College of Charleston Fall World Series Update

FROM PRESS RELEASE
Mike Hentz led the White offensive attack with three hits and five of his teammates had two-hit games to propel the White squad to a 13-6 win on Sunday at Patriots Point. The White take a commanding 3-1 lead in the eighth annual Fall World Series. Austin Morgan led off the top of the second with a double to right field and eventually scored on a Matt Leeds ground out to open the scoring. Morgan finished with two hits on the afternoon. The White would then go on to score multiple runs in every remaining inning but the sixth to close out the game. Joash Brodin, Gabe Marchant, Click here for rest of article.

Western Carolina hires Moranda

Western Carolina has officially announced that Bobby Moranda will be the new head coach of the baseball program. He comes to the school from Georgia Tech where he was the associate head and pitching coach to Danny Hall for six seasons. He also spent time at Wake Forest in a similar position while starting his coaching career as an assistant with Virginia and Eastern Kentucky.

Full Release

Wofford wins Southern Conference Title

FROM THE CITADEL PRESS RELEASE

Charleston, S.C. – Seventh-seeded The Citadel fell to No. 9 Wofford, 4-2, in the Southern Conference Championship Saturday night at Riley Park. The Bulldogs made it to the championship round for the second straight season, while the Terriers earned their first ever tournament crown.

The Bulldogs and Terriers both battled their way from the single-elimination round on Tuesday to make it to the championship game. The Dogs defeated Davidson, Western Carolina and Elon before falling to Wofford in game 13, 6-2. The Citadel returned to down Elon for the second time to challenge the Terriers for the tournament title, but Wofford remained undefeated as they were the lowest seed to ever win the crown in tourney history.

A pitchers’ duel developed in the first three innings as Bulldog hurler Matt Reifsnider only allowed two hits and retired seven straight from the end of the first through the end of the third. Terrier starter Austin Redwine did not allow a hit until the fourth inning when junior left fielder Chris Swauger belted a solo shot over the right field wall to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.

The Citadel put two runners on in the fifth, but Austin forced three straight outs to get out of the frame. Wofford then took the lead in the sixth courtesy of a two-run shot off the bat of Brandon Waring. Waring, who was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player, set SoCon Tournament records in home runs (5), RBI (16), hits (14) and total bases (31).

The Terriers extended their lead to three in the seventh as Keith Munns smacked a run-scoring double down the left field line. Wofford pitched its way out of another jam in the bottom of the frame as senior right fielder Joe Hoerter and freshman shortstop Kyle Jordan registered back-to-back singles with two outs. Terrier shortstop Mike Gilmartin was called to the mound and forced a groundout to get out of the inning unharmed.

Designated hitter Shane Kirkley sent a 3-2 offering over the fence in left to make it 4-1 Wofford in the eighth before sophomore left-hander Matt Crim came in and shutdown the Terrier offense the rest of the night.

The Bulldogs attempted to come back in the ninth as sophomore right fielder Sonny Meade came in to pinch hit and ripped a line drive to left with one out. Freshman Chris McGuiness was then able to reach safely when John Brandt dropped a ball down the left field line. Sophomore Conrad Kellahan, the third Bulldog pinch-hitter of the inning, punched a base hit through the right side to load the bases with one out. Gilmartin registered a strikeout before Swauger drew a bases loaded walk and notched his second RBI of the evening. Gilmartin then fanned his third batter of the frame to preserve the 4-2 victory and pick up his eighth save of the season.

Reifsnider (3-5) enjoyed his best career start as he tossed five innings of shutout ball, scattering eight hits and allowing three runs. The freshman collected five strikeouts and did not surrender a single walk in his 6.1 innings of work. Redwine (7-5) earned his second victory of the tournament as he threw 6.2 frames, giving up a single run on four hits while striking out four and walking two.

Freshman Raymond Copenhaver and senior Justin Smith tied the tournament record for most appearances with five as they were called to the mound against the Terriers. Crim matched the lowest ever earned run average over nine innings as he posted a 0.00 ERA and picked up a victory over his two outings and closed the final two frames.

The Bulldogs put together an outstanding run in the SoCon Tournament after finishing 12-15 and having to participate in the play-in game as the seven seed. The Citadel turned in clutch pitching performances as sophomores Wes Wrenn and Matt Crim combined to throw 13 shutout innings in the first two games to lead the Bulldogs to a 7-0 win over No. 10 Davidson and sent No. 2 Western Carolina to the loser’s bracket with a 7-2 victory. Senior closer Links Saunders registered back-to-back saves over the Catamounts and Elon as he posted a 0.00 ERA in three appearances while striking out seven. The Bulldog pitching staff combined for a 2.42 ERA over six games to lead all SoCon teams during the tourney.

Freshman second baseman Bryan Altman was the hero of the Dogs’ third tournament game as he crushed his first career grand slam to give The Citadel a 6-5 edge over No. 3 Elon. After falling to Wofford, the Dogs returned on Saturday to face Elon again where Wrenn earned his second tournament victory holding the Phoenix to only two runs during his seven innings of work, while Jones and Altman paced the Bulldog offense in the 5-2 win.

Senior Joe Hoerter led The Citadel at the plate as he batted .467 during the tournament after receiving his first career start less than a month ago. Hoerter turned in a .314 batting average to finish out his senior campaign.

Freshman of the Year Richard Jones and Swauger each belted three round-trippers during the tournament while Swauger tallied 24 total bases and seven RBI. Swauger and Meade both registered an average above .400 during the six-game span, while Jones and Brown batted .360 and .348, respectively.

The Citadel finished out the regular season with a 34-27 overall record and enjoyed two huge wins over nationally ranked foes. The Dogs had four players recognized as All-SoCon performers in 2007 as Brown was awarded first team accolades and Swauger, Jones and Meade were all named to the second team. Brown, Jones and Swauger also earned All-Tournament accolades as Swauger was tabbed All-Tournament for the second year in a row. Below is a complete list of the 2007 All-Tournament squad.

2007 All-Tournament Team

C – Richard Jones (The Citadel)

1B – Zach Brown (The Citadel)

2B – Eric Sturkie (Wofford)

SS – Mike Gilmartin (Wofford)

3B – Brandon Waring (Wofford)

OF – Pat Irvine (Elon)

OF – Sean Snell (UNC Greensboro)

OF – Chris Swauger (The Citadel)

DH – Andrew Franco (Appalachian State)

P – Ben Austin (Wofford)

MVP – Brandon Waring (Wofford)

Wofford wins 6-2 over The Citadel

FROM THE CITADEL PRESS RELEASE

Charleston, S.C. – No. 9 Wofford defeated seventh-seeded The Citadel, 6-2, in their very first meeting in tournament history Friday afternoon in the third round of the Southern Conference Tournament at Riley Park. Eric Sturkie’s solo home run in the second proved to be the game-winner as he paced the Terriers with two RBI on the day. The Bulldogs will play the winner of the Elon-UNC Greensboro game Friday night to figure out who they will face Saturday, May 26 at noon at Riley Park.

The Bulldogs’ only runs were scored by two homers as junior left fielder Chris Swauger and freshman catcher Richard Jones each belted a round-tripper in the contest. Unfortunately it was not enough for the Dogs even though they matched Wofford’s 11 hits.

Swauger, Jones and senior first baseman Zach Brown each collected two hits on the day. Brown ripped his 21^st double of the season, tying him for fifth place in single-season two-baggers, along with Swauger who hit that mark in 2006. Brown is also tied for fifth in all-time doubles with 52.

Freshman lefty Nick Sprowls (0-2) suffered the loss in only his second career start as the went 1.2 frames, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out and walking one. Terrier starter Ben Austin (11-5) earned his second win of the tourney after taking a 5-3 victory over Furman in the first game of the single-elimination round. Austin tossed 5.2 innings as he was responsible for both homers and surrendered eight hits while fanning two and walking one.

The Citadel jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first with Swauger’s solo shot over the right field wall. Wofford did not stay behind long as the Terriers answered back with two of their own. Michael Gilmartin punched a single through the left side to start things off and moved to second on a sac bunt. Shane Kirkley then tripled to the gap in right center to plate Gilmartin. Brandon Waring followed that up with a base hit to left to drive in Kirkley and give Wofford a 2-1 advantage.

Sturkie added to the Terrier lead in the second as he registered a solo job just inside the right field foul pole. Freshman catcher Richard Jones pulled the Bulldogs back within one in the fourth as he went deep for the third time in four games to make it 3-2. Jones now has 15 round-trippers on the season to lead the club.

A Bulldog error in the fifth led to three unearned runs to put Wofford up by four. Adam Wood notched an infield single with one out before Sterling Dye bunted one back to the mound that was mishandled, allowing Dye to reach safely while putting Wood on second. Keith Munns drew a walk to load the bases for Sturkie who lifted a sac fly to right to drive in Wood. Gilmartin notched a double to push Dye across the dish. Munns then raced home on a wild pitch before Bulldog hurler Link Saunders forced a groundout to get out of the inning.

The Citadel put three runners in scoring position over the final four frames, but was unable to push any across. The Dogs even threatened in the ninth with two outs as they put runners on first and second, but Terrier closer Charles Vartanian caught the final batter looking to preserve the 6-2 win and pick up the save. Vartanian closed out the final 3.1 frames and held the Dogs to only three hits while not giving up any runs and striking out five.

Saunders posted another solid outing after recording a save in each of the last two Citadel victories. The right-hander relieved Justin Smith in the fifth and held the Terriers scoreless and only allowed one hit while fanning three and walking one. Smith registered four strikeouts of his own, also in three innings of work.

No. 7 The Citadel will return to tournament action on Saturday, May 26 at noon and will either have a rematch with No. 3 Elon or will face No. 5 UNC Greensboro.

The Citadel gets by Elon

Bryan Altman hit a grand slam to lead The Citadel to a 6-5 victory over Elon on Thursday evening. Bulldog Justin Smith (7-4) picked up the victory for The Citadel by pitching two innings while allowing only one run. Link Saunders picked up his seventh save by going two scoreless innings. Elon starter Jesse Lewter (4-4) got the loss as he gave up six runs in seven innings. The Citadel will face Wofford at 4:30 pm on Friday while Elon will play Appalachian State at 1 pm.

Citadel Downs Western Carolina in SoCon First Round

FROM THE CITADEL PRESS RELEASE

Charleston, S.C. – Seventh-seeded The Citadel knocked off No. 2 Western Carolina, 7-2, in the first round of double-elimination play in the Southern Conference Tournament Tuesday night at Riley Park. Sophomore hurler Matt Crim tossed seven innings of shutout ball and tied a career-best eight strikeouts while freshman catcher Richard Jones belted his third home run in as many games.

The Bulldogs held the Catamounts scoreless all the way until two outs in the bottom of the ninth when Blake Murphy drew a bases loaded walk. Senior hurler Link Saunders came in to record the final out and pick up his sixth save of the year as he caught Kenny Smith looking to end the game.

Jones put the Bulldogs on the board first for the second consecutive night with a solo shot to right in the second inning. Jones has homered in the last three games, belting a round-tripper in his first at bat in the last two. Junior third baseman Matt Arnold was able to race home from third on a passed ball to give the Dogs a 2-0 advantage.

The Citadel struck again in the fourth as senior center fielder Chance Smith ripped a run-scoring double to the gap in left center. Junior left fielder Chris Swauger followed that up with a base hit up the middle to make it 4-0 Bulldogs.

Swauger earned his second RBI of the evening with a solo bomb off the batter’s eye in the ninth before sophomore Sonny Meade was awarded a free pass. Brown followed that up with a two-bagger off the top of the wall in right to plate freshman Matt Simonelli, who entered the game as a pinch-runner for Meade. Jones then sent Brown across the dish with a single to right, extending The Citadel lead to seven.

After holding opponents to 22 consecutive scoreless innings, the Bulldogs surrendered two bases-loaded walks with two outs in the ninth.

Crim (7-3) earned the victory for the Dogs as he tossed 7.0 scoreless innings, allowing only two hits while fanning eight and walking four. Western starter Tyler Sexton (8-3) suffered the loss as he lasted 3.2 frames, allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits while striking out two and walking one.

Swauger, Jones and Arnold each collected three-hits on the night as Arnold extended his career-best hitting streak to 13 games. Nick Liles lead the Catamount offense with three hits of his own, including a triple.

No. 7 The Citadel will now face No. 3 Elon in game 10 of the SoCon Tournament on Thursday, May 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Riley Park. The Bulldogs were 1-2 versus the Phoenix during the regular season when they visited Riley Park. The Dogs are 2-1 when facing Elon in the SoCon Tournament. The last time the two met in the tourney was in 2006 when The Citadel eliminated top-ranked Elon with a 14-11 victory.

Citadel Downs Davidson, 7-0, in Game Two of SoCon Tournament

FROM THE CITADEL PRESS RELEASE

Charleston, S.C. – Seventh-seeded The Citadel jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the second and never looked back as they downed No. 10 Davidson, 7-0, in the single-elimination round of the 2007 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament Tuesday afternoon at Riley Park. The Bulldogs will now enter double-elimination play as the seven seed and will face No. 2 Western Carolina on Wednesday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m.

The last time the Bulldogs earned a shutout at Riley Park was in 2006 as they defeated Richmond, 6-0, on Feb. 17. The last time the Dogs earned a shutout in the SoCon Tournament was in 2002 with a 6-0 win over Furman. Davidson has not won a contest at Riley Park in their last 17 games and is 2-26 all-time in Charleston.

Sophomore hurler Wes Wrenn (5-6) turned in a solid performance for the Bulldogs to pick up his fifth win of the year. The right-hander tossed six innings of shutout ball and allowed seven hits while striking out seven and walking four. Davidson managed to get six runners in scoring position, but left 11 stranded in the first six frames.

The Citadel put up six in the second as the Bulldogs ripped seven hits in the frame. Senior first baseman Zach Brown started things off with a single through the right side before freshman catcher Richard Jones crushed his second home run in as many games to put two on the board. Senior right fielder Joe Hoerter smacked an RBI-single to the gap in right center and junior left fielder Chris Swauger blasted a two-run double. Sophomore designated hitter Sonny Meade capped off the scoring as he punched a single through the left side that pushed Swauger across the dish.

The Dogs tacked on the final run in the seventh courtesy of a sac fly off the bat of Brown to end it, 7-0. Davidson left the bases loaded in the sixth and seventh innings as the Wildcats stranded a season-high 16 runners.

Justin Smith, Jamie Maxwell and Raymond Copenhaver combined to hold the Wildcats to only one hit over the last four innings as Copenhaver made his 32^nd appearance of 2007, putting him in ninth place in single-season appearances at The Citadel as a freshman.

Four Bulldog batters registered two hits while Jones paced the club with two RBI. Jones’ round-tripper was his 13^th of the year, the most ever by a true freshman in a single-season at The Citadel. He is now tied with Brown on the single-season list. Swauger also continues to move up the career doubles chart as he is now tied with Aaron Haigler in sixth place with 51.

Rob Wilson and Chase FitzPatrick led the Davidson offense with two hits each. The Citadel enjoyed 12 hits to Davidson’s eight. The Dogs have hammered out 10 or more hits in 32 of their 56 games this year.

The Citadel (31-25) will return tomorrow, May 23, to face No. 2 Western Carolina (40-16). The Bulldogs are 8-8 versus the Catamounts in tournament play with the Dogs winning the last meeting, 4-2, to eliminate Western from the 2006 SoCon Tournament. The Bulldogs hold a 0-3 record against the Catamounts this season after suffering a sweep in Cullowhee, N.C.

The Bulldogs and Catamounts will face-off for game six of the 2007 Southern Conference Tournament on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Riley Park. Bulldog fans can access all the live action through Bulldog Insider at CitadelSports.com.

Furman hits a walkoff to defeat The Citadel

Furman received a walk-off two run homer from Chris Bailes as they got a 4-2 victory over The Citadel on Thursday evening. Bailes hit the homer off of Bulldogs reliever Justin Smith who struggled by giving up three runs in 2.2 innings of work to drop his record to 6-4. Furman starter Matt Klinker only let up 3 hits and 2 runs in a complete game effort to get the victory and up his record to 6-4.

Furman Recap
The Citadel Recap

Conference USA recap for May 15

No. 2 RICE 13, BAYLOR 0
HOUSTON -- Having sewn up the top seed for the upcoming Conference USA tournament, Rice coach Wayne Graham has begun mapping out his postseason roster.

The task of shrinking the bench and bullpen would be more challenging if the Owls weren't tearing the cover off the ball, a trend that continued Tuesday at Reckling Park. No. 2 Rice blasted Baylor 13-0 to stretch its winning streak to 15 games.

Rice improved to 42-11 while Baylor fell to 28-24.

The Owls have just three more games to close out the regular season and all are at home starting Thursday through Saturday. Rice hosts Memphis in a three-game C-USA series at Reckling Park. Thursday's first pitch is slated for 7 pm. Baylor concludes its regular season schedule with a three-game Big 12 Conference series against Kansas State at Baylor Ballpark.

Houston Chronicle story
Baylor recap
Rice recap

SOUTHERN MISS 9, NEW ORLEANS 4
NEW ORLEANS - UNO's struggles continued Tuesday as Southern Mississippi capitalized on shaky pitching by the Privateers to win 9-4 at Maestri Field. With Tuesday night's win, the Golden Eagles have won seven in a row, nine of 10 and finished with double-figure hits in six of the last seven games.

Southern Miss (34-19) scored five runs in the fourth inning, including a leadoff home run by catcher Trey Cuevas, to go ahead 6-2. The Privateers (32-21) couldn't get it going offensively, stranding 10 batters.

Southern Miss wraps up its regular season schedule with a three-game C-USA series at Houston. The first game of the series, on Thursday, will be broadcast nationally on CSTV at 7 p.m. CDT. The Privateers will conclude their regular season schedule this weekend, when they host Louisiana in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series starting Thursday at 6:30 p.m. The Thursday contest will be televised by Cox Sports Television.

Times-Picayune story
Hattiesburg American story
Southern Miss recap
UNO recap

HOUSTON 6, SAM HOUSTON STATE 4
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Senior first baseman Josh Stirneman went 2-for-5 with a double and solo home run to help lead the University of Houston baseball team to a 6-4 win over area-rival Sam Houston State on Tuesday at Don Sanders Stadium.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, the Cougars scored six unanswered runs and appeared to have the game well in hand heading into the final frame. But the Bearkats pushed three runs across in the ninth inning and continued to threaten with the bases loaded, but reliever Aaron Brown hurled a strikeout to end the threat and the game.

With the win, the Cougars improved to 28-23 overall while Sam Houston State fell to 33-20. The Cougars swept the regular-season series against the Bearkats after taking a 16-9 win on Feb. 13 at Cougar Field. UH, which won its 11th straight game against the Bearkats, also evened the all-time series against SHSU at 71-71. The Cougars had not been even with the Bearkats in the all-time series since standing at 10-10 in 1956.

The Cougars wrap up their 2007 regular season later this week as they play host to Conference USA rival Southern Miss in a three-game series from the friendly confines of Cougar Field. That series begins with 7 p.m., games on both Thursday and Friday before wrapping up at 1 p.m., Saturday. The Thursday game will be televised nationally on CSTV. Sam Houston wraps up the regular season schedule with a Southland Conference series at Stephen F. Austin.

Houston recap
Sam Houston recap

MEMPHIS 5, TENNESSEE-MARTIN 3
UNION CITY, Tenn. - Senior Kyle Norrid went 3-for-4 four and drove in four runs to lead Memphis to a 5-3 win over UT-Martin Tuesday night at Elam Stadium. The win was the 33rd of the year for the Tigers--the most regular season wins for a Memphis team since 1994. The win also eclipses the Tigers 2006 win total.

After waiting through a two hour, 23-minute rain delay, Memphis (33-20) got off to a fast start with a pair of scores in the opening frame. Michael Murray extended his hit streak to 12 games with a single to centerfield and moved to third when Skyhawks leftfielder Kevin Holt was unable to handle a single by Adam Amar. Amar advanced to second. Norrid then lined the first pitch he saw up the middle for a 2-0 Memphis lead.

Memphis will now prepare for its final Conference USA regular season series. The Tigers will travel to Houston to take on the second-ranked Rice Owls on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. UT-Martin (19-33) completes the regular season with by hosting Samford in an OVC series. The teams will play a double-header on Friday and a single game on Saturday.

Memphis recap
UT-Martin recap

ELON 4, No. 29 EAST CAROLINA 2
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Kyle Roller's two home runs were not enough for No. 29 East Carolina as it fell to in-state foe Elon 4-2 Tuesday night at Clark-LeClair Stadium in the final regular season home game for the Pirates.

Jesse Lewter improved to 4-3 on the year after tossing his first career complete game with a career-high six strikeouts for Elon (28-24). On the night he allowed just six hits and walked one, making two pitching mistakes, both home runs to Roller.

The Pirates (35-18) will hit the road for the final three games of the regular season this weekend when they travel to UAB for a C-USA series. Junior T.J. Hose will take the mound for ECU on Thursday night with the first pitch scheduled for 8 p.m. (EDT). Elon returns to action on Wednesday, May 16 in a 7 p.m. game with High Point at Latham Park.

Elon recap
East Carolina recap

The Citadel picks up a series victory over GA Southern

The Citadel Bulldogs have picked up their second straight victory over the previously hot Georgia Southern Eagles by a score on Saturday of 8-3 and 9-1 on Friday. On Saturday, The Citadel got four long balls to pace the team to the victory. Wes Wrenn pitched a complete game on Friday while only allowing only the one run to up his record to 4-5.

The Citadel Saturday Recap
GA Southern Saturday Recap
The Citadel Friday Recap
GA Southern Friday Recap

Conference USA Tuesday recap

Memphis 10, Arkansas State 5
JONESBORO, Ark. - Freshman Brennon Martin scattered 10 hits and struck out four in 6.1 innings of work and senior Adam Amar tied the Memphis' all-time RBI record with a run-scoring single in the first inning, as the Tigers clinched their 30th win of the year in a 10-5 victory over Arkansas State Tuesday evening at Tomlinson Stadium. Amar's RBI was his 170th and ties him with Chris Marable, who lettered at the U of M from 1986-89.

The win guarantees the Tigers' fourth winning season since 1995. It also seals the program's first back-to-back winning seasons since the 1994 and 1995 campaigns. Memphis is now 30-18 on the year and Arkansas State is 19-29. The evening also marked the official opening of Barton's Baseball Deck at ASU's Tomlinson Stadium.

The two squads will meet in the series finale on Wednesday at Nat Buring Stadium. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m.

Memphis recap
Arkansas State recap

Troy 20, UAB 15
TROY, Ala. - The UAB Blazers entered Tuesday's game at Troy as one of only three teams in the nation to have more triples than home runs, but that all changed as the Blazers blasted a season-high six home runs, only to be outdone by the Trojans who out-slugged the Blazers for a 20-15 victory at Riddle-Pace Field. Junior first baseman Ryan Keedy had two home runs to highlight his 3-for-4 showing.

Troy improves to 30-20 with the win, while UAB is now 20-30 and has completed its non-conference schedule.

The Blazers will next be in action on Friday when they begin a three-game Conference USA series at Marshall at 6 p.m. Troy will close out its home schedule with a Sun Belt Conference series against New Orleans this weekend. First pitch Friday night is set for 6 p.m.

UAB recap
Troy recap

UCF 14, Stetson 3
DELAND, Fla. - Mitch Herold's career-high nine strikeouts and the offense's record-breaking eighth inning enabled the UCF baseball team to defeat Stetson, 14-3, Tuesday in DeLand, Fla. The Knights (24-26) sent 17 batters to the plate in the eighth vs. the Hatters (36-13), notching 10 hits and scoring 11 runs, the most runs ever in an eighth inning by a UCF offense.

The Conference USA schedule resumes this weekend as UCF wraps up its seven-game road trip at No. 30 East Carolina. First pitch of the three-game series is set for Friday at 7 p.m. Stetson travels to Nashville, Tenn. to face Lipscomb in an Atlantic Sun Conference series.

Central Florida recap
Stetson recap

Citadel 8, No. 30 East Carolina 6
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Ryan Wood's career night was not enough to help East Carolina, as the Pirates fell 8-6 to The Citadel Tuesday night in midweek action at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

The Pirates will be back in action Wednesday night when the play host to No. 4 North Carolina. Jeff Ostrander will take the hill for ECU with a first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. (EDT). The Citadel will travel to Columbia, S.C. to face No. 7 South Carolina. First pitch is set for 8 p.m. EDT.

The Citadel recap
East Carolina recap

The Citadel upsets ECU

FROM THE CITADEL PRESS RELEASE

Greenville, N.C. – Senior Justin Smith posted a strong outing for his sixth win of the year as sophomore Sonny Meade knocked in three to help lead The Citadel past No. 30 East Carolina, 8-6, in non-conference baseball action at Clark-LeClair stadium Tuesday night. The Bulldogs earned their second win over a ranked opponent this season after upsetting No. 1 South Carolina, 7-6, on Feb. 18 at Riley Park.

The Bulldogs improve to 26-21 on the year while the Pirates fall to 32-16. Senior Chance Smith and freshman Richard Jones paced the Dogs at the plate as they registered three hits each. Jones was only a triple shy of the cycle as he smashed his ninth home run of the season to give The Citadel an early lead in the first. Senior right fielder Joe Hoerter registered his first career hit with an RBI-single in the seventh as he made his first career start in the contest.

Ryan Wood had his first two home run outing and drove in four of ECU’s six runs. Wood was 4-for-5 on the night. The Citadel enjoyed 15 hits to the Pirates’ nine.

Justin Smith (6-3) enjoyed his longest outing since going seven against Columbia on March 11. The right-hander tossed 6.0 innings, holding the Pirates to only two runs on six hits while fanning four and walking three. Josh Ruhlman (4-1) suffered his first loss of the year as he went 3.2 frames, giving up six runs (four earned) on seven hits while striking out three.

The Citadel attacked first as Jones blasted his second home run in as many games to give the Dogs a 1-0 advantage in the second. The Bulldogs got two on in the third courtesy of consecutive, one-out singles by sophomore designated hitter Sonny Meade and senior first baseman Zach Brown. Pirate starter Mike Anderson was then lifted for left-hander Josh Ruhlman who forced a strikeout and a fly out to end the frame.

East Carolina went ahead with a two-out, two-run shot in the third as Wood enjoyed his fourth round-tripper of the season. Ryan Tousley followed that up with a bunt single and tried to score on a single to right off the bat of Stephen Batts but was gunned down at the plate by Hoerter to end the inning.

The Bulldogs evened it up in the fourth on an RBI-single off the bat of Chance Smith and then recaptured the lead with two runs in the fifth. A throwing error by Pirate first baseman Batts allowed junior left fielder Chris Swauger to race all the way to second to start things off. Swauger took third on a passed ball and came in to score on a groundout by Meade. Brown and Jones smacked back-to-back base hits, while Brown moved to second on another throwing error. Freshman second baseman Bryan Altman then knocked in Brown on a fielder’s choice.

Meade extended The Citadel advantage to four in the sixth as he punched one through the right side to plate two with two outs. Two RBI-singles by freshman shortstop Kyle Jordan and Hoerter gave the Dogs two more in the seventh to make it 8-2.

Wood notched his second home run of the contest in the seventh to add a run for the Pirates before ECU was able to pull within two with three runs in the eighth. The Bulldogs walked the bases loaded before a wild pitch allowed the first run to score. An RBI-groundout by Jamie Ray made it 8-5 before Wood drove in his fourth run of the evening with a base hit through the left side. The Dogs then called on freshman lefty Nick Sprowls to force the final out and get The Citadel out of the inning still up by two.

Altman extended his hitting streak to 11 games in the ninth with a one-out, ground-rule double that bounced over the left center field wall. He was the only runner aboard for the Dogs that inning as Jason Neitz took to the hill and caught two Bulldogs swinging.

Sprowls returned in the ninth to get two quick outs before surrendering a two-bagger that was just fair down the left field line. The freshman then forced pinch-hitter David Forbes to go down on strikes to earn his second save of the year and preserve the 8-6 victory.

The Bulldogs are now 2-4 versus ranked opponents in 2007 while the contest with the Pirates was the first time the Dogs faced a nationally ranked foe on the road. The Citadel will now go to Columbia, S.C. to take on No. 7 South Carolina on May 9 at Sarge Frye Field. First pitch is slated for 8 p.m.

ECU Recap

College of Charleston completes sweep

The College of Charleston completed the sweep of cross-town rival The Citadel on Sunday by a 10-4 scoreline. The Cougars were led by Oliver Marmol, Ben Lasater, and Graham Maiden each homered and Michael Bunton pitched five strong innings while giving up four runs to head to 4-0 on the season. The Citadel starter Chris McGuiness gave up seven runs 4.1 innings to drop his record to 2-1 on the season.

College of Charleston Recap
The Citadel Recap

College of Charleston wins 7-2 over The Citadel

Nick Chigges (8-0) threw eight strong innings while giving up only five hits to lead the College of Charleston to a 7-2 victory over The Citadel. College of Charleston was led on offense by Stuart Haywood who went 2-5 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. The Cougars took advantage of five Bulldogs errors to score three unearned runs. Wes Wrenn got the loss for the Bulldogs to drop his record to 3-5.

College of Charleston Recap
The Citadel Recap

College of Charleston heads to The Citadel

The College of Charleston heads across town to face The Citadel in a crucial Southern Conference match-up. College of Charleston enters the weekend with a 31-10 overall record and an impressive 12-3 in the Southern Conference. The Cougars took two out of three games last weekend over the Furman Paladins. The Citadel enter with a respectable 24-16 overall record and 8-7 in the Southern Conference.

Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday: Wes Wrenn (3-4, 5.88 ERA) vs Nick Chigges (7-0, 3.01 ERA)
Saturday: Matt Crim (4-2, 5.00 ERA) vs Jeff Beliveau (3-1, 3.79 ERA)
Sunday: Chris McGuiness (2-0, 5.19 ERA) vs Michael Bunton (3-0, 6.19 ERA)

Coastal Carolina beats The Citadel

Coastal Carolina headed to Riley Park on Tuesday to take on The Citadel Bulldogs and came away with a 5-1 victory. Matt Rademacher led the offense with 3 RBI and freshman starting pitching Nick McCully pitched 5.0 innings while only allowing one run on four hits and a walk. His record goes to 3-2 on the season. The Citadel starter Matt Reifsnider gave up three runs (two earned) over his five innings to drop his record to 2-2. The offensive star for the Bulldogs were Chris Swauger and Matt Arnold who each had two hits in the game. Both teams will head back to conference action with The Citadel hosting the College of Charleston while Coastal Carolina will host Liberty. Both series start Friday.

Coastal Carolina Recap
The Citadel Recap

Southern Conference Players of the Week

The Southern Conference has announced Alex Garabedian of College of Charleston was named the player of the week for the week ending on April 23rd. He hit .522 (12 for 23) with two homers while scoring five runs and driving six runs in.

College of Charleston Release
Southern Conference Release

The Southern Conference also has announced that Western Carolina's Greg Holland. He picked up three wins in four appearances last week.

Western Carolina Release
Southern Conference Release

Furman outlasts College of Charleston

The Furman Paladins edged the College of Charleston 12-10 in 12 innings to salvage the final game of the series. Connor Lind scored the winning run for the Paladins on a throwing error by Chris Campbell who threw the final out of the top of the 12th into the Charleston bullpen to allowing Lind to score from second base. Furman reliever Nick Hollstegge (1-5) picks up his first win of the season. College of Charleston reliever Curtis Dowling (2-1) picks up his first loss on the season. College of Charleston will be back in action on Friday when they visit The Citadel while Furman heads to Gardner-Webb on Wednesday.

Furman Recap
College of Charleston Recap

The Citadel takes final game with Davidson

The Citadel got three hits from Matt Arnold, Bryan Altman, and Zach Brown while Jamie Maxwell pitched two scoreless innings to get the victory for the Bulldogs 9-6 over Davidson on Sunday. Maxwell evens his record at 1-1 for the season. Davidson starter Travis Middour picks up the loss to drop his record to 4-5 by going 6.1 innings and giving up five runs (four earned). The Citadel will be back in action on Tuesday when Coastal Carolina visits Riley Park.

The Citadel Recap
Davidson Recap

SoCon Players of the Week for April 16th

The Citadel's Matt Crim picked up the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week award by giving The Citadel a complete game shutout over Applachin State on April 14th. He struck out nine batters while only giving up nine hits and a walk in the 17-0 shutout. Elon's Chase Austin was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week by hitting .692 (9-13) in the weekend series with the Furman Paladins.

The Citadel Release
Elon Release
SoCon Pitcher of the Week Release
SoCon Player of the Week Release