Wofford 7, Presbyterian 4
CLINTON, S.C. – On a cold and blustery Wednesday afternoon, the Wofford College baseball team came back for a 7-4 win over Presbyterian College at the PC Baseball Complex. Down 4-1 after five innings, the Terriers tied the game with three runs in the sixth. A run in the seventh gave Wofford the lead and a pair of solo home runs in the ninth secured the win.
Wofford is 4-0 on the season, while Presbyterian is 4-1 overall. The Terriers had 13 hits in the game but stranded 15 runners on base. Matt Ramsay led the team with three hits, while James Plaisted, Matt Pelt and Kody Ruedisili each had two hits. The Blue Hose were led by Weston Jackson with three hits.
With two outs and a runner on first in the first inning, the Blue Hose had three straight singles that made it a 3-0 game.
Wofford had a one-out single by Derek Hirsch in the top of the third inning. Ramsay added a single, and a walk to Plaisted loaded the bases. A wild pitch scored Hirsch for a 3-1 game and a walk to Mack Nathanson reloaded the bases with two outs. An infield fly ended the top half with three runners left on base.
The Blue Hose had runners on the corners with one out in the fifth when a fielder’s choice by Peter Johnson drove in a run for a 4-1 lead.
Pelt led off the top of the sixth with a double to right center and a double by Ruedisili to left field made it a 4-2 game. A triple by Ramsay plated a run and he scored on an error on the play to tie the score at 4-4. Plaisted walked and a single by Mack Nathanson gave the Terriers runners on second and third, but a strikeout stranded both runners.
To start the seventh inning, Clancey and Pelt were hit by pitches. With one out, Hirsch walked to load the bases. A single by Alec Paradowski drove in a run for a 5-4 lead. Plaisted added a single that should have scored a pair of runs, but a runner’s interference call ended the top half.
Pelt started the top of the ninth with solo home run down the left field line and Ruedisili followed with a solo home run to the same spot in left for a 7-4 lead.
The Blue Hose had one runner reach base in the bottom of the ninth, but a fly ball to center field ended the game.
Jordan Accetta (1-0) went 1 2/3 innings and gave up one hit with two strikeouts. Will Stillman earned his third save of the season by not allowing a hit with one strikeout in the ninth.
Hayden Deal started for Presbyterian and went four innings with one run allowed on four hits. Cole Norwood (0-1) took the loss with 1/3 of an inning with a strikeout.
Wofford will host Pittsburgh on Friday afternoon, Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, and UNC Asheville on Sunday at Russell C. King Field.
No. 19 Kennesaw State 8, Mercer 2
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University baseball team dropped an 8-2 decision to No. 19 Kennesaw State on Wednesday evening at Claude Smith Field.
Mercer (1-4) was held to a season-low four hits while striking out 16 times in the contest. Tyler Homer recorded the team’s only extra-base hit and two RBIs to pace the Bears.
Kennesaw State (3-1) jumped on the board first, scoring three runs in the second inning thanks to a solo shot from Alex Liquori and a pair of two-out RBI hits. The Owls added two more to their tally in the third, as a two-run home run by Colin Bennett put them on top, 5-0.
Mercer’s offense cut into the deficit in the fifth inning after stringing together a pair of hits. Homer followed back-to-back singles by Howard Joe and Devin Bonin with a double in the gap to pull the Bears within three, 5-2.
However, Mercer was unable to climb any closer, as the Owls added insurance runs in the seventh and ninth to snap a two-game slide against the Bears.
Grant Papelian took the loss for Mercer after giving up five runs in 4 1/3 innings during his season debut. Mitchell Wade tossed 1 2/3 scoreless frames to lead the Bears’ pitching staff, while Cam Wesolowski struck out the only two batters he faced.
Mercer returns to action this weekend, as it travels to Daytona Beach, Fla., for a three-game series with Bethune-Cookman. First pitch for Friday’s opening game is set for 6 p.m.
North Florida 16, The Citadel 9
CHARLESTON, S.C. – North Florida rallied from a four-run deficit by scoring 11 times in the sixth and seventh innings to hand The Citadel a 16-9 loss on Wednesday in Jacksonville.
The Bulldogs lost for the first time in four games this season in their first road contest of the year. The Citadel returns to action on Friday at 3 p.m. when it opens a three-game set against College of Charleston at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, S.C.
The teams will then play at Riley Park on Saturday at 2 p.m. before heading back over the Ravenel Bridge for a 1 p.m. game on Sunday.
After falling behind 4-0 in the second, the first eight Bulldogs reached base in the third, with a three-run double by Connor Walsh evening the contest. Johnathan Stokes followed with an RBI double, Stephen Windham drove home a run with a single and two more runs scored on an error to give The Citadel an 8-4 lead.
Freshman JP Sears continued his hot start to the season by retiring all six Ospreys (2-2) he faced in the fourth and fifth. The left-hander has now worked five innings in two appearances and allowed only one base runner, that coming on an error.
The tide turned in the sixth, however, when a two-out error opened the door for a four-run inning that tied the game at 8. North Florida then took advantage of two more Bulldog miscues while knocking out six hits to tally seven times in the seventh to break the game open.
The Citadel committed a total of five errors, leading to 10 unearned runs.
Walsh finished with a career-high three hits, Stokes had two doubles and scored twice and Windham and Austin Mapes also contributed two safeties to the 13-hit Bulldog attack. The Ospreys banged out 16 hits, including a three-run homer by Nick Karmeris that staked the hosts to their early four-run edge.
UNCG vs. Bucknell series canceled
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Mother Nature continues to wreak havoc on the UNCG baseball team’s early season schedule as the threat of more wintry weather has prompted school officials to cancel the Spartans’ weekend series with Patriot League preseason favorite Bucknell.
The teams were to play a three-game series Friday through Sunday at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
The Blue and Gold is scheduled to return to action Tuesday, Feb. 24, when the Spartans welcome ACC member Duke to Greensboro. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. and the contest will be streamed in full HD via the SoCon Digital Network.
Samford’s weekend schedule changes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The game times for the Samford baseball team’s home series against Austin Peay this weekend have been changed due to expected inclement weather in the Birmingham area.
Friday’s game, originally scheduled for 6 p.m. CST, will now be played at 3 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field. Saturday’s game, which was set for a 2 p.m. start, will now start at 11 a.m. Sunday’s game is expected to be played at its originally scheduled time of 1 p.m.
VMI’s home weekend tournament canceled
LEXINGTON, Va. – Due to the heavy snow that fell on the Lexington area Monday and the expected frigid weather expected this coming weekend, the annual VMI Tournament has been canceled for the 2015 season.
Buffalo, Maryland Eastern Shore and VMI had been scheduled to play six total games, but VMI will now return to action Feb. 25, when the Keydets travel to Williamsburg, Va., to take on the Tribe of William & Mary. Game time is set for 4 p.m.