Samford 5, Jacksonville State 2
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford baseball team earned its sixth straight win in a 5-2 victory over the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Wednesday evening at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
With the win, Samford improved to 8-4, while Jacksonville State fell to 6-5 with the loss. In the series with Jacksonville State, Samford has now won five of the last six meetings.
For Samford at the plate, Brandon Powell went 3-for-5 with an RBI. Drew McWhorter went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Damon Waller went 2-for-4 with a home run and one RBI. Frankie Navarrete went 2-for-3 for the Bulldogs.
Cody Pugh (2-0) pitched 5 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on five hits to earn the win on the mound for Samford. Pugh struck out six batters in the win. Patrick McGavin tossed the final three innings, allowing one hit and striking out six batters to pick up his first save of the season.
Jacksonville State was led at the plate by Paschal Petrongolo, who went 1-for-4 with a triple and an RBI. Ryan Sebra also drove in a run, going 1-for-4 at the plate. Casey Antley (1-2) pitched two innings, allowing two runs on three hits to take the loss on the mound for JSU.
Samford jumped out to an early lead with a run in the second inning and another run in the third inning. In the second inning, McWhorter led off the inning with a solo home run for a 1-0 Samford lead. In the third inning, Brandon Haarer walked and later scored from third base on a sacrifice fly by Heath Quinn to make the score 2-0.
The Bulldogs plated their third run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Powell singled to lead off the inning. After advancing to second base on a wild pitch, Powell scored on a single by McWhorter for a 3-0 Samford lead.
Jacksonville State came back with two runs in the top of the sixth inning. Petrongolo tripled to center field to drive in Eddie Mora-Loera for the Gamecocks’ first run of the game. Sebra then singled to drive in Petrongolo to make the score 3-2.
Samford answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to make the score 5-2. Waller homered to right field to lead off the inning. Navarrete then doubled and advanced to third base on a fly out. Powell then singled to drive in Navarrete for a three-run Samford lead.
Samford will return to action on Friday, when the Bulldogs open a three-game home series with ULM. Friday’s series opener is scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT start from Joe Lee Griffin Field.
Wofford 2, Winthrop 1
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On Wednesday night, the Wofford College baseball team defeated Winthrop 2-1 at Russell C. King Field. The Terriers scored the winning run on an error in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Wofford moved to 8-4 on the season and Winthrop fell to 6-6. The Terriers had only two hits on the night but were helped by five errors from Winthrop. Alec Paradowski had a hit and scored a run, while James Plaisted added a hit. The Eagles had only three hits on the night. Wofford is now 4-0 in games decided by one run.
The Eagles were retired in order in the top of the first. Wofford had two runners reach base in the bottom of the first, but a double play ended the inning. Both teams left one runner on base in the second and third innings.
Wofford opened the bottom of the fourth with a single by Plaisted, but he was stranded at second base to end the inning.
Both teams had a runner on base in the fifth, but neither advanced past second base. After Winthrop was retired in order in the top of the sixth, Wofford loaded the bases with a walk, hit by pitch and error. A fielder’s choice by Demetrius Jennings drove in a run for a 1-0 lead.
Winthrop led off the seventh inning with a double by T.J. Oleczuk and he stole third. With two outs and runners on second and third, a wild pitch tied the game at 1-1. In the bottom of the seventh, Paradowski singled with two outs and stole second. He stole third when Seth Neely walked. Plaisted reached first on an error by the shortstop, which scored Paradowski for a 2-1 lead.
In the eighth inning, both teams were retired in order. In the top of the ninth, Eric Eck entered the game and with two strikeouts and a ground out, gave Wofford the 2-1 win.
Wofford pitcher Jordan Accetta made his first career start and went 4 2/3 innings without allowing a run. He gave up one hit and had four strikeouts. Jesse Morris threw 1 1/3 innings with two strikeouts. Will Stillman (2-0) worked two innings and allowed one run on one hit with two strikeouts. Eck picked up his fifth save of the season by going one inning with two strikeouts.
Winthrop starter Zach Sightler went 5 1/3 innings and allowed one run and one hit with two strikeouts. Travis Shelley (0-1) threw 1 1/3 innings with one run scored on one hit with one strikeout. Jason Driver added 1 1/3 innings without allowing a hit and two strikeouts.
The Terriers begin a three-game series with Marist on Friday at 5 p.m. and continue on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
No. 15 North Carolina 10, Davidson 3
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – No. 15 North Carolina scored nine runs in the final four innings to defeat Davidson, 10-3, in nonconference baseball action Wednesday afternoon in Boshamer Stadium.
Davidson (3-6) out-hit North Carolina (8-3), 10-9, but issued nine walks to the Tar Heels’ two and also allowed two unearned runs.
Wildcats designated hitter Ryan Lowe led all batters, going 3-for-4, while first baseman Ben Arkin (1-for-3), second baseman Andrew Pope (1-for-4) and third baseman David Daniels (0-for-3) each drove in a run for Davidson.
Center fielder Skye Bolt reached base four times for UNC, doubling once and walking three times, and he was one of seven Tar Heels to drive in at least one run, as first baseman Joe Dudek was the only player with a game-high two RBIs. Second baseman Wood Myers doubled and walked once as part of a 2-for-4 day with an RBI.
The game was tied 1-1 after the second inning, but UNC broke it open in the bottom of the fifth inning with an RBI double from Myers and then added four runs the next inning for a 6-1 advantage. With the bases loaded and one out in the sixth, pinch-hitter Adrian Chacon (1-for-1) drove home one with a single up the middle, left fielder Parks Jordan (0-for-3) added another with a sacrifice fly, and then a fielding error allowed two unearned runs to score.
The ‘Cats looked to rally in the seventh inning, with left fielder Lee Miller (hit by pitch), Arkin (single) and catcher Daniel Gerow (single) all reaching base to lead off the frame. After a pitching change, Pope and Daniels delivered with an RBI single and sacrifice fly, respectively, but the Tar Heels then turned to LHP Zach Rice, who recorded outs against the next two batters.
Rice and RHP Spencer Trayner held Davidson scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings to secure the victory, combining for five strikeouts.
RHP Reilly Hovis (2-1) earned the win after entering in the third inning and pitching three innings, surrendering just two hits and striking out five.
Davidson had gotten on the scoreboard first with a sacrifice fly by Arkin in the second inning. Arkin sent the 12th pitch he faced in the at-bat to the warning track, where Jordan caught it while crashing into the padded wall.
The lead was short-lived, though, as designated hitter Alex Raburn (1-for-2) hit an RBI double in the bottom of the second to tie the game.
North Carolina added four insurance runs, scoring once in the bottom of the seventh and three times in the eighth, for the final margin.
Davidson used a total of nine pitchers. LHP Rob Bain started and went the longest, surrendering one run on two hits and a walk in 2 2/3 innings. RHP Cody White (0-1) took the decision, allowing a run on three hits with one strikeout in two innings of work.
The Wildcats will next return home to play four games in three days when they host both Massachusetts and North Carolina A&T at Wilson Field. The series begins Friday evening against UMass at 6 p.m. The ‘Cats will then face N.C. A&T on Saturday at 4:30, and then play two Sunday starting at noon against UMass and concluding with a game 45 minutes after against A&T.
East Carolina 4, UNCG 3 (10 innings)
GREENSBORO, N.C. – After UNCG scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to send Wednesday’s nonconference game against East Carolina to extra innings, the Pirates plated the winning tally in the top of the 10th to record a 4-3 victory at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
ECU extends its winning streak to four games and improved to 7-5 overall, while the Spartans dropped to 5-6.
Junior infielder Zac MacAneney was 2-for-3 at the dish in the contest and reached base safely in each at-bat to extend his reached-base streak to nine games. He also drew two walks, scored a run and recorded an RBI while improving his team-high season batting average to .432.
Redshirt freshman infielder Julian Abreu, junior infielder Hunter King and junior infielder Jordan McDonald also tallied multiple-hit efforts with King tacking on an RBI. Zach Houchins led the way for East Carolina offensively, going 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI.
Junior LHP Caleb Henley (1-1) suffered his first loss of the season, allowing just the one run in the 10th inning on no hits with a walk and a strikeout. Starter and senior RHP Dylan Thompson made his second start of the season and threw four innings, allowing three runs on four hits with a walk and four strikeouts. Drew Reynolds (1-0) picked up his first win of the season for ECU, throwing an inning and giving an unearned run on two hits with a strikeout.
The Spartans struck first in the bottom of the first inning as MacAneney drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a one-out single by Abreu. The runners moved to second and third on a wild pitch before King singled through the right side to score MacAneney and put UNCG on top. McDonald had a chance to add more runs to the scoreboard, but he grounded into a double play to end the inning.
The score would stay the same until the top of the fourth inning, when the Pirates plated three runs on four hits to push in front 3-1. Thompson would work out of the inning, inducing a double play and getting Dylan Brown to strike out looking to end the frame.
UNCG had a chance to cut into the lead in the top of the sixth inning as with two outs, Abreu, King and McDonald singled to load the bases. However, junior outfielder Nick Chapman flew out to center to end the threat.
After a trio of Spartan pitchers struck out the side in the ninth, Chapman and senior infielder Sean Guite singled to lead off the bottom of the inning. Then, with two outs and the runners at second and third, the ECU shortstop bobbled a ball hit by MacAneney, allowing Chapman to score and send the game to the 10th.
Zach Houchins proved the hero for East Carolina in the top of the 10th as his one-out single scored Kirk Morgan, who had walked and reached third on an error by Guite. UNCG went down in order to end the contest.
The Spartans return to action Saturday, taking on UMBC at 8:30 p.m. in their opening game of the Chanticleer Classic at TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The tournament schedule has been altered due to inclement weather. UNCG will also face Minnesota on Sunday at 11 a.m. before wrapping up with a contest against host Coastal Carolina on Monday at 4 p.m.
Toledo 8, The Citadel 1
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Toledo won for the second time in its trip to Charleston, getting six innings of four-hit shutout pitching from Sam Shutes in an 8-1 victory over The Citadel on a cold, rainy day at Riley Park.
The Citadel (6-7) avoided consecutive shutouts at home for the first time since Riley Park opened in 1997 when Bo Thompson singled in Bret Hines with two outs in the bottom of the eighth.
Thompson and Hughston Armstrong had two of The Citadel's seven hits. Three of the safeties came in the eighth as Hines and pinch-hitter Jason Smith had two-out singles followed by Thompson's RBI.
Hines entered the game as a defensive replacement for Mason Davis in the seventh. Davis, who has started at second base in all 131 games of his Citadel career, left a contest for only the third time in his three seasons as a Bulldog.
The Rockets (4-6) opened their Southern trip with a victory over College of Charleston and play three at Charleston Southern beginning Friday. They banged out 14 hits against nine Bulldog pitchers, led by Deion Tansel with three. Tyler Grogg stole three bases and scored three times for Toledo.
Brett Tompkins, coming off a six-inning, two-hit performance against Rhode Island last Tuesday, lasted only 1 1/3 innings, giving up five hits and four runs (three earned) in taking the loss.
Ross White worked 1 2/3 innings of hitless ball as the first reliever out of The Citadel bullpen, and Layton Meacham and Nate Brecklin both had a pair of strikeouts.
Shutes allowed more than one base-runner in only one of his six innings, giving up a leadoff single to Ryan Kilgallen and a one-out base hit to Armstrong in the sixth. But the freshman right-hander got Thompson to pop up to short and Griffin to fly out to left to end that threat.
Toledo took advantage of two walks to score a run in the first, and Grogg and Tansel had RBI singles as part of a three-run third that gave the Rockets more than enough runs.
The Bulldogs open a three-game series against College of Charleston on Friday at 6 p.m. at Riley Park. The teams also meet at The Joe on Sunday at 1 p.m. with a contest at Patriots Point in between on Saturday at 3 p.m.
High Point 2, Elon 1 (12 innings)
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Elon pitching staff allowed just two runs in 12 innings, but the Phoenix offense mustered only one run as the maroon and gold dropped a 2-1 decision against the High Point Panthers on Wednesday.
With the score knotted at one in the 12th, High Point (8-5) drew a one-out walk. A wild pitch and bunt single put runners at the corners before Josh Greene lifted a 3-2 pitch into center for a sacrifice fly to score the game-winning run.
Elon (8-4) was the first to score, as Danny Lynch drew a bases-loaded walk to force home the Phoenix's lone run in the sixth.
The Panthers came right back and got one in the last of the sixth when Greene doubled home Tony Fortier-Bensen.
Taking the loss for the Phoenix was Jacob Baker, who allowed one run on two walks in one inning. Elon starter Matt Harris turned in a quality start, giving up one run on three hits in six innings of work.
HPU reliever Cas Silber (2-0) tossed one scoreless frame to earn the victory.
Elon will be back in action at the Chanticleer Classic. In an adjusted schedule, the Phoenix will face Minnesota at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning before facing UMBC at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Elon will then take on Coastal Carolina at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday before returning home to Latham Park to battle UMBC at 4 p.m. on Monday afternoon.
Campbell 8, Appalachian State 4
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – A three-run triple by Campbell’s Steven Leonard in the top of the eighth inning proved to be the difference in Appalachian State’s 8-4 loss to the Camels on Wednesday evening at BB&T Ballpark.
Appalachian State (1-11) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning but Campbell (10-3) slowly chipped away at the lead with single runs in the second, third and fifth innings that sliced the Mountaineer advantage to 4-3.
Appalachian was still clinging to the one-run lead in the eighth when Campbell benefitted from a leadoff double, an error and an intentional walk to load the bases with one out. The Mountaineers brought on closer Robert Whaley to get out of the jam, but Leonard ripped the second pitch from Whaley into the gap in right-center field to clear the bases and give the Camels their first lead of the game at 7-4. One batter later, Leonard came home on a sacrifice fly to make it 8-4.
After getting two hits against Campbell reliever Ryan Thompson in the bottom of the seventh, App State managed just one base-runner against the right-hander over the final two frames, including going down in order in the ninth to end the game.
Appalachian State banged out a season-high 11 hits in the loss, including three in its four-run first inning. However, the Mountaineers could not push any more runs across, due in large part to going 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position over the final eight stanzas
Dillon Dobson led the Apps’ 11-hit attack, going 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a run scored. The four hits matched the sophomore’s career high. Freshman Matt Brill chipped in with a career-best two hits.
Making the first start of his career, freshman Sean Mason struck out five and allowed three runs over five innings but did not figure in the decision. Taylor Thurber was saddled with four runs (three earned) in one inning of relief to suffer the loss and fall to 0-2.
Thompson (2-0) struck out five over three scoreless innings to earn the win out of the bullpen. Campbell was led offensively by center fielder Matt Nadolski, who rebounded from a making a pivotal error in the Mountaineers’ four-run first inning to collect three of the Camels’ eight hits.
Sloppy defense plagued Appalachian State once again on Wednesday night, as the Mountaineers made three errors. Appalachian, which has led the Southern Conference in fielding each of the last two seasons, has committed 23 errors over the last eight games. During that stretch, it has had three or more miscues in five different games.
After 12 straight games away from home to open the season, Appalachian State returns to the friendly confines of Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium this weekend when it hosts a three-game series against UNC Asheville. The 2014 home opener is set for Friday at 4 p.m.
Georgia Southern at College of Charleston postponed, games added
STATESBORO, Ga. – The midweek baseball series between the Georgia Southern Eagles and the College of Charleston Cougars has been rescheduled after Wednesday's rainout.
Georgia Southern and the College of Charleston will meet in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., on Wednesday, April 16, and the Eagles will host the Cougars on Wednesday, April 23, at J.I. Clements Stadium.
The two teams were set to play in Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday but steady rain forced that game to be canceled. The April 16 contest was originally scheduled as a home game for GSU but will now be a road contest. The April 23 date is a new addition to the schedule.
Georgia Southern returns to action this weekend against Holy Cross, adding a fourth game to the series. Georgia Southern will now play a doubleheader at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. The rest of the schedule remains the same. The series will open on Friday at 6 p.m. and will conclude on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.