Furman 7, Marist 3
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Will Gaddis pitched six effective innings and got solid run support from his teammates to post his second straight win with a 7-3 victory over Marist in baseball action Friday at Latham Stadium.
The win improved Furman to 5-6 on the season while Marist falls to 0-4 with the loss. The Paladins and Red Foxes play at 2 p.m. Saturday and wrap up the three-game series beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Gaddis (2-0), a freshman right-hander from Brentwood, Tenn., who picked up his first collegiate victory a week ago against Maryland Eastern Shore, allowed three runs on six hits while recording four strikeouts in collecting the decision. He threw 78 pitches, 52 of which were strikes.
Furman trailed 3-1 before erupting for six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning against Marist starting pitcher Evan Davis, who had limited the Paladins to a run on three hits over the first four frames.
Andrew MacLatchie and Matt Towarnicky opened the Paladin fifth with singles and later scored to tie the game on a Jake Jones’ line-drive double down the left-field line. Blake Chisolm’s RBI single to left field scored Sky Overton to give Furman the lead. Carter Grote’s sharp liner was snagged in right field, but it was deep enough to score Jones from third base to make it 5-3, and the Paladins tacked on two more runs for a 7-3 lead on a Brandon Elmy RBI single that drew an errant throw to third base, allowing Jordan Simpson to sprint home for complete the six-run rally.
The beneficiary of the big fifth inning, Gaddis pitched a perfect sixth before yielding to a trio of relievers, Will Dvorak, Steven Fondu and Elliott Warford, who combined to shut out the Red Foxes and allow only one hit over the final three innings.
Jones and Chilsolm did the big work for Furman offensively, going 2-for-2 with two RBIs.
Chisolm’s two hits pushed his team leading batting average to .487 (19-for-39).
The Paladins finished with nine hits.
Zach Racusin paced Marist’s seven-hit attack, going 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored. He tripled down the right-field line to lead off the fifth and scored on a sacrifice fly to give the Red Foxes a 3-1 advantage.
Furman took a 1-0 lead in the first after Jake Jones singled to shortstop and advanced to second base after Marist failed to cover the base. He then moved to third on a groundout before trotting home on Chisolm’s first of two hits, a single into left field.
Gaddis’ only trouble inning came in the third when he surrendered a pair of runs on three hits, including RBI singles by Graham McIntire and Steve Laurino.
Wofford 5, Gardner-Webb 2
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Pitcher Matt Milburn threw a complete game as the Wofford College baseball team defeated Gardner-Webb 5-2 on Friday afternoon at Russell C. King Field. The Terriers had 13 hits in the game and used a four-run sixth inning to take the lead.
Wofford is 10-4 on the season, while Gardner-Webb is 10-3 overall. Alec Paradowski, Carson Waln, James Plaisted and Matt Pelt each had two hits for the Terriers. Four different players had RBIs in the contest. The Runnin’ Bulldogs had five players with one hit each.
Gardner-Webb opened the game with a double by Henry Rundio. A back-to-back groundouts advanced and scored Rundio for a 1-0 lead.
With one out in the top of the sixth, Gardner-Webb had back-to-back singles. A single by Sam Fulginiti drove in a run to take a 2-0 lead before a fly ball ended the top half.
Waln led off the bottom of the sixth with a single and stole second base. Matt Ramsay walked and Waln moved to third on a wild pitch. Plaisted doubled to left field to score Waln and moved Ramsay to third base. A single by Kody Ruedisili drove in Ramsay to tie the game at 2-2. A wild pitch allowed Plaisted to score and a double to the wall in left center by Conor Clancey put the Terriers up 4-2.
Paradowski led off the bottom of the seventh with a single and he moved to third on a single by Waln. A sacrifice fly by Ramsay scored Paradowski for a 5-2 lead.
Milburn (3-0) threw his first career complete game. In nine innings, he allowed two runs on five hits and struck out six batters with three walks. It was the second complete game thrown by a Wofford pitcher this season, joining Adam Scott last weekend against Harvard.
Erik Heiligenstadt (1-1) started for Gardner-Webb and went 5 1/3 innings. He allowed three runs on eight hits with five strikeouts.
Western Carolina 7, Holy Cross 5
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina used a pair of three-run innings in the second half of Friday's series opener with Holy Cross to upend the Crusaders, 7-5, in nonconference baseball action at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. The Catamounts scratched the scoreboard with a trio of runs in the home halves of both the fifth and seventh innings to halt the three-game home losing skid and two-game seasonal drought.
Two Catamounts recorded multi-hit games as redshirt junior Garrett Brown and sophomore Matt Smith both tallied two-hit games in 2-for-4 outings. Brown drove in two runs on a single that jettisoned through the left side, while they both scored a run in the winning effort.
Senior Bradley Strong drove in three combined runs on a 1-for-3 showing at the plate, extending his current hitting streak to 23 straight games dating back to last season. The Richlands, Va., product pushed a run across in the first inning on an infield groundout before drawing a bases-loaded walk to plate a second run in the three-run fifth inning. As a part of the decisive seventh, Strong collected his streak-continuing base knock on an RBI single to right field.
Reliever B.J. Nobles (2-0) tallied the victory for the Catamounts on the mound, entering the game with a 4-4 tie in the seventh in place of starter Bryan Sammons. Nobles struck out two with an unearned run on two hits allowed through two innings. Sammons, the second-year southpaw, scattered seven base hits while allowing four runs – only two of which were earned. The Wilmington, N.C., native struck out six against five walks and plunked one batter.
For the first time this season, Western Carolina was able to hand the ball to its ace closer, senior Tyler Powell, in a save situation. The Charlotte, N.C., native bookended the ninth inning with a pair of strikeouts and one slow-rolling groundout to score his first save of the year and the 16th of his Catamount career.
All told, WCU's defense turned a pair of double plays in the victory and the pitching staff managed to strand 10 Crusader base runners.
Western Carolina (4-5) got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first inning as Brett Pope reached on a fielding error before taking second on a wild pitch and moving to third on a fly ball out. Strong then bounced one to the right side of the infield for a ground out, allowing Pope to score without the benefit of a hit.
The Catamount lead stood until the top of the third inning, when Holy Cross pushed across a matching marker as Evan Ocello was driven home by Jack St. Clair to knot the game at 1. The Crusaders would later add two in the top of the fifth to take a 3-1 lead. Ocello homered to open the inning before St. Clair singled and worked his way around the bases before scoring on an infield single by Cam O'Neill.
WCU's first of two three-run innings opened with a Kramer Ferrell walk in the bottom of the fifth inning. Smith then broke the no-hit bid with a single through the left side. Austin Atwell was plunked to load the bases with no outs before Brown singled off the pitcher's glove with the ball bouncing into shallow left field, allowing two runs to scamper home. With the bases again loaded, Strong drew a run-scoring free pass to give WCU the 4-3 lead through five innings.
Holy Cross tied the game in the sixth inning with an unearned run plated by the RBI double of Ocello to make it 4-4.
In the seventh, Atwell opened the fireworks with a double into left field before Brown pushed a bunt to the left-side of the infield, putting runners at the corners. A second bunt in the inning by Pope loaded the bases ahead of Caleb Robinson. The freshman tapped one to short, with the throw coming home for the would-be force out. However, it was ruled that the catcher failed to touch the plate, scoring a run on the error. Strong then dropped his streak-extending single into right center to bring home the game-winning run before Ferrell lifted a sacrifice fly to right field for WCU's final marker, making it 7-4.
Holy Cross would add another unearned run in the top of the eighth inning to provide the final tally, 7-5, with Powell working a perfect ninth.
Western Carolina's latter-inning offensive output overshadowed an otherwise dominant pitching performance for Holy Cross starter Brendan King, who factored in a no-decision. King was nearly spotless through four innings, retiring 12 consecutive Catamounts after the leadoff error in the bottom of the first inning. WCU did not register its first hit until Matt Smith punched one through the left side in the fifth inning.
Reliever Phil Reese (0-3) was saddled with the loss after allowing three runs – one of which was earned – on four hits.
Offensively for Holy Cross (2-10), four players combined to record all nine of its hits. O'Neill finished 3-for-4 with three singles, while Ocello had two extra-base knocks – a double and the homer – in his 2-for-4 day. St. Clair and Bobby Indeglia also both tallied two hits, with the latter doubling.
Western Carolina and Holy Cross continue the four-game series on Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at noon. The series wraps up on Sunday with an 11 a.m. start at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
West Virginia 7, ETSU 6 (10 inn.)
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – ETSU baseball head coach Tony Skole was looking for a hero, but West Virginia’s Kyle Davis stole the role as his leadoff home run in the top of the 10th inning lifted the Mountaineers to a 7-6 series-opening win over the Buccaneers on Friday night at Thomas Stadium.
Despite having a three-run lead after four innings of play, the ETSU baseball team couldn’t hang on as the Bucs squandered numerous scoring opportunities. The Bucs, who had the game-winning run on third in the bottom of the ninth and loaded the bases in the 10th, left 16 runners on base and went 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position against the Big 12 opponent.
West Virginia outscored the Blue and Gold, 5-1, after the fourth inning and grabbed a one-run lead in the top of the ninth, but ETSU rallied back as freshman catcher Hagen Owenby led off the bottom of the frame with a double and scored the tying run on Robby McCabe’s RBI single up the middle. However, McCabe was left standing on third as Jeremy Taylor hit into an inning-ending groundout to second, and Davis took the first pitch he saw from Dillon Cate over the wall in left to begin the 10th inning, resulting in the game-winning hit. ETSU threatened in the bottom of the frame as Chris Cook and Kevin Phillips both reached via singles and Owenby was intentionally walked with one out to the load the bases. But West Virginia reliever Blake Smith zoned in and worked out of the jam as he forced Jordan Sanford to pop out to shallow right, and McCabe hit into a game-ending fielder’s choice to third.
The Mountaineers entered the game hitting .232 as team, but West Virginia out-hit the Bucs, 16-12, as Davis and Brad Johnson both finished with three-hit games for the visitors from Morgantown. Overall, WVU’s top of the lineup went 7-for-16.
Cook and Phillips led ETSU with three hits each and Trey York extended his hit streak to 11 straight games after going 1-for-3 with a double, run scored and three walks. Cook drove in two runs, while Phillips belted his third home run of the year with a two-run shot in the third.
Senior right-hander Jimmy Nesselt started the game for the Bucs but didn’t factor in the decision as he left after allowing three runs on eight hits and striking out five in five innings of work. Nesselt was taken out with a two-run lead, but ETSU’s bullpen couldn’t silence the Mountaineer offense as freshman Ryan Simpler was tagged for two runs in the sixth and Cate (0-1) suffered the loss after allowing the homer in the 10th. Fellow freshman right-hander Kain Hewitt did a solid job in long relief as he issued one run in three innings out of the pen.
Despite walking six ETSU hitters, West Virginia’s bullpen kept the Bucs off the board for the majority of the game as the Mountaineer relievers held the Blue and Gold to one run in the final 6 1/3 innings of work, thanks to four shutout innings by freshman right-hander Conner Dotson. Smith picked up the win (2-0) as he tossed the final 2 1/3 innings and surrendered the lone run in the ninth.
Following the setback, ETSU has now suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season, while West Virginia – which played in its fourth straight one-run game – improved to 5-6.
Early on, the Bucs fell behind as Jackson Cramer belted a two-out, two-run home run over the wall in left-center to put West Virginia up, 2-0, in the first inning.
After working out of jams in the second and third innings, ETSU gave Nesselt a one-run lead as the Bucs plated three in the bottom of the third and led, 3-2. Taylor led off the frame with a triple to center and scored on Cook’s sacrifice fly, while Phillips put the Bucs ahead when his two-run home run hit off the scoreboard in left. York, who extended his hit streak with a double, trotted home on Phillips’ third round-tripper of the campaign.
ETSU kept it rolling an inning later as the Blue and Gold took advantage of some miscues by catcher Ray Guerrini and led 5-2 after scratching across a pair of runs. Daniel Tucker ignited the two-out spurt by reaching on an infield single and moved all the way to third on the first passed ball from Guerrini. From there, Tucker scored on another passed ball, while Taylor – who reached on a four-pitch walk and stole second – sprinted home on Cook’s RBI single up the middle.
After having runners in scoring position the next six innings, the Bucs were only able to manufacture one run over that span.
The Mountaineers made ETSU pay for its lack of timely hitting as West Virginia got a run back in the top of the fifth as KC Huth scored on Justin Fox’s RBI single, while the visitors tied it up at 5 an inning later.
Both teams were held scoreless over the next two innings, but West Virginia regained the lead when Taylor Munden scored on Johnson’s RBI single to left. ETSU answered in the bottom of the ninth to pull even at 6.
However, the Bucs were again unable to find the clutch hit as they left the winning run on third and the Mountaineers posted their second home run of the game as Davis’ blast to left put West Virginia ahead for good, 7-6.
Game two of the series is slated for 2:05 p.m. on Saturday as junior right-hander Lee Haeberle gets the ball for ETSU and the Mountaineers counter with redshirt junior southpaw Ross Vance.
Elon 12, The Citadel 3
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Elon banged out 18 hits including five in a decisive six-run fifth in a 12-3 victory over The Citadel in the opener of a three-game series Friday evening at Riley Park.
Game two of the series is Saturday at 2 p.m. and the finale is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. Both games can be watched free of charge on the SoCon Digital Network.
In addition to its work at the plate, the Phoenix (7-3) got seven innings of four-hit pitching from Matt Harris to defeat the Bulldogs (5-7) for the 14th time in the past 16 meetings between the former Southern Conference rivals. Harris allowed only one run and struck out seven.
JP Sears started for the Bulldogs and allowed six hits and four runs (three earned) with seven punch-outs in his four innings of work. Elon reached the freshman left-hander for a two-run single by Joey Tomko in the third and a single by All-America candidate Casey Jones that plated two more in the fourth.
The Phoenix then put the game on ice with its big fifth inning, aided by three Citadel errors. Quinn Bower had an RBI single, and Kory Shumate knocked in two more as Elon pulled away. Bower had four hits and scored three times, and Jones reached base all six times with three hits and three walks.
Jacob Watcher made his debut on the mound for The Citadel and proved to be a bright spot for the Bulldogs. The freshman righty pitched the sixth and seventh innings and got five of his six outs via the strikeout, allowing only two hits and no runs along the way.
In all, Bulldog pitchers struck out 14 Elon batters, with Thomas Byelick contributing a pair while working the eighth.
Johnathan Stokes drove in a run with a third-inning single to temporarily cut Elon's lead to 2-1. The Bulldogs scored their other two runs in the eighth without the benefit of a base hit, taking advantage of three Phoenix errors, a wild pitch and a groundout by Bret Hines that produced a run.
Harvard 10, Mercer 6
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University baseball team was unable to recover from an early deficit, falling to Harvard, 10-6, at Claude Smith Field on Friday night.
Mercer (8-6), which lost for just the second time in its last nine games, fell behind 4-0 in the first inning, as Harvard (3-2) chased starter Ryan Askew on the strength of five hits in the frame.
The Bears cut into the deficit in the third inning thanks to the bat of Kyle Lewis. The sophomore outfielder smacked his fourth home run of the season, pulling Mercer within two, 4-2, with a two-run blast to left center.
The Crimson would respond with six runs over the next three innings and appeared to be cruising with a 10-2 advantage in the sixth, but Mercer, which rallied for a pair of victories last weekend, kept its hopes of a comeback alive with four runs in the sixth.
Charlie Madden led off the frame with one of his four hits on the night, a solo shot to right field. Howard Joe and Danny Edgeworth followed Madden's home run with back-to-back hits before Matt Meeder's single to right field plated Joe for the second run of the inning. A Harvard error and a wild pitch kept the rally going, allowing Edgeworth and Meeder to score and help Mercer trim the deficit to four, 10-6.
Reliever D.J. Shives tossed three scoreless innings to keep the Bears within striking distance, but Harvard shut the door on thoughts of a late-inning rally to record the victory.
Mercer reached double figures in the hit column for the seventh time this season, finishing with 11 in the contest. Madden's career effort led the way for the Bears, who also got multi-hit performances from Lewis and Meeder.
The four-game series continues tomorrow with a doubleheader at Claude Smith Field. The opening game of the twin bill starts at 1 p.m.