Samford 6, Davidson 5
DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Samford baseball team evened its Southern Conference series at Davidson with a 6-5 win over the Wildcats on Saturday afternoon at Wilson Field.
In the win, Samford was led at the plate by Tyler Filliben, who went 2-for-5 with a double and one RBI. Heath Quinn hit a three-run home run in a 1-for-3 performance at the plate.
Samford starting pitcher Jared Brasher (2-2) pitched five innings, allowing three runs, just two earned, on six hits to earn the win on the mound for the Bulldogs. Andres Gracia pitched the final inning to earn his 10th save of the season. Mark Donham also pitched 2 1/3 innings in relief, allowing no runs on just one hit to help hold the lead for the Bulldogs.
Davidson was led at the plate by Ryan Lowe, who went 3-for-5 with a double and one RBI. Forrest Brandt hit a home run, going 1-for-3 at the plate. Clark Beeker (2-1) pitched 4 1/3 innings in relief, giving up three runs on three hits to take the loss on the mound for the Wildcats.
Davidson grabbed an early lead with two runs in the bottom of the second inning. Lee Miller was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Nathan Becker for the game’s first run. Daniel Gerow then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to drive in Sam Foy for a 2-0 Davidson lead.
The Bulldogs tied the score with two runs in the top of the third inning. Hunter Swilling reached base on a Davidson error and then advanced to third base on another error. Swilling then scored when T.J. Dixon grounded out to first base. Filliben then doubled and later scored on another Davidson error to tie the score at 2-2.
The Wildcats took the lead again with a run in the bottom of the third inning. With one out in the inning, Brandt hit a solo home run to left field to make the score 3-2.
Samford took the lead with four runs in the top of the fifth inning. Filliben singled through the left side of the infield to drive in Swilling to tie the score at 3-3. Quinn later hit a three-run home run with Filliben and Drew McWhorter on base or a 6-3 Samford lead.
Davidson came back with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to cut the Samford lead to 6-5. David Daniels singled to drive in Ben Arkin for the first run of the inning. Lowe then singled to drive in Andrew Pope for Davidson’s fifth run of the game.
With the win, Samford improved to 21-14 overall and 7-4 in the Southern Conference. Davidson fell to 21-10 overall and 11-3 in league play. The series is now tied at one game apiece.
Furman 9, Western Carolina 6
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Carter Grote went 4-for-5 and drove in three runs and Elliott Warford pitched 2 2 /3 innings of solid relief to lift Furman past Western Carolina in Southern Conference baseball action Saturday afternoon at Hennon Stadium.
Grote, a freshman from Pittsburgh, Pa., making his first career start at third base, stroked a two-out, two-run single in the first inning, singled and scored in the third, and delivered an RBI single in a three-run ninth, helping Furman (12-23, 3-8 SoCon) break a 6-6 tie en route to the victory.
The win halted Furman’s seven-game losing skid and also snapped a 12-game winning streak by Western Carolina (23-10, 9-2 SoCon).
Furman grabbed a 3-0 in its first turn at bat on the strength of Grote’s two-run single off Western Carolina starter T.J. Fussell that scored Alex Abrams and Jake Jones.
The Paladins led 3-2 after two frames before scoring three more in the third. Heath Burton’s two-run triple to left-center field made it 5-2, and Burton later scored on a two-out throwing error to stretch the lead to 6-2.
Western Carolina chipped away by plating single runs in the third and fifth innings, and tied it at 6-6 with two runs in the seventh on RBI singles by Jacob Hoyle and Luke Gragg.
Warford, who came on with one out in the seventh, got the Paladins out of the inning by inducing a double-play grounder off the bat of Danny Bermudez.
Furman, which put its first two batters on in the eighth but failed to score, did it again in the ninth after Hunter Burton drew a leadoff walk and Jake Jones singled. The Paladins failed to execute a sacrifice attempt, and Chris Ohmstede’s fly out left runners at first and third with two out. A muffed throw at first base on a Jordan Simpson grounder allowed Burton to score, after which Grote steered a single through the left side to drive home Jones. Jarrod Rickman’s infield single scored Simpson to cap the three-run frame.
Warford (2-2) allowed a single in the bottom of the ninth but closed out the Catamounts. He allowed a pair of hits and struck out two to notch the win.
Simpson trailed Grote in the hit column by going 3-for-5 and scoring two runs. Jones had two hits and scored two runs, as did Hunter Burton, who walked three times and notched his SoCon-leading 27th stolen base.
Furman starting pitcher Jacques de Gruy worked 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits. He walked three and recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts.
Western Carolina, which matched Furman with 12 hits, was paced at the plate by Dykota Spiess, who went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs. Adam Martin and Cody Jones also had two hits for WCU.
The loss was charged to Colton Davis (3-2), who gave up the three unearned runs in the ninth inning.
Sunday’s series finale is set for 1 p.m.
Elon 12, Wofford 2
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Solid pitching and a late offensive outburst lifted the Elon baseball team to a 12-2 victory over Wofford at Russell C. King Field on Saturday afternoon. The win marked the 600th career victory for Phoenix skipper Mike Kennedy, who is in his 18th season at the helm of his alma mater.
Trailing 1-0 after six innings, Elon (23-12, 9-5 Southern Conference) began its eruption in the seventh inning. With one out and runners on first and second, Tyler McVicar crushed a 2-1 pitch from Wofford's Jesse Morris deep over the fence in left to put the Phoenix on top, 3-1. Back-to-back two-out singles were followed by a Quinn Bower double that extended his hitting streak to 11 games and drove in the fourth Elon tally of the game.
After scoring two on sacrifice flies from McVicar and Nick Zammarelli in the eighth, the maroon and gold put the game away with a six-run ninth. In the final frame, Elon scored on a wild pitch, a two-RBI single from Tucker Norton, an RBI single by Blaine Bower and a two-run homer to right from Zammarelli. The long ball was the first of Zammarelli's career.
Wofford (19-17, 2-9) took a 1-0 lead in the second on a sac fly and added one in the eighth on a Seth Neely single.
Elon starter Michael Elefante (6-1) picked up the victory after allowing just two runs on four hits over seven innings. He walked only one and struck out five. John Antonelli came in and gave up just one hit and struck out three in the final two frames.
At the plate for Elon, Casey Jones had a 2-for-3 game to keep his hit streak alive, as he has now hit safely in 21 consecutive outings. McVicar finished with four RBIs and Zammarelli drove in three on the day.
The loss went to Jesse Morris (6-4), who was tagged for four runs (two earned) on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Elon will look to complete the three-game league sweep on Sunday when the two sides play at 1 p.m.
Georgia Southern 10, UNCG 6
STATESBORO, Ga. – Garren Palmer's three-RBI double capped off a six-run fifth inning and helped the Georgia Southern Eagles even the series with the UNCG Spartans with a 10-6 victory on Saturday.
Palmer was 3-for-3 on the day with two walks and three RBIs and helped Georgia Southern (25-12, 8-6) rally from a one-run deficit in the fifth inning.
The Eagles sent 12 men to the plate in that inning and scored six unearned runs on four hits and three errors by UNCG (16-17, 3-7).
C.J. Brazil reached second base to open the frame on a hit and an error. Brazil later escaped a rundown and scored on a throwing error by third baseman Sean Guite. Cal Baker reached safely during the same at-bat after pitcher Max Povse lost his footing on a squibber down the first-base line and advanced to third base during the rundown attempt.
GSU also got RBI hits from Kody Adams and Chase Griffin in that inning before Povse was lifted. Brennen James was brought on to face Garren Palmer, who laced a ball into left-center field to clear the bases and give the Eagles a 8-3 lead.
The rally gave Josh Wirsu his seventh victory of the season. Wirsu (7-2) allowed five runs – two earned – on five hits and four walks. The junior right-hander struck out just one batter and pitched into the sixth inning.
Povse (4-3) allowed eight runs – two earned – on six hits and four walks in the loss. The right-hander tossed 4 1/3 innings and struck out three batters on 85 pitches.
Jason Richman retired seven batters before allowing a single in the eighth inning, and Eric Alonzo allowed just a solo home run in the ninth inning to close out the win for the Eagles.
GSU finished with 10 hits, with two each coming from Griffin and C.J. Brazil. Brazil drove in two runs in the second inning with a two-out single.
The rubber match in the series is set for 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Ryan Frederick will take the mound for the Eagles and will face Dylan Thompson.
Appalachian State 6, The Citadel 5
BOONE, N.C. – Tyler Moore threw his third complete game of the season and Michael Pierson drove in four of Appalachian State’s six runs in a 6-5 win over The Citadel on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
With the victory, Appalachian State (11-20, 6-4 SoCon) evened its three-game Southern Conference series with The Citadel (14-22, 2-12 SoCon) at a game apiece. The rubber match is set for 1 p.m. Sunday at Smith Stadium.
Pierson, who finished 4-for-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored, was the central figure in Appalachian State’s two-run seventh inning, which turned a 5-4 deficit into a 6-5 lead. Tyler Zupcic led off the frame by drawing a four-pitch walk from The Citadel’s Ross White (1-2) and Pierson followed with a triple to the gap in left-center field that brought Zupcic home with the tying run.
Two batters later, Jaylin Davis lifted a fly ball into relatively shallow right field but Pierson tagged up from third and made a great head-first slide at the plate to beat a strong throw from right fielder Tyler Griffin and give the Mountaineers a 6-5 advantage.
Armed with his first lead since the third inning, Moore put the tying run on base in the top of the eighth with a one-out walk but induced a double play to get out of the inning unscathed. He then retired the side in order in the ninth to finish off the 126-pitch complete game.
Moore (7-2) was in vintage form throughout the afternoon, scattering nine hits but inducing three double plays to keep the damage to a minimum. The sixth-year senior struck out four en route to his Southern Conference-leading seventh win of the season.
In addition to his game-tying triple and go-ahead run in the seventh inning, Pierson also had an RBI single in the first and a two-run single in the fifth. He capped the first four-hit game of his career with another single in the eighth.
Preston Troutman and Matt Brill added to Appalachian’s 13-hit attack with two apiece. Brill’s two hits, which included an RBI double in the first, extended his team-best hitting streak to 14 games.
Drew DeKerlegand went 2-for-4 with two RBIs to lead The Citadel.