Georgia Southern 18, Georgia 4
ATHENS, Ga. – Aaron Mizell homered twice and drove in four runs as the Georgia Southern Eagles took the deciding game of the three-game series, 18-4 over the Georgia Bulldogs at Foley Field on Sunday.
Mizell helped power the Georgia Southern offense, which tallied 21 hits and posted its first 10-run inning since April 27, 2013. The Eagles (2-1) jumped ahead 11-0 and scored all 11 runs in the top of the third inning.
GSU sent 16 batters to the plate in the third inning and tallied 10 hits to score the 11 runs. Dalton Busby sparked the rally after reaching first base on a strikeout and a wild pitch. Kody Adams followed with an infield hit, and Ben Morgan loaded the bases with a single. Mizell plated the first run of the inning with a sacrifice fly. Mizell later capped off the inning with a two-run homer.
Morgan, Chase Griffin and Adams all tallied three hits. In total, seven Eagles recorded multiple hits.
Pitching in relief of starter Ryan Frederick, Jason Richman picked up the win after tossing three innings in relief. Richman held Georgia (1-2) to two runs on five hits and struck out four batters. Richman (1-0) gave way to McCall in the sixth inning and the senior right-hander tossed 3 1/3 scoreless frames to earn a save.
Patrick Boling (0-1) was unable to get out of the third inning and suffered the loss after allowing seven runs on six hits.
The Bulldogs responded with two runs in the bottom of the third and added single runs in the fourth and sixth innings.
GSU returns to Statesboro, Ga., to open the home slate against Georgia Tech on Wednesday.
Samford 10, Valparaiso 7
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford’s Caleb Bryson hit a walk-off grand slam to cap a six-run ninth inning and give the Bulldog baseball team a 10-7 win in the final game of a three-game series against Valparaiso on Sunday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
Samford entered the bottom of the ninth inning trailing, 7-4. The rally started when Heath Quinn walked with the bases loaded to bring in Frankie Navarrete to make the score 7-5. Drew McWhorter then reached on a fielder’s choice to score Jared Watson to cut the Valparaiso lead to 7-6. Bryson came up with the bases loaded and two outs and crushed his first home run of the season to left-center field to give the Bulldogs their first win of the season.
The Bulldogs trailed 7-1 entering the seventh inning but plated one run in the seventh inning and two runs in the eighth inning to make the score 7-4 and set the stage for the ninth-inning rally.
With the win, Samford improved to 1-2 on the season. Valparaiso dropped to 2-1 with the loss.
At the plate, Samford was led by Bryson, who went 4-for-4 with a home run and a career-high seven RBIs. The seven RBIs are the most for any Samford player since David Schulze drove in seven runs at College of Charleston on March 14, 2010.
Following Bryson for Samford, Quinn went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Tyler Filliben also went 2-for-3 at the plate for the Bulldogs.
Andres Gracia (1-0) pitched the final inning in relief to earn the win on the mound for Samford. Alex Milazzo, Gage Pregno, Patrick McGavin, Mikel Belcher, Phillip Flach and Parker Curry also saw time on the mound for Samford.
Valparaiso was led at the plate by Spencer Mahoney, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Nate Palace and Karch Kowalczyk each homered for the Crusaders. Ben Mahar (0-1) pitched the final 2/3 of an inning, giving up six runs on three hits to take the loss on the mound for Valparaiso.
Valparaiso jumped on top first with a run in the top of the third inning. Andrew Bynum walked with the bases loaded to drive in Ray Bartolomucci for a 1-0 lead.
The Crusaders added three runs in the fourth inning to make the score 4-0. Kowalczyk led the inning off with a solo home run. Mahoney later singled to drive in Bartolomucci for the second run of the inning. The inning’s final run was scored when Mark Johnson stole home.
Samford put its first run on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth inning. Bryson singled through the left side of the infield to drive in Filliben to cut the Valparaiso lead to 4-1.
Valparaiso plated three more runs in the top of the sixth inning. Palace hit a two-run home run to give the Crusaders a 6-1 lead. Chris Manning later doubled to drive in Mahoney to make the score 7-1.
Samford plated a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to make the score 7-2. After Filliben doubled to lead off the inning, he later scored from third base when Bryson flew out to left field.
The Bulldogs added two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to close to within three runs at 7-4. Hunter Swilling singled to drive in Quinn for the first run of the inning. Bryson then singled to drive in McWhorter for Samford’s fourth run of the game.
Samford will return to action on Friday, Feb. 21, when the Bulldogs open a three-game series with Memphis at Joe Lee Griffin Field. Friday’s series opener is scheduled for a 4 p.m. CT start.
Elon 6, Cincinnati 5 (10 innings)
RALEIGH, N.C. – After being delayed two days by a recent storm, the Elon baseball team opened its 2014 season with a 6-5, 10-inning victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats at Doak Field in Raleigh, N.C., on Sunday. The win improved Elon to 11-7 in season openers under skipper Mike Kennedy.
Elon (1-0) was led by Casey Jones and Danny Lynch, who both tallied three-hit games. Jones doubled twice and belted the first home run of his career, driving in three runs on the day. Lynch had two doubles, including a walk-off shot to center in the last of the 10th that plated the winning run.
In the 10th, Chris King reached on an infield single and then raced home with the winning run on Lynch's double.
Elon got on the board in the bottom of the first when Jones doubled home Quinn Bower, who had led off the inning by being hit by a pitch and stealing second base. Jones later scored on a Ryan Cooper single to left-center.
After Cincinnati (0-1) got one back in the top of the fourth, Elon plated single runs in both the fourth and the fifth innings. In the fourth, Lynch raced home on a Nick Zammarelli double. Jones' homer to left provided the tally in the fifth.
Elon led 5-2 heading to the ninth before Cincinnati put together a two-out rally. Michael Elefante retired the first two hitters of the inning before Will Drake singled to left. A throwing error extended the inning and left two on for Ian Happ, who doubled home both runners with a shot to the gap in left-center. He then scored on a Colin Hawk single to knot the game at 5.
Making his first NCAA Division I start, Lucas Bakker allowed just one run on one hit over six innings of work. The righty from Australia fanned seven Bearcats but did not earn a decision.
Elefante (1-0) garnered the victory for the Phoenix. He went two innings and gave up three unearned runs on four hits.
Taking the loss was Grant Walker (0-1), who allowed one run on four hits in three frames for the Bearcats.
Elon and Cincinnati will play again on Monday at 4:30 p.m., also in Raleigh.
Xavier 11, Furman 6
Furman 13, Toledo 5
GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Furman baseball team split a Sunday doubleheader, dropping an 11-6 decision to Xavier at Latham Stadium before bouncing back to post a 13-5 win over Toledo at Fluor Field in the First Pitch Invitational sponsored by the Greenville Drive.
The split give the Paladins a 2-1 record on the young season.
In Sunday’s first game, the Musketeers used a six-run second inning to grab a 6-1 lead and then held off a Furman comeback to earn the victory.
Xavier’s Daniel Rizzie and Derek Hasenbeck registered three hits apiece and Mitch Elliott homered and drove in a pair of runs to highlight a 14-hit attack.
Furman trailed 9-1 before scoring five runs in the sixth inning, highlighted by a two-out, two-run double by Heath Burton that pulled the Paladins to within three at 9-6.
The Paladins threatened in the seventh after putting two runners on base with no outs but couldn’t cash in as Xavier reliever Brad Kirschner struck out the next two Paladins and then watched as Musketeer left fielder Joe Forney made a full-sprint extended catch on a line drive off the bat of Furman’s Griffin Davis to end the threat.
Xavier put the game on ice in the ninth with a pair of runs, making a winner of starting pitcher Vinny Nittoli (1-0).
The loss was charged to Paladin starting pitcher Matt Solter (0-1), who failed to survive the second, allowing six runs on six hits and a pair of walks in 1 1/3 innings.
Chris Ohmstede had three of Furman’s nine hits.
In Sunday’s second game, against Toledo, Burton and Greg Harrison registered three hits apiece and Furman scored runs in five consecutive innings en route to the win.
With the score tied 1-1, the Paladins struck for four runs in the fourth on an RBI grounder by Sky Overton, a run-scoring infield single from Burton and RBI singles by Harrison and Jarrod Rickman to go up 5-1.
The Paladins added a run in the fifth, two more in the sixth on a Jordan Simpson two-out, two-run single, and then blew the game open with a five-run seventh, capped by Andrew MacLatchie’s RBI double, part of a 2-for-4 performance.
Furman finished the game with 12 hits.
Alex Abrams (1-0) pitched 4 1/3 innings to earn the win, allowing a pair of runs on seven hits.
Jacques de Gruy came on in the sixth and tossed 2 2/3 innings of effective relief, allowing one run on two hits while striking out three.
Toledo banged out 11 safeties in the contest, with four players — Tyler Grogg, Deion Tensel, Dan Zuchowski and Jacob North — registering two hits each.
The loss was charged to Kyle Slack, who allowed four runs on five hits over 3 1/3 innings. He walked three and fanned three.
Furman plays at East Tennessee State on Tuesday, with first pitch set for 3 p.m.
No. 2 Mississippi State 7, Western Carolina 2
STARKVILLE, Miss. – No. 2 Mississippi State used a five-run third inning in the rubber game of the series between the Catamounts and Bulldogs to hand Western Carolina a 7-2 loss Sunday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field.
With a scoreless game heading into the bottom of the third inning, MSU’s Demarcus Henderson led off with a double to right field. Catamount starter T.J. Fussell walked Matthew Britton but recorded an out when Zack Randolph failed to move the runners with a bunt. Fussell recorded the second out of the inning with on a pop up to shortstop, but another walk loaded the bases full of Bulldogs.
Mississippi State broke scoreless tie when Wes Rea was hit by a pitch, scoring Henderson. Brett Pirtle cleared the bases knocking a three-run triple down the right-field line. Pirtle scored when C.T. Bradford reached first on a bunt single, giving the Bulldogs a 5-0 lead. Fussell recorded the final out of the inning, escaping further damage with a strikeout.
Western Carolina got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth when Jacob Hoyle clocked the Catamounts’ first home run of the season over the right-field fence off Bulldog starter Dakota Hudson. Hudson, who only worked four innings, allowing just the one run on four WCU hits, held the Catamounts’ bats at bay, ending the inning with a double play and fly out to short.
Mississippi State tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth inning when the Bulldogs loaded the bases on a hit batter and two walks. WCU almost avoided damage when Daniel Garner lined into a double play, but Randolph delivered the Bulldogs’ sixth two-out RBI of the game with a single to center. MSU scored its final run of the game when Alex Detz earned a free pass with the bases still loaded, giving the Bulldogs a 7-1 lead.
WCU answered when two-time preseason All-American selection and the Southern Conference’s Preseason Player of the Year, Aaron Attaway, clubbed his second double of the season with two outs in the top of the ninth. Bradley Strong followed with a single to center, scoring Attaway and giving the game its final score of 7-2.
The Purple & Gold outhit Mississippi State, 9-4. However, MSU stranded only two runners, while WCU was guilty of stranding 10 runners on the base paths.
Strong and Cody Jones each finished with two hits in five plate appearances for the Catamounts, while Hoyle went 2-for-4 out of the cleanup spot in the lineup.
Four Bulldogs had one hit apiece, with Pirtle’s three-RBI triple leading the run production for MSU.
Fussell was saddled with the loss in five innings of work, scattering three hits and allowing five runs – all earned. Fussell recorded nine strikeouts.
Ben Bracewell, who was Mississippi State’s third pitcher of the game, earned the win in 1 1/3 innings of work. Bracewell allowed one hit and struck out four Catamounts.
Western Carolina hosts Winthrop on Tuesday at 4 p.m. in its home opener at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
No. 25 Arkansas 8, Appalachian State 3
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 25 Arkansas managed just three hits but Appalachian State University pitchers issued eight walks and hit six batters in an 8-3 loss to the Razorbacks on Sunday afternoon at Baum Stadium.
All three of Arkansas’ hits – Tyler Spoon’s RBI double in the first and Joe Serrano’s RBI double and Brian Anderson’s RBI single in the seventh – drove in runs. However, the Hogs also plated five runs – two in the second inning and three in the eighth – without the benefit of a hit in either stanza.
Appalachian State (0-3) led 2-1 after 1 1/2 innings thanks to a leadoff homer by Michael Pierson and a perfectly executed squeeze bunt by William Head in the top of the second. After Arkansas regained a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the inning, Dillon Dobson drew the Mountaineers even in the top of the third when he led off with a mammoth homer that cleared the bullpen beyond the right-field wall.
After the frantic start to the ballgame, neither team had a hit over the next three frames before Arkansas (3-0) snapped the deadlock with its back-to-back run-scoring hits in the seventh.
The Mountaineers then issued two more walks, hit two batters and had a costly error in the eighth to allow the Razorbacks to put the game out of reach.
Six of Appalachian State’s seven pitchers had at least one walk and/or hit batter but only two surrendered hits in the frustrating defeat. Freshman Payton Smith suffered the loss despite not allowing a hit or walk during his one inning of work, as he led off the seventh by hitting the batter that eventually came across as the winning run.
In addition to Pierson’s and Dobson’s solo homers, Brian Bauk, Ozzy Gonzalez and Bradley Morton each had singles to round out the Mountaineers’ five hits.
Appalachian State looks to rebound from the disappointing opening weekend on Tuesday when it travels to another traditional Southeastern Conference power, Tennessee. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.
West Virginia 10, The Citadel 2
CHARLESTON, S.C. – West Virginia pounded out 18 hits, including two home runs, in a 10-2 victory over The Citadel on Sunday to wrap up the Homewood Suites Tournament presented by Charleston Crab House.
Despite the loss, it was a successful opening weekend for the Bulldogs at Riley Park. The Citadel opened the tournament with wins over Virginia Tech and No. 8 Louisville and takes a 2-1 record into its first road game of the season Tuesday at USC Upstate.
In addition to their offensive exploits, the Mountaineers (1-2) also got strong work from starter John Means, who limited the Bulldogs to five hits and one run over six innings. Sophomore Austin Livingston made the first weekend start of his career and took the loss, allowing eight hits and five runs with a pair of strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.
The Citadel suffered its first loss to West Virginia in five all-time meetings under head coach Fred Jordan. The Mountaineers were led by Billy Fleming with four hits, while Bobby Boyd and Shaun Wood added three each.
Calvin Orth and Drew DeKerlegand both had two hits and an RBI for The Citadel.
Means retired the first eight Bulldogs before sophomore catcher Stephen Windham grounded a single up the middle for his first career hit. Meanwhile, Cam O'Brien homered in the second and the Mountaineers added two more in the fourth to build a 3-0 lead.
The Citadel got on the board in its half of the fourth when Hughston Armstrong singled, stole second and scored on Orth's RBI single to center. But it was all West Virginia after that, as Ryan McBroom hit a two-run homer to left in the fifth and the Mountaineers tacked on five runs over the final two innings.
The Bulldogs set a school record by using nine pitchers in the contest. Three of those hurlers – freshman Zach McKay and redshirt freshmen Paul Joseph Krouse and Zach Lavery – were making their college debuts, with McKay working out of a two-on, one-out jam in the sixth, including a strikeout.
Following Tuesday's game at USC Upstate, the Bulldogs head to Orlando, Fla., for the UCF Weekend Classic, facing Oklahoma on Friday followed by games against Ohio State on Saturday and the host Knights on Sunday.
Ball State 6, Wofford 4 (10 innings)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford baseball team was defeated 6-4 in 10 innings by Ball State on Sunday afternoon at Russell C. King Field. The Terriers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but the game was tied at 4 after five innings. With two out in the top of the 10th inning, Ball State scored twice to earn the win.
Wofford is 0-2 and Ball State is 3-0. The Terriers were led by James Plaisted with two hits and two RBIs, while Seth Neely had two hits and an RBI. Ball State had two hits and four RBIs from Kyle Raleigh.
Ball State was retired in order in the top of the first. On the first pitch to Josh Hyman, he cleared the fence in left field. Alec Paradowski singled and he was driven home on a double to right field by Seth Neely for a 2-0 lead after one inning.
In the top of the fourth inning, Raleigh hit a two-run homer just inside the right-field foul pole to tie the game at 2-2.
In the bottom of the fourth, Neely and Eric Brenk singled. They advanced into scoring position on a throwing error. A single through the left side by Plaisted brought both runners home for a 4-2 lead. Carson Waln added a single for his first career hit, but the Terriers left two on base to end the fourth.
The Cardinals loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the fifth. A single up the middle by Raleigh drove in two runs to tie the game at 4.
Ball State had three runners reach base in the top of the sixth, but two were picked off and they did not score.
In the Wofford half of the eighth, Brenk was hit by pitch, stole second and move to third on a fly ball. After a walk by Matt Ramsay, Brenk was out at home on a bunt attempt.
In the top of the 10th, Ball State had runners at first and second when a single up the middle by Ryan Spaulding drove in a run for a 5-4 lead. With the bases loaded, an RBI single to third base by Alex Call made it 6-4.
Wofford had one base-runner in the bottom of the 10th after Ramsay was hit by a pitch, but he was left on base when the final out was recorded.
Wofford pitcher Luke Leftwich worked 4 2/3 innings and allowed four runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Eric Eck (0-1) was on the mound for three innings and allowed two runs on four hits with five strikeouts.
Ball State starter T.J. Weir went 5 1/3 innings and gave up four runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts. Zach Plesac (2-0) earned the win with 2 1/3 innings and two strikeouts while not allowing a hit. Chris Lovejoy recorded his first save of the season by not allowing a hit in the 10th inning.
The Terriers will host Morehead State on Monday afternoon at 5 p.m. and Gardner-Webb on Wednesday evening as the seven-game homestand to begin the season continues.