Georgia Southern Baseball Bounces Back with 8-3 Win over Bulldogs
ATHENS, GA. – As the Eagles walked off Foley Field on Friday night following a 22-9 defeat, the feeling was; "Shuman will get them tomorrow." On Saturday, sophomore Seth Shuman tossed six innings of three hit ball to lead the Eagles to an 8-3 win over Georgia to even the series. The Eagles and Bulldogs will wrap-up the series with a decisive Game Three at 1 p.m. on SEC Network +.
The Eagles scored all eight runs with two outs in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. Shuman allowed two runs in the first inning, then settled down to retire 11 straight batters and not allow a hit. After the Eagles scored four runs in the seventh, Chase Cohen came in to record his first collegiate save. Cohen allowed a run off three hits in the seventh, but allowed just one runner in the final two frames.
QUOTEABLES
Head Coach Rodney Hennon
"I'm proud of the guys for bouncing back after a tough opening night. We got really good pitching from both Seth Shuman and Chase Cohen. Defensively we played a much better game, and really that was the difference between the two days. We minimized the free bases today, and I'm proud of the hitters. I thought it would have been easy to get frustrated after the first four innings against Hancock, but the guys battled and we got some big hits that factored in to the win. After Georgia scored a run in the seventh, Chase (Cohen) made some big pitches when he had to. We did a great job with two outs in the late innings to pad the lead."
SCORING SUMMARY
Bottom 1st - It was a shaky start for Seth Shuman who hit the leadoff batter and gave up a single. Back-to-back fly balls, followed by a pair of singles scored two runs for the home team.
Top 7th - The Eagles got only two hits off Georgia's starting pitcher, Emerson Hancock. That changed in the seventh when the Bulldogs went to the bullpen. Singles by Matt Anderson and Chandler Corley set the table for Georgia to allow a run via a wild pitch and a passed ball. Steven Curry drove in Anderson with a single to center, while Mitchell Golden sent two more home with a double to left. The four run inning gave the Eagles a 4-2 advantage heading to the stretch.
Bottom 7th - Georgia welcomed Cohen to the game with a double to right, followed by a single to left. A third successive hit drove in a run, but Cohen would settle down, recording an out on a bunt to first. Two strikeouts by Cohen got the Eagles back in the dugout with a 4-3 lead.
Top 8th - Chandler Corley worked a two out walk in the ninth, opening the door for Nolan Tressler to double down the right field line. An error by the Bulldog right fielder allowed Corley to score and push the lead to 5-3.
Top 9th - Georgia Southern tacked on three more runs with two outs in the ninth with an RBI single by Mason McWhorter and a two RBI double off the bat of Jason Swan.
NOTES
- Shuman improves to 9-0 in his career with the Eagles. The Preseason All-Sun Belt Selection struck out four and walked one in his debut outing for 2018.
- Chase Cohen struck out five batters in the final three innings, earning his first collegiate save.
- All eight of Georgia Southern's runs came with two outs, it was the first time that the Eagles scored all their runs with two outs since plating nine against UT Arlington on March 26, 2017.
- The Eagles revealed their new uniforms on Saturday which arrived on Wednesday afternoon to equipment manager Steve Masterman-Smith. The design was inspired by the Houston Astros' iconic jersey which was introduced in 1975.
NEXT GAME
Georgia Southern and Georgia wrap-up the weekend series on Sunday with a 1 p.m. rubber match. Freshman David Johnson (Tucker, Ga.) will make the start in debut for the Eagles. Watch the game live on SEC Network + or listen to Danny Reed's call of the game on the Georgia Southern Sports Network.
Prestegard Leads Troy to Victory in First Leg of Twin Bill
TROY, Ala. – Cole Prestegard drove in four runs to lead another potent Troy offensive attack past UT Martin, 10-4, in game one of Saturday's doubleheader at Riddle-Pace Field.
Prestegard finished 3-for-5 with a homer and two doubles to spark a 12-hit performance for Troy (2-0). In the two games so far, he is 5-for-8 with six RBIs and a 1.950 OPS.
Senior Matt Sanders also posted three hits, homering driving in two runs of his own. Sanders has homered in each of the Trojans' first two games – he only hit three home runs all last season.
JUCO transfer CJ Carter (1-0) earned the start and the win on the mound for Troy. Carter struck out five and allowed only three runs on four hits in five innings of work.
Corey Childress entered in relief in the seventh inning and the Trojans rode him the rest of the way. The senior worked three hitless, scoreless innings to earn his 11th career save and first of the new season.
Troy Uses Seventh-Inning Rally to Take Night Cap
TROY, Alabama – Troy scratched six runs across in the seventh inning to take the second leg of Saturday's doubleheader, 6-2, over UT Martin at Riddle-Pace Field.
Troy (3-0) strung together few timely hits and benefitted from two Skyhawk (0-3) errors following the stretch to score six runs and take the lead.
After the rally, the Trojans relied on Lance Johnson (1-0) and Sadler Goodwin to close out the game – the two combined to throw three, one-hit, scoreless innings. Troy also got a quality start on the mound from senior Daren Osby, as he struck out seven in six innings of work – he allowed only two runs on three hits.
At the plate, Troy got most of its production from a trio of veteran batters at the top of the lineup – Brandon Lockridge, Matt Sanders and Joey Denison. The three drove in four of the six Trojan runs and picked up some help from freshman Manning Early who drove in another.
UT Martin led for most of the game, before letting it slip away in the late innings. Reliever Zack Denney (0-1) was saddled with the loss after giving up four runs – two earned – on three hits in 0.2 innings of work. Anthony Adduci paced the Skyhawks at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI in the game.
UTA Relievers Shine In Series-Evening Win
ARLINGTON, Texas – Three UTA relievers combined to toss five shutout innings to help push the Mavericks to a 6-3 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, on Saturday afternoon at Clay Gould Ballpark.
UTA (1-1) bounced back in its second game of the year with the series-evening win. After Texas A&M – Corpus Christi (1-1) used a ninth-inning grand slam to take the opener on Friday, 9-7, the Mavs rebounded to post the win on Saturday behind a six-run third inning and strong relief outings from their bullpen.
ON THE MOUND
UTA starter Ka'ikepono Anderson made his NCAA debut. Anderson worked four innings, allowing seven hits and three runs, walking one and striking out one. In a jam in the fifth inning to start, UTA turned to lefty Drew Gooch (1-0) in relief. Gooch worked two innings, allowing a hit and walk, striking out one in his first pitching appearance since he was a sophomore at TCU in 2016.
After Gooch's two strong innings, Dylan Schneider started the seventh on the mound for the Mavs. Schneider worked 1.2 shutout innings, allowing a hit and walk before giving way to lefty Adam Meyer. Meyer tossed the final two innings to earn his third career save.
Aaron Hernandez (0-1) made the start for the Islanders, coming off an electric summer in the prestigious Cape Cod League. He flashed a fastball that reached as high as 97 mph and worked 2.1 innings, allowing six hits and six runs, walking five and striking out one.
TAMU-CC used Cody Lecompte, Tate Gillespie, Payton Bauer, John Gaddis and Will Floyd in relief of Hernandez.
LEADING THE MAVS
The Mavs had seven hits in the game and drew nine walks, striking out just four times. UTA got two-RBI games from Noah Vaughan and Josh Minjarez, with RJ Williams adding a pair of hits, including a double. UTA also got an RBI from each Omar Salinas and Will Olson, with Vaughan, Olson, Christian Hollie and Phil Berthiaume each notching hits.
NEXT
The series will conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT at Clay Gould Ballpark. UTA will start freshman right-hander David Moffat.
CCU Baseball Gets 4-3 Extra-Inning Win Over #18 Oklahoma
With bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 10th, Coastal Carolina sophomore Cory Wood lined an RBI single back up the middle to give the Chanticleers a 4-3, 10-inning over 18th-ranked Oklahoma in the 19th annual Brittain Resorts Baseball at the Beach Saturday evening at Springs Brooks Stadium.
Coastal Carolina (2-0) will face Kansas State Sunday (Feb. 18) at 2:30 pm and wrap the event on Monday (Feb. 19) by hosting Indiana at 11 am. Oklahoma (1-2) had a long, tough day on Saturday as South Alabama beat the Sooners, 5-6, in 12 innings prior to Coastal’s extra-inning win.
In the top of the 10th, Oklahoma put runners on third and first after a double and CCU error. However, Chanticleer freshman Zach McCambley (1-0) responded with a strikeout – one of his four in two innings – to set the stage for the win.
CCU designated hitter Zach Biermann had a leadoff single and Turner Buis came on to pinch run. Kieton Rivers followed with a bunt single, but a throwing error on the play moved the runners to second and third. After a strikeout, Parker Chavers drew a four-pitch walk. Sooner first baseman/closer Cade Cavali bounced back with a strikeout Wood, who had a walk-off, game-winning single last season, lined a3-1 fastball back up the middle to plate Buis and set off the celebration.
Coastal senior pitcher Zack Hopeck turned in what head coach Gary Gilmore said, “was Zack’s best overall performance.” Although he did not factor in the decision, the senior only allowed two hits and two walks in 6.1 shutout innings. He struck out seven – his second-best career total.
McCambley worked two scoreless innings to get the win in his collegiate debut, allowing one hit, and did not walk a batter. In the ninth, he got a ground out to second and two strikeouts and, in the 10th, hit outs were the same. Shaddon Peavyhouse, also making his collegiate debut, allowed two hits, one walks and three unearned runs with three strikeouts in his 1.2 innings as he bridged the gap between Hopeck and McCambley.
Coastal took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Kyle Skeels reached on an error and, after Chavers walked, scored on an error when Cameron Pearcey bunted. Chavers moved to third on the error and scored off a sacrifice fly to centerfield by Wood
In the third inning, Seth Lancaster and Kevin Woodall Jr., had back-to-back doubles, the second scoring Lancaster for a 3-0 lead.
Woodall and Rivers led the CCU offense as each collected two hits. The Sooners tied the game with three runs in the top of the eighth. Cade Harris had a leadoff double while Kyle Mendenhall walked and Steele Walker was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Peavyhouse responded with a pair of strikeouts and looked to escape by getting a ground ball. However, an error allowed one run to score before Brady Lindsly delivered a two-strike, two-out double to knot the game at 3-3.
Both teams went 1-2-3 in the ninth before the exciting conclusion in the 10th.
NO. 17 JAGS DEFEAT NO. 18 OU AND VIRGINIA TECH SATURDAY
CONWAY, S.C. – The 17th-ranked University of South Alabama baseball team won a pair of games Saturday in the 19th Annual Brittain Resorts Baseball at the Beach.
USA (3-0) defeated No. 18 Oklahoma in 12 innings in game one at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, and knocked off Virginia Tech 7-5 at Pelicans Park in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
South Alabama will return to action Sun., Feb. 18, when it faces Indiana at 9:30 a.m. (CT) at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.
No. 17 South Alabama 6, No. 18 Oklahoma 5 (12 inn.)
GAME FACTS
- Oklahoma threatened in the top of the first inning, but Jaguar right-hander Tyler Carr pitched around a leadoff double by OU right fielder Cade Harris with a strikeouts sandwiched between a pair of groundouts.
- The Sooners loaded the bases with one out in the top of the second inning, and scored the game's first run on an RBI double to the right-center gap by Jacob Walker. OU's Cade Cavalli was cut down at the plate on a 9-4-2 relay on a throw to home by Hunter Stokes. OU doubled its lead to 2-0 one batter later on a wild pitch by Carr.
- USA answered in the bottom of the second when Brendan Donovan lifted the first pitch he saw from OU right-hander Nathan Wiles over the right-field wall for a solo home run to cut the Sooner lead in half at 2-1.
- Oklahoma responded in the top of the fourth inning with a two-out, two-run double down the right field line by Harris to take a 4-1 lead.
- USA tied the game 4-4 in the bottom of the fourth inning when Wells Davis delivered a one-out, three-run home run over the right field wall that also scored Paul Russo and Travis Swaggerty, who reached on a leadoff single and a walk, respectively.
- The Jags took a one-run lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Bates drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a groundout back to the pitcher off the bat of Michael Sandle. Dylan Hardy then delivered a one-out RBI double down the left field line for a 5-4 South Alabama lead.
- OU loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the eighth on three consecutive walks issued by Jaguar left-hander Zach Melton. Harris then reached on a hit by pitch to force home the game-tying run at 5-5.
- Andrew Bates reached on a fielding error with one out in the bottom of the 12th when OU right fielder Dominic DeRenzo dropped a fly ball in shallow right, and advanced to second on a single through the left side of the infield by Michael Sandle. A groundout to second by Hardy advanced both runners into scoring position with two outs. Russo then delivered a single through the left side of the infield on an 0-1 pitch to score Bates with the game-winning run.
NOTES
- Davis homered, drove in three runs and scored one run. It marked his second straight game with three RBIs.
- Russo went 2-for6 with one RBI and one run scored, Dylan Hardy doubled and drove in one run, and Donovan homered, with one RBI and one run scored.
- Left-hander Jared Proctor (1-0) made his Jaguar debut in a relief spot in the top of the 11th inning, and earned his first career win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings pitched with one strikeout.
- Jaguar right-handed starter Tyler Carr allowed two earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts and three walks in six innings pitched without factoring in the decision.
- Right-hander Nick DeSantis made his first appearance of the season, and his first since
- Prior to scoring the game-winning run in the 12th inning, South Alabama had not scored since the fifth inning.
- OU's Harris went 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs to lead the Sooners at the plate.
- Sooner southpaw Levi Prater (0-1) allowed one unearned run without allowing a hit, and recorded seven strikeouts against three walks in the loss.
South Alabama 7, Virginia Tech 5
GAME FACTS
- USA loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the first inning when Hardy and Russo reached on consecutive Hokie fielding errors, and Swaggerty reached on a walk. Donovan followed with a walk to score Hardy and give the Jags a 1-0 advantage. Davis then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field that allowed Russo to score from third and double the USA lead at 2-0.
- Virginia Tech answered in the bottom of the first on a two-out RBI double to left-center field by Luke Horanski to cut the South Alabama lead in half at 2-1.
- The Hokies put two runners in scoring position with no outs in the bottom of the third when Jack Owens reached on a hit by pitch, and advanced to third on a double to left field by Sam Fragale. Horanski followed with an RBI single through the right side of the infield to tie the score at 2-2. Nick Menken then lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to score Fragale for a 3-2 Virginia Tech lead. Stevie Mangrum followed with a double to right-center field to put two runners in scoring position with one out. Horanski then scored on a wild pitch from Jaguar right-hander Sean Trimble to double the Hokie lead at 4-2.
- Virginia Tech loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fourth, but Jednat rolled a 4-6-3 double play to escape the jam and keep the Jaguar deficit at two runs.
- South Alabama answered with a run in the top of the fifth when Swaggerty led off the inning with a solo home run, his first of the season, over the right field wall to cut the Hokie lead to 4-3.
- The Jaguars tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the sixth. Sandle led off the inning with a walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Andrew Bates and scored on a one-out single back up the middle of the bat of Carter Perkins. Hardy singled to left field before Russo delivered an RBI single to left-center field to plate Perkins for a 5-4 Jaguar lead. A wild pitch by Hokie right-hander Ryan Okuda on the first pitch of an intentional walk to Swaggerty allowed Hardy to score and extend the Jaguar lead to 6-4. An RBI groundout by Donovan one batter later plated Russo for a 7-4 advantage.
- Virginia Tech responded with a run in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out RBI single through the right side of the infield by Horanski to cut the USA lead to 7-5.
NOTES
- Reid Powers earned his first career start at catcher, and right-hander Patrick McBride earned his first career start on the mound. Freshman southpaw Conner Jednat made his first career appearance, entering in a relief spot in the bottom of the fourth inning.
- Russo went 2-for-5 with one RBI and two runs scored to lead the Jags at the plate. Swaggerty homered, drove in one run and scored one run, Davis finished with one hit and one RBI, Donovan added two RBI and Perkins went 1-for-1 with an RBI and one run scored.
- Right-hander Chase Lambert struck out two and allowed just one hit in three relief innings to earn his first career save.
Bobcats upend Big 12 foe Saturday
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team earned a 10-1 victory over Oklahoma State Saturday evening at Bobcat Ballpark.
The triumph for the Bobcats (1-1) evened the season-opening series at one game apiece against the defending Big 12 champions.
TXST was buoyed by a strong pitching performance from junior Connor Reich (1-0), who earned the win after tossing 7.0 shutout innings. He fanned eight Cowboys and issued zero walks, while conceding just two hits.
Junior Jaylen Hubbard led the way at the plate with a 3-for-5 effort that included two RBIs, one run scored and one very loud double to cap a five-run second inning that blew the game open. Senior Luke Sherley and junior Ryan Newman both went 2-for-5, with Newman driving home two and scoring twice. Senior Mickey Scott walked and scored twice.
The Bobcats plated one run in the bottom of the first before pulling ahead 6-0 after the second frame. They tacked on three additional runs in the fifth and found a final insurance tally in the sixth. OSU's lone marker of the day came via a two-out walk in the top of the ninth.
Colin Simpson belted two of the visitors five hits as Texas State outhit the Cowboys 12-5. OSU also committed five errors.
Brady Basso started for Oklahoma State (1-1) and left after conceding six runs (two earned) on four hits in 1.2 innings. He also walked three and struck out just one.
The two sides will look to snatch the season-opening series victory with a first-pitch finale beginning at 1 p.m. Feb. 18 in San Marcos.
PANTHERS FALL TO UCONN IN GAME 2 OF ATLANTA CHALLENGE
ATLANTA -- Georgia State fell to UConn 10-1 Saturday at the GSU Baseball Complex in Game 2 of the Atlanta Challenge.
UConn (1-1) starting pitcher Mason Feole (1-0) was the story of the game as the sophomore left-hander, a highly-regarded pro prospect, allowed just one run and one hit over seven innings with seven strikeouts and three walks.
Feole held the Panthers (1-1) hitless for the first 4-2/3 innings. Finally, in the fifth inning, Luke Leonard drew a two-out walk and moved to second on a balk. Then leadoff hitter Kendall Ford hit a solid double to left field, scoring Leonard and tying the game at 1-1.
Georgia State starter Jake Rogers (0-1), a junior college right-hander making his GSU debut, nearly matched Feole for five innings, allowing just one run in the third inning before running into trouble in the sixth, when the Huskies took control with four runs to move ahead 5-1. Rogers' final line saw him pitch 5.1 innings and surrendering four runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and one walk.
"I thought Jake really battled really hard," head coach Greg Frady said. "Any time your starter pitches you into the sixth inning, you feel pretty good about that, and I think he gave us a good start, but we weren't on point offensively or defensively. We didn't hit enough, we didn't play enough defense and we didn't pitch enough to beat a team like UConn.
"Through five innings, it was 1-1 and I thought we had an opportunity to fight for this game and win it, but the multiple-run inning took a little starch out of us.
"Give that starter on the other team a lot of credit," he added. "He's a very good pitcher who's getting a lot of professional interest."
The Panthers hurt themselves with four errors in the game, leading to four unearned runs.
Freshman designated hitter Ryan Glass, the star of Friday's Opening Day win with a homer and three RBI, had one of the Panthers three hits today. Six other GSU freshmen made their debuts in today's game.
Georgia State concludes the Atlanta Challenge Sunday, hosting Minnesota at 1 p.m. at the GSU Baseball Complex.
Texas Comes From Behind To Defeat Cajuns With Walk-off Winner
AUSTIN, Texas – Sophomore Austin Todd's two-run, walk-off home run lifted the 14th-ranked Texas Longhorns to a 5-3 comeback win over the 18th-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team on Saturday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
The loss drops the Ragin' Cajuns to 0-2 on the year, while Texas improves to 2-0 overall.
Senior Dylan Moore was tabbed with the loss after giving up three runs on three hits with an intentional walk in 0.2 innings of work. Beau Ridgeway picked up the victory for the Horns despite giving up two runs on a hit in 1.0 inning of relief.
LEADING THE CAJUNS
True freshman Austin Perrin was outstanding in relief tossing 3.0 scoreless innings scattering three hits with one strikeout. Starter Nick Lee held Texas to two runs (one earned) in 5.0 innings of work with seven strikeouts.
Offensively, junior second baseman Hunter Kasuls posted a career-best three hits with a double and an RBI, while centerfielder Gavin Bourgeois scored a pair of runs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Louisiana jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI double to right field by Kasuls. Texas answered in the bottom half of the first as shortstop David Hamilton scored on a ground ball hit to first base by Kody Clemens.
The Longhorns grabbed the lead in the bottom of the fifth on a RBI single up the middle by Clemens to take a 2-1 edge.
Down to their last three outs, the Cajuns loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the ninth as Bourgeois was hit by a pitch and Hayden Cantrelle and Kasuls reached base on a pair of bunts. In the next at bat, first baseman Tyler Stover drove a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Bourgeois and even the contest at 2-all. Designated hitter Kennon Fontenot gave Louisiana the lead on a sac bunt to make the score 3-2.
The lead was short lived though as the Horns tied the game for the third time on an RBI single by second baseman Masen Hibbeler in the bottom half of the ninth. Later in the inning, Todd drove a 1-0 pitch from Moore over the fence in left field to give Texas the walk-off winner.
UP NEXT
The Ragin' Cajuns and Longhorns close out the series tomorrow at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. First pitch is at 1 p.m. and fans can watch the game live on the Longhorn Network or listen on KPEL 96.5-FM. Junior Hogan Harris will make the start for the Cajuns, while sophomore Blair Henley will take the mound for the Horns.
Following the series with Texas, Louisiana heads to Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday for a non-conference matchup at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field at 6 p.m.