Elon 14, Wagner 2
ELON, N.C. – On a day when eight of nine Elon starters recorded at least one hit, the Phoenix offense erupted in a 14-2 victory over visiting Wagner in the first game of a three-game series from Latham Park on Friday afternoon.
Elon (3-1) built a 3-0 lead after three innings before the offense sent 15 men to the plate and scored nine runs on nine hits in the fourth inning. It all got started with back-to-back singles from Sebastian Gomez and Chris King before a Nick Zammarelli double drove home one. D.J. Paone picked up an RBI on a grounder up the middle. With four runs already in in the at-bat and runners on first and second with two outs, Danny Lynch drove home a run with a single up the middle. After a walk to Gomez loaded the bases, King unloaded them by sending an 0-1 pitch deep over the wall in right field for his first career grand slam.
Wagner (0-1) pushed across single markers in both the fifth and seventh before Elon scored twice on bases-loaded walks in the last of the eighth.
King ended the day with a career-best five RBIs as he went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Zammarelli also drove in two and scored once during his 2-for-4 performance. Gomez, Paone and Quinn Bower all had two-hit games for the Phoenix.
Making the first start of his career, Michael Elefante (2-0) tossed six four-hit innings and allowed just one run to pick up the victory. He struck out four. Mike Krill hurled the final three innings to earn the first save of his career.
The loss went to Ryan Casey (0-1), who was charged with 10 runs (four earned) on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings of work.
The two teams will be back in action at Latham Park on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Wofford 5, Fordham 3
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford baseball team started the weekend with a 5-3 win over Fordham on Friday night at Russell C. King Field. Leading by one in the bottom of the seventh, Eric Brenk had a two-run double and Eric Eck struck out three batters in the final two innings to secure the win for the Terriers.
Wofford moves to 2-3 on the season and Fordham is 0-1. The Terriers were led by Derek Hirsch with three hits and Brenk with two RBIs. Matthew Milburn had a career-high nine strikeouts for the win. The Rams had three hits and two RBIs by Ryan McNally.
The Rams scored the first run of the game on an RBI single up the middle by McNally for a 1-0 lead in the second inning. In the bottom of the third, Derek Hirsch singled and moved to second on a bunt. A single by Josh Hyman scored Hirsch for a 1-1 game. Hyman stole second and moved to third on a passed ball but was out at home on an attempt to score on a wild pitch.
In the bottom half of the fourth inning, Matt Ramsay doubled and Demetrius Jennings singled. Ramsay scored while Jennings was in a rundown between first and second to give Wofford a 2-1 lead.
Hirsch led off the bottom of the fifth with a single. A single by Hyman moved Hirsch to third with one out. Hirsch scored on a wild pitch for a 3-1 lead. The bases were loaded after two walks, but a ground out ended the inning.
The Rams had back-to-back doubles with two outs in the top of the seventh to make it a 3-2 game. In the bottom of the seventh, Alec Paradowski led off with a hit by pitch and Seth Neely walked. A sacrifice bunt moved them into scoring position and a double down the left-field line by Brenk scored both runners for a 5-2 lead.
Eck struck out three straight Fordham batters in the top of the eighth inning. Wofford was retired in order in the bottom of the eighth. In the top of the ninth, the Rams had two hits and scored an unearned run to make it 5-3 before the final out was recorded.
Milburn (1-0) worked 6 2/3 innings and gave up two runs on seven hits with a career-high nine strikeouts. Merritt Huber went a third of an inning without allowing a base runner. Eck picked up his second save of the season by going two innings with two hits allowed and three strikeouts. He now has 19 career saves, which is tied for the school record with Michael Gilmartin (2007-09).
Fordham starter Brett Kennedy (0-1) went 4 2/3 innings with three runs allowed on six hits and three strikeouts.
The Terriers will host Butler on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Presbyterian on Sunday at 4 p.m. to complete the weekend.
Georgia Southern 23, Maryland Eastern Shore 0
STATESBORO, Ga. – Sam Howard held Maryland Eastern Shore to two hits over seven innings as the Georgia Southern Eagles took the series opener 23-0 at J.I. Clements Stadium on Friday night.
Georgia Southern (4-1) tallied 23 hits, its second game in the last three with 20 or more hits, to score 20 or more runs for the first time since 2011 and score 23 runs for the first time since the 23-2 win over No. 8 Georgia Tech on April 8, 2009, in Atlanta. The Eagles now have 10 or more hits in all four of their wins this season.
Howard (2-0) picked up his second win in as many starts after punching out a career-best 12 batters over seven innings. The junior left-hander helped the Eagles throw their first shutout of the young season. He allowed just three base-runners and faced 24 batters on the night.
The Eagles backed Howard with four early runs before exploding for six runs in the fourth and seven in the sixth inning. Kody Adams, Chase Griffin, Stryker Brown and Garren Palmer all homered for the Eagles. Aaron Mizell recorded the team's first triple of the season in the fourth inning.
Ben Morgan and Garrett Chapman led the team with three hits each. All nine hitters in the order recorded a hit on the night with six posting multi-hit games.
Devin Repine was tagged with the loss for Maryland Eastern Shore (0-2). Repine (0-1) allowed 10 runs on eight hits in his first start of the season. The junior right-hander struck out two and walked two batters in 3 1/3 innings.
GSU continues the four-game series Saturday with a doubleheader at 4 p.m. Its 2-for-1 day at the ballpark and fans can get two games for the price of one. The series concludes on Sunday with a single game at 1:30 p.m.
Davidson 4, Fairleigh Dickinson 2
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Left fielder Lee Miller went 4-for-4 at the plate and three Davidson pitchers combined to yield just five hits and two unearned runs as the Wildcats defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, 4-2, in nonconference baseball action Friday night at Wilson Field.
Miller, who posted his first career four-hit game, totaled one double, three singles, an RBI and one run scored. On the mound, RHP Danny Mooney (1-0) held Fairleigh Dickinson (0-1) to two unearned runs in six innings on three hits and a walk while striking out seven, and RHP Matt Saeta earned his first save of the season after yielding just a hit in the top of the ninth inning. In between, freshman RHP Westin Whitmire made his Davidson debut, surrendering a hit to the first batter he faced and striking out one in two innings of work.
Miller propelled Davidson (1-1) to an early lead in the second inning, as he laced a double to the right gap with two outs to drive in right fielder Nathan Becker (1-for-3) from third base for a 1-0 advantage.
Shortstop Matt McCann gave FDU its only lead of the game in the fifth inning when he singled through the right side to drive in two runs after a Wildcat error extended the inning. However, Miller tied the game in the bottom half after scoring from second base on a single through the left side by center fielder Forrest Brandt (1-for-4).
Freshman first baseman Brian Fortier, who has batted cleanup Davidson’s first two games, then gave the Wildcats a lead they would not relinquish the following inning. He doubled to center for his first career hit, and then advanced to third and home on back-to-back wild pitches.
Second baseman Sam Foy singled Becker home in the bottom of the eighth inning for an insurance run and the final margin.
RHP Logan Frati (0-1) suffered the loss for the Knights, allowing three runs (two earned) in six innings on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts.
Davidson will conclude the weekend series with games Saturday (4:30 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.) against Mount St. Mary’s. RHP Ryan Lowe (Davidson) and RHP Vincent Molesky (MSM) are slated to start Saturday.
Western Carolina 13, Washington State 1
PULLMAN, Wash. – Jeremy Null struck out six batters in seven innings of work and Jacob Hoyle matched a career-high with five RBIs as Western Carolina cruised to a series-opening victory over Washington State, 13-1, on Friday night at Bailey-Brayton Field. WCU posted four multi-run innings, including a five-run sixth, to pick up its second road win of the season.
Game two of the four-game series is scheduled for 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET Saturday. WCU senior RHP Jordan Smith is slated to square off against right-hander Tanner Chelborad.
Null (2-0) kept the Cougars scoreless through 6 2/3 innings of the seven he worked on Friday evening before surrendering his first run of the 2014 season. The Claremont, N.C., native scattered five hits with one walk before giving way to redshirt freshman reliever Dillon Bray. A first-year reliever who missed last season due to injury, Bray struck out two in two innings of work out of the bullpen.
Senior Dykota Spiess led four Catamount hitters with multiple-hit games, finishing 4-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. The Morganton, N.C., native also walked once and was plunked by a pitch, reaching in all six trips to the plate. Senior Adam Martin (2-for-4), junior Jacob Hoyle (2-for-6) and freshman Matt Smith (2-for-5) collected two hits apiece for WCU in the winning effort. Cody Jones and Reece Strong both recorded two walks apiece.
Western Carolina (3-2) took a lead it would never relinquish in the top half of the second inning as Spiess, who drew a one-out walk, scampered home to score on a wild pitch. Then, with Reece Strong and Matt Smith aboard, Jones doubled down the left-field line to bring a pair of runs home for the 3-0 lead.
The Catamounts added five runs in the top of the sixth inning, spurred by Hoyle's bases-loaded, three-run double to left-center field.
Both teams would push runs across in the seventh inning. Hoyle recorded his fourth and fifth RBIs of the game on a sharp single to right field, while Martin just missed his first round-tripper of the season with a long sacrifice fly to left to score a run on the tag-up. Washington State used a one-out Jason Monda double to center and a single deep up the middle by Ian Sagdal to light the scoreboard for a run in the home portion of the seventh inning.
The Catamounts capped the scoring with two runs in the top of the ninth as Spiess lifted a two-run scoring double down the left-field line, making it 13-1.
Despite the offensive explosion, the Catamounts stranded 13 base-runners in the win, while WSU stranded eight.
Six different Cougars combined for Washington State's six hits in the loss with Monda and defensive replacement Patrick McGrath both recording doubles. Cougar starter Scott Simon (0-2) took the loss after allowing three earned runs on five hits, walking three and striking out two.
No. 6 NC State 6, Appalachian State 5
RALEIGH, N.C. – Jaylin Davis drove in all five Appalachian State runs but four errors proved too costly for the Mountaineers in their 6-5 loss to No. 6 NC State on Friday afternoon at Doak Field.
Davis gave Appalachian State (0-5) a 2-1 lead with a two-run single in the third inning and pulled the Mountaineers within 6-5 with a three-run homer off NC State All-America pitcher Carlos Rodon in the eighth. The towering three-run blast to left field made Davis the first player to ever homer twice against Rodon, a junior that is widely considered the frontrunner to be selected No. 1 overall in June’s Major League Baseball Draft. Davis also took Rodon deep for a three-run shot in his first collegiate at-bat, helping lift App State to a 6-3 win over NC State in last year’s season opener.
Davis’ career-high five RBIs were not enough for Appalachian State to overcome its four errors, which led to half of NC State’s six runs being unearned. The miscues were especially costly in the Wolfpack’s three-run seventh inning, when the Mountaineers committed a pair of errors that helped NC State turn a narrow 3-2 lead into a commanding 6-2 advantage.
Despite the blunders in the field, Appalachian State put the tying run in scoring position in the top of the ninth when William Head singled with one out and advanced to second on a wild pitch with two away. Bradley Morton followed with a fly ball that appeared bound for the gap in right-center field but was tracked down by NC State right fielder Garrett Suggs for the final out.
Davis finished 2-for-4 to go along with his five RBIs and was on deck when Morton flew out to end the game. Preston Troutman also had a pair of hits off Rodon, including a leadoff double in the Apps’ three-run eighth, and scored two runs.
Appalachian State starting pitcher Jamie Nunn matched Rodon pitch-for-pitch for much of the afternoon but suffered the tough-luck loss and fell to 0-2 after allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits over five-plus innings.
Rodon (1-1) earned the win after surrendering five runs (three earned) on five hits over eight stanzas. The big left-hander struck out nine and threw 108 pitches in his second start of the year.
Bubby Riley led NC State (4-1) offensively with two hits and two RBIs.
Appalachian State and the sixth-ranked Wolfpack continue their three-game series on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Doak Field. The game can be seen live on ESPN3.
Oklahoma 9, The Citadel 7
ORLANDO, Fla. – Oklahoma scored nine unanswered runs following a lengthy rain delay after the second inning to erase an early 3-0 deficit, and the Sooners went on to post a 9-7 victory over The Citadel on the opening day of the UCF Tournament at Jay Bergman Field.
Hughston Armstrong had three hits and drove in two runs for the Bulldogs (2-3) and Ryan Kilgallen added two hits, including his first career double in the sixth. But, as in its loss to USC Upstate on Tuesday, The Citadel was unable to capitalize on opportunities for the big inning early in the game.
Mason Davis and Calvin Orth also had two hits, with Davis knocking in a pair of runs.
Oklahoma (5-1) entered the game ranked No. 29 in the country by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. The contest was the first-ever between the two schools and featured a pair of rain delays that totaled nearly three hours.
The Bulldogs were down 9-3 after the second stoppage but scored two runs in both the eighth and ninth innings and had the potential tying runs on base before Ralph Garza retired Armstrong on a grounder to second to end the game.
A single by Armstrong and hit-by-pitches taken by Bo Thompson and Tyler Griffin loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the first. Orth's grounder to third was misplayed by Kolbey Carpenter to allow a run to score, but Oklahoma starter Jacob Evans was able to get the next two outs to leave the bases loaded.
A leadoff single by Kilgallen and double by Jason Smith put Bulldogs on second and third and nobody out in the second. Davis drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Armstrong dropped a double just inside the line in left to drive in Smith. Griffin then grounded into a double play to end the inning and keep it just a three-run game.
Armstrong added a bunt single in the fifth to extend his streak of consecutive plate appearances reaching base to 11, including nine hits and two walks, dating back to the West Virginia game on Sunday. That run ended in the sixth when the senior center fielder grounded out to second.
Starter Logan Cribb faced only six batters over the first two innings but wasn't as effective following the 1:21 delay. He allowed a home run on the first pitch back to Mac James in the third, and a walk and two singles were followed by a long sacrifice fly to left to bring the Sooners within 3-2.
Oklahoma scored twice more on three hits against Cribb in the fifth to end the left-hander's day on the short end of a 4-3 score. Cribb gave up six hits and four runs with three walks and four strikeouts in five innings and took the loss in his first decision of the season.
The Bulldogs wasted a chance to tie or retake the lead in their half of the fifth. Armstrong reached on a bunt single and Thompson was hit by a pitch for the third time in the game. However, with one out, Armstrong tried to advance to third on a short wild pitch and was thrown out, costing The Citadel a run when Orth singled.
A walk to Drew DeKerlegand loaded the bases, but Kyle Hayes came in and got Johnathan Stokes to fly out to right to end the threat. The Bulldogs, who left 10 runners on base in Tuesday's loss to Upstate, stranded 13 against the Sooners.
Thompson's three hit by pitches fell one shy of equaling the school record set on March 29, 2003, when Brook Dantzler was plunked four times against College of Charleston.
The Sooners added a pair of sacrifice flies in the sixth, another run in the seventh and a two-run double off the bat of Craig Aikin in the eighth to build a 9-3 lead before the game entered another rain delay, this one lasting 1:35.
The Citadel takes on Ohio State in its second game of the tournament Saturday at noon followed by a game with the host Knights on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Georgia Tech 7, UNCG 3
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech scored five unearned runs Friday afternoon on the way to a 7-3 nonconference victory over UNCG in the teams’ series opener at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets improved to 2-3 overall, while the Spartans dropped to 1-2 on the young season.
Sophomore RHP Ryan Clark earned his first career start for the Blue and Gold but was saddled with his first loss of the season as he faced some tough luck. Clark (0-1) allowed five runs, all unearned, in five innings pitched with no walks and a personal-high seven strikeouts.
At the plate, junior outfielder Nick Chapman recorded a hit and drove in two runs. In his Spartan debut, junior infielder Jordan McDonald scored a run and drew a walk.
After Brandon Gold led off the bottom of the second with a base hit to left field, Clark could not handle a slow dribbler in front of the mound, allowing A.J. Murray to reach base. With runners on first and second, a sac bunt by Arden Pabst moved them up a base. Daniel Spignola and Thomas Smith followed with an RBI groundout and an infield hit, giving Georgia Tech the early 2-0 advantage.
The Yellow Jackets extended their lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning thanks to a two-out, three-run home run off the bat of Smith. All three runs were unearned due to a fielding error in right field with one away. Clark escaped further damage by striking out Mott Hyde to end the inning.
UNCG put together its first real threat of the contest in the top of the fifth, when junior designated hitter Aaron Wright was hit by a pitch and senior infielder Sean Guite drew a walk with one out. However, Wright was thrown out at third base off a flare to shallow center field by junior outfielder Zac MacAneney for the second out and Chapman grounded into a fielder’s choice play to terminate the threat.
Things did not begin well for the Spartans in the bottom of the sixth, as reliever and junior RHP Adam Boghosian hit the first batter he saw with his first pitch and then allowed an infield single to Spingola. Smith drew a subsequent walk to load the bases before getting replaced by junior LHP Blair Betts without recording an out. Betts allowed two of the inherited runners to score, leaving the Yellow Jackets with a 7-0 cushion after six innings.
Chapman broke up the shutout in the top of the seventh when with two outs and the bases loaded, he poked a two-run single through the right side, scoring MacAneney and Wright, who had reached on walks. A third run scored on the play due to a throwing error in right field that plated McDonald and sliced the Georgia Tech lead to 7-3. Junior infielder Hunter King extended the half inning with a walk, but redshirt freshman infielder Julian Abreu could not do any further damage, flying out to center.
Neither team would push across another run in the final two innings as UNCG went down in order in the eighth and ninth.
The Spartans look to even the series Saturday, squaring off against the Yellow Jackets at 2 p.m. inside Russ Chandler Stadium.
Memphis 11, Samford 6
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Memphis baseball team plated six runs in the sixth inning to break open a close game on its way to an 11-6 win over Samford in the first game of a three-game series Friday night at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
With the loss, Samford dropped to 1-3 on the young season. Memphis improved to 5-0 with the win.
Samford was led at the plate by freshman right fielder Heath Quinn, who went 3-for-4 with a home run and one RBI. Quinn has now collected at least three hits in all four of Samford’s games so far this season. Junior third baseman Tripp Martin drove in two runs with a home run in a 1-for-5 performance. Jared Watson also homered in the game for Samford.
Gage Pregno (0-1) pitched 1 1/3 innings in relief, giving up three runs on three hits to take the loss on the mound for Samford. Chase Traffica, Mikel Belcher, Patrick McGavin, Mark Donham and Hunter Swilling also pitched in the game for the Bulldogs.
For Memphis, Carter White went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs to lead the way at the plate. Drew Griffin went 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs, while Jake Little was 2-for-4 with two RBIs for the Tigers.
Jon Reed (1-0) pitched five innings, giving up five runs on six hits to earn the win on the mound for Memphis. Ryan Garner tossed the final four innings, allowing one run on two hits to pick up his first save of the season.
Memphis jumped on top early with two runs in the first inning and one run in the second. In the first inning, with two outs, White homered to center field with Zach Willis on base for a 2-0 Memphis lead. In the second inning, Ethan Gross singled to drive in Bryce Beeler to make the score 3-0.
The Tigers added two runs in the top of the fourth inning to push their lead to 5-0. Griffin led the inning off with a solo home run. The second run of the inning scored when White singled up the middle to drive in Darien Tubbs for a five-run Memphis lead.
Samford plated its first two runs of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. With the bases loaded and no outs, Quinn scored from third base when Danny Rodriguez grounded into a double play for Samford’s first run of the game. Caleb Bryson later doubled down the left-field line to drive in Drew McWhorter to make the score 5-2.
Samford tied the score with three runs in the fifth inning. Martin hit a two-run home run with Watson on base for the first two runs of the inning. Quinn then homered to left field to knot the score at 5-5.
Memphis took control of the game with six runs in the top of the sixth inning. Kane Barrow was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for the inning’s first run. Little later singled to drive in White and Tucker Tubbs to make the score 8-5. Griffin later doubled with the bases loaded to drive in Gross, Little and Barrow for an 11-5 Memphis lead.
Samford added one final run in the bottom of the ninth inning to make the final score 11-6. With two outs, Watson homered to left field for the game’s final run.
Samford and Memphis will continue their series with a game Saturday at 2 p.m. CT at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
VCU 15, Furman 9
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Chris Ayers went 4-for-5, homered and drove in five runs and VCU erupted for seven runs in the eighth inning to beat Furman, 14-9, Friday afternoon in the first game of a three-game weekend baseball series at Latham Stadium.
Ayers stroked a two-run single in a four-run second inning, belted a two-run home run in the fourth and delivered an RBI single in the decisive eighth inning to lead the Rams (4-1), who failed to hold an early six-run lead.
The Paladins (3-2) trailed 7-1 before touching up VCU starting pitcher Heath Dwyer for five runs in the fourth to make it a one-run game. A Griffin Davis sacrifice fly plated the first run in the Furman fourth, and two batters later, Sky Overton served a single down the right-field line to drive home Jordan Simpson. Heath Burton followed with a three-run home run that cleared the left-field fence to cut the Rams’ lead to 7-6.
The clout was the second career round-tripper for Burton, whose first round-tripper came in a win over UNCG in 2012.
Furman went up 9-7 with three runs in the seventh against VCU reliever Thomas Gill, getting a two-run double from Greg Harrison and an Alex Abrams RBI single.
The advantage didn’t last, however, as VCU quickly got to Paladin pitcher Jacques de Gruy, who came on to pitch the eighth. Trevor Marino opened with his first of two hits in the inning, a single to left-center, advanced to second on a balk and to third base on a wild pitch before scoring on a Cody Acker base hit. After hitting James Bunn, the Rams’ next batter, de Gruy was pulled, but his replacement, Brant Masters, also struggled, yielding four runs, only three of which were earned, on four hits. A two-run single by Marino capped the seven-run outburst and put VCU in command with the five-run lead.
The Rams collected 16 hits, with Marino trailing Ayers with a 3-for-5, 2-RBI performance.
Burton went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored for Furman, which finished with 13 hits. Harrison had two hits and drove in three runs, and Hunter Burton, Abrams, and Simpson had two hits apiece for the Paladins.
Furman junior starting pitcher Elliott Warford lasted only three-plus innings, yielding six runs on six hits and three walks. He was relieved by freshman Billy Greenfield, who pitched 3 1/3 innings of effective ball, allowing a run on three hits and two bases on balls.
Greenfield and Ryan Griffith checked VCU’s offense in the fifth, sixth and seventh to assist the Paladins’ comeback.
Rams starting pitcher Heath Dwyer allowed six runs on eight hits over six innings and struck out seven. He surrendered the five-run fourth but recovered to blank Furman in the fifth and sixth innings before departing with a 7-6 lead.
Gill (1-1) was the beneficiary of VCU’s seven-run eighth, earning the victory despite allowing three runs on five hits over three frames.
The loss went to de Gruy (0-1), who surrendered three runs on two hits without recording an out.
The two teams play again Saturday at 4 p.m.