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ETSU, Wofford win at SoCon Baseball Championship
Bucs and Terriers both get dominant pitching performances
No. 4 seed ETSU 12, No. 8 seed The Citadel 0 (7 innings)
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Fourth-seeded ETSU used an eight-run fourth inning to blow open what had been a close game en route to a 12-0, seven-inning win over No. 8 seed The Citadel on Thursday at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
ETSU (26-27) advances to face No. 1 seed Samford at 4 p.m. Thursday, while The Citadel (23-30) falls to the losers’ bracket and will play an opponent yet to be determined on Friday at 12:30 p.m.
Leading 3-0 after second-inning home runs by Noah Webb and Cody Miller, the Bucs sent 13 batters to the plate in the fourth, taking advantage of three Citadel errors and collecting five hits and three walks to make it 11-0. Miller, Ashton King, Webb and Jackson Green all drove in runs with singles, while Nick Iannantone drew a bases-loaded walk in the frame.
ETSU added another run in the fifth on Webb’s bases-loaded walk.
The beneficiary of the offensive outburst was ETSU starter Nathanial Tate (9-4), who posted his third straight complete game and second straight shutout, allowing just four hits and three walks in seven innings of work. He struck out seven in his fifth complete game of the season.
The Citadel’s best scoring chance came in the top of the fifth, when Wells Sykes reached on an infield single to lead off and Crosby Jones followed with a single through the right side to put runners on first and second with no one out. Tate quickly snuffed the rally, fielding a grounder for the first out before recording a pair of strikeouts to end the threat.
The Bulldogs also had runners at second and third with one out in the third courtesy of a Jones single, a Matthew Lively walk and a Dylan Costa sacrifice, but Tate got a flyout and a groundout to escape unscathed.
The Citadel worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the bottom of the first. After Miller was hit by a pitch to lead off the game, Cameron Sisneros singled sharply to left and Iannantone singled through the left side to load the bases. Bulldog starter Sam Swygert then induced a ground ball off the bat of Noah Gent to start a 1-2-3 double play, and King lined out to first to end the threat.
ETSU’s Webb reached base in all four plate appearances, going 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs and four RBIs. Iannantone was 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored, while Miller was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs.
Crosby had two of The Citadel’s four hits, with Wells and pinch-hitter Chase Loggins collecting the other two.
Swygert (5-4) took the loss for The Citadel, surrendering seven runs (four earned) on seven hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings.
No. 3 seed Wofford 6, No. 6 seed UNCG 1
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Matthew Marchal carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finished with a career-high 15 strikeouts in his second complete game of the season as No. 3 seed Wofford toppled No. 6 seed UNCG 6-1 on Thursday at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
Wofford (38-17) moves on to face No. 2 seed Mercer on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., while UNCG (23-33) drops to the losers’ bracket and will take on either ETSU or Samford on Friday at 9 a.m.
Marchal lost his no-hit bid on Daniel Cerda’s clean single to shallow right with one out in the seventh inning, one batter after Trey Yunger made a nice catch on a low line drive in left to rob Luke Jenkins of a base knock. Undeterred, Marchal struck out the next two batters to end the inning.
He lost the shutout with two outs in the ninth, as Caleb Cozart’s pinch-hit double down the left-field line scored Mitchell Smith, who reached on a passed ball on a strikeout to lead off the frame.
Marchal allowed just an unearned run on three hits and a walk and struck out at least two batters in five different innings, including three in the ninth. He upped his league-leading win total to 11 in improving to 11-3 on the season, matching the program record for victories in a season.
SoCon Player of the Year Ryan Galanie gave Marchal all the offense he would need in the third inning, following Marshall Toole’s leadoff single with a home run over the Green Monster in left field for his 17th home run of the season and a 2-0 lead. David Wiley’s sacrifice fly later in the inning made it a three-run spread.
The Terriers added two more runs in the fifth on Toole’s two-run single and Wiley capped the Wofford scoring with a solo home run in the seventh.
Toole went 4-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored to pace Wofford’s 10-hit attack. Galanie and Wiley had two RBIs apiece.
Cerda had two of UNCG’s three hits on the afternoon.
Jay Miller (2-8) suffered the loss for UNCG after allowing two runs on four hits and a walk in 2 1/3 innings.
The Terriers’ win served as a measure of revenge against the defending champion Spartans, who downed top-seeded Wofford twice on Championship Sunday last year to claim the title.
2023 SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
May 24 (Wednesday)
Game 1: #8 The Citadel 5, #5 VMI 2
Game 2: #6 UNCG 4, #7 Western Carolina 3
May 25 (Thursday)
Game 3: #4 ETSU 12, #8 The Citadel 0 (7 inn.)
Game 4: #3 Wofford 6, #6 UNCG 1
Game 5: #4 ETSU vs. #1 Samford, 4 p.m.
Game 6: #3 Wofford vs. #2 Mercer, 7:30 p.m.
May 26 (Friday)
Game 7: #6 UNCG vs. Loser Game 5, 9 a.m.
Game 8: #8 The Citadel vs. Loser Game 6, 12:30 p.m.
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 4 p.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 7:30 p.m.
TBD
Game 11: Winner Game 10 vs. Loser Game 9, TBD
Game 12: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 11, TBD
Game 13: Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser^, 40 minutes after Game 12
^ if necessary
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Fourth-seeded ETSU used an eight-run fourth inning to blow open what had been a close game en route to a 12-0, seven-inning win over No. 8 seed The Citadel on Thursday at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
ETSU (26-27) advances to face No. 1 seed Samford at 4 p.m. Thursday, while The Citadel (23-30) falls to the losers’ bracket and will play an opponent yet to be determined on Friday at 12:30 p.m.
Leading 3-0 after second-inning home runs by Noah Webb and Cody Miller, the Bucs sent 13 batters to the plate in the fourth, taking advantage of three Citadel errors and collecting five hits and three walks to make it 11-0. Miller, Ashton King, Webb and Jackson Green all drove in runs with singles, while Nick Iannantone drew a bases-loaded walk in the frame.
ETSU added another run in the fifth on Webb’s bases-loaded walk.
The beneficiary of the offensive outburst was ETSU starter Nathanial Tate (9-4), who posted his third straight complete game and second straight shutout, allowing just four hits and three walks in seven innings of work. He struck out seven in his fifth complete game of the season.
The Citadel’s best scoring chance came in the top of the fifth, when Wells Sykes reached on an infield single to lead off and Crosby Jones followed with a single through the right side to put runners on first and second with no one out. Tate quickly snuffed the rally, fielding a grounder for the first out before recording a pair of strikeouts to end the threat.
The Bulldogs also had runners at second and third with one out in the third courtesy of a Jones single, a Matthew Lively walk and a Dylan Costa sacrifice, but Tate got a flyout and a groundout to escape unscathed.
The Citadel worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the bottom of the first. After Miller was hit by a pitch to lead off the game, Cameron Sisneros singled sharply to left and Iannantone singled through the left side to load the bases. Bulldog starter Sam Swygert then induced a ground ball off the bat of Noah Gent to start a 1-2-3 double play, and King lined out to first to end the threat.
ETSU’s Webb reached base in all four plate appearances, going 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs and four RBIs. Iannantone was 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored, while Miller was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs.
Crosby had two of The Citadel’s four hits, with Wells and pinch-hitter Chase Loggins collecting the other two.
Swygert (5-4) took the loss for The Citadel, surrendering seven runs (four earned) on seven hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings.
No. 3 seed Wofford 6, No. 6 seed UNCG 1
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Matthew Marchal carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finished with a career-high 15 strikeouts in his second complete game of the season as No. 3 seed Wofford toppled No. 6 seed UNCG 6-1 on Thursday at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
Wofford (38-17) moves on to face No. 2 seed Mercer on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., while UNCG (23-33) drops to the losers’ bracket and will take on either ETSU or Samford on Friday at 9 a.m.
Marchal lost his no-hit bid on Daniel Cerda’s clean single to shallow right with one out in the seventh inning, one batter after Trey Yunger made a nice catch on a low line drive in left to rob Luke Jenkins of a base knock. Undeterred, Marchal struck out the next two batters to end the inning.
He lost the shutout with two outs in the ninth, as Caleb Cozart’s pinch-hit double down the left-field line scored Mitchell Smith, who reached on a passed ball on a strikeout to lead off the frame.
Marchal allowed just an unearned run on three hits and a walk and struck out at least two batters in five different innings, including three in the ninth. He upped his league-leading win total to 11 in improving to 11-3 on the season, matching the program record for victories in a season.
SoCon Player of the Year Ryan Galanie gave Marchal all the offense he would need in the third inning, following Marshall Toole’s leadoff single with a home run over the Green Monster in left field for his 17th home run of the season and a 2-0 lead. David Wiley’s sacrifice fly later in the inning made it a three-run spread.
The Terriers added two more runs in the fifth on Toole’s two-run single and Wiley capped the Wofford scoring with a solo home run in the seventh.
Toole went 4-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored to pace Wofford’s 10-hit attack. Galanie and Wiley had two RBIs apiece.
Cerda had two of UNCG’s three hits on the afternoon.
Jay Miller (2-8) suffered the loss for UNCG after allowing two runs on four hits and a walk in 2 1/3 innings.
The Terriers’ win served as a measure of revenge against the defending champion Spartans, who downed top-seeded Wofford twice on Championship Sunday last year to claim the title.
2023 SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
May 24 (Wednesday)
Game 1: #8 The Citadel 5, #5 VMI 2
Game 2: #6 UNCG 4, #7 Western Carolina 3
May 25 (Thursday)
Game 3: #4 ETSU 12, #8 The Citadel 0 (7 inn.)
Game 4: #3 Wofford 6, #6 UNCG 1
Game 5: #4 ETSU vs. #1 Samford, 4 p.m.
Game 6: #3 Wofford vs. #2 Mercer, 7:30 p.m.
May 26 (Friday)
Game 7: #6 UNCG vs. Loser Game 5, 9 a.m.
Game 8: #8 The Citadel vs. Loser Game 6, 12:30 p.m.
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 4 p.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 7:30 p.m.
TBD
Game 11: Winner Game 10 vs. Loser Game 9, TBD
Game 12: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 11, TBD
Game 13: Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser^, 40 minutes after Game 12
^ if necessary
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