Georgia Tech 4, Mercer 3
ATLANTA – The Mercer University baseball team saw its three-game winning streak against Georgia Tech come to an end, as the Bears’ rally fell short in a 4-3 loss on Tuesday night at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets’ Daniel Spingola came up with the game’s decisive play in the bottom of the seventh, as the senior broke up a 1-1 game with a three-run blast to left center to hand Georgia Tech a 4-1 advantage.
Mercer responded in the eighth, though, as Matt Meeder scored on a throwing error to ignite the late-inning rally. Nate Moorhouse drove in Jackson Ware two batters later to trim the deficit to one, 4-3. However, the Bears were unable to get any closer, as they fell to an in-state opponent for the first time in their last four contests.
Ware led the Bears, who had eight hits tonight, with his sixth multiple-hit performance in his last eight contests. Devin Bonin and Moorhouse each added run-scoring singles for Mercer, while Conrad Cornell recorded the team’s only extra-base hit.
Mitchell Wade was tagged with his first loss of the season after being credited with two earned runs on one hit in an inning of work.
Mercer struck first with a run in the third frame, as Cornell started the one-out rally with a double in the left-center gap. He crossed the plate two batters later, after Bonin beat the throw to first for an infield single and a 1-0 advantage.
Georgia Tech knotted the game in the bottom of the fourth, as A.J. Murray hit a solo shot over the wall in left-center to deadlock the two teams at 1-1.
The Bears were in position to win their 10th game in the last 13 contests thanks to DJ Johnson’s best outing of the season. The senior scattered four hits over five innings of work, allowing just one run and striking out three batters.
Mercer returns to Claude Smith Field this weekend, as it continues Southern Conference play with a three-game series against Western Carolina. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. on Friday, April 10.
UNC Asheville 6, ETSU 3
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Kyle Towles belted a pair of home runs and Hunter Bryant connected on one of his own, lifting UNC Asheville to a series sweep over ETSU as the Bulldogs edged the Blue and Gold, 6-3, on Tuesday night at Thomas Stadium.
ETSU (12-19), which went 3-for-38 in runners in scoring position in the three games against Asheville this season, left 11 runners stranded and went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position on Tuesday.
Asheville (16-17) struck for a pair of two-out runs in the top of the first and led, 5-1, before the Bucs scored two eighth-inning runs, but with two outs and the bases loaded, closer Nick Schavone entered to strike out Jeremy Taylor to end the threat.
Schavone earned his team-leading seventh save of the year as he tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings to close out the game, while Evan Joura (1-1) picked up the win after registering one scoreless frame in relief. Freshman right-hander Logan Gentry suffered the loss (0-1) in his first collegiate start. Gentry allowed the two first-inning runs on two hits, while striking out four and walking three.
The Bucs managed to record five hits and scored their two runs eighth-inning runs when Zach Thompson and Daniel Tucker were both hit by a pitch with two outs and the bases loaded. Trey York extended his streak of reaching base safely to nine games as he went 1-for-2 with two walks and scored a run, and Kevin Phillips doubled and scored one of his two runs in the second inning.
Towles put the Bulldogs on the board in the top of the first as he posted the first of two solo home runs and Asheville tacked on another two-out RBI when Michael Kelly worked a four-pitch walk, making it a 2-0 score.
ETSU cut its deficit in half when Phillips led off the second with his double down the line in left and scored on Aaron Maher’s sacrifice fly RBI; however, Asheville responded with solo runs in the fourth and fifth innings, extending its lead to, 4-1.
The Buccaneers had chances as they had a runner in scoring position in five of the final seven innings, but the Blue and Gold couldn’t manufacture the timely hit.
After the Bulldogs tacked on an insurance run with a sac-fly RBI in the seventh, ETSU struck for its two runs in the eighth to pull within two, 5-3. York and Philips reached to lead off the inning and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. From there, Jordan Sanford worked a four-pitch walk to load the bases, leading to Thompson and Tucker being hit by a pitch to register the RBIs. After the Bulldogs made the call to the bullpen for the third time in the inning, Schavone got out of the jam by striking out Taylor on a 3-2 pitch.
Towles added to the lead by belting his second solo homer in the top of the ninth and Schavone retired three of the four Buccaneer hitters he faced in the bottom of the inning to wrap up the game.
Towles and Joe Zayatz combined for four of Asheville’s eight hits, while Towles also drove in two and scored a pair of runs.
The Bucs look to end their five-game skid Friday night as ETSU opens a three-game Southern Conference series at VMI.
Radford 6, VMI 2
LEXINGTON, Va. – Thomas Stallings hit his fourth home run in three games, but the Radford Highlanders took the lead just three batters into the game and never relinquished it en route to a 6-2 win over the VMI Keydets in nonconference baseball action Tuesday night. The win was Radford's 10th consecutive victory.
The Highlanders (21-11) took the lead for good in the first inning. Josh Gardiner led off with a double and Aaron Scoville's single moved him to third. A pickoff attempt that glanced off Stallings' glove at first base got away for enough for Gardiner to score, giving Radford a 1-0 lead.
The Highlanders then scored three times in the third, and although the Keydets (9-17) closed to within 4-2 after four, VMI could get no closer.
Austin Ross (2-0) picked up the win in relief for Radford, as he struck out five in 4 1/3 one-hit innings in relief of Tyler Swarmer, who was knocked out in the fourth. Starter Matthew Eagle (0-4) gave up two runs in 2 1/3 innings on a staff day to take the loss for VMI.
After taking the early lead, Radford added on in the third. Gardiner led off with a walk, stole second and moved to third on a fly ball. He then scored on a double by Shane Johnsonbaugh to make it a 2-0 contest.
Johnsonbaugh then stole third and Matt Winn's throw went into left field for an error, allowing the runner to score for a 3-0 RU advantage. Danny Hrbek added an RBI single later in the inning to make it a 4-0 game.
Stallings led off the third inning by homering over the scoreboard in left field for his sixth long ball of the year and fourth in the past three games. Stallings had hit four home runs in 133 career games prior to Saturday's twinbill at Furman.
VMI scored again in the fourth, when Will Connerley walked with one out, stole second and scored on Matt Winn's RBI single to cut the RU lead to 4-2.
An error cost the Keydets in the sixth, when catcher Jordan Taylor hit a ground ball down the third-base line. David Geary backhanded it but threw wildly to first base for an error, a miscue that set the stage for two unearned runs in the inning and a 6-2 Radford lead.
Ross, meanwhile, settled in with a four-run cushion. Tyler Tharp led off the sixth inning with a single, but Ross retired the next nine hitters he faced. VMI did not have another baserunner until a leadoff single by Brandon Angus in the ninth inning, as the RU bullpen held the lead.
Offensively, no Keydet reached base more than once against the RU trio of hurlers. Gardiner went 2-for-3 with two walks to lead the visitors at the plate.
VMI will return to action Friday, as the Keydets open a three-game SoCon series against ETSU at Gray-Minor Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
Alabama 12, Samford 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford baseball team dropped a 12-1 decision to Alabama on Tuesday night at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
Samford's lone run in the game came on a solo home run by Parker Curry in the bottom of the seventh inning. Curry, Richard Greene and Damon Waller had one hit each for the Bulldogs.
Samford starting pitcher Eric Wright (2-3) pitched an inning and gave up four runs, just one earned, on three hits to take the loss on the mound for Samford. Tristan Widra, Devan Traglia, Wyatt Burns, Cole Limbaugh, Jesse Travis and Caleb Maggio also saw time on the mound for Samford.
Alabama starting pitcher Jake Walters (3-1) pitched five innings, giving up no runs on one hit to earn the win on the mound for the Crimson Tide. Nick Eicholtz tossed the final four innings, allowing one run on two hits to pick up his first save of the season.
Offensively for Alabama, Georgie Salem went 2-for-4 with two home runs and two RBIs. Chandler Avant, Casey Hughston and Cody Henry had three hits each for Alabama. Salem, Kyle Overstreet and Chance Vincent collected two hits each for the Crimson Tide. As a team, Alabama pounded out 18 hits in the game.
Alabama built a big lead early, scoring four runs in the first inning, one run in the second inning and two runs in the third inning. The Crimson Tide added to its lead with a run in each of the fourth and fifth innings to take a 9-0 advantage after five innings.
Alabama pushed its lead to 11-0 with two runs in the top of the seventh inning. In the bottom of the seventh, Curry hit his home run, the first of his Samford career, with two outs in the inning to make the score 11-1. Alabama added one final run in the top of the ninth inning to make the final score 12-1.
With the loss, Samford fell to 14-17 on the season. Alabama improved to 16-15 with the win.
Samford will return to action on Friday when the Bulldogs open a three-game home nonconference series with Murray State. The teams are scheduled to play Friday at 6 p.m. CDT, Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
Furman at USC Upstate canceled
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman’s Tuesday night baseball game at USC Upstate has been canceled due to inclement weather.
Wake Forest at UNCG postponed to Wednesday
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Due to inclement weather forecasted for the Triad area Tuesday, the UNCG baseball team’s nonconference game against Wake Forest has been pushed to Wednesday at 6 p.m.
The contest marks the second meeting between the teams this season, as the Demon Deacons won the first matchup 11-7 on March 4 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Following Wednesday’s game, UNCG remains at home this weekend for a three-game Southern Conference series against Furman.
Tennessee at Western Carolina postponed
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Tuesday night’s nonconference baseball game between Western Carolina and Tennessee has been postponed due to inclement weather and unfavorable forecasts.
Rain began falling in Western North Carolina on Monday evening and continued through the night, leaving the playing surface damp. Sporadic rain showers through the day on Tuesday, coupled with unfavorable afternoon forecasts for thunderstorms and rain showers, prompted officials to postpone the meeting.
No makeup date has currently been set. However, information on rescheduling the game will be announced as soon as details are available.
Western Carolina (14-14, 6-3 SoCon) returns to action this Friday, April 10, through Sunday, April 12, with a three-game Southern Conference series against the Mercer Bears in Macon, Ga. First pitch in Friday’s series opener – the first meeting between the two as conference foes on the diamond – is scheduled for 6 p.m.