UNCG 9, Wake Forest 8
GREENSBORO, N.C. – A two-out walk-off RBI single by senior infielder Tyler Long plated the winning run Wednesday as UNCG scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to down Wake Forest 9-8 in a nonconference baseball contest at the UNCG Baseball Stadium. It marked the second straight season that the Blue and Gold defeated WFU on a walk-off hit in Greensboro.
The Spartans (14-15) piled up a season-high 17 hits in the contest while limiting the Demon Deacons (21-14) to nine. Senior outfielder Eric Kalbfleisch led the way with four base knocks while freshman infielder Tripp Shelton produced a career-high effort with three hits. Senior infielder Aaron Wright compiled a 3-for-5 showing while also scoring two runs. Junior infielder Collin Woody and Long both chipped in with a pair of RBIs.
UNCG improved to 8-2 at home and is now hitting .342 with 16 home runs and a .583 slugging mark in those contests. The Spartans also extended their school-record streak to 11 games of hitting at least one home run.
Junior LHP Bryant Stafford (1-1) picked up the win after tossing a perfect top of the ninth with two strikeouts. John McCarren (0-2) was saddled with the loss after surrendering the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the frame. UNCG received a nice start from freshman RHP Chad Sykes, who struck out four batters in 2 2/3 innings. It was his first collegiate start.
Wake Forest scored the game’s first run on an RBI single by Justin Yurchak in the top of the first inning. The Spartans responded with a 4-spot in the bottom of the second as Long, Shelton and senior infielder Hunter King recorded RBI singles and senior outfielder Zac MacAneney scooted home on a wild pitch to leave UNCG with a 4-1 advantage after two complete frames.
After Jonathan Pryor led off the top of the third with a walk, Will Craig clubbed a two-run home run to left-center, pulling the Deacs to within a run at 4-3. WFU took the lead back in the top of the fifth as a two-out, two-run Stuart Fairchild single made it 5-4.
The Blue and Gold knotted the score in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a pair of Demon Deacon errors. With two outs, Kalbfleisch reached on a throwing error at short that plated Wright, who had singled, advanced to second on a Nate Mondou throwing error and reached third on a groundout.
Wake Forest looked to pull away in the top of the sixth, scoring three runs (two unearned) on two hits and a Spartan error, but UNCG stayed close as Woody crushed a two-run homer over the left-center field fence with two away in the bottom of the frame. Shelton singled up the middle to begin the half inning and accounted for the other run on the long ball.
The Spartan bullpen went on lockdown mode in the final three innings and limited the Deacs to just no runs and just one hit. UNCG was held scoreless in the seventh and eighth frames but put forth the winning rally in its final turn at bat. Wright led off the half inning and tied the contest with a towering home run that cleared the batter’s eye in center. Kalbfleisch then singled through the right side and was replaced on the bases by pinch-runner Nick Chapman. After another strikeout, Chapman advanced to second and into scoring position on a wild pitch. With Long at the dish, Chapman took off on the crack of the bat as Long sent a single through the left side. Pryor attempted to throw Chapman out at home but his throw was off and Chapman crossed home standing up to seal the comeback victory.
UNCG continues its homestand this weekend welcoming Southern Conference opponent Furman to the UNCG Baseball Stadium. The Spartans and Paladins will kick off the three-game series Friday at 6 p.m.
Wofford 15, UNC Asheville 8
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – On Wednesday evening, the Wofford College baseball team earned a 15-8 win over UNC Asheville at Greenwood Field. The Terriers scored five runs in the third inning to build a lead and added seven runs in the final four innings for the victory.
Wofford is 25-11 on the season, while UNC Asheville is 16-18 overall. The Terriers had 14 hits on the day, led by Matt Pelt with four hits and two RBIs. The Bulldogs were led by Hunter Bryant with two hits and two RBIs. With the win, Wofford won the three-game series against UNC Asheville this season.
With one out in the top of the second, Carson Waln walked and Pelt singled. A single through the left side by Kody Ruedisili drove in Waln for a 1-0 lead. After a double steal, Max McDougald hit a sacrifice fly to score a run to make it 2-0.
A solo home run by Bryant to lead off the bottom of the second cut the lead to 2-1. The Bulldogs added a double and a walk with two outs, but both runners were stranded.
Derek Hirsch opened the third inning with a single and he stole second base. Alec Paradowski walked and both runners moved into scoring position on a double steal. A walk to Matt Ramsay loaded the bases. A double by James Plaisted to left field drove in two runs for a 4-1 lead. Conor Clancey reached on an error that allowed a run to score and a sacrifice bunt by Waln drove in another run for a 6-1 advantage. Pelt added a sacrifice fly and Wofford had a 7-1 lead in the middle of the third.
The Bulldogs led off the bottom of the third with a single. A walk and a single loaded the bases. A sacrifice fly plated a run. With two outs, a single by Joe Zayatz drove in two runs to make it a 7-4 game at the end of the inning. In the top of the fourth, Wofford added a run when Hirsh reached on a walk, moved to third on an error and scored on a passed ball. Ramsay singled and Plaisted singled and moved to second on the throw. Both runners were stranded as Wofford took an 8-4 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Bulldogs had runners reach on a hit by pitch and single. With one out, a single by Eric Connolly drive in a run to make it an 8-5 game. A wild pitch plated another run, but the Bulldogs left two on base with the score 8-6 after four complete.
Waln and Pelt led off the top of the fifth inning with back-to-back singles, but they failed to advance. The Bulldogs stranded one runner in the bottom of the fifth after a single. Paradowski led off the sixth inning with a walk. A single by Plaisted and a hit by pitch to Clancey loaded the bases with one out. Waln hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score a run to give Wofford a 9-6 lead. An infield single by Pelt added a run, but the Terriers left the bases loaded with a 10-6 advantage in the middle of the sixth inning.
Hirsch and Paradowski walked to lead off the seventh inning. A single by Ramsay scored Hirsch for an 11-6 lead. On a double steal with an error, Paradowski crossed home plate. A single by Clancey added a run for a 13-6 score at the seventh-inning stretch.
The Bulldogs opened the bottom of the seventh with a single and added a one-out double. A sacrifice fly brought home a run, but a fly ball ended the inning with Wofford holding a 13-7 lead. In the ninth, the Terriers had runners at second and third after a walk and double by Pelt. A two-out single to left-center by Ruedisili drove in both runners for a 15-7 advantage. In the bottom of the ninth, the Bulldogs added a run on an RBI single by Sean Grebeck. A fly ball ended the game with the Terriers a 15-8 winner.
Wofford starting pitcher Jordan Accetta worked four innings with six runs allowed on seven hits, along with a pair of strikeouts. Elliot Lance (3-1) went three innings with one run scored on three hits with a strikeout.
Tyler Hughes (1-1) started for UNC Asheville and went two innings with five runs allowed on three hits.
Wofford will travel to The Citadel for a weekend Southern Conference series. On Friday, the teams will play at 4 p.m., followed by a 2 p.m. game on Saturday and a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday afternoon.
No. 20 South Carolina 4, The Citadel 2
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Austin Mapes and William Kinney hit solo homers in the opening two innings, but The Citadel managed only four hits over the final seven frames and dropped a 4-2 decision to South Carolina before a crowd of 8,075 on Wednesday in Columbia.
The Gamecocks (23-11) scored all their runs in the third in completing the season sweep over the Bulldogs (15-16). South Carolina, ranked No. 20 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, also won 2-0 at Riley Park on March 31.
The game was not decided until the ninth, when The Citadel loaded the bases against closer Taylor Widener on singles by Kinney and Bret Hines and a walk to Mapes. But Gamecock first baseman Kyle Martin reached into his own dugout to snare a foul pop up by Johnathan Stokes to strand the potential tying and lead runs on base.
Mapes quickly made sure the Gamecocks wouldn't make it two shutouts over The Citadel this season when he took the second pitch of the game from Clarke Schmidt over the wall in right for his third home run of the year. Kinney made it 2-0 with a shot to left for his first career home run before the Gamecocks used a well-placed base hit to highlight the decisive inning.
With Jacob Watcher on the mound, South Carolina loaded the bases with two outs when a pop up to right-center by Jordan Gore appeared to get the Bulldogs out of the jam. But the ball found an open patch of green between three defenders and all three runners raced home to put the Gamecocks ahead.
Madison Stokes followed with an RBI single to cap the uprising as well as the scoring for the evening.
In addition to their threat in the ninth, the Bulldogs put the tying runs on base in the sixth on a walk to Drew Ellis and a single by Mike Deese before Brandon Murray got Kinney to ground out to short to keep it a two-run Gamecock lead.
The Citadel used six pitchers in the game, including two innings of one-hit, shutout ball by Kevin Connell. Schmidt worked the first four frames and struck out seven before yielding to Vince Fiori, who struck out a pair in 1 1/3 innings to earn the win. Widener recorded his eighth save by escaping the jam in the ninth.
Mapes added a double in the seventh to join Kinney and Hines with two-hit nights. The Bulldogs left nine runners on base and struck out 14 times against six Gamecock hurlers.
The Citadel returns to Southern Conference play Friday at 4 p.m. when it hosts Wofford at Riley Park. The series continues on Saturday at 2 and Sunday at 1, and all three games can be seen on the SoCon Digitial Network.