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Davidson, Samford Win Wednesday
#2 Davidson 9, #10 The Citadel 7
CHARLESTON, S.C. – No. 2 seed Davidson got three RBIs from Sam Foy and overcame five errors in the field to down No. 10 seed The Citadel 9-7 in the opening round of the Southern Conference Baseball Championship at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park on Wednesday.
The Wildcats (29-17), who became the first higher seed to advance Wednesday, will take on the winner of Wednesday’s Samford/Wofford game on Thursday at 8 p.m. With its 29th victory, Davidson set a new program record for wins in a season.
The Citadel (24-33) will face the Samford/Wofford loser Thursday at 1 p.m. in an elimination contest.
The teams combined for 21 hits and eight errors on the evening, with seven of the 16 runs in the game scoring unearned.
The Wildcats scored in bunches on the day. After The Citadel, playing as the visitor in its home park, went on top with an unearned run in the first, Davidson answered with four runs in the bottom of the frame, aided by one of the Bulldogs’ three errors. Lee Miller got the scoring started with a one-out solo home run before a walk and two singles loaded the bases. Foy drove in his first run of the day with a sacrifice fly to left, and a throwing error on the next play brought in Forrest Brandt to make it 3-1. With runners on the corners, Ben Arkin and Nathan Becker worked the delayed double steal to perfection, with Becker sliding in around the tag at the plate to make it a three-run spread.
The Wildcats put up another crooked number in the fifth inning, again assisted by a Citadel error. After Ryan Lowe walked to open the frame, Brandt reached on a fielding error. A sacrifice moved both runners into scoring position, and Foy smacked a two-run single to right to make it a 6-1 game. Another walk knocked Citadel starter Austin Mason from the game, and Daniel Gerow greeted reliever Zach Lavery with an RBI single to push the Wildcats’ lead to 7-1. The Bulldogs escaped further damage when Davidson was unsuccessful on its second double-steal attempt, with Arkin and Gerow both getting caught stealing to end the innings.
The Citadel clawed back into it in the top of the sixth, plating three runs of its own to get back within three. Bret Hines drove in a run on a fielder’s choice, and Tyler Griffin later scored on a Davidson throwing error. A wild pitch would score Hines to make it 7-4.
Davidson got two of those runs back in the bottom of the frame, with Andrew Pope leading off with a double and coming home on a Citadel error. Miller would add a sac fly in the frame to make it a 9-4 Wildcat lead.
The Citadel scored an unusual run in the eighth. After Drew DeKerlegand was hit by a pitch and Johnathan Stokes singled to lead off the frame, Davidson catcher Gerow went to speak with Wildcat starter Danny Mooney at the mound. DeKerlegand, noticing that time was never called, trotted to third and then race toward the uncovered plate for the unconventional pair of stolen bases. Stokes followed suit, ending up at second on the play. Later in the inning, Mason Davis singled to drive in Stokes, but Davidson closer Michael Goldberg was called upon with the bases loaded and induced a foul out from Bo Thompson to stop the bleeding.
The Bulldogs continued to make it interesting in the ninth, using one hit and two more Davidson errors to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. With two outs, Stokes singled to shortstop and went to second on a throwing error. Hines followed with a single up the middle and Stokes scored with an error in the outfield on the play. A Kilgallen single brought up Calvin Orth with a chance to put The Citadel ahead for the first time since the first inning, but Goldberg struck him out to nail down his eighth save of the season.
David Daniels and Brandt had two hits each for Davidson, while Hines was a game-best 3-for-5 for The Citadel.
Mason (1-5) was tagged for seven runs – only four of which were earned – on five hits and five walks in 4 1/3 innings of work.
Mooney improved to 6-3 on the year, allowing six runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks in seven-plus innings. Goldberg worked 1 1/3 innings, allowing a run on three hits.
#3 Samford 4, #6 Wofford 2
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Alex Ledford threw eight solid innings for his league-best 11th win of the season and Andres Gracia tossed a scoreless ninth for his 14th save of the season as No. 3 seed Samford downed No. 6 seed Wofford on Wednesday at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.
With the win, Samford (33-24) advances to face No. 2 seed Davidson (29-17) on Thursday at 8 p.m. Wofford (30-27) will take on The Citadel (24-33) in an elimination contest at 1 p.m.
Ledford allowed two runs on seven hits for this sixth straight win, moving to 11-2 on the year. He walked two and struck out three and had three double plays turned behind him. Gracia allowed one hit and struck out two in the ninth to move within one save of Samford’s single-season record.
With the score tied at 2 in the fourth inning, Samford got a leadoff single from Drew McWhorter and a double from Heath Quinn. Caleb Bryson and Tyler Filliben followed with consecutive sacrifice flies as the Bulldogs took the lead for good.
Samford led 2-0 after three innings, scoring a pair of unearned runs after a dropped fly ball with no outs. T.J. Dixon drove in the first run of the game on an RBI ground out, and a second run came in on a wild pitch.
Wofford tied the game in the top of the fourth, putting together four straight one-out singles. Josh Hyman had the big blow, singling to left to knock in James Plaisted and Seth Neely and knot the score at 2. Ledford induced a double play to get out of the inning without further trouble.
The Terriers threatened in the top of the ninth, with Eric Brenk getting hit by a pitch with one out ahead of Conor Clancey, who singled to put runners on first and second. Gracia recovered to get a strikeout and a fielder’s choice to end the game.
Wofford starter Matthew Milburn (4-6) allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits in seven innings. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.
Samford and Wofford were playing each other for the fourth time in the last six days, as the squads finished the regular season with a three-game set that Wofford claimed, two games to one.
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