Wofford 8, Presbyterian 7
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On Sunday afternoon, the Wofford baseball team defeated Presbyterian 8-7 at Russell C. King Field. The Terriers scored five runs in the seventh for an 8-2 lead, but the Blue Hose answered with five in the top of the eighth for an 8-7 score. Eric Eck entered the game in the top of the ninth and preserved the win for the Terriers.
Wofford moved to 4-3 on the season and Presbyterian went to 4-2-1. The Terriers were led by Eric Brenk with three hits, while Demetrius Jennings had two RBIs. The Blue Hose had two hits each by Brandon Paul and Brandon Martin.
In the top of the third, the Blue Hose took advantage of two Wofford errors and scored two unearned runs for a 2-0 lead.
To start the bottom of the fifth, Matt Ramsay reached second on an error. Derek Hirsch singled and a ball up the middle by Kody Ruedisili scored Ramsay. A fielder’s choice by Josh Hyman scored Hirsch to make it a 2-2 game.
Wofford had runners at first and second with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Alec Paradowski reached first on an error and Brenk scored from second base on the play for a 3-2 lead. Presbyterian left a runner on third in the top of the seventh.
Wofford had runners on the corners with one out in the bottom of the seventh. A bunt single by James Plaisted scored Hyman from third for a 4-2 lead. A double to center field by Brenk drove in a run for a 5-2 advantage. A single by Jennings added two runs for a 7-2 score, while Ruedisili reached on an error that allowed a fifth run to score in the inning and an 8-2 lead.
In the top of the eighth, the Blue Hose had the bases loaded with two outs. A walk allowed one run to cross the plate and a single up the middle drove in two runs for an 8-3 score. A single, double and single made it an 8-7 game in the middle of the eighth.
Wofford had a runner thrown out at home to end the bottom half of the eighth inning. In the top of the ninth, Eck walked the first batter. After a strikeout, a double play ended the game.
Wofford pitcher Connell Anderson worked four innings and allowed three hits and two unearned runs along with three strikeouts. Elliot Lance went 3 2/3 innings with four runs allowed on two hits and a strikeout. Lance (1-0) earned his first collegiate win. Quintin Pile allowed three hits and a run. Will Stillman struck out the one batter he faced. Eck pitched the ninth and had one strikeout to pick up his fourth save of the season.
Presbyterian starter Hayden Deal (0-1) threw 5 1/3 innings gave up five hits and three runs, only one of which was earned. Deal also had two strikeouts and two walks. Ethan Wortkoetter went an inning and allowed three runs on one hit with two strikeouts. Aaron Lesiak had a third of an inning and allowed two runs on two hits with one strikeout. Michael Trebendis went the final 1 1/3 innings and gave up one hit with one strikeout.
The Terriers will play their first road game of the season on Tuesday night at Charleston Southern. Wofford returns home to host Longwood for a three-game weekend series beginning on Friday evening.
Davidson 11, Mount St. Mary’s 0
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Five pitchers combined for a shutout and Nathan Becker slugged his first career grand slam to lead Davidson past Mount St. Mary's, 11-0, in nonconference baseball action Sunday at Wilson Field.
RHP Nick Neitzel (1-0) was credited with the decision for Davidson (2-2) after allowing just two hits and two walks in five innings while striking out a career-high six batters.
RHP Durin O’Linger made his season debut in the sixth inning and recorded two outs but allowed Mount St. Mary’s (2-1) to load the bases. From there, head coach Dick Cooke called on three newcomers to make their collegiate debuts. Freshman RHP Cody White was able to induce a groundout to get out of the bases-loaded jam, and he then pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Senior Jonathan Carkhuff, the former Davidson quarterback, and freshman Chase Plebani blanked the Mountaineers in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively.
However, the bullpen was aided with an 8-0 cushion when it took over, as Becker hit a grand slam off the light pole in right field as part of a six-run fifth inning. He finished the day going 2-for-3 at the plate with a career-high six RBIs.
Designated hitter Ryan Lowe was one of three Wildcats to score two runs, as he walked in all four plate appearances to tie the Davidson single-game record for walks in a game.
The Wildcats first got on the scoreboard in the third inning on an RBI single by third baseman David Daniels (2-for-3), and then after Lowe walked to load the bases, Becker was hit by a pitch to drive in second baseman Andrew Pope (1-for-2), who singled earlier in the inning and also walked twice in the game.
Becker’s slam gave the Wildcats a 6-0 lead, and they added two more runs on a balk and wild pitch, respectively, before the fifth frame ended. Freshman first baseman Brian Fortier (1-for-4) and Becker added RBI singles in the sixth inning, and freshman Jake Sidwell had a pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh inning in his first collegiate at-bat for the final margin.
The ‘Cats’ 11 runs came on 11 hits, eight walks and three hit batters. The only Davidson hits to go for extra bases were Becker’s home run and a double by left fielder Lee Miller (1-for-3), who later scored.
RHP Scott Nickerson (0-1) struck out six in four innings for The Mount but allowed the deciding runs on three hits and three walks. Left fielder Zach Hostetter was the biggest threat offensively, going 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.
Davidson will next play at No. 6 NC State on Tuesday at 3 p.m. live on ESPN3. The Wildcats will return to host Miami (Ohio) for a three-game series at Wilson Field beginning Friday at 6 p.m.
Elon 7, Wagner 3
ELON, N.C. – Thanks to seven shutout innings from Jake Stalzer, the Elon baseball squad completed a three-game sweep of visiting Wagner by claiming a 7-3 victory over the Seahawks on Sunday afternoon at Latham Park.
Stalzer (2-0) has started his career in the maroon and gold by not allowing an earned run in his first 14 innings of work. On Sunday, he allowed just three hits - one to the leadoff hitter and none until there were two outs in the seventh inning. He issued three walks and struck out three while facing just 26 hitters.
The Phoenix offense did its part by getting out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Tyler McVicar got things started with a double down the left-field line and would later score on an Andy Moore double. Elon's lead reached 4-0 in the fourth with the assistance of two Wagner errors. A Moore single was followed by a walk before Quinn Bower put down a bunt for a single. The throw to first was wild and two runs scored and Bower found himself on third. He later came in on a sacrifice fly.
With Elon (5-1) still holding a 4-0 edge into the eighth, Wagner (0-3) took advantage of three consecutive walks by Phoenix relievers to load the bases to start the inning. Nick Dini got the Seahawks on the board with a single through the right side before a passed ball let a second run score. Wagner pulled within one, 4-3, on a Shaun Flynn RBI ground out.
Elon came right back with a three-spot in the last of the eighth to secure the victory. With runners on second and third, Sebastian Gomez picked up his second RBI of the game with a ground out. Casey Jones then doubled home a run and Ryan Cooper singled home the final marker.
Ryan Pennell gave up one run on one hit to earn the save for the Phoenix.
The loss went to Paul Mammino (0-1), who surrendered three runs (two earned) on five hits in three innings.
Elon will complete its five-game swing at home by hosting UNCW on Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m.
Georgia Southern 8, Maryland Eastern Shore 3
STATESBORO, Ga. – Ryan Frederick held the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks to one run over 5 1/3 innings as the Georgia Southern Eagles swept the four-game series with an 8-3 win on Sunday at J.I. Clements Stadium.
Georgia Southern (7-1) tallied eight hits and scored eight runs to win its sixth game in a row and fifth straight at home. Seven of the nine hitters recorded hits, with Stryker Brown leading the way with two. Brown drove in two runs with a third-inning ground out and a fourth-inning single.
The Eagles had to rally from a 1-0 deficit after Maryland Eastern Shore tallied three hits off of Frederick and scored a first-inning run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Justin Dattilo.
Frederick (1-0) settled in and allowed just two more hits over the next 4 1/3 innings to earn his first win as an Eagle. The sophomore right-hander pitched into the sixth inning and struck out four batters, including the last batter he faced, in his second start on the mound.
GSU rallied from the early deficit and scored six runs over the first three innings. Chase Griffin tied the game with an RBI double in the first inning, and Dalton Busby gave the Eagles the lead with his second home run of the season in the second inning.
The big blow came in the third inning, when the Eagles scored four runs off of UMES starter Jesse Stinnett. Hunter Thomas capped the four-run frame with a two-RBI double into the gap in left field.
Stinnett (0-1) was tagged with the loss after allowing seven runs on seven hits over four innings. Stinnett walked three batters and struck out five in his second appearance this season.
The Eagles hit the road on Wednesday and will face Mercer in midweek action at 4 p.m. before returning to Statesboro to host Ohio and SIUE over the weekend.
No. 6 NC State 3, Appalachian State 1
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State's Jake Armstrong hit a two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning to lift the sixth-ranked Wolfpack to a 3-1 victory over Appalachian State on Sunday afternoon at Doak Field.
With the heartbreaking loss, Appalachian State fell to 0-7 on the season. Six of the seven losses have come at the hands of nationally ranked opponents and four of the seven have been decided by two runs or fewer.
Sunday's game featured a pitchers' duel between Appalachian's Jeffrey Springs and NC State's Brad Stone. Springs limited the Wolfpack to one run on four hits over 5 2/3 innings, while Stone blanked the Mountaineers over six innings.
NC State (6-1) broke a scoreless tie in the fifth when Springs made the only crucial mistakes of his sterling outing. After retiring the Wolfpack's first two batters of the inning on just five pitches, Appalachian's junior southpaw hit Logan Ratledge with a 1-1 pitch. Armstrong followed by ripping a full-count pitch into the gap in left-center field, which allowed Ratledge to score all the way from first base and give NC State a 1-0 lead.
The Mountaineers got the run back in the top of the seventh when Jaylin Davis and Dillon Dobson welcomed NC State reliever Eric Peterson to the game with back-to-back singles. After a sacrifice bunt and strikeout put Dobson and Davis on second and third with two outs, Peterson skipped a pitch to the plate that deflected off catcher John Mangum and up the third-base line. The wild pitch only got about 15 feet away from home plate but Davis made a great break on the play and easily scored to knot it at 1-1.
The score remained 1-1 until the bottom of the eighth, when NC State struck again with two outs to claim the victory. It was Armstrong again who drove a 1-2 pitch from Appalachian reliever Taylor Thurber over the left-field wall for a two-run blast that gave the Wolfpack a 3-1 lead.
Peterson (1-0) retired the side in order in the ninth to seal the win for NC State.
Thurber (0-1) was saddled with the loss despite two innings of otherwise effective relief.
Davis, Dobson, Preston Troutman and Michael Pierson all had hits for Appalachian, while Armstrong accounted for three of the Wolfpack's seven hits and all three RBIs in the game.
Appalachian State returns to action on Tuesday with another contest against a nationally ranked foe at No. 17 North Carolina. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Georgia Tech 12, UNCG 3
ATLANTA – The UNCG baseball team allowed seven runs to Georgia Tech in the bottom of the fourth inning Sunday as the Yellow Jackets cruised to a 12-3 victory and completed the nonconference series sweep of the Spartans at Russ Chandler Stadium. The contest marked the fourth against an opponent from the Atlantic Coast Conference for UNCG in five games to open the season.
The Blue and Gold tallied double-digit hits for the first time all weekend but was out-hit by Georgia Tech 18-10. The Yellow Jackets also reached double figures in extra-base hits with seven doubles, two home runs and a triple.
Junior RHP Lee Gilliam (0-1) was tagged with his first loss of the season, throwing 3 2/3 innings giving up seven runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts. Josh Heddinger (1-1) took the victory for Georgia Tech as he went 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out six.
Junior infielder Jordan McDonald paced the UNCG offensive attack, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs driven in. Junior outfielder Tyler Long also turned in a multi-hit effort with two hits, a double and a run scored.
Both teams let opportunities to score first go by the wayside in the second inning. In the top of the frame, junior infielder Hunter King led off with a single to short before junior designated hitter Aaron Wright ripped a single to right-center that moved King to third. Senior infielder Sean Guite struck out looking and junior outfielder L.J. Kalawaia was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one away. UNCG could not plate any of the runners, however, as Long struck out looking and freshman catcher Jake Kusz struck out swinging.
Brandon Gold led off with a double down the right-field line in the bottom of the inning, but he would stay at second as Gilliam recorded two strikeouts and induced a popup on the infield to escape damage. A double with two outs by redshirt freshman Julian Abreu in the top of the third did not result in a run, either, as King grounded out to the pitcher.
Georgia Tech broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth, scoring seven runs on seven hits – including a pair of two-run home runs – to assume a 7-0 advantage. UNCG was able to break onto the scoreboard in the top of the fifth, scratching across two runs on an RBI double by McDonald and an RBI groundout by Abreu.
The momentum did not last long, as the Yellow Jackets answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth and would outscore UNCG 3-1 the rest of the way.
The Spartans return home Tuesday, hosting Wake Forest at 4 p.m. Admission to all games at the UNCG Baseball Stadium is free.
VCU 3, Furman 2 (10 innings)
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Vimael Machin’s sacrifice fly RBI in the 10th inning scored Cody Acker to break a tie and lift VCU to a 3-2 victory over Furman in the final game of a three-game baseball series Sunday afternoon at Latham Stadium.
The win gave VCU (6-1) the series sweep and improved the Rams to 5-0 on the road this season. The loss was the third straight for Furman (3-4), which plays at Georgia on Tuesday in a 4 p.m. game.
Machin’s decisive plate appearance came after Acker singled with one out off of Paladin reliever Ryan Dittmar. James Bunn followed with a base hit through left side, and Joey Cujas was hit by a Greg Harrison pitch to load the bases. Machin then lined a Harrison offering into center field, but Sky Overton’s throw home failed to arrive before Acker crossed the dish for the go-ahead run.
Thomas Gill (2-1), who got the Rams out a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the bottom of the ninth to send the contest into extra innings, retired the Paladins in order in the bottom on the 10th to secure the victory.
Furman tied the game at 2-2 in the ninth on Overton’s two-out RBI single to left field off of VCU closer Matt Lees that scored Jordan Simpson. After Heath Burton and Hunter Burton drew walks to load the bases, Gill was called on in relief of Lees and got Harrison on a sharp grounder to third base to end the threat.
In a game that featured excellent starting pitching by Furman’s Matt Solter and VCU’s JoJo Howie, the Paladins broke through in the sixth with a Chris Ohmstede solo home run that wrapped around the left field foul pole, 330 feet from home plate.
VCU knotted it with a run in the seventh on a Bill Cullen sacrifice fly and went up 2-1 in the eighth on Bunn’s RBI bunt single, which scored Trevor Marino.
Roughed up against Xavier in his first start of the season, Solter bounced back to throw a career best 7 1/3 innings against the Rams, yielding two runs on three hits while walking four.
Howie surrendered one run on five hits over seven frames. He walked two and fanned five.
Furman outhit VCU 8-7, with Overton’s 2-for-4 performance leading the way. Bunn had two of the Rams’ safeties. The Paladins stranded 10 runners, including two in both the third and sixth innings.
Dittmar (0-1) took the loss for Furman.
UCF 9, The Citadel 7
ORLANDO, Fla. – UCF built a seven-run lead in the fourth and then sweated out an adventurous ninth on the mound to take a 9-7 victory over The Citadel in the final game of the UCF Tournament.
The Bulldogs (2-5) have lost five in a row, including games against Oklahoma, Ohio State and the host Knights by a combined total of five runs over the weekend. They will look to snap the skid when they return to Riley Park to take on Rhode Island on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
The Citadel trailed 8-1 before scoring twice in the fifth and once in the seventh to pull within four. UCF added what proved to be an important insurance tally in the eighth before its bullpen nearly imploded in the ninth.
Zac Favre walked Bo Thompson and hit Tyler Griffin to start the frame and was relieved by Vinnie Rosace, who fared little better. Bailey Rush drew a walk to load the bases, and pinch-hitter Bret Hines was plunked by a Rosace pitch to make it 9-5 and bring the tying run to the plate.
UCF head coach Terry Rooney went to his third pitcher of the inning, bringing in Tyler Martin, who was finally able to thwart The Citadel rally. He started off inauspiciously, throwing a wild pitch to score Griffin, but settled down to retire Johnathan Stokes on an RBI infield grounder and get Stephen Windham and Jason Smith to fly out to end the game.
The Knights (5-2) wasted little time jumping on Bulldog starter Austin Livingston in the first with three hits, including a two-run double by Erik Barber, who drove in three runs for UCF.
The Citadel got on the board in the fourth on a leadoff homer to left center by Thompson, his second of the year. The Knights answered right back with four in their half to take an 8-1 lead. With the bases loaded, Tommy Williams drove in a run with an infield single to third, and two more scored when Calvin Orth's throw eluded Thompson at first.
The Bulldogs inched closer with two in the fifth, including a sacrifice fly by Thompson that was grabbed on the warning track in left as the junior slugger made a bid for his second round-tripper of the game. Austin Mapes also drove in a run in the inning in a pinch-hitting capacity with a single.
The two RBIs on the day give Thompson nine through the first seven games of the season.
The Citadel made it 8-4 in the seventh on two-out singles by Bailey Rush and Connor Walsh and an RBI base hit to center by Stokes.
The bullpen combined to keep The Citadel within striking distance, with Ross White, Nate Brecklin, Zach Lavery and Zach McKay combining to allow only four hits and one run in five innings. Brecklin went two shutout innings, surrendering just one single.
Memphis 8, Samford 3
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Memphis baseball team plated three runs in the sixth inning and four in the seventh inning to come back for an 8-3 win over Samford on Sunday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
With the victory, the Tigers earned the series win, two games to one. Samford fell to 2-4 overall, while Memphis improved to 6-1.
Samford was led at the plate by Tyler Filliben, who went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Jared Watson went 2-for-5, while Heath Quinn drove in a run in a 1-for-4 performance. Patrick McGavin (0-1) pitched a third of an inning in relief, giving up two runs on one hit to take the loss on the mound for Samford.
For Memphis, Ethan Gross went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jake Little was 2-for-4 with a double for the Tigers. Darien Tubbs drove in two runs, going 1-for-3 at the plate. Dylan Toscano (2-0) pitched five innings, giving up three runs on six hits to earn the win. Nolan Blackwood tossed the final three innings, allowing just one hit to pick up his second save of the season.
Samford jumped on top first with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. After Watson doubled to lead off the inning, Filliben doubled to right-center field to drive in Watson for a 1-0 Samford lead. Quinn later singled to right-center field to drive in Filliben to make the score 2-0.
Memphis put its first run on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning. Tubbs hit a sacrifice fly to center field to drive in Drew Griffin to cut Samford’s lead to 2-1.
The Bulldogs added a run in the bottom of the fourth inning to push their lead to 3-1. With one out, T.J. Dixon reached base on an infield single. Dixon then moved to third base on a single by Watson. Filliben then singled through the left side of the infield to drive in Dixon for a two-run Samford lead.
Memphis took the lead for good with three runs in the top of the sixth inning. Carter White, Nate Rupiper and Gross drove in a run each to give the Tigers a 4-3 lead.
In the top of the seventh inning, Memphis took control of the game, plating four runs to make the score 8-3. Tubbs, Kane Barrow and Keaton Aldridge drove in a run each, and White scored on a wild pitch to give Memphis a five-run lead.
Neither team was able to score the rest of the way as Memphis came away with the 8-3 win.
Samford will return to action on Wednesday, when the Bulldogs play host to crosstown rival UAB. The game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. CT start from Joe Lee Griffin Field.
Western Carolina at Washington State, ppd.
PULLMAN, Wash. – Due to a snow storm in the area, officials at Washington State have postponed Sunday's game three between WSU and Western Carolina and combined it with Monday's series finale for a doubleheader with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET.
Game four of the series will follow at its originally scheduled time of 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET, barring any additional schedule changes.
Sunday's game three meeting was originally scheduled for a noon first pitch. However, the snow showers that peppered Saturday's 8-6 Catamount victory formed into steady snow overnight with a couple of inches of accumulation around the Pullman area. Snow storms continued through the morning hours, prompting officials to originally move the start two hours.
However, conditions did not improve and have forced the postponement of Sunday's scheduled game.
Forecasts in Pullman call for snow showers throughout the day on Sunday. However, the playing surface at Washington State's Bailey-Brayton Field is all artificial turf, which should aid in the resumption and conclusion of the series on Monday.
Any additional updates to the schedule will be posted on CatamountSports.com, online on Facebook and through the WCU Athletics Twitter feed, @Catamounts.