Furman 10, Marist 9 (11 inn.)
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Andrew MacLatchie belted a two-out, bases-empty, walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to give Furman a 10-9 victory over Marist in baseball action Sunday afternoon at Latham Stadium.
The win completed the three-game series sweep for Furman (7-6) and pushed the Paladins over the .500 mark for the first time this season.
MacLatchie, a junior catcher who entered the game as a defensive replacement in the 10th inning, came to the plate for the first time in the 11th and crushed a one-ball, two-strike offering from Marist reliever Sean Keenan (0-1) high over the left-field fence for the game-winner.
Furman, which early in the game enjoyed a 6-1 lead, watched Marist take advantage of a two-out fielding error in the ninth to plate three unearned runs to go up, 9-8. The Paladins, however, answered with a game-tying run in the ninth on pinch-hitter Sims Griffith’s sacrifice fly RBI that scored Blake Chisolm to force extra frames.
Elliott Warford (3-0) pitched the final three innings to pick up the win. He was on the mound in the ninth, one out away from earning the save, when third baseman Chris Ohmstede failed to handle a ground ball off the bat of Steve Laurino, which opened the door for three unearned runs. The Paladin senior right-hander stranded a Red Fox runner in the 10th and worked out of trouble in the 11th, leaving two more on base to help set up MacLatchie’s dramatic clout.
Furman appeared set to register the win in the eighth when freshman Landon Kay stroked a two-out pitch by Marist reliever Ryan Thomas into center field to drive home pinch-runner Kyle Simmons for an 8-6 advantage, but Marist’s three-run ninth turned the game around.
Blake Chisolm’s RBI double in the first scored Sky Overton to get Furman on the board.
The Paladins added three more in the second for a 4-0 lead after Jordan Simpson led off with his fourth home of the season and Matt Towarnicky laced a two-run double down the left-field line to drive in Griffin Davis and Carter Grote and chase Red Foxes starting pitcher Tyler Dearden.
Furman’s bid for more runs in the second was cut short when Marist turned a triple play. With Towarnicky at second and Overton at first after being hit by a pitch, Red Foxes first baseman Laurino followed his diving catch on a sacrifice bunt attempt with throw to second base for out No. 2. The return throw to first easily retired Overton to complete the rare trifecta.
After Marist got on the board with a run in the top of the third, the Paladins came back with two more on Ohmstede’s solo home run and a Davis RBI single that plated Simpson for a 6-1 advantage.
Marist started its comeback by scoring single runs in the fourth and fifth and three more in the seventh to slice Furman’s margin to 7-6.
Furman followed up its season high 19-hit attack in Saturday’ 13-4 win with 16 hits on Sunday, led by Davis’ 3-for-3 performance. Overton, Ohmstede, Chisolm and Simpson had two hits apiece for the Paladins.
Marist, which tallied 13 hits, was paced by Graham McIntire’s 2-for-5, two-RBI, two-run performance. Laurino also had two hits and drove in a pair of runs.
Keenan, the losing pitcher, yielded only one hit, MacLatchie’s home run, in 2 1/3 innings of relief.
Furman starting pitcher Matt Solter departed with a 7-3 lead after allowing three runs on five hits over six innings. He walked three and struck out seven.
Paladin pitching, which combined for 11 strikeouts, was charged with 10 wild pitches in the contest.
The Paladins play at UNC Asheville on Tuesday in a 3 p.m. game.
UNCG 6, Princeton 5 (8 inn., game one)
UNCG 16, Princeton 7 (7 inn., game two)
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG baseball team swept a doubleheader from Princeton on Sunday at the UNCG Baseball Stadium, defeating the Tigers 6-5 in eight innings before picking up a 16-7 victory in seven innings in the nightcap.
The Spartans won three of four against the Ivy League outfit this weekend to improve to 5-8 overall and send Princeton to 1-6. UNCG picked it up offensively in the four contests, hitting .346 collectively with 44 hits, 10 doubles, four triples and seven home runs.
After seeing Princeton tie game one in the top of the seventh to send the contest into extra innings, UNCG received a walk-off single from senior outfielder Nick Chapman in the bottom of the eighth to snag a 6-5 win.
A total of eight different Spartan players recorded hits in the game, while six of them crossed the plate. Senior infielder Aaron Wright also added two RBIs.
Senior RHP Tyler Frazier (1-0) threw the final three innings to earn his first win of the season as he gave up just one run on two hits with five strikeouts. Nick Brady (0-1) took the loss for the Tigers, allowing an unearned run on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Princeton looked to take control early, using a pair of consecutive home runs by Danny Hoy and Zack Belski to forge ahead 2-0 in the top of the first. However, the Spartans responded with a 4-spot in the bottom of the frame to take a 4-2 cushion. With two away, junior infielder Collin Woody and senior outfielder Eric Kalbfleisch reached base with singles before sophomore catcher Jake Kusz and senior infielder Hunter King sandwiched RBI singles around a two-run double from Wright.
The Tigers tied things up in the top of the second via a two-run double by Billy Arendt, but senior outfielder Zac MacAneney answered with a one-out home run in the bottom of the frame to put the Blue and Gold back in front by a 5-4 margin.
Things settled down for much of the remainder of the game as three double plays – two by the Spartans – kept the respective offenses at bay.
With runners at the corners and one out in the top of the seventh, an RBI groundout by Hoy accounted for the tying run as UNCG went down in order in the bottom of the inning.
After Frazier stranded a Princeton runner at second in the top of the eighth, senior outfielder Tyler Long drew a leadoff walk and advanced all the way to third on a throwing error by the third baseman on a ball hit by Woody. Chapman was called on to pinch-hit and put a ball in the gap that scored Long for the game-winning run.
The Spartan offense exploded for 12 runs in the first three innings of game two and UNCG cruised to a 16-7 win to complete the doubleheader sweep.
MacAneney went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI, while Chapman chipped in with four RBIs. Woody and King also tallied multiple RBIs with three each. The Blue and Gold scored its 16 runs on 10 hits and took advantage of two Tiger errors.
Freshman RHP Andrew Wantz earned his first collegiate start and improved to 2-0 as he tossed four innings and gave up five runs on eight hits while walking three. Cameron Mingo (0-1) threw just 1 1/3 innings and was tagged with the loss as he allowed seven runs on six hits with three walks and a strikeout.
Wantz worked around a two-out walk to keep Princeton off the scoreboard in the top of the first before the UNCG offense went to work in the bottom of the inning. MacAneney homered to lead off the proceedings then Kalblfiesch drew a two-out walk a couple of batters later. Junior catcher Jake Hall sent a single through the left side before Wright brought Kalbfleisch home with an RBI single to right field. With two runners still on base, King sent a ball over the left-field wall and into the trees for his first home run of the season, which gave the Spartans a 5-0 advantage.
An RBI groundout by Long and an RBI single by Woody made it 7-0 before the Tigers plated two runs in the top of the third to pull within five runs.
A triple by Wright ignited another big inning for UNCG, as the Spartans scored five runs on two hits and two errors in the half inning to pull ahead 12-2. A big two-run double by Woody represented the only earned runs as the two errors resulted in three unearned for lefty Tyler Foote.
Princeton touched up the UNCG bullpen a bit in the fifth and sixth innings, scoring five runs to make it a 12-7 game, but the Spartans would have the last word.
A walk by Hall and a Wright hit-by-pitch with one out put runners on first and second before a balk moved them both into scoring position. King then worked a walk to load the bases for Chapman. He would lift a ball high over the right-field fence for his first career grand slam to put an exclamation point on the contest and close out the scoring.
The Spartans will embark on a five-game road trip Wednesday, returning to East Carolina for a single nonconference contest. First pitch at Clark-LeClair Stadium is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Wofford 12, Gardner-Webb 1
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In the final game of the weekend series, the Wofford College baseball team downed Gardner-Webb 12-1 on Sunday afternoon at Russell C. King Field. The Terriers scored at least one run in every inning to complete the series sweep.
Wofford is 12-4 on the season, while Gardner-Webb is 10-5 overall. The 12 runs scored by Wofford were the most this season. The Terriers were led by Matt Pelt with three hits, including his third home run of the season. Mack Nathanson added three hits, while Alec Paradowski scored three runs. The Runnin’ Bulldogs had two hits from Sam Fulginiti.
Paradowski led off the Wofford half of the first with a walk. With one out, a single by James Plaisted gave the Terriers runners on the corners. A double by Pelt drove in a run and a sacrifice fly by Conor Clancey made it a 2-0 game.
Wofford opened the bottom of the second with a walk to Nathanson and a single by Derek Hirsch. A sacrifice bunt by Max McDougald moved the runners into scoring position. A sacrifice fly by Paradowski pushed the lead to 3-0.
Plaisted led off the bottom of the third with a single. A home run by Pelt over the fence in left field gave Wofford a 5-0 lead. Kody Ruedisili and Nathanson added singles, but a double play ended the third inning.
With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Paradowski was hit by a pitch. A ground-rule double by Matt Ramsay moved Paradowski to third, while a sacrifice fly by Plaisted pushed the lead to 6-0.
Gardner-Webb led off the fifth with a walk and added a double. With one out, a ground ball by Blair Huggins drove in a run to make it 6-1. The Runnin’ Bulldogs left a runner at third to end the top of the fifth.
In the bottom of the fifth with one out, Ruedisili singled and Nathanson was hit by a pitch. On the double steal, a throwing error allowed Ruedisili to score and Nathanson to move to third. A caught stealing and ground ball ended the fifth inning for the Terriers.
Paradowski walked to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning and Plaisted walked with one out. With runners on the corners and two out, Plaisted was caught in a rundown and Paradowski scored for an 8-1 lead.
Wofford began the bottom of the seventh with Clancey reaching on an error and a walk to Ruedisili. A single up the middle by Nathanson drove in Clancey and a single by McDougald scored two runs for an 11-1 lead at the end of the seventh. Gardner-Webb had a pair of singles in the top of the eighth, but both runners were stranded.
Pelt led off the bottom of the eighth with a single. With two outs, a double by Nathanson drove in Pelt for a 12-1 score. Alex Malsch added a single for his first career hit, but the Terriers left two on base to end the eighth inning. In the top of the ninth, the Runnin’ Bulldogs had two runners on base when a strikeout ended the game.
Wofford starting pitcher Adam Scott (2-0) went seven innings and gave up only one run on five hits. He struck out three batters and walked two.
Brad Haymes (1-1) started for Gardner-Webb but lasted only 2 1/3 innings with five runs allowed on seven hits.
On Tuesday, Wofford will travel to Savannah State for a 5 p.m. contest. The Terriers will begin a four-game series against Iona on Friday, March 13.
Western Carolina 3, Holy Cross 1
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Freshman left-hander Brendan Nail limited Holy Cross to just a first-inning run as Western Carolina closed out the four-game, nonconference series with a 3-1 victory on Sunday afternoon at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
Nail (1-0) scattered five hits through seven innings on the mound, surrendering just one extra-base hit in recording his first collegiate victory. The Greensboro, N.C., product countered a pair of walks with two strikeouts in helping the Catamounts move back to .500 on the season at 6-6.
Set-up man junior Colton Davis worked around a walk with a strikeout in tossing the eighth inning, with senior closer Tyler Powell fanning one in working a perfect ninth inning to tally his second save of the weekend and of the season.
Making just his second appearance in the starting lineup as the designated hitter, junior Reece Strong paced the Catamount lineup offensively with a 3-for-3 showing at the plate with two singles and a double, driving in a pair of runs and scoring once.
His older brother, Bradley Strong, singled in the first inning to extend his career-long hitting streak to 26 games. In addition to the Strongs, three other Catamounts recorded one-hit games. Moving into the leadoff spot, sophomore Matt Smith doubled, while both Danny Bermudez and Brett Pope singled in the win. Pope scored two of WCU's three runs on the day.
Holy Cross took the lead in the top of the first inning as Josh Hassell singled up the middle to start the one-run frame. A walk to Nick Lovullo and a single by Evan Ocello loaded the bases for the Crusaders with nobody out. Jack St. Clair then grounded out to short to plate the run on the first out. WCU then managed to get a force out at the plate and one on a tap back to the mound to limit the scoring.
In the bottom of the second inning, WCU seized the lead with a two-run rally. Freshman Brett Pope drew a leadoff walk before taking second on a steal. Reece Strong then delivered a single up the middle to bring Pope home to tie the game at 1. With Strong aboard at first, Smith belted a run-scoring double to center field to give the Catamounts the 2-1 lead.
Western Carolina added an insurance run in the seventh, again spurred by Pope. The freshman from Statesville, N.C., singled to left-center before another run-scoring hit by Reece Strong. The Richlands, Va., native doubled to right-center to make it 3-1 in favor of the home squad.
The two-run cushion was all WCU would need as its three pitchers combined to keep the Crusaders off the board, allowing the Catamounts to win the four-game series.
Holy Cross starter Zach Fox (1-3) allowed two earned runs on five hits in five innings of work, walking one with three strikeouts. Reliever Justin Finan pitched the final three frames, giving up a run on two hits with a strikeout.
Hassell paced the Crusaders with two of the team's five hits and scored the lone run. Nick Lovullo doubled as the only extra-base hit on the day.
Western Carolina (6-6) opens four straight games away from Cullowhee on Tuesday as it travels to Clinton, S.C., to face the Presbyterian Blue Hose with first pitch at 3 p.m. The Catamounts then head to Lynchburg, Va., for games against Liberty and Penn State next weekend.
The Citadel 6, Elon 1
CHARLESTON, S.C. – James Reeves tossed seven innings of four-hit ball and was backed by a late offensive surge as The Citadel posted a 6-1 win over Elon to take the series against its former Southern Conference rival.
The Bulldogs won the final two games of the series after dropping Friday's opener to even their record at 7-7.
Reeves, making his return to the rotation after missing last week's start with an illness, did not walk a batter and struck out eight in improving to 2-0 on the year. The redshirt junior left-hander has struck out 28 and walked only one in 18 innings this season.
Elon starter Robbie Welhaf matched Reeves pitch-for-pitch, allowing only a bunt single by Ryan Kilgallen over the first five innings before the Bulldogs got the bats rolling in the sixth. Austin Mapes tied it with an RBI single, and Connor Walsh followed with a two-run base hit that put The Citadel in front.
Mapes, Walsh and Stephen Windham each had two hits, with Walsh increasing his team-leading RBI total to 16 and Windham upping his batting average to a team-best .400.
Reeves worked around a leadoff double in the seventh, ending his day with a pair of strikeouts before giving way to closer Skylar Hunter. The Bulldogs added three insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth, including an RBI double by Windham and a two-run pinch-hit single off the bat of Jacob Watcher.
Watcher was batting for his brother, Philip, who singled in two runs on Saturday as a pinch-hitter for Jacob.
The extra runs were more than enough for Hunter, who picked up his fifth save of the season by striking out the side in the ninth, giving him four on the day. Hunter increased his career save total to 33, four shy of matching the Southern Conference record held by Elon's Thomas Girdwood.
Reeves allowed only one hit through the first three innings before Elon (7-5) scored its lone run in the fourth on a double by Casey Jones and run-scoring single by Joey Tomko. Reeves escaped further damage that inning and then allowed only one more base-runner over his final three frames.
The game could have been a lot more one-sided in The Citadel's favor if not for a pair of defensive gems by the Elon outfield. Ryan Cooper stole a homer to right by Mapes in the fourth, and Quinn Bower reached over the fence in center to take away a three-run shot from Drew Ellis in the sixth.
The Bulldogs travel to Rock Hill, S.C., on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. game against Winthrop before returning home to face Lafayette in a three-game series beginning Friday.
Mercer 7, Harvard 1
MACON, Ga. – Senior Eric Nyquist threw his first complete game of the season, helping lift the Mercer University baseball team to a 7-1 victory over Harvard in Sunday’s series finale at Claude Smith Field.
Nyquist, who tossed five scoreless innings in Tuesday’s win over Georgia Southern, was dominant once again, surrendering just four hits while facing only 32 batters in his nine innings of work. The Alpharetta, Ga., native saw his scoreless innings streak snapped at 11 with the Crimson’s lone score of the game in the fifth, but he would go unblemished the rest of the way out to improve to 2-0 on the year.
The Bears’ offense provided more than enough run support on Sunday, thanks to its opportunistic attack throughout the game. Mercer turned seven hits and three bases on balls into seven runs in the contest. Devin Bonin, Tyler Homer and Kyle Lewis each notched two hits to pace the team on the afternoon.
After hitting four home runs in yesterday’s doubleheader, the Bears came out swinging again in the series finale with two long balls to open the game. Kyle Lewis led off the contest for Mercer with his sixth jack of the year before Devin Bonin followed with his second home run in as many games.
The Bears added two more runs in the second frame, taking advantage of an error that prolonged the inning. A throwing error by the third baseman allowed Homer to score from first before Lewis drove in his second run of the game with a single through the left side to plate Trey Truitt.
Mercer added a run in the fourth on Homer’s RBI single before rounding out the scoring with a pair of runs on wild pitches in the eighth. The Bears improved to 7-0 this season when scoring the game’s first run and are now 3-1 in series finales on the year.
The Bears take that momentum into Tuesday’s matchup against Florida A&M in Tallahassee, Fla. Mercer will put its perfect 4-0 road record on the line, when the two-game series opens up with a 6 p.m. first pitch.
West Virginia 13, ETSU 4
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Shaun Wood and KC Huth both belted two-run home runs and Chad Donato tossed seven innings of one-run ball as West Virginia capped off the series sweep with a 13-4 win over ETSU on Sunday afternoon at Thomas Stadium.
The Mountaineers, who put on a show offensively all weekend, outscored the Bucs, 38-12, while out-hitting the Blue and Gold, 49-27, in the series.
Wood and Huth were two of seven players to record home runs in the series, while nine West Virginia players accounted for its 13 hits in the finale. Wood went 2-for-3 with a double, home run and five RBIs, while Donato allowed the one run on seven hits and struck out five to improve to 2-2.
Freshman catcher Hagen Owenby finished with three hits for the Bucs, and it was his solo home run in the second that made it a 2-1 score; however, the Mountaineers responded with 11 unanswered runs until ETSU plated two in the eighth and one more in the ninth. Owenby drove in two of the four runs, while senior outfielder Daniel Tucker registered a two-hit day and Trey York extended his streak of reaching base safely to 13 straight games. York kept the streak alive with an RBI single in the eighth.
Griffin Krieg suffered the loss (1-1) as he was charged with eight runs (six earned) on six hits while walking five and striking out four in four innings of work. The Buccaneer junior right-hander was untouchable in the first inning as he struck out two of the three hitters he faced, but things unraveled between the second and fourth innings, forcing ETSU to go to the bullpen. Sophomore southpaw Jamin McCann struck out four in two innings of relief and redshirt freshman Dillon Cate tossed a scoreless ninth.
The sweep dropped the Bucs’ record to 7-6 on the campaign, while the Mountaineers left with the same 7-6 mark following the three wins in Johnson City.
For the third time in the series, West Virginia jumped out to the lead as Wood’s two-out double to left-center scored two in the top of the second, but Owenby cut ETSU’s deficit in half, 2-1, when he led off the bottom of the inning with a home run to left.
However, the Bucs were unable to gain momentum and things went south in a hurry as the Mountaineers scored six runs in the next three innings and led 8-1 after five complete frames.
The Mountaineers got the run back in the top of the third as Brad Johnson – who reached on a two-out double to left-center – scored on a throwing error by Krieg, while the scoring continued for West Virginia in the fourth as Wood belted his homer to center and the Mountaineers plated three more in the fifth to gain the seven-run advantage.
After a scoreless sixth inning, West Virginia put three more on the board in the seventh – capped by Huth’s home run – while the Mountaineers finished their scoring with a two-run eighth, resulting in a 13-1 lead.
ETSU stopped the bleeding as Danny Carrier led off the bottom of the eighth with his first collegiate triple and scored on York’s RBI single to left. York would eventually score on an Owenby single to center, while Christian Bailey – who was hit by a pitch in the ninth – scored the final run on a throwing error by shortstop Taylor Munden.
The Bucs look to end the skid Tuesday night as ETSU heads to Knoxville, Tenn., for a midweek game with Tennessee. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
VMI 15, Binghamton 4 (game one)
Binghamton 7, VMI 3 (7 inn., game two)
LEXINGTON, Va. – At their long-awaited home opener Sunday, the VMI Keydets split a doubleheader with the Binghamton Bearcats in nonconference baseball action at Gray-Minor Stadium. The Keydets pounded out 17 hits and took advantage of four Binghamton (2-6) errors to win the opener 15-4, but 10 walks cost VMI in the nightcap as BU rallied to win that game, a seven-inning affair, 7-3.
David Geary led the way for the Keydet (3-2) offense in the doubleheader, going 4-for-7 with two runs scored and three runs driven in. Tyler Tharp, Jordan Tarsovich, Matt Winn and Reid Bryant all had two-hit games in the opener, as did Will Connerley, who hit the day's lone long ball for the Keydet offense. Tharp added a two-hit game in the finale, as well, making it a four-hit day for the sophomore.
On the mound, Andrew Woods (2-0) picked up the victory with six solid innings in game one and Austin Heenan got a three-inning save, his first, but Blaine Lafin (0-1) was knocked out in the first inning of game two and took the loss.
Binghamton (1-6) jumped ahead in game one with three runs in the second inning, but VMI (3-1) rallied in the next half inning. Ray Lopez walked and stole second, and one out later, Reid Bryant reached on an error. Geary then followed with a two-run double, and after Jacob Jaye was retired, Will Malbon doubled home Geary and Tarsovich singled home Malbon, putting VMI up, 4-3.
Connerley went deep in the third, hitting a high, arching three-run drive, to bump the margin to 7-3, and the Keydet added three more runs in the fourth, an inning fueled by a Bryant two-run single.
The Bearcats got a run back in the fifth, but VMI tacked on three more in the sixth. Geary singled home a run and Jaye followed with an RBI double for his first career hit. Malbon then bunted down the first-base line and was retired on a close play, but Jaye, running all the way, scored with a headfirst dive to make it 13-4.
The Keydets scored twice more in the seventh to account for the final margin. On the mound, Woods got the win by going six innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits. He did not walk a batter and fanned three.
In game two, Lafin was knocked out in the first inning after walking four hitters. He was charged with two runs on one hit. Ryan Bennett relieved and kept the game close, but Binghamton scored once in the second, twice in the fourth and once in the sixth to take a 6-1 advantage.
VMI rallied in the bottom of the sixth against BU starter Rob Hardy. Tharp had an infield hit and Lopez singled. Vincent Caputo relieved and struck out Connerley, but Geary singled to load the bases. Colin Fleischer then worked a nine-pitch walk to score a run, making it 6-2 and bringing Jaye to the plate as the tying run. The freshman struck out on the eighth pitch of his at-bat to end the threat.
Each team scored once in the seventh to account for the final margin. Lafin took the loss and Hardy (1-1) earned the victory, as the BU starter went 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on six hits.
VMI baseball will return to action Monday, as the Keydets wrap up their series with Binghamton at Gray-Minor Stadium. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
Samford at Memphis postponed
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Samford baseball team's Sunday doubleheader at Memphis has been postponed due to inclement weather in the Memphis area.
The teams will now play Monday at a time that will be announced Monday morning.