Furman 5, Maryland Eastern Shore 1
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Freshman Will Gaddis pitched eight strong innings, striking out 10 in earning his first collegiate victory, to lead Furman to a 5-1 win over Maryland Eastern Shore in the Fighting Camel Classic on Friday afternoon at Jim Perry Stadium.
The triumph evened Furman’s record at 4-4 on the season, while Maryland Eastern Shore fell to 1-6. The Paladins will play Miami of Ohio on Saturday at 1 p.m. before facing tournament host Campbell on Sunday in a 4:30 p.m. game.
Gaddis (1-0), a right-hander from Brentwood, Tenn., exhibited total command in collecting the win, surrendering only four hits and no walks to go along with his 10 strikeouts. He threw 84 pitches, including 59 strikes. The Hawks’ lone run came in the fifth on a passed ball.
The eight-inning performance marked the longest outing by a Paladin freshman pitcher since Elliott Warford hurled eight frames in a 13-4 victory over Appalachian State in Southern Conference tournament action at Greenville’s Fluor Field.
Blake Chisolm and Matt Towarnicky backed up Gaddis’ stellar work on the mound with identical 3-for-4 performances that featured a double, RBI and run scored for both players.
Chisolm, a freshman designated hitter from Friendswood, Texas, is hitting .500 (14-for-28) in Furman’s eight games, and Towarnicky, a junior shortstop from New Bern, N.C., has started the last four games and is batting .400 (6-for-15) on the young season.
The Paladins banged out 10 hits in the contest.
Gaddis got all the support he would need in the second when the Paladins pushed across three runs against Hawks starting pitcher Jesse Stinnett (0-2). Jordan Simpson led off with a single and came around to score the game’s first run on a Chisolm double into right-center field. Chisolm trotted home for the second run on a Griffin Davis two-out single, and Davis made it 3-0 after stealing second and scoring on a Towarnicky single.
Jake Jones gave Furman a 4-0 lead in the third, reaching on a leadoff single and scoring on a Simpson sacrifice fly.
Maryland Eastern Shore plated an unearned run in the fifth on a passed ball to cut it to 4-1, but the Paladins got it back in the seventh when Towarnicky led off with a double and scored on Jones groundout.
Steven Fondu took over for Gaddis to start the ninth and pitched around a two-out single to secure the victory for the Paladins.
Mercer 6, Akron 5
MACON, Ga. – Danny Edgeworth’s RBI single in the bottom of the eighth helped carry the Mercer University baseball team to its fifth straight victory, a 6-5 triumph over Akron on Friday night at Claude Smith Field.
Nate Moorhouse led off the top of the eighth with a single up the middle before advancing to second on Howard Joe’s sacrifice bunt. Edgeworth followed with a single to right-center, plating Moorhouse to hand the Bears the lead for good.
Dimitri Kourtis blanked the Zips in the ninth for his first win of the year, giving up two hits in a scoreless 2 2/3 innings on the night.
Mercer (6-4) reached double-figure hits for the fifth straight game, as four players had multiple-hit performances to lead the team’s tally to 10 on the night. Joe finished 2-for-3 in the game, reaching base for the 10th straight contest. Kyle Lewis pushed his batting average to .409 with a 2-for-3 showing at the plate, while Edgeworth and Moorhouse combined for four hits and three RBIs.
Akron (4-3) fired the game’s opening salvo, as Matt LaRocca’s three-run shot off Mercer starter Ryan Askew in the top of the second handed the Zips a quick 3-0 advantage.
The Bears got two runs back in the bottom of the fourth behind a pair of two-out RBI doubles. Moorhouse started the scoring, plating Lewis with a double in the gap. Two batters later, Edgeworth drove in Moorhouse with a shot to the wall, pulling Mercer within one, 3-2, after four innings of play.
Three straight hits to start the inning had Mercer’s offense rolling again in the fifth. Devin Bonin plated Tyler Homer to tie the game before Charlie Madden’s successful suicide squeeze allowed Matt Meeder to cross the plate for a 4-3 advantage.
Akron responded in the sixth, tallying four hits en route to a pair of runs to regain the lead, 5-4. However, the Bears tied the game in the home half on one swing, as Joe blasted his second home run of the season with a solo shot to center field to knot the game, 5-5.
The Bears continue play in the Mercer Baseball Classic on Saturday, as they host Notre Dame. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Claude Smith Field.
The Citadel 9, Alabama State 8
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Clay Martin's infield single scored Ryan Kilgallen with two outs in the ninth, giving The Citadel a 9-8 win over Alabama State in the opener of a three-game series at Riley Park.
Skylar Hunter, the last of seven Bulldog pitchers, blanked the Hornets over the final two innings to pick up the win and even his record at 1-1. The junior helped himself out of jams in the eighth and ninth to preserve the tie and set the stage for the final-inning dramatics.
Game two of the series takes place Saturday at 3 p.m. and the finale is set for noon on Sunday. The game was the first ever on the diamond between The Citadel (5-4) and Alabama State (3-5).
Kilgallen drew a one-out walk from Armando Ruiz (0-1) and advanced to third on a wild pitch and ground out. Martin then rolled a slow grounder to second, and Yamil Pagan couldn't make the play on the Bulldog leadoff hitter as Kilgallen crossed the plate with the winning run.
Hunter faced a first-and-third situation with two outs in the eighth when P.J. Biocic tried to score when a pitch got away from Kilgallen. The Bulldog catcher reacted quickly and threw home, where Hunter applied the tag to keep the game even at 8.
In the ninth, P.J. Harris drew a two-out walk but was picked off first by Hunter to again thwart a potential Hornet threat.
The Kilgallen run was the first since both teams put up eight runs over the first four innings. After the Hornets scored twice in the top of the first, the Bulldogs answered with three in their half, including an RBI single by Drew Ellis and bases-loaded walks to Connor Walsh and Philip Watcher.
A two-run triple by Cesar Rivera highlighted a three-run Hornet second, but again The Citadel responded on the strength of a two-run single by Stephen Windham to tie the game at 5. After a scoreless third, the fireworks continued in the fourth with both clubs tallying three times. Ellis and Watcher drove in runs with singles and Kilgallen produced a sacrifice fly to make it 8-8.
The Bulldog defense snuffed out a double-steal attempt in the sixth when Watcher gunned down Einar Munoz attempting to score on the back end. Both teams also stranded runners in scoring position in the seventh.
Johnathan Stokes doubled twice and scored three runs for The Citadel, while Ellis, Kilgallen and Austin Mapes joined him with two base hits. Chris Biocic knocked out three hits and drove in three for Alabama State.
Regular Friday starter James Reeves was scratched with an illness, and Austin Livingston went 2 2/3 innings in his stead, allowing seven hits and five runs. The bullpen was then able to slow down the Hornet attack, including 1 2/3 innings of one-hit, scoreless relief from Brett Tompkins.
Alabama State was also without projected starter T.J. Renda, who missed his appearance with a sore arm. Tyler Howe started instead and struggled in his one inning, allowing three hits and three walks as the Bulldogs tagged him for four runs.
The combination of Brandon Caples and Jorge Pantoja matched the Bulldog bullpen, allowing three hits and no runs with eight strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.
Wofford 9, Harvard 2
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In the first game of a four-game weekend series, the Wofford College baseball team defeated Harvard 9-2 at Russell C. King Field. With the game tied at 1-1, the Terriers scored five runs in the third inning and added three runs in the fifth inning for the victory.
Wofford is 8-1 on the season, while Harvard is 0-1. Despite being outhit in the contest by Harvard, Wofford allowed only two runs. The Terriers were led by Kody Ruedisili with three hits, while Alec Paradowski drove in a pair of runs. The Crimson had 11 hits in the game, including three each by Mike Martin and Drew Reid.
The Crimson had a walk and a pair of singles in the top of the first, but two runners were picked off first base. A runner was stranded at third base to end the scoring chance. Wofford was struck out in order in the bottom of the first. In the top of the second, Mitch Klug was hit by a pitch, and with one out, Matt Hink hit a double to right-center to drive in a run for a 1-0 lead.
Wofford opened the bottom of the second with Mack Nathanson being hit by a pitch and Carson Waln walking. With runners at first and third, a double steal resulted in Nathanson scoring to tie the game at 1-1.
Paradowski was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the third. A single by Matt Ramsay and bunt single by James Plaisted loaded the bases. Mack Nathanson reached on a fielder’s choice and a throwing error on the play allowed two runs to score. A sacrifice fly by Waln plated another run for a 4-1 lead. Matt Pelt added a single and a balk scored a run for a 5-1 advantage. Pelt moved to third on a passed ball and he scored on an error to give Wofford a 6-1 lead after three innings.
In the bottom of the fifth with two outs, Conor Clancey doubled to left centerfield. A single by Ruedisili drove in Clancey for a 7-1 advantage. Derek Hirsch added a single and a double to left field by Paradowski pushed two runners across home plate for a 9-1 lead.
With one out in the top of the seventh, the Crimson had back-to-back singles, which, coupled with an error, allowed a run to cross the plate for a 9-2 score. Two Harvard runners were left on base to head to the seventh-inning stretch.
Wofford led off the bottom of the seventh with Pelt being hit by a pitch. Ruedisili added a single, but both runners were left on base to end the inning. Harvard was retired in order in the top of the eighth inning and Wofford went down in order in the bottom of the eighth. In the top of the ninth, Harvard had a double with one out. A pair of groundouts ended the game.
Wofford pitcher Matt Milburn (2-0) threw six innings and allowed one run on seven hits with six strikeouts. Elliot Lance worked two innings and gave up one run on three hits. Merritt Huber threw the ninth inning and allowed one hit.
Sean Poppen (0-1) started for Harvard and went 4 2/3 innings with eight runs allowed, six of them earned. He gave up seven hits and walked two with four strikeouts. Ian Miller threw 1 1/3 innings with one run allowed on two hits. Dylan Combs added an inning on the mound with one hit and two strikeouts. T.J. Laurisch went an inning and did not allow a hit with one strikeout.
Wofford continue the series against Harvard on Saturday at noon at Russell C. King Field. On Saturday, the teams will play a pair of nine-inning contests. The series will end with the fourth game on Sunday at noon.
Arizona 7, Samford 1
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Samford baseball team fell to Arizona by a score of 7-1 on the first day of the Mississippi State Tournament on Friday afternoon at Dudy-Noble Field.
Austin Edens was responsible for all of Samford’s hits, going 2-for-4 and scoring the team’s lone run in the game. Richard Greene drove in the run on a groundout in the seventh inning. Alex Ledford (1-2) pitched seventh innings, giving up seven runs on nine hits to take the loss on the mound for Samford. Ledford struck out six batters in the contest.
For Arizona, Bobby Dalbec went 3-for-3 with four RBIs. Zach Gibbons drove in two runs, going 1-for-3 at the plate. Tyger Talley (2-0) earned the win on the mound for Arizona, tossing six innings, giving up one run on two hits. Cody Hamlin pitched the final three innings to earn his second save of the season.
Arizona took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the third inning. Gibbons walked to lead off the inning. Gibbons later scored on a Samford error for a 1-0 Wildcat lead. Dalbec later singled up the middle to drive in Kevin Newman and Justin Behnke to make the score 3-0.
The Wildcats added two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to push their lead to 5-0. Gibbons singled to right-center field to drive in Joseph Maggi and Dalbec for Arizona’s fourth and fifth runs of the game.
Samford got on the scoreboard with a run in the top of the seventh inning. Edens reached base on an infield single and advanced to second base on an error to start the inning. After moving to third base on a groundout, Edens scored on a groundout by Greene to make the score 5-1.
The Wildcats came back with two more runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh inning to push their lead to 7-1. Dalbec singled up the middle to drive in Newman and Scott Kingery for a six-run Arizona lead.
With the loss, Samford fell to 3-5 on the season. Arizona improved to 9-2 with the win.
Samford will take on the host Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday. The game is scheduled to start at approximately 2:30 p.m. CST, following the day’s first game between MSU and Arizona, which starts at 11 a.m. The Samford-MSU game will be broadcast live on The SEC Network+.