Mercer 13, Wofford 7
Wofford 5, Mercer 1
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Mercer University baseball team split its Southern Conference doubleheader with Wofford on Saturday afternoon, claiming the opener 13-7 before falling 5-1 in the nightcap at Russell C. King Field.
Mercer (23-16, 10-4 SoCon) improved to 4-1 in SoCon series openers this season, as 13 of the team’s 20 hits in the doubleheader came in the opener that was suspended due to rain after five innings of play on Friday night.
Mercer outscored the Terriers 13-3 over the final seven frames in the series opener, overcoming an early deficit to record the fifth win in its last seven league contests.
The Bears came up big with two outs in the contest, as nine of the team’s 13 hits came in two-out situations. Matt Meeder and Devin Bonin each had three runs to pace Mercer, which had six players record two hits in the game.
Mitchell Wade picked up the win to improve to 3-1 on the year, tossing a perfect 1 1/3 innings of relief to lead a bullpen that gave up just one run over the final 4 2/3 frames. Morgan Pittman surrendered just one run over 2 1/3 innings of work, while Ben Lumsden pitched a scoreless ninth with the help of a pair of strikeouts.
Wofford (28-13, 6-5 SoCon) raced out to an early lead on Friday night, opening the game with four straight hits, including a bases-clearing triple by Conor Clancey. Carson Waln drove in the Terriers’ fourth run of the game moments later, plating Clancey for a 4-0 advantage.
Mercer cut the lead in half in the top of the third, taking advantage of a pair of hit batters and a walk to load the bases with two outs. Danny Edgeworth capitalized on the opportunity, driving in two runs with a single to left field to make it a 4-2 ballgame.
The Bears continued to roll in the fifth, grabbing their first lead of the game with three runs in the frame. Jackson Ware started the scoring with an RBI single before Howard Joe plated a pair with a single through the left side to push Mercer out in front, 5-4.
The Terriers responded in the home half, as the top of the lineup struck again. Wofford’s first three batters reached base before Clancey’s blooper scored two to hand the Terriers a 6-5 advantage before the game was suspended due to rain.
The layover failed to stall the Bears’ offense, as the team grabbed the lead for good, 7-6, thanks to RBIs from Kyle Lewis and Edgeworth.
Mercer kept its two-out production going in the seventh, using a pair of triples in the inning to grab a 9-6 advantage. Trey Truitt started the rally with a triple to right field before scoring along with Nate Moorhouse on Meeder’s two-run triple to center field.
Wofford trimmed the lead to 9-7 on Derek Hirsch’s RBI single in the eighth inning, but Mercer would put the game out of reach with four runs off the bat of Bonin. The senior second baseman drove a 1-1 pitch over the right-field fence for a grand slam, as his seventh home run of the season wrapped up the scoring, 13-7.
The Terriers broke up a scoreless game during the fourth inning of the nightcap, as Hirsch’s single up the middle plated the contest’s first run. Wofford add two more runs in the fifth, grabbing a 3-0 advantage on Clancey’s two-run home run to left.
Back-to-back singles by Wofford in the sixth helped push two more runs across, putting Mercer in a 5-0 hole with three frames remaining.
Mercer ended Terrier starter Adam Scott’s shutout bid in the eighth, as Lewis drove in Conrad Cornell for the team’s first run. Joe notched his second hit of the game in the ninth, but the Bears were unable to rally back as Wofford evened the series.
Grant Papelian was tagged with the loss, despite a solid outing on the mound. The senior gave up three runs on seven hits in five innings of work to fall to 4-3 on the year. Austin Lord, Wade, Carter Varga and DJ Johnson combined to toss three scoreless frames to close out the game, giving up just one hit in that span.
Joe and Lewis paced the squad with two hits in the final game of the day, while Ware’s walk in the fourth helped him reach base for the 15th straight game. Meeder saw his streak snapped in the nightcap after reaching base in each of his previous 20 games.
Due to heavy rain expected in the Spartanburg area, Sunday’s series finale has been canceled. The Bears will resume play on Tuesday, when they travel to Savannah for two games with Savannah State. Wofford will return to action on Wednesday at USC Upstate. The game will begin at 6 p.m.
Furman 5, Western Carolina 3
Furman 8, Western Carolina 3
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Will Gaddis hurled a complete game to deliver an 8-3 Furman victory over Western Carolina in game two of a Southern Conference baseball doubleheader Saturday at Hennon Stadium, helping the Paladins complete the twinbill sweep and series victory over the Catamounts.
Furman won game one of the doubleheader, 5-3.
The twinbill sweep was the first by Furman (18-20, 7-8 SoCon) since taking two from Davidson in Greenville, S.C., in 2012 and first-regular season doubleheader sweep away from Greenville since 2006, when the Paladins beat both West Virginia (5-4) and Coastal Carolina (7-2) in Conway, S.C. The last time Furman swept a common opponent in a road doubleheader was VMI in 2003.
The series win was the second straight for the Paladins, who have won five of their last six clashes with the Catamounts.
Gaddis (3-3), a freshman right-hander who had lost his last three starts, got back on track against the Catamounts, yielding three runs on six hits and just one walk over his nine innings of work. He gave up a run in the first and two in the fourth but surrendered only two hits over the final five innings, retiring 17 of the final 20 batters he faced, one of which reached on an error.
Gaddis' complete game was the second thrown by Furman this season, with the other by fellow freshman Grant Schuermann.
Trailing 3-1 after five innings, Furman scored six two-out runs in the sixth to turn the game around.
After Landon Kay was hit by a pitch and Chris Ohmstede stroked a single to lead off the Paladin sixth, the Paladins' next two batters were retired before Cameron Whitehead coaxed a walk on a full-count pitch from Catamount closer Tyler Powell to load the bases. Ryan Morse followed with a two-run double down the left-field line to score Kay and Ohmstede, tying the game at 3-3. Sims Griffith's single up the middle drove home Whitehead for a 4-3 lead, and Carter Grote's double made it 5-3. Jake Jones's two-run single, Furman's fourth consecutive hit off Powell, capped the rally and gave Gaddis and the Paladins a 7-3 advantage.
Furman tacked on another run in the ninth on an Ohmstede double that drove home Jones.
The Paladins banged out 11 hits in the 8-3 victory, led by freshman designated hitter Blake Chisolm's 3-for-4 performance, his team leading 19th multi-hit game of the season. Jones and Ohmstede had two hits apiece.
Furman's big sixth inning made a loser of Powell (1-1), who was roughed up for five runs on seven hits and two walks over the final 3 1/3 innings.
In Saturday's first game, Jones and Ohmstede delivered bases-loaded RBI singles to give Furman a 5-3 lead in the seventh, and relievers Matthew Quarles and Elliott Warford combined to shut out Western Carolina over the final 3 2/3 innings to deliver the two-run victory.
With the score tied 3-3 after six frames, Griffith led off with a single, Grote walked and Kay loaded the bases with a single to bring up the pinch-hitting Jones, who bounced a single through the left side to drive home Griffith for a 4-3 lead. Ohmstede then singled in Grote to make it 5-3, but the Paladins' bid for a big inning faded after Catamount reliever Taylor Durand struck out Jordan Simpson and Chisolm and retired Brandon Elmy on an inning-ending groundout.
Quarles gave up a leadoff single and walk in the seventh but worked out of it with an infield fly and a pair of strikeouts to check the Catamounts.
Warford replaced Quarles in the eighth and sent Western Carolina down in order. In the ninth, the senior right-hander got the first two outs before issuing back-to-back walks but recovered by inducing WCU's Danny Bemudez on a groundout to first base.
Furman trailed 1-0 before taking a 3-1 lead in the fifth following a Cameron Whitehead solo home run and Kay's two-out, two-run double to left-center field off Catamount starting pitcher Brian Sammons.
Paladin starting pitcher Grant Schuermann worked 5 1/3 innings and ending up allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out two.
Quarles (3-1) picked up in the win in relief, the beneficiary of the Paladins' two-run seventh. He allowed a hit and issued two walks but struck out four over 1 2/3 innings.
Waford earned the save, his third of the season and 12th of his career.
The loss was charged to Colton Davis (1-3), who came on the sixth before being roughed up for two runs and four hits while retiring just one batter in the decisive seventh.
The freshman duo of Kay (3-for-5, double, two RBIs) and Griffith (2-for-4, two runs scored) combined to register five of Furman's 11 hits. Whitehead also finished with two hits, including the home run, his third of the season. Grote also continued his solid work batting leadoff, drawing two walks and scoring a pair of runs.
Furman entertains South Carolina at Fluor Field on Tuesday, with first pitch set for 7 p.m.
Western Carolina will return to action Tuesday, as the Catamounts host former conference rival Appalachian State at 5 p.m.
UNCG 5, The Citadel 4
The Citadel 8, UNCG 7
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Citadel (17-20, 3-9 Southern Conference) scored seven times in the first two innings and held on for an 8-7 victory over UNCG in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader to salvage the series finale. The Spartans (17-18, 8-7) won the opener 5-4 to clinch their sixth straight series win over the Bulldogs in Greensboro.
Connor Walsh had five hits, scored twice and drove in a pair in the two games to pace The Citadel offensively. The Bulldogs had 11 hits in the nightcap after totaling only nine in the first two games of the series.
UNCG’s Collin Woody drove a shot over the fence in left-center off Skylar Hunter with two outs in the ninth to give UNCG the victory in the opening game of the twinbill.
Hunter entered in the eighth with The Citadel clinging to a 4-3 lead, hoping to record his 38th career save, which would give him sole possession of the all-time SoCon record. But the opportunity for history was lost when Aaron Wright homered with one out in the inning to tie the game.
The Bulldogs took leads of 1-0 in the fifth and 3-1 in the sixth, but the Spartans tied it in the bottom of the inning both times. The Citadel went in front one more time in the seventh when Stephen Windham singled in Johnathan Stokes to make it a 4-3 contest.
JP Sears worked five strong innings on the mound for The Citadel, allowing four hits and one run with four strikeouts. He was matched by the duo of starter Andrew Wantz and reliever Tyler Frazier, who combined to surrender all seven hits and four runs with 11 strikeouts.
Bryant Stafford faced only one batter, striking out Drew Ellis with a runner at third in the top of the ninth, and was credited with the win.
After not scoring in the first 13 innings of the series, The Citadel broke through in the fifth on an RBI single by Mike Deese. After the Spartans tied it, Connor Walsh homered to lead off the sixth, his third of the season, and Steven Hansen added a run-scoring single to give the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead.
UNCG responded in its half of the sixth on a two-run double by Eric Kalbfleisch to tie it at 3.
In game two, the Bulldogs got RBI singles from Stokes and Walsh in the first and then exploded for five runs in the second to build their early cushion. However, the game was not decided until Hunter got Woody to pop out to Stokes after a three-run homer in the ninth by Hunter King brought UNCG within a run.
Barrett Charpia doubled and Hansen walked to put runners at first and second with one out in the ultimately decisive second inning. The Citadel pulled off a double steal, with Charpia scoring on a throwing error by catcher Jake Kusz, for the first run of the frame.
Jason Smith singled in Hansen and Deese followed with a double to chase home Smith and make it a 5-0 game. Walsh doubled in a run and Windham knocked him home with a single to cap the uprising.
The Spartans scored once in the second and two in the third against Bulldog starter Kevin Connell, who allowed seven hits but was able to strand five runners. The Citadel tacked on a run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Stokes, which UNCG matched in the seventh.
The Spartans threatened in the eighth with back-to-back singles against Thomas Byelick, who escaped the jam with a key strikeout of Kusz, before making it interesting in the ninth.
Zach Sherrill pitched a scoreless fourth in his 134th career appearance, pulling within one of Raymond Copenhaver's all-time Citadel record.
The Citadel heads into a busy week with games against Charleston Southern on Tuesday and North Florida on Wednesday, with both contests at Riley Park starting at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs host VMI in their next SoCon series beginning Friday at 4 p.m.
The Spartans close their homestand Tuesday hosting former Southern Conference rival Elon. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Samford 8, ETSU 4
Samford 7, ETSU 4
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The Samford baseball team swept a doubleheader at ETSU on Saturday afternoon at Thomas Stadium. The Bulldogs won the first game, 8-4, and then took game two by a score of 7-4.
With the wins, Samford swept the three-game Southern Conference series from ETSU. Samford has now won seven straight games and the Bulldogs are 21-17 overall and 9-3 in SoCon play. ETSU dropped to 14-24 overall and 3-9 in league contests.
In game one of the doubleheader, Samford was led offensively by Austin Edens, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. T.J. Dixon, Jared Watson and Danny Rodriguez had two hits each for Samford. Richard Greene also homered in the win for Samford, going 1-for-5 with two RBIs.
Jared Brasher (3-2) pitched five innings, giving up two runs on four hits to earn the win on the mound for Samford. Andres Gracia tossed the final two innings, allowing no hits to pick up the save.
For ETSU in the first game, Chris Cook hit a home run, going 1-for-5 in the game. Jeremy Taylor, Trey York and Aaron Maher had two hits each for the Bucs. Jimmy Nesselt (4-5) pitched six innings, giving up five runs on 11 hits to take the loss on the mound for the Bucs.
Samford took the early lead, plating two runs in the top of the first inning in game one. ETSU came back with one run in the bottom of the inning to cut Samford’s lead to 2-1.
The Bulldogs scored two runs in the fifth inning and one in the sixth to stretch their lead to 5-1. ETSU then plated three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to close to within one run at 5-4.
Samford extended its lead back to two runs with a run in the top of the seventh inning at 6-4. The Bulldogs plated the game’s final two runs in the top of the eighth inning to make the final score 8-4.
For Samford in the second game, Heath Quinn went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs. Edens hit another home run, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Edens now has 10 homers on the season. Dixon went 2-for-5 in the second game for the Bulldogs.
Parker Curry (6-3) pitched eight innings, giving up four runs on eight hits to earn the win on the mound for Samford. Curry struck out five batters and allowed just one walk. Gracia picked up his eighth save of the season and second of the day, tossing the final inning, allowing just one hit. Gracia extended his Samford career saves record to 25.
ETSU was led in game two by Kevin Phillips, who went 3-for-4 at the plate. Taylor and Jordan Sanford had two hits and an RBI each for the Bucs. Griffin Krieg (1-5) tossed seven innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits to take the loss on the mound for ETSU.
Samford once again jumped out to an early lead, plating three runs in the top of the first inning. The Bulldogs added three more runs in the second inning to push their lead to 6-0.
ETSU plated four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to close to within two runs at 6-4. Samford, however, added a run in the top of the seventh inning to make the final score 7-4.
Samford will return to action on Tuesday, April 21, when the Bulldogs play host to Alabama State. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. CDT start from Joe Lee Griffin Field.
The Bucs wrap up their five-game homestand Tuesday night when ETSU hosts Tennessee at 6:05 p.m. EDT.
VMI 4, Gardner-Webb 3
VMI 7, Gardner-Webb 3
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Matt Winn singled home the go-ahead run with two outs in the eighth inning and then threw out the tying run trying to steal in both the eighth and ninth as the VMI Keydets defeated the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs, 4-3, in the opener of a nonconference doubleheader Saturday at John Henry Moss Stadium. VMI jumped out to a 4-0 lead early and never looked back en route to a 7-3 win over Gardner-Webb in the nightcap.
In game one, the Keydets (12-21) trailed 3-2 going to the eighth but a two-out double by David Geary scored Tyler Tharp to tie the game. Winn then followed with a single up the middle to make it 4-3, Keydets, and his throwing arm then took over. He gunned down pinch-runner Taylor Fisher to end the eighth and with two out, threw out Tyler Best trying to steal in the ninth to end the game.
Offensively, Winn was one of three Keydets to post two hits, while Best and Collin Thacker had two hits apiece for the Runnin' Bulldogs (18-22). Will Connerley had VMI's lone home run, his ninth of the year that moved him within three of VMI's all-time top-10 single-season listing.
Andrew Woods (4-1) picked up the victory in his return to the weekend rotation, going seven innings and allowing three runs, two earned, and striking out eight. Matt Fraudin left with the lead for GWU, but reliever Bradley Hallman was tagged for both of the eighth-inning runs and dropped to 4-2 with the loss. Taylor Edens saved his eighth game of the year by pitching the final two innings and allowing just two baserunners.
Gardner-Webb jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first, when Best hit a 1-1 pitch just over the right field wall for a leadoff, solo home run. It was his second long ball of the year, and that remained the score until the fourth, when a two-run shot by Patrick Graham made it 3-0, GWU.
The Keydets rallied in the sixth, when Ray Lopez led off with a single and one out later, stole second. Tharp grounded out, but Geary singled up the middle to make it a 3-1 game.
VMI added a run in the seventh, when Connerley hit a solo blast to left-center field to cut the lead to 3-2, and then took the lead in the eighth. Lopez led off with a walk, but after a sacrifice bunt moved him to second, was thrown out 6-5 on a fielder's choice at third base. That put Tharp at first with two outs, but Geary came through with another two-out RBI double, this time on a double that tied the score. Winn then hit a 3-2 pitch up the middle for a 4-3 VMI lead that his arm would help sustain.
After winning game one, the Keydets saw Winn walk with one out in the second inning. Connerley followed with a single and then Collin Fleischer doubled to right, scoring both runs to stake the Keydets to a 2-0 lead.
Thomas Stallings followed with a two-run blast to center field to make it 4-0, and although Gardner-Webb pulled within two in the middle innings, two runs in the ninth accounted for the final margin.
Brandon Barbery (4-2) snapped a two-game losing streak with the victory, as he pitched into the sixth inning and gave up three runs on five hits. He walked three and struck out three. Mitch Warner (2-4) allowed five runs in five innings to take the loss.
Edens saved the win, his ninth save of the season, with three innings of scoreless relief. Edens saved both ends of a doubleheader for the second time in three weeks (April 4), and is now five shy of the Keydet single-season record set in 2007.
After taking the 4-0 lead in the second, VMI added on in the fourth. Brandon Angus led off with a bunt single and was bunted to second. He then stole third and scored when Jordan Tarsovich bounced to second and the throw home popped out of the glove of catcher Blair Huggins, allowing the Keydets to go up, 5-0.
GWU scored three times in the sixth to knock Barbery from the game, but with two on and two out, Jack Gomersall struck out Matt Simmons to end the threat.
The Keydets added on in the ninth, as a Geary RBI infield out and a Connerley RBI single accounted for the final margin. It was not without drama, however, as GWU loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning and brought the tying run to the plate. Edens induced a 4-3 groundout to end the game and preserve the victory.
Offensively, Fleischer, Winn and Connerley all had two hits to lead the Keydets, while Patrick Graham had the lone multi-hit game for GWU.
VMI will return to action Tuesday, when the Keydets play host to the Tribe of William & Mary at 6 p.m.