Samford 7, Auburn 0
AUBURN, Ala. – Samford junior pitcher Parker Curry pitched eight innings, striking out seven batters to lead the Bulldog baseball team to a 7-0 win at Auburn on Tuesday evening at Plainsman Park.
Curry (1-2) allowed just five hits in earning the win. He allowed no walks and threw just 85 pitches in the contest. Andres Gracia pitched the final inning to close the game out.
For Samford offensively, Heath Quinn and Austin Edens had two hits each. Hunter Swilling and Damon Waller drove in two runs apiece, each going 1-for-4 at the plate.
For Auburn, Anfernee Grier, Damon Haecker, Jordan Ebert, J.J. Shaffer and Kyler Deese had one hit each. Kevin Davis (1-2) pitched three innings, giving up three runs on one hit to take the loss on the mound for the Tigers.
Samford jumped on top first with two runs in the top of the first inning. With one out, Jared Watson, Quinn and Alex Lee drew walks to load the bases. Swilling then walked to drive in Watson for the game’s first run. Quinn then scored when Waller reached base on an Auburn error for a 2-0 Samford lead.
The Bulldogs added a run in the top of the third inning. Quinn led the inning off with a single through the left side of the infield. He then moved to second base on a wild pitch and third base on an error. Quinn then scored on a ground out by Lee for a 3-0 Samford lead.
Samford plated three more runs in the top of the fifth inning to push its lead to 6-0. T.J. Dixon led the inning off with a single to center field. After stealing second base and moving to third on a fly out, Dixon scored on another Auburn error. Lee reached base on the error and scored on another error for the second run of the inning. Swilling reached base on the error that scored Lee and later scored on a single by Waller for a six-run Samford lead.
The Bulldogs added one final run in the top of the ninth inning. Swilling singled to right-center field to drive in Dixon to make the final score 7-0.
With the win, Samford improved to 5-8 on the season. Auburn fell to 13-4 with the loss. Now in his 11th season at Samford, Dunn has a record of 11-11 against his alma mater.
Samford will return to action on Friday, March 13, when the Bulldogs open a three-game series at Jacksonville. Friday’s game is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. (CT) start.
UNC Asheville 9, Furman 8 (10 inn.)
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Joe Zayatz scored on throwing error in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift UNC Asheville to a 9-8 victory over Furman in baseball action Monday afternoon at Greenwood Field.
Zayatz, who doubled with one out off Furman reliever Will Dvorak in the 10th, advanced to third on Will Carruthers’ two-out infield single and raced home on the play after Paladin shortstop Matt Towarnicky’s throw bounced away from Paladin first baseman Blake Chisolm.
The win completed a four-run comeback by UNC Asheville (7-8), which led 5-0 early before Furman (7-7) stormed back to take an 8-5 lead following a six-run seventh inning.
Tommy Houmard’s two-run double in the second highlighted the Bulldogs’ five-run outburst against Furman freshman Brandon Elmy in his collegiate starting debut.
The Paladins got on the board in the fourth on Andrew MacLatchie’s two-out, ground-rule double into the left-field corner that scored Chisolm. Griffin Davis, who was on first on the play, would have scored easily but was sent back to third base after the ball became lodged under the fence in left field.
Furman cut it to 5-2 on a Towarnicky RBI single in the sixth and grabbed the lead with a six-run seventh that featured six hits and a Bulldog error that led to three unearned runs.
Davis’ RBI double to left in the seventh made it a 5-3 game, and Carter Grote’s infield single drove home Chisolm to pull the Paladins to within a run. Furman took the lead when Asheville shortstop Tommy Houmard fielded a Sky Overton ground ball but threw errantly to second base on an attempted force play, allowing Grote and Davis to score. Landon Kay’s RBI single and a Chris Ohmstede double to left that drove home Overton completed the six-run rally that gave the Paladins an 8-5 lead.
The Bulldogs bounced back to tie the game with three runs in the eighth. Aided by two walks and a hit batsman, UNCA got sacrifice flies by Lucas Owens and Zayatz and a Kyle Towles RBI single to drawn even.
UNCA threatened to win it in the ninth after a throwing error by catcher Cameron Whitehead gave the Bulldogs runners at second and third with one out. Houmard, however, failed to deliver, bouncing out to first base and, after an intentional walk, Paladin reliever Elliott Warford struck out Tanner Bush to end the inning.
The Paladins lost despite matching a season high with 19 hits.
Four Furman errors led to two unearned runs, and Paladin pitching issued 10 bases on balls in the contest.
Freshman Grant Schuermann, who pitched four innings of shutout relief, was the beneficiary of Furman’s rally, but the three-run Bulldog eighth cost him a chance to earn his first collegiate victory.
Earning the win for UNCA was Nick Schavone (2-0), who pitched a scoreless ninth and 10th for the Bulldogs.
The loss was charged to Dvorak (0-1).
Every player in Furman’s starting lineup scratched in the hit column, led by Ohmstede, who matched a career high with four hits in a 4-for-6 performance. Grote went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored, and Kay, Chisolm, Davis and Sims Griffith registered two hits apiece for the Paladins.
UNC Asheville finished with 14 hits, led by Zayatz, who went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored.
The two teams play again Wednesday in Greenville, S.C., beginning at 5 p.m.
Savannah State 6, Wofford 4
SAVANNAH, Ga. – On a warm Tuesday afternoon, the Wofford College baseball team was defeated 6-4 by Savannah State at the Tiger Baseball Field. The game was tied at 2-2 after the top of the third, but the Tigers regained the lead with two runs in the bottom of the third and scored what would be the winning run in the fourth inning.
Wofford is 12-5 on the season, while Savannah State is 6-10 overall. The Terriers were led by Derek Hirsch with three hits, while Matt Pelt had a pair of RBIs. The Tigers had 14 hits in the game, while Wofford had 10.
Alec Paradowski led off the game with a walk. He moved to second on a groundout and to third on a single by James Plaisted. A sacrifice fly by Pelt scored Paradowski for a 1-0 lead. The Tigers responded with three singles and a fielder’s choice that plated two runs to take a 2-1 advantage after one complete inning.
Paradowski opened the third inning with a walk and Matt Ramsay singled. A sacrifice bunt advanced the runners and a sacrifice fly by Pelt tied the game at 2-2.
The Tigers started the bottom of the third with a double and a single. With one out, a single down the right line drove in both runners for a 4-2 lead. Two more singles loaded the bases with two outs. A great play on a ground ball by Hirsch was the third out and three runners were stranded.
Kody Ruedisili began the fourth inning with a single and he moved to second on a failed pickoff. He moved to third on a bunt single by Hirsch. On an attempted double steal with two outs, an error allowed a run to score to make it a 4-3 game. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, the Tigers had a single and a double to plate a run for a 5-3 lead.
Wofford left one on base in the top of the fifth and Savannah State was retired in order to close the inning. With two outs in the top of the sixth, Max McDougald and Hirsch had singles and Paradowski had an infield single to load the bases. Ramsay was hit by a pitch to make it a 5-4 game, but the Terriers left three runners on base to end the top half. The Tigers were retired in order to end the sixth inning.
The Tigers had two out in the bottom of the eighth when Ryan McCranie singled. He moved to second on a passed ball and scored on a single through the right side by Jacob Lightle for a 6-4 advantage.
Wofford starting pitcher John Caskey (2-0) threw three innings and gave up four runs on nine hits with one strikeout.
Malik Jones started for Savannah State and went two innings with one run allowed on one hit and three walks. Chris Rousse (1-0) threw three innings with two runs allowed on four hits.
The Terriers will begin a four-game series against Iona on Friday, March 13, at 5 p.m. at Russell C. King Field.
Presbyterian 5, Western Carolina 1
CLINTON, S.C. – Sophomore reliever Korey Anderson struck out a career-high eight in 3 2/3 innings and classmate Matt Smith reached base four times with two walks and a team-high two hits, but it was not enough to overcome Presbyterian in nonconference action, as Western Carolina fell 5-1 Tuesday afternoon at the PC Baseball Complex.
Blue Hose starting pitcher Tanner Chock (2-0) struck out five against two walks, holding the potent Catamount offense to just four hits in six innings of work to earn the victory. The freshman hurler got help from his offense as PC pushed across five runs on eight hits, capitalizing on a trio of Catamount errors and free passes to pick up the home win.
WCU suffered its first-ever loss to Presbyterian in the four all-time series meetings. It was also WCU's first road meeting with the Blue Hose.
Smith finished 2-for-2 with a double, scoring WCU's lone run that tied the game in the fourth inning. Junior J.D. Long drove in Smith with an RBI single with freshman Brett Pope and redshirt freshman Pierce Suttles also delivering singles - Suttles' coming in a pinch-hit role in the ninth inning.
Deadlocked at 1 through five innings, Presbyterian (13-4) used back-to-back two-run innings to pull off the victory. In the two-run sixth, the Blue Hose loaded the bases with a trio of walks around a pair of strikeouts. The Catamounts seemingly were out of the inning as Anderson induced a ground ball, but a throwing error on the force play at second base allowed two runners to score, giving Presbyterian the 3-1 lead.
The following frame, the Blue Hose added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh inning to provide the final tally.
WCU tried to mount a rally in the ninth as Smith drew a lead-off walk before moving to third on a pinch-hit single to right-center field by Suttles. However, a strikeout and double-play ball ended the threat and the game.
Sophomore B.J. Nobles earned the start for the Catamounts, striking out one in two innings of work, allowing one unearned run on three hits in two innings of work. The Catamounts followed Anderson with relievers Dillon Bray, Taylor Durand, Dylan Biumi and Corey Sikes, the latter recording a strikeout for his third of an inning.
Behind Chock, Blue Hose relievers Russell Thompson, Brian Kehner and Hayden Deal worked an inning apiece, limiting WCU to just two base-runners with one hit and one walk allowed over the final three frames.
Lizanich matched WCU's Smith with two hits and two walks, with third baseman Ryan Hedrick also collecting a pair of hits on three plate appearances. Outfielder Peter Johnson scored two of the five runs, reaching on a single and a walk.
Western Carolina returns to action this weekend with two games against Liberty and one scheduled against Penn State in Lynchburg, Va. Fans are encouraged to check CatamountSports.com for impending schedule changes due to inclement weekend weather.
Florida A&M 14, Mercer 2
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Mercer University baseball team struggled in its series opener with Florida A&M, dropping a 14-2 decision at Moore-Kittles Field on Tuesday afternoon.
The Bears (9-9) were held to a season-low three hits in the contest while giving up a season-high 14 runs and 15 hits.
The Rattlers (7-7) struck in the bottom of the first, grabbing an early with three runs in the opening inning.
Mercer responded with a run in the second, as Charlie Madden hit his third home run of the season to trim the deficit to two, 3-1.
However, FAMU would pull away with a four-run fifth inning before adding another score in the sixth en route to an 8-1 advantage.
The Bears got back on the board in the eighth, as Nate Moorhouse drove in Jackson Ware with a single up the middle to make it an 8-2 game.
Florida A&M responded in the home half, plating six runs to run away with their fourth victory in their last five games.
Mercer wraps up the midweek series with the Rattlers on Wednesday with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m.
Tennessee 5, ETSU 2
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Despite holding a one-run lead in the sixth, the ETSU baseball team couldn’t hold on as Tennessee plated two runs in the bottom of the inning and tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth to rally past Buccaneers, 5-2, on Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
ETSU freshman catcher Hagen Owenby drove in the two runs for the Buccaneers, while junior Trey York extended his streak of reaching base safely to 14 straight games following his 2-for-3 day. York scored both of ETSU’s runs and also doubled in the sixth.
Freshman right-hander Ryan Simpler (1-2) was stellar in his second collegiate start but suffered the loss as he was charged with three runs on six hits and struck out four in 5 1/3 innings.
The Blue and Gold have now lost five straight and moved to 7-7 on the year, while Tennessee – which was swept by ETSU a year ago – improved to 7-5.
For the fourth time this season, ETSU jumped out to the lead as the Bucs scored an unearned run in the first inning and led, 1-0. With two outs, York reached on an infield single and moved to second on a throwing error by pitcher Hunter Martin. From there, York moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI single to center by Owenby.
Simpler was solid as he faced one over the minimum through four innings, but Tennessee answered with a run in the fifth to pull even at 1. Nathaniel Maggio led off the frame with a single to left and moved to third when David Houser ripped a one-out double to left-center. With one out and runners in scoring position, Brett Langhorne laid down the squeeze bunt to score Maggio from third, but Simpler kept Houser stranded by striking out Brodie Leftridge swinging to end the inning.
The Bucs quickly responded in the top of the sixth as York led off with a double and later scored the go-ahead run on Owenby’s sac fly to right, putting ETSU back up by a run; however, Tennessee scratched across a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to take its first lead of the night, 3-2. Vincent Jackson led off the bottom of the sixth with a double and moved to third when A.J. Simcox reached on a bunt single back to the mound. Jackson scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly to center by Nick Senzel, forcing the Bucs to make a pitching change as Jamin McCann took over for Simpler.
McCann walked the three UT hitters he faced, putting the Vols up by a run after Andrew Lee was credited an RBI following his bases-loaded walk. However, Kain Hewitt replaced McCann and did a tremendous job working out of the mess as he struck out Houser swinging and forced Langhorne into an inning-ending line out to short.
Despite keeping it a one-run game, the Bucs were unable to force a comeback as Tennessee scored two runs in the eighth to extend its lead to, 5-2. Christin Stewart belted a one-out solo home run to right and Lee drove in Chris Hall with an RBI single to center.
Tennessee reliever Steven Kane earned the win (2-1) as he allowed one run on three hits in two innings, while Lee tossed the final two innings to pick up his second save. Lee struck out four in two scoreless innings.
Maggio led the Vols with his three-hit night, while Tennessee out-hit the Bucs, 9-6.
The Bucs return to action this weekend as ETSU hosts Miami (Ohio) in a three-game series beginning Friday at 6:05 p.m. at Thomas Stadium.