UNCG 6, Georgia Southern 2
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Sophomore Jake Hall hit his first two collegiate home runs Friday to help propel UNCG to a 6-2 victory over Georgia Southern in the opener of a Southern Conference series at J.I. Clements Stadium.
The Spartans (16-16, 3-6 SoCon) handed the Eagles (24-12, 7-6 SoCon) just their fifth loss of the season at home, dropping GSU to 17-5 in Statesboro, while improving to 3-7 on the road.
UNCG received another solid performance from sophomore RHP Ryan Clark (2-4), as he struck out seven batters over 7 2/3 innings. He gave up just two runs and scattered eight hits. Junior RHP Tyler Frazier picked up his second save in as many contests, throwing the final 1 1/3 frames and struck out a pair. The loss went to Sam Howard (4-4), who threw five innings and allowed three runs on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
Hall was 3-for-4 in the game with two runs scored and three RBIs, while junior Hunter King went 3-for-4 with a run scored. King and senior Sean Guite also extended their hitting streaks to 15 and 13 games, respectively.
The Spartans out-hit the Eagles 12-8 and took advantage of a pair of GSU errors. The offensive effort marked the 21st time this season that UNCG has reached double figures in hits.
Georgia Southern took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. After Kody Adams popped up to begin the frame, Aaron Palmer was hit by a pitch. Aaron Mizell then lifted a ball to center field that barely cleared the wall and made it a 2-0 game after one complete inning.
UNCG tied things up quickly in the top of the third. After L.J. Kalawaia singled through the right side, Hall teed off on a pitch and crushed it deep over the left field wall to knot the score at 2. The blast marked his first collegiate home run. Hall was not done, though, as he drove a line shot over the wall in left-center to lead off the top of the fifth inning and give the Blue and Gold a 3-2 advantage.
Both teams threatened later in the contest but could not score. The Eagles left runners stranded at first and second in their half of the fifth, while King was tagged out at the plate on an attempted suicide bunt in the top of the sixth. Georgia Southern menaced again in the bottom of the third, getting runners to first and second with no outs. However, a pickoff at second by Clark accounted for the first out and he worked a fly out to right and notched a strikeout to escape damage.
The Spartans put the game away in the final two innings, scoring three runs, all with two outs, to take a 6-2 lead. Redshirt sophomore Nin Marrero produced an RBI single in the top of the eighth, while redshirt junior Zac MacAneney and Guite picked up RBI doubles in the ninth to account for the final score. Frazier walked two batters in the bottom of the ninth but did not allow them to score.
UNCG and Georgia Southern will continue their series Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Davidson 10, Samford 9
DAVIDSON, N.C. – A two-out swinging bunt by catcher Daniel Gerow with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning was the difference as Davidson defeated Samford, 10-9, in Southern Conference baseball action Friday night at Wilson Field.
Davidson (21-9, 11-2 SoCon) lost the lead three times and allowed Samford (20-14, 6-4 SoCon) to score its final six runs unearned on six errors but overcame the miscues with 18 hits and strong pitching.
The Wildcats carried a 9-8 lead into the top of the eighth inning, but, with one out, center fielder Forrest Brandt dropped a shallow pop fly hit by first baseman Caleb Bryson (2-for-4, 3 R, 2B), allowing him to reach second base. Bryson then appeared to have erred by attempting to advance to third base on a wild pitch in the dirt, but Gerow’s throw from behind the plate to third tailed away from the bag and into the outfield, allowing Bryson to score the tying run.
Brandt and Gerow were able to redeem themselves in the next inning, though, as Brandt ultimately scored the game-winning run on Gerow’s hit. Brandt led the frame off with a double and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by right fielder Nathan Becker (1-for-3, BB), and first baseman Ben Arkin (0-for-2, SF, RBI) drew a walk with two outs to continue the inning.
Samford elected to intentionally walk left fielder and lefty-batting Lee Miller, who was 4-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, to load the bases, and then replace RHP Michael Curry (2-2) with right-handed closer Andres Gracia, who has yet to allow an earned run in 21 1/3 innings pitched this season. Gerow, who finished the night going 3-for-5, hit a dribbler that barely rolled out of the home plate dirt circle, and Gracia was unable to pick the ball up in time to make a throw before everyone advanced a base safely.
RHP Michael Goldberg (3-2) was credited with the win after allowing just a hit and a walk in the final 1 2/3 innings, striking out two.
Third baseman David Daniels joined Miller with four hits on the night, going 4-for-5 with a run scored, while Brandt matched Miller with three RBIs, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored.
The Wildcats have now won 19 of their last 23 games and are 15-4 in their last 19 SoCon games, dating back to last season. In seven meetings at Wilson Field, it was Davidson’s first victory over Samford at home.
Davidson jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-RBI single by Brandt, but Samford tied the game in the top of the third on a leadoff home run by second baseman Hunter Swilling (1-for-3, BB, 2R) and a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Jared Watson (1-for-2). The Bulldogs then went ahead, 3-2, in the fourth on a solo home run to dead center field by right fielder Heath Quinn (1-for-5).
The Wildcats regained the lead with three runs in the fourth inning, as Miller led the frame off with a home run to right field, designated hitter Ryan Lowe (0-for-4) drew a bases-loaded walk and Brandt drove in another on a fielder’s choice. It was short-lived, though, as they allowed five unearned runs on four errors in the fifth and six innings to fall behind, 8-5.
Davidson scored four runs on four hits in the sixth inning to go back ahead by one. Shortstop Sam Foy (1-for-4) started the scoring with one out and the bases loaded, hitting a bloop single to center field to score one. Arkin hit a sacrifice fly to right field for another run, and then Miller drove in two runs with a single to left field for the 9-8 advantage.
RHP Durin O’Linger was also strong out of the bullpen for Davidson, as his only score allowed was the unearned run in the eighth inning. In 1 2/3 innings, he surrendered just a hit while striking out two.
The two teams will continue the series Saturday at 2 p.m. RHP Danny Mooney (3-3, 2.79 ERA) is expected to take the mound for Davidson, while RHP Jared Brasher (1-2, 6.65 ERA) is slated to pitch for Samford.
Elon 10, Wofford 9
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Chris King's two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning broke an 8-8 tie and propelled the Elon Phoenix baseball team to a 10-9 victory over the Wofford Terriers in the first game of a three-game Southern Conference series on Friday evening at Russell C. King Field.
The Phoenix improved its overall record to 22-12 and now sits 8-5 in SoCon play. Wofford is 19-16, 2-8.
With the game even at 8 following seven innings, Sebastian Gomez reached on a fielder's choice to bring King to the plate. King then belted the second pitch he saw from Wofford's Will Stillman deep over the wall in left for the game-winning homer. The shot was his team-leading fifth of the season.
Wofford pulled back within a run thanks to a one-out homer off the bat of Seth Neely in the last of the ninth.
The win went to Matt Harris (2-0), who tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. Ryan Pennell threw the ninth to pick up his SoCon-best 10th save of the year.
Will Stillman (2-1) took the loss after he surrendered two runs on two hits in three innings out of the pen.
Most of the runs in the game came across in the fifth. The Phoenix scored five times on five hits before Wofford plated seven runs on four hits in the bottom half.
For Elon, Casey Jones kept his hit streak alive thanks to a 2-for-3 performance. His streak is now at 20 games. Eight of Elon's nine starters recorded at least one hit and five of the nine had two-hit outings. Gomez drove in three runs with a 1-for-5 performance.
The two squads will play game two of the series at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Western Carolina 5, Furman 4
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Bradley Strong went 4-for-5, homered and drove in two runs and Western Carolina survived three home runs by Furman to claim a 5-4 victory over the Paladins in the opening game of a three-game Southern Conference baseball series Friday evening at Hennon Stadium.
The win marked the 12th straight triumph for Western Carolina (23-9, 9-1 SoCon), while the loss was the seventh straight for Furman (11-23, 2-8 SoCon).
Strong broke a 1-1 tie when he led off the fifth inning with a solo home run to right field off Paladin starter Matt Solter. An inning later, he singled and scored the Catamounts’ second run of the frame to make it a 4-1 game.
Furman cut it to 4-2 in the seventh after Andrew MacLatchie was hit by a pitch and later scored on an Alex Abrams sacrifice fly.
The Paladins trailed 5-2 before Greg Harrison and Chris Ohmstede greeted Western Carolina reliever Jonathan Waszak with back-to-back home runs to start the eighth. Ohmstede’s round-tripper was his second of the game and 25th of his career, which moved him into a tie for eighth on the Paladins’ career home runs ledger.
WCU’s Bryan Sammons was summoned to replace Waszak and got the next two outs before giving way to Tyler Powell, who stranded the potential tying run in the eighth. He walked Furman’s Hunter Burton to start the night, but Burton was thrown out attempting to steal. Powell retired the Paladins’ next two batters to secure the win for the Catamounts and his seventh save of the season.
The Catamounts finished with nine hits, while Furman had six. Ohmstede’s two home runs highlighted his 2-for-4, two-RBI performance. Jake Jones also had two hits and two stolen bases for Furman.
Western Carolina starter Jeremy Null (5-1) allowed two runs on four hits over seven innings to earn the win. He walked three and struck out eight.
Solter (0-4) was charged with the loss after yielding three runs, two of which were earned, on four hits over 5 1/3 innings. He issued six walks and fanned six.
The Paladins and Catamounts play Saturday at 4 p.m.
The Citadel 8, Appalachian State 2
BOONE, N.C. – Logan Cribb tossed the first complete game of his career and was backed by an early offensive surge, leading the Bulldogs to an 8-2 win over Appalachian State in the opening game of a Southern Conference series Friday.
The Citadel (14-21, 2-11 SoCon) snapped a seven-game conference losing streak while defeating the Mountaineers (11-20, 5-4) for the sixth straight time over the past two seasons.
Cribb scattered 10 hits in exceeding his previous career-long outing of eight innings set against South Carolina on April 12, 2011, when he recorded a 2-0 victory over the Gamecocks. The senior left-hander registered the first complete game for The Citadel since Austin Pritcher did so against College of Charleston on May 10, 2013.
Cribb allowed single runs in the second and third but was able to strand the bases loaded in the second and fifth. He then finished strong, retiring the final seven batters of the game, to win for the first time since defeating Nebraska on Feb. 28. Cribb walked three and struck out four.
Bo Thompson got The Citadel offense started in the first when he homered to left, his seventh of the season and 25th of his career, moving the junior slugger into a tie for 10th place in school history with Josh Stackley.
The Mountaineers tied it in the bottom of the second before the Bulldogs took advantage of wildness by Appalachian State starter Jamie Nunn in the third. The all-conference pitcher hit a batter and walked two straight, including Thompson with the bases loaded, and Tyler Griffin followed with a two-run single. Johnathan Stokes capped the inning with a sacrifice fly to give The Citadel a 5-1 lead.
Nunn allowed three hits and five runs (three earned) with three walks in three innings.
The Bulldogs added three more runs in the fourth on a run-scoring single by Drew DeKerlegand and a two-run single by Stokes, giving the shortstop three RBIs for the night.
Thompson tied a career high with three runs scored and drove in a pair. Mason Davis did not have a hit but scored twice and stole two bases, giving him 19 on the year and moving the junior second baseman into a tie for 16th in Citadel history with 55 career thefts.