. He allowed two runs on two hits, walked three and struck out one.
Furman managed only six hits, three of which were credited to Simpson, whose 3-for-5, two-RBI, two-run performance included his first career home run.
The loss went to Browne (2-1), who was charged with four of Western Carolina’s six runs in the 12th. He allowed only one hit but walked two and hit a batter.
A trio of Paladin relievers — Alex Abrams, Elliott Warford, and Matt Solter — combined to throw seven innings of shutout ball and surrender only four hits until the decisive 12th.
Western Carolina finished with 11 hits, with Attaway accounting for four and Hoyle three in a 3-for-4, two-RBI performance.
Western Carolina returns to the friendly confines of Childress Field / Hennon Stadium to host former coach Jack Leggett and the Clemson Tigers on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Furman will play at Winthrop on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Samford 8, Wofford 4
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford baseball team completed the sweep of its weekend Southern Conference series against Wofford with an 8-4 win Sunday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
With the win, Samford improved to 18-14 overall and 8-7 in SoCon play. Wofford dropped to 13-21 overall and 4-11 in league play.
Cole Limbaugh (3-1) pitched five innings, giving up three runs, just two earned, on seven hits to earn the win. Patrick McGavin gave up just one unearned run in three innings of work, and Andres Gracia pitched the final inning to secure the win.
Jared Watson led Samford offensively, going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Zeth Stone and Christiaan Durdaller had two hits and an RBI each. Tommy Corbin drove in two runs in a 1-for-4 performance, putting Samford ahead for good with a two-run single in the fourth inning.
For Wofford, Luke Leftwich (2-3) pitched four innings, allowing four runs on four hits to take the loss on the mound. The Terriers were led at the plate by Matthew Ramsay, who went 2-for-2 with two RBIs. Clark Wise, Matthew Pelt and Luke Feisal also had two hits each for Wofford.
Wofford jumped on top first with a run in the top of the first inning. Wise singled up the middle to lead off the inning. He later scored on a Samford error to give Wofford a 1-0 lead.
Samford tied the score with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Durdaller singled up the middle to start the inning. After Caleb Bryson was hit by a pitch and Drew McWhorter walked to load the bases, Durdaller scored on a groundout by Watson to tie the score at 1-1.
Wofford took a 2-1 lead with a run in the top of the third inning. With two outs in the inning, Pelt doubled. Pelt then scored on a single by Ramsay to put Wofford back on top.
Samford tied the score once again with a run in the bottom of the third inning. Corbin was hit by a pitch to open the inning. After moving to second base on a walk and third base on a groundout, Corbin scored on a balk to make the score 2-2.
The Terriers added another run in the top of the fourth inning to take a 3-2 lead. Wise singled up the middle to lead off the inning and later scored from second base on a two-base wild pitch for Wofford’s third run of the game.
Samford took the lead for good with two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. With one out in the inning, Watson singled up the middle and Austin Allison walked. After both runners advanced a base on a groundout, Corbin singled up the middle to drive in Watson and Allison for a 4-3 Samford lead.
The Bulldogs added a run in the bottom of the sixth inning to push their lead to 5-3. McWhorter doubled to right-center field to lead off the inning. He later scored on a double by Stone to give Samford a two-run lead.
Wofford came back with one run in the top of the seventh inning to cut the Samford lead to 5-4. James Plaisted walked to lead off the inning and later scored on a sacrifice bunt by Ramsay to pull Wofford to within one run.
Samford plated three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to make the score 8-4. Durdaller singled to drive in C.K. Irby for the first run of the inning. McWhorter hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Brandon Powell to make the score 7-4. Watson doubled to drive in Durdaller for the game’s final run.
Samford will return to action when the Bulldogs play host to crosstown rival UAB on Tuesday at 6 p.m. (CT).
The game was the final contest in a nine-game road trip for Wofford. The Terriers return home on Wednesday to play UNC Asheville at 6 p.m. before hosting Furman in a Southern Conference weekend series.
College of Charleston 3, UNCG 2 (10 inn.)
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – College of Charleston scored the tying run in the bottom of the ninth and the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning to take a 3-2 win in Sunday’s rubber game to win the series over UNCG.
Freshman Carl Wise hit a leadoff triple to left-center in the bottom of the ninth with CofC trailing 2-1. He then came home on a wild pitch to tie the game at 2-2 and send it to extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Alex Pastorius hit a leadoff double to left, advanced to third on a grounder and then came home on an RBI single from Gunnar Heidt.
The hit was Heidt’s first walk-off RBI of his career and marked the second walk-off victory of the season for College of Charleston. CofC is also now 2-1 in extra-inning games and 4-1 in Sunday rubber games, pulling out its third SoCon series victory of the season.
Senior starter Ryan West pitched a gem in the no-decision, going seven innings and allowing just four hits and one run. He set a new career high with nine strikeouts and only walked one batter. Dre Watts (3-0) allowed UNCG’s go-ahead run in the eighth inning but recovered to hold the Spartans scoreless in the ninth and 10th innings for his third win of the year.
UNCG starter Lee Gilliam went 7 2/3 innings for a no-decision, scattering four hits and allowing one run while striking out seven. Tyler Frazier (1-3) allowed both CofC runs in the ninth and 10th innings to suffer the loss.
The Cougars got on the scoreboard first in the fourth inning with a solo home run from Ben Boykin, his third of the year, which traveled over the right-field wall next to the foul pole.
West was cruising until the sixth inning, when the Spartans put runners on the corners after a well-executed hit-and-run play from Ray Crawford. Trevor Edwards grounded into a double play, but Christian Wolfe came home to score and tie the game.
The Spartans went ahead in the eighth inning after three consecutive hits from the top of the order, including an RBI single from Edwards, scoring Wolfe for the second time.
Heidt hit a two-out double in the eighth inning, but he was stranded on base after Boykin grounded out to the shortstop.
The Cougars excited the crowd in the bottom of the ninth inning when Wise led off the inning with a double off the wall in left field. He then came home to score on a wild pitch that tied the game at 2. However, CofC struck out twice and grounded out to end the inning and send it to extra frames.
Watts induced two groundouts and struck out Crawford in the top of the 10th inning, setting up the Cougars’ fireworks in the bottom of the 10th inning.
College of Charleston will travel to Coastal Carolina on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. start against the in-state rival Chanticleers.
UNCG returns to the diamond Tuesday, when the Spartans travel to Durham for a nonconference game with Duke. First pitch at Jack Coombs Field is set for 6 p.m.
Elon 8, The Citadel 6
CHARLESTON, S.C. – A six-run second inning helped propel Elon to a Southern Conference series victory at The Citadel as the Phoenix claimed an 8-6 win in Sunday's rubber match at Riley Park.
Elon (20-13, 12-6 SoCon) jumped on top with a single run in the first inning. The tally came when Alex Swim singled home Sebastian Gomez for his 146th career RBI, which moved the senior into a tie for 10th in program history in that category.
The Citadel (17-16, 6-6) came back with two in the bottom of the frame on a Drew DeKerlegand double, only to see the Maroon and Gold explode in the second.
Antonio Alvarez got the rally going with a single up the middle and headed to second when the throw was wild at first. After a Wil Leathers single put runners on the corners, Casey Jones tied the game up at 2 with a double to left.
Chris Bresnahan put Elon back in front for good with a two-RBI triple down the right-field line. An infield single from Blaine Bower looked like it would put runners at the corners again, but the second Bulldog error of the frame allowed Bresnahan to score and Bower to move to second. A one-out single by Gomez drove home Bower as Elon's lead reached 6-2. With runners on the corners again, an attempted pickoff at first was thrown away and Gomez scored to make it a 7-2 game.
The Bulldogs trimmed the deficit to 7-4 in the last of the second on a two-RBI single from Jay Jackson.
A Ryan Kinsella double to left-center drove home Elon's eighth run in the fourth before The Citadel pulled within two with two in the last of the fifth.
Eight of Elon's nine starters had at least one hit. Swim finished the day 4-for-5 with a run and RBI and Gomez was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI. Kinsella, Leathers and Bresnahan all had two-hit outings for the Phoenix.
The win went to Spencer Medick, who improved to 5-1. Medick went five innings and gave up six runs (four earned) on seven hits. He fanned four. Andrew MacDonald gave Elon 3 1/3 scoreless innings, while Nate Young recorded the final two outs to record his seventh save of the season.
Austin Mason (2-2) took the loss after being roughed up for six runs on seven hits in an inning.
Elon will return home to Latham Park for a 6:30 p.m. contest on Tuesday against the nation's top-rated team, North Carolina.
The Bulldogs are back in action Tuesday at 7 p.m. against No. 12 South Carolina in Columbia. The Citadel will be looking to even the season series after the Gamecocks took a 9-5 decision at Riley Park on March 19.
Georgia Southern 8, Appalachian State 7
BOONE, N.C. – The Georgia Southern Eagles rallied from a two-run deficit and scored three runs in the ninth inning to defeat the Appalachian State Mountaineers 8-7 on Sunday and salvage a win in the series.
Georgia Southern (20-11, 10-5 SoCon) took an early lead after a four-run first inning but was forced to rally after Appalachian State (17-10, 8-6 SoCon) took a 7-5 lead in the seventh inning.
Making his first appearance since March 17 at Samford, Kyle Rowe (3-0) picked up the win after tossing three scoreless innings. Rowe allowed three hits and one walk but struck out the side in the eighth inning. The senior right-hander worked around a one-out walk in the ninth and recorded a pair of fly outs to end the game.
Rob Marcello (0-2) suffered the loss after blowing the save and allowing three runs on three hits. Marcello was unable to record an out in the ninth inning. The right-hander loaded the bases after hitting Arthur Owens. Zac Lenns unloaded the bases with a two-run single. Scooter Williams plated the go-ahead run with a double over the bag at first base and down the right-field line.
Both starting pitchers were unable to get past the fifth inning. Justin Hess pitched into the fifth inning but allowed the first two batters to reach in the frame. Hess surrendered three runs – two earned – on eight hits. Mountaineer starter Jeffrey Springs allowed five runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings.
Georgia Southern bounced back after recording two hits on Saturday to tally 16 hits on Sunday. Robbie Dodds led the Eagles with four hits. Five others recorded two hits. Lenns finished with two hits and three RBIs.
GSU sent eight batters to the plate in the first inning and scored four runs on four hits and two errors. Williams led off the game with a single and scored on an error by the third baseman. Dodds hit a two-out triple to plate Chase Griffin. Owens drove in Dodds with a single, and Tyler Avera plated Owens with a base hit.
Appalachian State scored three runs in the fifth inning on a throwing error by Griffin and a double by Will Callaway. The Mountaineers came back to score two runs in the seventh inning on another Callaway double and a wild pitch.
The Eagles added a single run in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly by Lenns. Dodds led off the frame with a base hit and reached second after the center fielder bobbled the ball. Dodds reached third base after a groundout by Owens.
Georgia Southern wraps up an eight-game road trip at Charleston Southern on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
Appalachian State begins a nine-game road trip on Tuesday when it travels to UNC Asheville for a nonconference tilt. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at historic McCormick Field in Asheville, N.C.
UNCW 4, Davidson 1
WILMINGTON, N.C. – LHP Christian MacDonald held Davidson to two hits in 7 1/3 innings to lead UNCW to a series-clinching 4-1 victory over the Wildcats in nonconference baseball action Sunday at Brooks Field.
UNCW (23-10) scored all of its runs in the third inning with two outs, taking advantage of a Davidson error to score three unearned runs. Left fielder Luke Dunlap hit an RBI single with runners on first and second and two outs, and then first baseman Corey Dick (1-for-3, BB) reached on a fielding error to prolong in the inning and allow another run to score. Third baseman Ryan LaGrange (2-for-4) and designated hitter Matt Keeler (1-for-3, BB) followed with RBI singles for a 4-0 lead.
The Wildcats’ bullpen was strong the rest of the way, as LHP Rob Bain and RHPs Nick Neitzel, Bryan DaCanal, Matt Saeta and Jip Richards combined to allow just three hits and a walk over the final 5 1/3 innings.
Davidson (9-21) scored its lone run in the ninth inning as left fielder Forrest Brandt singled and first baseman Andrew Barna walked before pinch-hitter Ben Arkin singled to right field to drive in Brandt from second.
Shortstop Michael Zeblo and right fielder Nathan Becker were the only Wildcats to get hits off of MacDonald (4-0), who allowed just four base runners to reach and struck out four. RHP Michael Goldberg (0-2) was tagged with the loss, allowing the four runs (one earned) in 2 2/3 innings of work on five hits and two walks.
Davidson will complete a stretch of 11 of 12 games on the road Tuesday at USC Upstate with first pitch set for 6 p.m. The next seven games will be at Wilson Field, beginning with a Southern Conference series against College of Charleston Friday at 6 p.m.