Samford, Furman move to Saturday play

No. 6 Samford 12, No. 5 ETSU 11 (10 innings)

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Alex Lee hit a walk-off RBI single and a three-run home run and Heath Quinn had three hits and four RBIs in the last four innings as No. 6 seed Samford stunned No. 5 seed ETSU in 10 innings, 12-11, at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship at Fluor Field.

The Bulldogs (34-25), who have reached the SoCon title game four times in the last five years, advance to face either No. 3 seed UNCG or No. 4 seed Furman on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in an elimination contest. ETSU saw its season end at 27-30.

ETSU put up eight runs in the top of the seventh inning to seemingly put the game away, but Samford scored the final eight runs of the contest to stun the higher-seeded Bucs, who swept the Bulldogs during the regular season.

The rally got going with a four-run seventh for the Bulldogs, who trailed 11-4 after the Bucs’ offensive explosion in the top half. After a pair of singles and a fielder’s choice, Hunter Swilling hit a three-run home run to make it 11-7. Quinn, who was 0-for-2 with a walk and a pair of strikeouts to that point, followed with a 421-foot home run to left as the Bulldogs inched closer.

Quinn played the hero again the following inning, just missing a go-ahead grand slam with a bases-clearing double off the wall in right-center to tie the contest at 11. Neither team could scratch across a run in the ninth, setting the stage for Lee’s dramatics in the 10th.

Quinn was again the catalyst, as he smacked a one-out double off the Green Monster in left to get the deciding rally going. Designated hitter Austin Edens was intentionally walked to bring up Lee, and the senior first baseman made ETSU pay with his fourth hit of the day, a single to left-center that allowed Quinn to race home with the winning run.

The rally capped an improbable comeback after ETSU’s big seventh inning. Trailing 4-3 entering the frame, the Bucs piled up seven hits in the seventh, including RBI singles from Trey York, Hagen Owenby and Aaron Maher, a two-run single from Robby McCabe and a two-run homer from Andrew Lasure.

The 12-11 final score seemed unlikely prior to that point, as Samford starter Stephen Jones and ETSU starter Griffin Krieg both settled in after give up three runs in the first. ETSU took advantage of three walks, a hit and an error to jump out to a 3-0 lead, but Samford answered with Lee’s three-run, two-out shot. The Bulldogs pulled ahead in the fourth when Lee doubled and eventually scored on a pair of passed balls.

Lee finished 4-for-5 with four RBIs, while Quinn and Swilling had three hits each. Quinn finished with two doubles and his 20th home run of the season, extending his school record for single-season RBIs with four to move to 76 on the season. Swilling had three RBIs and three runs scored.

Owenby, Lasure and Kevin Phillips had two hits each to lead ETSU.

Wyatt Burns (2-2) picked up the win after working 3 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits. Ryan Simpler (0-6) took the loss, allowing two runs on 2 1/3 innings.

No. 4 Furman 15, No. 3 UNCG 10

GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 4 seed Furman banged out 15 hits and took advantage of 12 bases on balls and three errors to outlast No. 3 seed UNCG on Friday at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship at Fluor Field, 15-10.

Furman (29-29) will take on No. 6 seed Samford on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in another elimination contest. The winner of that game will take on either No. 1 Mercer or No. 2 Western Carolina at 7 p.m. with a berth in Sunday’s title game on the line.

UNCG sees its season end at 38-21. The Spartans, led by SoCon Coach of the Year Link Jarrett, turned in their most wins since the 2003 season (39).

The 4-hour, 20-minute game featured a combined 25 runs, 25 hits, 19 walks, five errors and 11 pitchers as both offenses were on full display.

Furman scored in each of the first four innings and took the lead for good with a six-run sixth in which it drew three walks and collected four singles. SoCon Freshman of the Year Jabari Richards tied the game at 10 with his RBI single to right, and Sims Griffith followed with a two-run single to put the Paladins ahead to stay. Jordan Simpson and Deon Sanders added RBIs in the frame, while another run scored on a wild pitch.

The teams traded blows early and often, with Richards leading off the game with a home run to right before UNCG’s Dillon Stewart countered with a three-run bomb in the bottom half. Furman tied it at 2 with back-to-back homers from Sanders and Griffin Davis to lead off the second and added three unearned runs in the third to make it a 6-3 Paladin lead.

UNCG got a run back in the bottom half on a Collin Woody RBI double but Furman scored three more in the fourth to make it 9-4, highlighted by Davis’ two-run single.

The Spartans again had an answer, getting a Michael Goss homer and a two-run single from Stewart in a four-run fourth to claw back to within a run at 9-8. UNCG tied it on a Goss sacrifice fly in the fifth and reclaimed the lead on Ben Spitznagel’s RBI single, but Furman had the knockout punch the following inning with its 6-spot.

Every Furman starter had at least one hit with the exception of center fielder Sky Overton, who matched a school record and set a SoCon tournament record with five bases on balls. Griffin and Jake Crawford each had three hits for the Paladins.

The Spartans’ offense was also prolific, as four players notched multi-hit games. Stewart led the way with a 2-for-5 effort and five RBIs.

Furman’s Billy Greenfield improved to 4-1 on the year with an inning of scoreless relief, while Bryce Hensley (5-3) took the loss for UNCG after allowing two runs on one hit and three walks in 1 1/3 innings. The Paladins’ bullpen allowed just two hits and no runs over the final five innings of the contest. For UNCG, Woody was the lone pitcher to escape unscathed, as he went the final three innings and allowed just two hits and two walks.

The SoCon Baseball Championship continues Saturday with a winners’ bracket game between No. 1 seed Mercer and No. 2 seed Western Carolina at 12 p.m. The winner of that contest will advance to Sunday’s title contest, while the loser will play again Saturday at 7 p.m.

May 24 (Tuesday)
SoCon Championship (SDN)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 1: #8 The Citadel 3, #9 VMI 2 (10 innings)

May 25 (Wednesday)
SoCon Championship (SDN)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 2: #4 Furman 3, #5 ETSU 0
Game 3: #1 Mercer 13, #8 The Citadel 1 (7 innings)
Game 4: #2 Western Carolina 10, #7 Wofford 9
Game 5: #6 Samford 8, #3 UNCG 5

May 26 (Thursday)
SoCon Championship (SDN)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 6: #5 ETSU 4, #8 The Citadel 2
Game 7: #3 UNCG 9, #7 Wofford 6
Game 8: #1 Mercer 6, #4 Furman 1
Game 9: #2 Western Carolina 14, #6 Samford 4

May 27 (Friday)
SoCon Championship (SDN)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 10: #6 Samford 12, #5 ETSU 11 (10 innings)
Game 11: #4 Furman 15, #3 UNCG 10

May 28 (Saturday)
SoCon Championship (SDN)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 12: #1 Mercer vs. #2 Western Carolina 12 p.m.
Game 13: #6 Samford vs. #4 Furman 3:30 p.m.
Game 14: Winner Game 13 vs. Loser Game 12 7 p.m.

May 29 (Sunday)
SoCon Championship (ESPN3)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 15: Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 14 1 p.m.
^Game 16: Winner Game 15 vs. Loser Game 15 60 minutes after Game 15

^ if necessary

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