Elon 7, No. 21 Liberty 6
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Ryan Cooper hit a grand slam and Casey Jones tallied three hits as the Elon Phoenix upended the 21st-ranked Liberty Flames by a 7-6 score from Liberty Baseball Stadium on Tuesday night. The win was 24th for Elon over a top-25 program since the 1999 season.
With the game even at 3 after five innings, Elon (27-25) loaded the bases on a fielder's choice, error and single before Cooper sent a 2-1 pitch from Cody Albright over the wall in left to give the Phoenix a 7-3 edge. The Flames (38-12) came back with two in the bottom of the sixth to cut the deficit to 7-5.
Liberty added its final run in the eighth when Ashton Perritt singled home Danny Grauer to make it a one-run contest, but could get no closer.
Ryan Pennell kept the door closed in the ninth, as he retired the side in order on a ground out, strike out and fly out to record his 12th save of the season. Pennell threw the final three innings and allowed one run while striking out four.
Elon started the scoring in the fourth when Nick Zammarelli bounced a ball over the first baseman with the bases full to score two. Liberty came back with two of its own in the last of the fourth thanks to an Andrew Yacyk double.
Both teams plated one in the fifth. The Phoenix scored its run when Quinn Bower drew a bases-loaded walk, while the Flames got a solo homer from Perritt.
Lucas Bakker (7-3) got the win in relief. He gave up one run on one hit in an inning. Starter Brandon Kacergave up one run on three hits in three innings of work.
The loss went to Albright (0-1), who was charged with four runs (three earned) on three hits in 1 1/3 innings.
Jones, Zammarelli and Blaine Bower all had multi-hit games. Jones raised his SoCon-leading average to .422. He has recorded at least one hit in 46 of 52 games and has an 11-game hitting streak. Zammarelli has now hit in 12 consecutive games.
Elon will be off until the 2014 Southern Conference tournament in Charleston, S.C., which begins on May 20. The Phoenix will not know its seed in the tournament until all league play concludes this weekend.
Georgia Southern 10, Jacksonville 9
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Aaron Mizell hit a two-run double that proved to be the game-winner for the Georgia Southern Eagles in a 10-9 victory over the Jacksonville Dolphins in the regular-season finale on Tuesday.
Mizell drove a ball over the head of right fielder Michael Babb in the eighth inning to put Georgia Southern (34-20) up 10-7. Mizell drove in a pair of two-out singles in Kody Adams and Ben Morgan.
Jacksonville (17-31) pulled within a run in the eighth inning, but Morgan snagged a line drive and turned a double play to end the threat. Babb plated a run in the frame on a single through the left side of the defense before Connor Marabell doubled him in.
Patrick Riley faced the minimum in the ninth and closed out the game with a double play. Riley picked up his first career save and walked just one batter in the process.
Byron Yelverton tossed just one pitch, a ground out to shortstop, but picked up his first career victory after the Eagles took the lead in the seventh inning on Ryan Cleveland's two-out single.
Will Jackson got the start for GSU and allowed three runs over 1 2/3 innings. Jackson allowed seven hits and struck out three batters on 40 pitches.
Justin Lawrence suffered the loss for the Dolphins. Lawrence (0-1) allowed one run on a hit and a walk over one inning.
Both teams finished with 14 hits. Adams led the Eagles with four singles. Morgan went 3-for-5 with a two-RBI double in the second inning. Stryker Brown and Ryan Cleveland both tallied two hits.
Babb led JU with three hits, three RBIs and three runs scored. Angelo Amendolare, Marabell, Scott Schaub and Cameron Gibson tallied two hits each.
The Dolphins took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Schaub double, but Adams threw out a second run at the plate.
GSU scored four runs in the second inning to take a 4-1 lead. Hunter Thomas tied the game with a single to center field. Garrett Chapman scored a batter later on Dalton Busby's sacrifice fly. Morgan capped off the inning with a two-run double.
The Eagles extended their lead to 6-3 on Chapman's seventh home run of the season in the third inning, but JU rallied for four runs in the fourth to take a 7-6 lead. The Dolphins scored runs on a bases-loaded walk, a wild pitch, a ground out and a Schaub single.
GSU will return to action at the Southern Conference tournament in Charleston, S.C., on May 20-25.
Western Carolina 8, Kennesaw State 6
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina rallied from a five-run deficit with a seven-run bottom of the seventh inning on Tuesday night to upend Kennesaw State, 8-6, in midweek nonconference action at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
WCU (34-16) capitalized on six walks and two hit batters in the decisive seventh, with senior Adam Martin delivering the lone hit of the rally with a bases-loaded double to left-center field that tied the game at 6. The Catamounts tacked on two additional runs in the frame to score the victory, halting the Owls’ 16-game winning streak, which had been the nation’s longest active run.
Five different Catamount hitters combined for the team’s five hits in the nonconference win. Martin padded his SoCon RBI lead on his 10th double of the season, finishing the game with 60 runs driven in. Redshirt senior Taylor Sandefur collected his fifth double of the year, adding an RBI on a sacrifice, with freshman Dylan Prevatte plating a pair of runners on a 1-for-2 outing at the dish. Luke Gragg drove home the game-winning run with his second walk of the seventh inning.
Catamount freshman B.J. Nobles (1-0) earned the win after tossing 2/3 of a frame of hitless, scoreless relief out of the bullpen in the top of the seventh inning. Sophomore Colton Davis tossed a perfect eighth with a strikeout to set up junior Tyler Powell, who scored his 11th save of the year, working a three-up, three-down ninth inning.
Powell assumed sole possession of third place in WCU’s single-season record books with 11 saves, while his 13 career saves rank him eighth in program history.
Freshmen Nate Williams and Korey Anderson both struck out one, combining to toss an inning and two-thirds while allowing two runs – only one earned – on three hits.
Sophomore transfer Taylor Durand struck out three against three walks in his longest outing for the Purple & Gold, tossing 3 1/3 in the starting role before running into trouble in the fourth. The Oak Ridge, Tenn., native issued a bases-loaded, run-scoring walk to break the scoreless deadlock, with the Owls pulling ahead, 1-0. However, second-year reliever Jonathan Waszak slammed the door with a strikeout and ground ball out to leave the deficit at one through four.
Kennesaw State (30-21) took a four-run lead with three runs in the top of the fifth inning, loading the bases for a second straight frame. The runs were driven in on a sacrifice fly and a single with an error on the play allowing the third marker to cross.
The Catamounts were able to scratch the scoreboard for their first run in the home half of the fifth after Sandefur doubled down the first-base line to move Gragg to third. Freshman Dylan Prevatte then reached on an infield single on a shot that was just out of the reach of first baseman Clint Wynn to make it 4-1.
A second WCU error in the top half of the seventh inning allowed Kennesaw State to push across two additional runs to stretch the margin to five at 6-1, setting up the decisive bottom of the frame.
KSU reliever Nathan Harsh, who entered in the sixth inning and worked around a walk with a strikeout, took the mound to start the seventh. However, after his warm-up tosses, was taken from the mound by the athletic training staff. Reliever Will Lowman came out of the bullpen and issued three consecutive walks to load the bases. Right-hander Andrew Austin (0-1) got the first out on the first pitch he threw in relief of Lowman, as Prevatte reached on a fielder’s choice along the middle of the diamond but hustled down the line to beat out the would-be double play while allowing Gragg to score to make it 6-2.
Bradley Strong was then plunked by a pitch to re-load the bases before Cody Jones drew a seven-pitch walk to cut the margin in half at 6-3. Martin then drove a 0-2 breaking ball to the gap in left-center field, pushing three runs across to knot the game at 6.
WCU’s rally continued as junior Jacob Hoyle drew the fifth base on balls in the frame, with Danny Bermudez reaching after being plunked by a pitch to load the bases a third time. Gragg drove home the go-ahead run on the sixth walk of the inning before Sandefur plated the game’s final run on a sacrifice foul out deep into the right-field corner, allowing Hoyle to rumble home with the insurance run.
Austin (0-1) took the loss after surrendering four earned runs on three walks and just one base hit, Martin’s double.
Kennesaw State had two players record multi-hit games, as both Kal Simmons and Jacob Bruce finished 2-for-5 in the loss, while designated hitter Brennan Morgan drove home three on a 1-for-3 outing. Morgan drove home runs on a walk, a sacrifice fly and a fifth-inning single.
Western Carolina wraps up the 2014 regular season this weekend by hosting Davidson – which leads the SoCon standings by percentage points over the second-place Catamounts – for a three-game conference series slated for Thursday and Friday. First pitch on Thursday is scheduled for 5 p.m. with a 2 p.m. start to Friday’s doubleheader. The final home games are presented by Kostas Family Restaurant of Dillsboro, N.C.
Appalachian State 9, East Tennessee State 5 (10 innings)
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Appalachian State strung together five straight hits and scored four runs with two outs in the top of the 10th inning to defeat East Tennessee State, 9-5, on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning at Thomas Stadium.
Appalachian State (18-31) rallied from a 5-3 deficit with single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to set up the four-run outburst in the top of the 10th. The win the Mountaineers’ first in extra innings since a 10-9, 11-inning victory at Furman on March 10, 2013, and snapped their three-game losing streak in extra-inning affairs.
Jaylin Davis kick-started Appalachian’s string of five consecutive two-out hits with a clean single to left field on an 0-1 pitch from ETSU closer Clinton Freeman. True freshman Brian Bauk followed with the biggest hit of his young career, a double to right field that brought Davis home all the way from first base with the go-ahead run.
Three more run-scoring extra-base hits – a double by Josh Zumbrook, a triple by Tyler Zupcic and another double by Bradley Morton – followed and gave the Mountaineers a commanding 9-5 lead.
Appalachian closer Robert Whaley retired the side in order in the bottom of the 10th to seal the victory and cap a terrific evening for the Mountaineers’ much-maligned bullpen. Relievers Taylor Thurber and Whaley combined to toss 5 1/3 scoreless innings to close out the game. The duo allowed just one hit and struck out six. Whaley (2-1) was particularly impressive, striking out four of the 10 batters he faced in three hitless innings.
The game got off to an inauspicious start for Appalachian State. After a long rain delay before first pitch, ETSU (24-27) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a towering two-run homer by Freeman.
Appalachian cut the deficit in half with one run in the third and took its first lead of the game with two runs in the fifth. However, the Mountaineers’ 3-2 lead was short-lived, as the Buccaneers regained a 5-3 advantage with three runs in the bottom of the fifth.
A leadoff triple by Davis in the top of the sixth led to a run that cut App State’s deficit to 5-4, and a two-out RBI double by Dillon Dobson in the top of the seventh knotted the score at 5-5.
Appalachian State banged out 17 hits – its third-highest total of the season – in the win. Eight of the 17 hits went for extra bases (six doubles and two triples).
Davis led the way, going 3-for-5 with the two pivotal runs scored. Bauk, Dobson, Zumbrook, Zupcic and Michael Pierson added two hits apiece.
Tyler Roach went 3-for-5 at the plate to pace ETSU. Freeman, who ranks second in the Atlantic Sun Conference with 10 saves, suffered the loss to fall to 2-6 on the campaign.
Appalachian State closes the regular season this weekend when it hosts a crucial three-game Southern Conference series versus Furman. The winner of the three-game set clinches one of the six automatic berths into the double-elimination portion of next week’s SoCon tournament, while the loser will have to win a single-elimination opening-round game on Tuesday to earn a spot in the eight-team double-elimination field.
Game times for this weekend’s series are set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, 6:30 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium in Boone, N.C.
No. 8 South Carolina 10, The Citadel 1
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Reed Scott allowed only four hits and one unearned run in seven innings, leading No. 8 South Carolina to a 10-1 victory over The Citadel in front of 8,054 fans Tuesday night at Carolina Stadium.
The Gamecocks (40-13) reached the 40-win mark for the 15th consecutive year while avenging a 10-8 loss in to The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., on April 16. The Bulldogs were seeking their first season sweep of South Carolina since 2009 and the second in 23 years under head coach Fred Jordan.
Scott allowed three hits over the first two innings and the lone Bulldog run in the second before facing just one over the minimum 15 batters in his final five frames. He did not walk a batter and struck out seven.
The Gamecocks took a 3-0 lead in the first against Bulldog starter Nate Brecklin before The Citadel put together a bit of a rally in the second. Bret Hines and Ryan Kilgallen had one-out singles, and Hines came across when Joey Pankake was unable to corral a Calvin Orth grounder to third.
Mason Davis grounded out to first, putting Bulldogs at second and third, but Hughston Armstrong fouled out to first to limit The Citadel to only one run.
Scott then retired the side in order in the third and fourth, including two strikeouts in each frame. The only other Bulldog to get a hit off him came in the fifth, when Orth led off with a single.
South Carolina steadily added to its lead against The Citadel bullpen, scoring at least one run in six of its eight times at the plate, aided by nine walks. Kyle Martin paced the Gamecock offense with three hits and three RBIs, while Marcus Moody scored three times.
Drew DeKerlegand went 0-for-4 and saw his 32-game streak of reaching base via a hit, walk or hit by pitch come to an end.
The Citadel wraps up its regular season with a three-game Southern Conference series against UNCG at Riley Park. The teams meet on Thursday and Friday at 4 p.m. before concluding the set on Saturday at 2.
The SoCon tournament then gets underway at The Joe on Tuesday, with the Bulldogs facing an opponent to be determined in the play-in round at 3:30 p.m.
No. 25 Clemson 7, Furman 2
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Steven Duggar drew a leadoff walk and scored the go-head run on a fielder’s choice in a three-run eighth inning to lead No. 25 Clemson past Furman, 7-2, in baseball action Tuesday evening at Fluor Field.
The win improved Clemson to a 32-21, while the loss dropped Furman to 22-29 on the season.
With the score tied 2-2, Duggar drew a four-pitch walk off Furman reliever Ryan Dittmar and stole second. Tyler Krieger followed with an infield hit, and after a pop-up bunt attempt, Steve Wilkerson loaded the bases with the frame’s second walk. Furman’s attempt to get out of the inning with a double play failed when second baseman Jordan Simpson recorded the second out but his throw to first skidded past Greg Harrison to the wall, allowing Duggar and Krieger to score to give Clemson a 4-2 lead.
Jay Baum closed out the Tiger eighth with an RBI single to left-center field that scored Kennedy.
The Tigers tacked on two more in the ninth for the game’s final margin.
Furman grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first when Hunter Burton reached on a bunt single, advanced to second on a failed pickoff and later scored on Chris Ohmstede’s single.
The Tigers took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on Baum’s two-run single to right field off Paladin reliever Matthew Quarles.
Furman loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth but managed to score only one run on a wild pitch, which plated Sky Overton.
It remained tied until the Tigers’ three-run eighth.
Drew Moyer (4-1) earned the victory, the beneficiary of Clemson’s late-game rally. He tossed 1 1/3 innings of no-hit, shutout ball, striking out one.
Dittmar (0-3) absorbed the loss, yielding two runs on a hit and a walk while failing to record an out in the eighth.
Clemson collected 10 hits, including two each by Baum (2-for-4, 3 RBIs), Duggar (2-for-4, RBI, 2 runs), and Krieger (2-for-4, 2 runs).
Burton went 3-for-4 and stole a base to lead Furman, which finished with six hits.
The Paladins open a three-game Southern Conference series on Thursday at Appalachian State. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.