The Citadel 10, No. 6 South Carolina 8
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Two bases-loaded walks and a pop fly that was lost in the twilight produced four runs in the third inning, giving The Citadel a lead it would never relinquish as the Bulldogs downed South Carolina 10-8 in front of a record 6,500 fans Wednesday night at Riley Park.
The Citadel (15-23) defeated the sixth-ranked Gamecocks (28-9) for the first time since 2011 but not before Skylar Hunter put an end to an evening of wildness on the part of both pitching staffs by striking out potential tying run Gene Cone in the ninth.
The win was the second of the season for the Bulldogs against a top-10 team, adding to a 5-3 victory over then-No. 8 Louisville on Feb. 15. The Citadel last defeated the Gamecocks on April 12, 2011, when Logan Cribb went eight innings and combined with TJ Clarkson for a 2-0 shutout at Riley Park.
South Carolina has dropped four in a row for the first time since 2009.
The Gamecocks are the eighth team from a power conference the Bulldogs have faced this season and they are 5-5 in those contests. Including Wednesday's win and the earlier victory over Louisville, The Citadel also has wins over Virginia Tech and a pair over Nebraska.
The Bulldogs and Gamecocks meet again on May 13 in Columbia.
The Citadel trailed 2-1 in the third when it took advantage of three straight walks, including free passes with the bases loaded to Tyler Griffin and Drew DeKerlegand, to take a 3-2 lead. Pinch-hitter Connor Walsh then lifted a fly ball to shallow left-center, but Gamecock center fielder Tanner English could not find it off the bat and it dropped in for two runs scored that made it 5-2.
A sacrifice fly by Mason Davis the following inning increased the lead to four before things started getting wild. A two-run double by Kyle Martin and sacrifice fly by Grayson Greiner made it 6-5 in the top of the fifth.
Citadel starter Austin Livingston was sharp through four innings, allowing a solo homer to DC Arendas in the second and a run on a double steal in the third, before the three-run Gamecock fifth. Livingston struck out a career-high eight, besting his previous best of five, and earned his second win of the season.
It was the second strong start of Livingston's career against the Gamecocks. As a freshman a year ago, the right-hander threw four shutout innings and allowed only one earned run overall but did not figure in the decision.
The Bulldogs made it a three-run game again in the bottom of the fifth on a leadoff homer by DeKerlegand, his second of the year, and an RBI single by Ryan Kilgallen. South Carolina bounced right back against reliever Kevin Connell in the sixth as Brison Celek led off with a homer to start a two-run frame.
Davis capped off a big night with his first home run of the season, a line drive over the wall in right, and Griffin doubled in Bo Thompson to make it 10-7 in the seventh. The Gamecocks scored a run off David Rivera in the eighth but left two runners on before Hunter finished them off in the ninth.
Davis led a 12-hit Citadel attack with two singles and his homer, scored three runs and drove in two while stealing his 20th base of the year. Griffin and DeKerlegand both had two hits and combined for five RBIs.
Both teams used seven pitchers and combined to walk 18 batters but also left a total of 23 runners on base.
The Citadel returns to Southern Conference play this weekend with a series at Western Carolina. The opening game of the set is Friday at 5 p.m. followed by games on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Following that trip, the Bulldogs begin a seven-game homestand that includes a single game against Winthrop and SoCon series against Furman and Wofford.
Georgia Southern 7, College of Charleston 3
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Garrett Chapman went 4-for-5 at the plate and the Georgia Southern Eagles scored three runs in the fourth inning to defeat the College of Charleston Cougars 7-3 on Wednesday.
Chapman scored two runs and drove in two more with a double in the seventh inning. Chapman singled in his first three at-bats and scored a leadoff run in the fourth inning on a throwing error by the third baseman.
Dalton Busby, who reached on an infield hit, scored on a wild pitch, and Kody Adams capped off the go-ahead fourth inning with an RBI double to right field. The double was his second of the day. Adams also doubled to lead off the first inning.
Georgia Southern (26-13) finished with 14 hits and had eight starters record at least one hit. Busby and Ryan Cleveland also finished with multi-hit games.
Will Jackson entered in the third inning and recorded a fielder's choice to leave a pair of College of Charleston (24-12) base runners stranded after a pair of Cougars scored on a double from Gunnar Heidt.
Jackson (2-0) worked 2 1/3 innings and allowed one run on two hits to earn his second win of the season.
Matt McCall retired all three batters he faced in his first start of the season. The Eagles retired eight straight batters to the start the game and struck out 13 batters on the day.
Nathan Helvey allowed two of the three runs in the fourth inning and took his third loss of the season. Helvey (3-3) surrendered five hits and three runs over 2 1/3 innings.
The Eagles extended their 4-3 lead with a single run in the sixth inning and two more runs in the seventh. Aaron Mizell drove in Cal Baker, who recorded his first career hit, with a two-out single in the sixth inning.
GSU returns home to host the Samford Bulldogs at J.I. Clements Stadium. First pitch in the series is set for 6 p.m.
No. 29 Tennessee 6, Western Carolina 2
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 29 Tennessee used three two-run innings to build a lead its bullpen maintained over the final five frames as four Volunteer pitchers held the potent Catamount lineup hitless after the fourth inning on Wednesday night as Western Carolina dropped a 6-2 decision at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in nonconference action.
Western Carolina dropped to 24-12 overall on the season after its eighth hour of baseball over the past two days. Tennessee earned its 24th seasonal victory, moving to 24-11 on the year.
Eight different Catamount hitters combined for WCU's eight base hits on the night. Junior Bradley Strong doubled in the top of the first to eventually score the game's first run. It was his third two-base hit in the past two outings this week. Strong came home on a sacrifice fly by Adam Martin (1-for-3), who earned his team-leading 43rd RBI of the season.
Freshman Matt Smith collected his first collegiate extra-base hit with a leadoff triple off the wall in right-center field in the fourth inning, scoring on an infield bunt single by J.D. Long as the Catamounts used the squeeze play for a second straight night. However, after Long's bunt single, the Volunteers retired the next 17 Catamount batters in order to pick up the win - their third-straight over WCU.
Catamount starter Bryan Sammons (6-2) took the loss after surrendering two two-out runs on three hits in the bottom of the first inning. WCU used a combined six pitchers, with sophomores Alex Barr and Jonathan Waszak recording strikeouts. Barr and Bryce Danielson both tossed a team-high two innings out of the pen, with the latter retiring the first five batters he faced before an infield single by Will Maddox, who was later thrown out by Martin trying to advance on a pitch in the dirt.
All told, WCU's six pitchers issued 10 walks, while the hitters struck out a combined 12 times in the loss.
Tennessee starter Bret Marks (3-0) earned the victory after a two-inning, pre-determined start. Marks allowed the Strong double as one of three hits, with the one run against, striking out two. Reliever Drake Owenby struck out four in two innings but was tagged for a run on five hits. The combination of Trevor Bettencourt (2.0), Peter Lenstrohm, Josh Peterson and Andrew Lee were perfect for the Vols over the final five, combining for six strikeouts.
Offensively for Tennessee, Christin Stewart reached five times with a 4-for-4 showing at the plate and a walk, while designated hitter Nick Senzel was 2-for-2 with a trio of walks. Scott Price drove in two on a first-inning two-out double.
Western Carolina returns home to host The Citadel (15-23, 2-13 SoCon) in a three-game Southern Conference series at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium this weekend. The Bulldogs are coming off a 10-8 upset win over sixth-ranked South Carolina on Wednesday night at Riley Park in Charleston.
Game one is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Friday with Saturday's game scheduled for 2 p.m. First pitch of the series finale is Sunday at 1 p.m.
North Carolina 5, Elon 4
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – After controlling the first eight innings of the game, the Elon baseball team saw North Carolina rally for three runs in the bottom of the ninth to claim a 5-4 victory over the visiting Phoenix at Boshamer Stadium on Wednesday night.
The loss, which dropped the maroon and gold to 23-14 on the season, was the first for Elon when leading after eight innings this year. The Phoenix had been 23-0 in those situations in 2014.
With Elon leading 4-2 entering the last of the ninth, UNC (22-15) got a bunt single to start the frame, followed by an error that left men at first and second. A second bunt single and error allowed the first run to score to make it a 4-3 contest with runners on second and third. The Tar Heels then knotted the game at 4 on a Wood Myers sacrifice fly. After two walks loaded the bases, Landon Lassiter hit a single to center to plate the game-winner.
Elon jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second when Tucker Norton, who led off the inning with a double, scored on an error. The Phoenix upped its edge to 3-0 in the fourth on a two-RBI single from Nick Zammarelli.
After UNC trimmed the Elon lead to 3-2 in the sixth, the Phoenix came back with one in the seventh as Ryan Cooper picked up the RBI on an infield single.
Casey Jones kept his hitting streak alive, moving it to 23 games thanks to a double in the fifth inning. Cooper was the lone Elon player to have a multi-hit outing, going 2-for-4 on the night.
The Phoenix used a staff day to have nine pitchers work in the game. Jake Stalzer got the start and allowed just two hits in four scoreless innings. The loss went to Ryan Pennell (1-2), who was charged with three runs (two earned) on three hits in 1/3 of an inning.
UNC's Spencer Trayner (2-2) got the win by tossing two scoreless innings of relief.
With a brief four-game road swing behind it, the Phoenix returns home to Latham Park for an important Southern Conference series. This weekend, Elon will host Appalachian State for three games beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Wake Forest 4, Appalachian State 2
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Despite six innings of near flawless pitching, the Appalachian State University baseball team was unable to keep a two run lead, losing 4-2 to Wake Forest (24-15) on Wednesday at the Gene Hooks Field at Wake Forest Baseball Park.
A Wake Forest error and a walk helped the Mountaineers (13-21) take an early 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning. But the Demon Deacons were able to plate four in the bottom of the seventh inning to win the game.
Appalachian starter Sean Mason began the seventh inning but was replaced by Taylor Thurber with one out and a man on first. With a 3-1 count, Thurber gave up a double to Matt Conway and loaded the bases by delivering a walk to the next batter. Thurber was pulled with bases loaded and only one out. Robert Whaley replaced Thurber and gave up two two-RBI doubles that became the deciding factors in the game.
Mason surpassed his career high of strikeouts in a single game with eight on Wednesday. He was charged with one earned run and walked two batters. Thurber was the losing pitcher in the contest, as he was charged with two earned runs in the seventh inning.
Appalachian started the game strong. The Mountaineers got back-to-back singles by Michael Pierson and Jaylin Davis to start the second inning. Dillon Dobson hit a slow bouncer that starting pitcher Matt Pirro could not handle. The balled sailed over the first baseman, which would bring Pierson around to score. Josh Zumbrook walked to load the bases and Tyler Stroup walked on four straight balls, which would score the second run.
There were four scoreless innings before the Demon Deacons scored the four runs in the seventh. Aaron Fossas took the mound in the ninth inning and would retire all three batters to earn the save.
Stroup earned the only RBI for the Mountaineers. Appalachian was held to only four hits on the evening.
Evan Stephens led Wake Forest with two hits and two RBIs. Parker Dunshee (2-1), WFU’s fourth batter, pitched the sixth inning, retiring all three batters to earn the win.
Appalachian will continue on its challenging five-game road stint with a three-game weekend series at perennial conference favorite Elon starting Friday.