Appalachian State 11, Virginia Tech 0
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Freshman Sean Mason earned his first collegiate win in an 11-0, two-hit shutout over Virginia Tech (18-21-1) on Tuesday at English Field in Blacksburg, Va.
Mason helped Appalachian (15-23) get its first victory over an Atlantic Coast Conference team in nine tries this season and its first over the Hokies since a 5-4 win in 1994.
The first batter of the game, Saige Jenco, got Virginia Tech’s first hit of the game and the second batter, Ricky Surum, was hit by one of Mason’s pitches. Mason would settle down and retire the next 20 batters of the game before giving up a walk in the eighth inning and a hit in the ninth. He delivered two straight ground outs to secure the win and move to 1-1 on the season.
Behind Mason’s spectacular pitching was fantastic hitting. Jaylin Davis got the first hit for Appalachian in the second inning, then Preston Troutman hit his second home run of the season on a 2-0 pitch that would score them both.
In the third inning, Michael Pierson hit a solo home run to give the Mountaineers the 3-0 lead, while Matt Brill hit a successful sacrifice bunt to score Troutman in the fourth inning.
The Mountaineers enjoyed most of their success at the plate in the fifth and eighth. The Mountaineers got four runs on two hits in the fifth inning and three runs on three hits in the eighth inning behind the bats of Troutman, Brill and Bradley Morton.
Virginia Tech used a variety of six pitchers on the day. Starter Alex Perez was charged with the loss, pitching three innings and giving up three runs on five hits. Pinch hitter Logan Bible got the only other Hokies hit.
Troutman and Morton matched each other with three RBIs apiece. Morton drove in his three runs on two hits and scored one run, while Troutman added a walk, a hit and two runs. Brill got three hits on the day, one more than any other Mountaineer.
After a grueling five-game road trip, the Mountaineers will return home to take on Gardner-Webb on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
The Citadel 7, Winthrop 4
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Bo Thompson singled in Hughston Armstrong to snap a 3-3 tie and trigger a four-run fifth inning, giving The Citadel a 7-4 win over Winthrop Tuesday night at Riley Park.
Armstrong led off the fifth with a single and moved to third on a failed pickoff throw to first by Matt Crohan. With the infield playing in, Thompson roped a shot past shortstop Kyle Edwards into left field to bring home Armstrong with the tiebreaking run.
Calvin Orth added a two-run single and Ryan Kilgallen drove in the final run of the frame with a bad-hop single past third. The Citadel bullpen took it from there, allowing only three hits over the final 5 2/3 innings.
The Bulldogs (16-25) used nine pitchers, with Austin Livingston working the first two and striking out four. The sophomore right-hander has fanned 12 batters in his last seven innings, including a career-high eight in a win over South Carolina last Wednesday.
In all, The Citadel staff struck out 16 batters to tie a season high and eight of their nine hurlers recorded at least one. Zach Lavery struck out two in a perfect sixth and was credited with his first collegiate win. Zach McKay, Zach Sherrill, Paul Joseph Krouse and Skylar Hunter each had two punch-outs.
Hunter earned the save, his eighth of the season, as the Bulldogs won for the seventh time in a row over the Eagles (18-26). Hunter has 21 saves in his career, one shy of tying Tom Martin for fifth in school history.
The Citadel jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third on four hits and RBI singles by Tyler Griffin and Johnathan Stokes. Winthrop tied it in the fourth with a three-run inning of its own, with Stephen Williams knotting it up with a two-run homer off Brett Tompkins.
The Bulldogs finished with 10 hits, including two each by Armstrong, Thompson and Griffin. Drew DeKerlegand saw his nine-game hitting streak snapped but did draw a walk to reach base for the 22nd consecutive game.
The Citadel returns to Southern Conference play with a three-game series against Furman beginning Friday at 6 p.m. at Riley Park.
Samford 6, Troy 2
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford senior first baseman Caleb Bryson hit a three-run home run in the first inning to give the Bulldogs the early lead on their way to a 6-2 win over in-state rival Troy on Tuesday evening at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
Samford’s Cody Pugh (3-3) pitched four innings, giving up two runs on three hits to earn the win on the mound for the Bulldogs. Cole Limbaugh, Mikel Belcher, Patrick McGavin and Mark Donham combined to throw the final five innings without allowing a run to finish the game for Samford.
Bryson went 1-for-4 at the plate with the home run and three RBIs. The homer was his eighth of the season, tying him for the team lead with Tyler Filliben and Heath Quinn. Frankie Navarrete went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while Danny Rodriguez went 2-for-3 for the Bulldogs.
For Troy at the plate, Nick Masonia went 2-for-3 to lead the way. Trevin Hall drove in two runs, going 1-for-4. Cody Hughes (0-1) pitched one inning, giving up four runs on two hits to take the loss on the mound for the Trojans.
Samford jumped on top first with three runs in the first inning. T.J. Dixon and Jared Watson walked to lead off the inning. After the next two batters were retired, Bryson hit a home run to left-center field to give Samford a 3-0 lead.
Troy plated its two runs in the top of the second inning to close to within one run. With two outs in the inning, Matthew Howard singled up the middle to start the rally. Masonia then reached base on an infield single, moving Howard to second base. Hall then doubled to right-center field to drive in Howard and Masonia to make the score 3-2.
Samford added a run in the bottom of the second inning to push its lead to 4-2. Rodriguez singled up the middle to lead off the inning. Tripp Martin then walked, moving Rodriguez to second base. Rodriguez and Martin each moved up a base on a ground out by Navarrete. Watson then singled to left field to drive in Rodriguez for a two-run Samford lead.
The Bulldogs plated another run in the bottom of the third inning to make the score 5-2. With two outs in the inning, Brandon Powell reached base on an infield single. Rodriguez then walked, moving Powell to second base. Martin then doubled down the left-field line to drive in Powell for Samford’s fifth run of the game.
Samford plated one final run in the bottom of the fifth inning for a 6-2 lead. With one out in the inning, Rodriguez singled through the right side of the infield. Rodriguez advanced to second base when Martin reached base on a Troy error. Rodriguez then advanced to third base when Martin was caught stealing at second base. Navarrete then doubled to right field to drive in Rodriguez for the game’s final run.
With the win, Samford improved to 25-16 on the season, while Troy dropped to 20-21. The win gave Samford the sweep of the season series with the Trojans, and the Bulldogs are now 8-3 against in-state teams so far this season.
Samford will return to action on Friday, when the Bulldogs open a three-game home Southern Conference series with Western Carolina. Friday’s series opener is scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT start from Joe Lee Griffin Field. The teams are also scheduled to play Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Furman 6, UNC Asheville 4
ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Tyler Wood provided strong starting pitching and Alex Abrams delivered a pair of hits and quality relief work to lead Furman to its fifth straight victory, a 6-4 win at UNC Asheville, in Tuesday baseball action at Greenwood Field.
Wood (4-1), who won his last start 6-1 at Western Carolina on April 13 before missing his scheduled weekend start after Furman’s Saturday SoCon series finale against Wofford was rained out, earned his second straight win by dominating UNC Asheville, tossing 5 2/3 innings of three-hit, shutout ball before departing with a 1-0 lead in the sixth.
Furman (16-23) scored four runs in the seventh and a run in the eighth to build a 6-0 advantage before UNC Asheville (12-29) touched up Paladin reliever Elliott Warford for four runs in the bottom of the eighth to make it a 6-4 game.
Abrams doused the Bulldogs’ rally by getting the final two outs in the eighth and worked a 1-2-3 ninth to nail down the victory tor the Paladins and notch his second save on the season.
The Paladins gave Wood a run to work with in the second after Jake Jones drew a leadoff walk and later scored on a Hunter Burton sacrifice fly.
Wood, who retired 11 straight Bulldogs in one stretch, gave up a leadoff single in the fifth but used a double play to get out of inning. He retired the first two Bulldogs he faced in the sixth before Robert McIntosh doubled with two outs. Wood’s replacement, Billy Greenfield, kept the lead intact, however, by striking out Tommy Houmard to strand McIntosh at third.
Furman took command with a four-run seventh, scoring three of the four runs with two outs. Carter Grote’s sacrifice fly plated Abrams, and Jones followed with a two-run single up the middle, which scored Chris Ohmstede and Greg Harrison. Jordan Simpson capped the rally with a single that drove home Jones for a 5-0 lead.
An Abrams sacrifice fly in the eighth, Furman’s third of the game, made it 6-0.
UNCA roughed up Warford for four runs on three hits and error in the bottom of the inning before Abrams took over with one out and a runner a second. He proceeded to get Hunter Bryant and Eli Miller on infield pop ups to keep it a two-run game.
Abrams went 2-for-4 at the plate, drove in one run, and scored once for the Paladins, who managed eight hits. Harrison also had two hits and a run, and Jones collected two RBIs and scored twice.
Tanner Bush had two of UNCA’s six hits.
The Bulldogs received solid starting pitching from Ethan Steible (0-5), who allowed one run on four hits over six innings. He walked two and fanned three.
Furman opens a three-game SoCon series this weekend in Charleston, S.C., against The Citadel, beginning with a Friday, 6 p.m. game at Joseph P. Riley Park.
Wofford 3, USC Upstate 2
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On Tuesday evening, the Wofford College baseball team scored three runs in the seventh inning to take a 3-2 win over USC Upstate at Russell C. King Field. The Spartans led 2-0 after three innings, but the Terriers came up with three runs on four hits in the seventh to take the lead.
Wofford is 21-19 on the season, while USC Upstate is 14-29 overall. Alec Paradowski led the Terriers with two hits and two RBIs, while Derek Hirsch added two hits and the Wofford pitching staff combined to strikeout out 10 batters. Tyler Lesch had two hits for the Spartans.
The Spartans took an early 1-0 lead as they had two doubles and a single in the top of the first inning.
The Spartans had two runners on base in the top of the third after a hit-by-pitch and walk. A pair of wild pitches scored a run for a 2-0 lead.
Wofford had singles from Josh Hyman and Hirsch in the bottom of the seventh. A pinch-hit single by Matt Ramsay score Hyman to make it a 2-1 game. After a balk moved the runners to second and third, a single up the middle by Paradowski drove in both runners for a 3-2 lead.
With one out in the top of the ninth, the Spartans had one runner reach base on an error. A ground out advanced the runner to second, but a fly ball to center field ended the ballgame.
Wofford starting pitcher Luke Leftwich worked three innings and allowed two runs on three hits with one strikeout. Matt Milburn went two innings and gave up one hit with three strikeouts. Jacob Condra-Bogan (1-0) threw two innings and did not allow a hit with three strikeouts to earn his first win. Will Stillman worked an inning and had three strikeouts without allowing a hit. Eric Eck picked up his ninth save of the season by not allowing a hit in the ninth inning.
Dylan Parker (1-3) started for USC Upstate and went seven innings with three runs allowed on seven hits. He struck out six and did not issue a walk. Jordan Miller did not allow a hit with two strikeouts in one inning on the mound.
On Wednesday, Wofford will travel to Presbyterian College for a 3 p.m. contest before hosting Georgia Southern for a three-game weekend series beginning on Friday night.
No. 8 South Carolina 8, Davidson 0
COLUMBIA, S.C. – A six-run sixth inning and strong pitching led No. 8 South Carolina past Davidson, 8-0, in nonconference baseball action Tuesday night in Carolina Stadium.
South Carolina (31-10) used five pitchers to limit Davidson to six hits. RHP Reed Scott started and scattered five hits and a walk in four innings, also facing the first batter in the fifth inning and striking out one, while RHP Taylor Widener (3-0) was perfect in three innings, retiring all eight batters he faced, including four strikeouts. LHP Josh Reagan yielded just a hit in the eighth, and LHP John Parke and RHP Hunter Privette finished off the ninth.
The Gamecocks took a 1-0 lead in the third inning, but neither team mustered much offensively until the sixth inning, when South Carolina sent 11 batters to the plate and scored six runs on four hits, three walks and an error. Five of the runs were earned.
The shutout was South Carolina’s 12th of the season, while it was the first time Davidson (23-11) had been on the wrong end since Feb. 28 against Miami (Ohio). However, the Wildcats pounded out a season-high 21 hits the very next game.
Shortstop Marcus Mooney (1-for-3) doubled home centerfielder Tanner English (1-for-3, BB, 2 SB) for South Carolina’s first run in the third. English had reached on a fielder’s choice and then stole second, and Mooney sent a ball down the right-field line to drive him home.
Third baseman DC Arendas and catcher Logan Koch led South Carolina with two hits each, while designated hitter Grayson Greiner (1-for-4, sac fly) had a team-best two RBIs.
Shortstop Sam Foy led Davidson offensively, going 2-for-3 with a stolen base.
RHP Clark Beeker (2-2) yielded the third-inning run but allowed just three hits in three innings with one strikeout. RHP Durin O’Linger was solid for the Wildcats in the fourth and fifth innings, allowing just a hit and a walk with one strikeout.
Davidson will continue an eight-game road stretch Friday, returning to Southern Conference play at Appalachian State for a three-game series.
Duke 2, UNCG 0
DURHAM, N.C. – Despite allowing Duke just three hits Tuesday evening, UNCG could not get much going offensively itself as the Blue Devils won a 2-0 nonconference decision at Jack Coombs Field in Durham.
The win for Duke (25-17) earned the Blue Devils a season series split with the Spartans as UNCG (17-19) won 9-8 in 12 innings earlier this campaign in Greensboro, N.C.
The Spartans out-hit the home team 4-3 while each team committed an error. The UNCG error proved costly as it occurred with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, leading to Duke’s first run of the contest.
Junior Brennen James (1-1) took the loss for the Blue and Gold, allowing an unearned run on no hits and one walk over 2/3 innings pitched. Andrew Istler improved to 6-5 for the Blue Devils, throwing five shutout innings with four strikeouts against no walks.
Offensively, UNCG mustered just four singles, with junior Zac MacAneney also drawing a walk. Mark Lumpa had a double in the contest for Duke as one of just three Blue Devils to record a hit.
Both pitching staffs combined for 17 strikeouts and only one walk apiece as the game lasted just two hours and 16 minutes – a stark contrast to the five-hour affair the teams endured earlier in the season at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
The Spartans recorded a hit in each of the first two innings, but both runners ended up getting picked off by Istler to terminate any potential offensive threat. Duke would strike in the bottom of the fifth when James walked leadoff batter Matt Berezo. Berezo would steal second and move to third on a ground out. UNCG looked to be out of the inning with two away as James induced a ground ball to third off the bat of Kenny Koplove, but the ball was bobbled at third base and the run scored to make it 1-0.
After the Blue Devils added a run in the bottom of the eighth inning, MacAneney drew a walk with one out in the top of the ninth and reached second on a wild pitch. However, the next two Spartan batters struck out and grounded out to end the evening.
UNCG returns home this weekend for the first time since April 6, hosting local SoCon rival Elon for a three-game conference series at the UNCG Baseball Stadium. The Spartans and Phoenix will begin the series Friday with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m.
UNCW 10, Elon 7
WILMINGTON, N.C. – The Elon baseball team fell into an early hole and could not complete the comeback against the UNCW Seahawks on Tuesday night as the Phoenix fell 10-7.
Elon's Casey Jones took an 0-for-4 to end his career-best hitting streak at 26 games. The last time that Jones failed to record a hit was March 8 against UMBC in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
UNCW (20-19) plated four runs in both the second and third innings to race out to an 8-0 advantage. The Phoenix (25-16) tried to climb back in the contest with two runs in the fourth on a Danny Lynch homer to right-center. Elon pulled within four, 8-4, in the fifth on a throwing error and Jones ground out.
After the Seahawks scored twice in the last of the fifth, Elon came back with a two-run sixth. The first came in on a Tyler McVicar single and the second on a passed ball. The maroon and gold closed its deficit to three, 10-7, in the seventh on a Quinn Bower ground out.
Taking the loss in his first career start was Mike Krill (1-1). Krill was charged with six runs on seven hits in 2 1/3 innings.
Jared Gesell (1-0) was awarded the win after he surrendered one unearned run on one hit in 2 2/3 innings out of the bullpen.
Elon returns to action this weekend by visiting UNCG for a three-game Southern Conference series. Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Georgia Southern vs. Bethune-Cookman canceled
STATESBORO, Ga. – The Georgia Southern baseball team's contest against Bethune-Cookman was rained out after thunderstorms drenched the Bulloch County area Tuesday night.
Georgia Southern led 5-2 in the bottom of the third inning when lightning was reported in the vicinity and forced the game to be suspended. Heavy showers and more lightning followed shortly.
GSU is back home tomorrow at 6 p.m. to host the College of Charleston Cougars before traveling to Wofford this weekend.