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Wofford tops Samford to reach SoCon title tilt
UNCG to face Samford in elimination game Saturday morning
No. 3 seed Wofford 7, No. 1 seed Samford 6
GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 3 seed Wofford scored six runs in the final three innings, including two in the top of the ninth, to stun No. 1 seed Samford, 7-6, Friday at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field. The win sends the Terriers through to the title game of the tournament.
Wofford (40-17) will be making its second straight appearance in the title game and its third in the last four tournaments. Samford (33-23) will now face either No. 2 seed Mercer or No. 6 seed UNCG on Saturday at 8 a.m. for the right to face the Terriers in the 10:30 a.m. championship contest.
Trailing 5-1 after six innings, Wofford scored four runs in the seventh to tie it before rallying for a pair in a wild final frame.
With two outs and SoCon Player of the Year Ryan Galanie and Trey Yunger on base via walks, Brice Martinez scalded a ball down the line that hit the first-base bag and caromed back toward the infield for a base hit. Samford first baseman Stephen Klein scooped the ball and threw to second trying unsuccessfully to nab Yunger overrunning the bag, while Galanie broke for home and dislodged the ball on a collision at the plate to knot the game at 6. The next batter, Cameron Gill, followed with a line-drive single to center to score Yunger with the go-ahead run.
Lucas Mahlstedt handled the rest, striking out two and working around a one-out walk in the bottom of the ninth to grab the win.
Samford seemed to be in control after scoring six runs over a three-inning span, starting with John Anderson’s league-leading 22nd-home run of the season, a three-run job off the light pole in left field that scored Garrett Staton and Klein, who doubled and walked, respectively.
The Bulldogs made it 5-1 with pair of runs in the sixth on Staton’s RBI double and Klein’s RBI single.
Wofford stormed back with four runs in the seventh, starting with Marshall Toole knocking in David Wiley with a squeeze bunt. After a walk to Galanie, Yunger doubled to drive in Jack Renwick. Two more runs would score in the inning on a throwing Samford throwing error.
Samford would go back on top in the bottom half of the frame on Josh Rodriguez’s RBI single, which made it 6-5.
Yunger and Martinez had three hits each to lead Wofford at the plate, while Gill had two RBIs, including a sacrifice fly in the fourth.
For the Bulldogs, Staton was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Klein, Anderson, Rodriguez and Andrew Bennett had two hits apiece.
Mahlstedt improved to 7-2 on the season with three innings of work in which he allowed one run on two hits and two walks. Starter Charlie Weber allowed three runs on seven hits in five innings.
Samford closer Ben Petschke (5-3), the league leader in saves with 13, suffered the loss, blowing the two-inning save opportunity. He allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in two innings. Bulldog starter Brody Westbrooks went 5 2/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits and two walks, striking out four.
No. 6 seed UNCG 9, No. 2 seed Mercer 5
GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 6 seed UNCG used a five-run sixth inning to rally past No. 2 seed Mercer, 9-5, in an elimination game Friday at the 2023 Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
The Spartans (25-33) will take on No. 1 seed Samford on Saturday at 8 a.m. in another elimination contest with a title-game berth on the line. No. 3 seed Wofford awaits the winner at 10:30 a.m. UNCG is the defending tournament champion and topped the Terriers twice on Championship Sunday last season to claim the crown.
Mercer’s season ends at 33-24.
UNCG trailed 5-4 entering the sixth but batted around in the frame, getting four hits and a pair of walks to take a lead it would not relinquish. Dosi Jonas tied the game at 5 on an RBI single, with Dallas Callahan following with a go-ahead two-run double to make it 7-5. Kennedy Jones would add an RBI double in the inning and Zack Budzik capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to right.
UNCG reliever Price King (3-0) took it from there, allowing just a hit and two walks the rest of the way. All told, King worked 7 1/3 innings in relief of starter Grant Aycock, surrendering just one run on three hits and three walks in matching his longest outing of the season.
There were plenty of offensive fireworks early, as UNCG jumped on top with three runs in the second. Caleb Cozart got the scoring started with a two-out solo home run, and after a Jonas single and a Callahan walk, Bradley Bott doubled to left to drive both of them in.
Mercer took its first lead in the bottom of the frame, as Ty Dalley celebrated his 19th birthday with his first career grand slam and his 18th home run of the season after a walk, an error and a single loaded the bases.
UNCG quickly pulled even on a Cozart RBI double in the top half of the third, but Mercer would go back on top in the bottom of the fifth on Carter Sanford’s RBI fielder’s choice.
The Bears tried to mount a late rally to stave off elimination, as Treyson Hughes and Jozsef Rohrbacher drew walks in the ninth inning, but King got a popup on the edge of the infield to end the contest.
Cozart, Jonas and Luke Jenkins had two hits each for UNCG, with Cozart, Callahan and Bott driving in two runs apiece.
Dalley had the only two-hit game for Mercer, as he was 2-for-4 with four RBIs on the night. Hughes went 1-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to 20 games, the longest active streak in the SoCon.
Reliever Micah Takac (1-1) took the loss for Mercer after allowing three runs on two hits and a walk in an inning of work. Starter Fred Wilson allowed four runs on four hits and three walks in four innings, striking out four.
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: #1 Samford 2, #4 ETSU 1
Game 6: #3 Wofford 16, #2 Mercer 14
May 26 (Friday)
Game 7: #6 UNCG 4, #4 ETSU 2
Game 8: #2 Mercer 8, #8 The Citadel 1
Game 9: #3 Wofford 7, #1 Samford 6
Game 10: #6 UNCG 9, #2 Mercer 5
May 27 (Saturday)
Game 11: #6 UNCG vs. # Samford, 8 a.m.
Game 12: #3 Wofford vs. Winner Game 11, 10:30 am.
Game 13: Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser^, 40 minutes after Game 12
^ if necessary
GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 3 seed Wofford scored six runs in the final three innings, including two in the top of the ninth, to stun No. 1 seed Samford, 7-6, Friday at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field. The win sends the Terriers through to the title game of the tournament.
Wofford (40-17) will be making its second straight appearance in the title game and its third in the last four tournaments. Samford (33-23) will now face either No. 2 seed Mercer or No. 6 seed UNCG on Saturday at 8 a.m. for the right to face the Terriers in the 10:30 a.m. championship contest.
Trailing 5-1 after six innings, Wofford scored four runs in the seventh to tie it before rallying for a pair in a wild final frame.
With two outs and SoCon Player of the Year Ryan Galanie and Trey Yunger on base via walks, Brice Martinez scalded a ball down the line that hit the first-base bag and caromed back toward the infield for a base hit. Samford first baseman Stephen Klein scooped the ball and threw to second trying unsuccessfully to nab Yunger overrunning the bag, while Galanie broke for home and dislodged the ball on a collision at the plate to knot the game at 6. The next batter, Cameron Gill, followed with a line-drive single to center to score Yunger with the go-ahead run.
Lucas Mahlstedt handled the rest, striking out two and working around a one-out walk in the bottom of the ninth to grab the win.
Samford seemed to be in control after scoring six runs over a three-inning span, starting with John Anderson’s league-leading 22nd-home run of the season, a three-run job off the light pole in left field that scored Garrett Staton and Klein, who doubled and walked, respectively.
The Bulldogs made it 5-1 with pair of runs in the sixth on Staton’s RBI double and Klein’s RBI single.
Wofford stormed back with four runs in the seventh, starting with Marshall Toole knocking in David Wiley with a squeeze bunt. After a walk to Galanie, Yunger doubled to drive in Jack Renwick. Two more runs would score in the inning on a throwing Samford throwing error.
Samford would go back on top in the bottom half of the frame on Josh Rodriguez’s RBI single, which made it 6-5.
Yunger and Martinez had three hits each to lead Wofford at the plate, while Gill had two RBIs, including a sacrifice fly in the fourth.
For the Bulldogs, Staton was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Klein, Anderson, Rodriguez and Andrew Bennett had two hits apiece.
Mahlstedt improved to 7-2 on the season with three innings of work in which he allowed one run on two hits and two walks. Starter Charlie Weber allowed three runs on seven hits in five innings.
Samford closer Ben Petschke (5-3), the league leader in saves with 13, suffered the loss, blowing the two-inning save opportunity. He allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in two innings. Bulldog starter Brody Westbrooks went 5 2/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits and two walks, striking out four.
No. 6 seed UNCG 9, No. 2 seed Mercer 5
GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 6 seed UNCG used a five-run sixth inning to rally past No. 2 seed Mercer, 9-5, in an elimination game Friday at the 2023 Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
The Spartans (25-33) will take on No. 1 seed Samford on Saturday at 8 a.m. in another elimination contest with a title-game berth on the line. No. 3 seed Wofford awaits the winner at 10:30 a.m. UNCG is the defending tournament champion and topped the Terriers twice on Championship Sunday last season to claim the crown.
Mercer’s season ends at 33-24.
UNCG trailed 5-4 entering the sixth but batted around in the frame, getting four hits and a pair of walks to take a lead it would not relinquish. Dosi Jonas tied the game at 5 on an RBI single, with Dallas Callahan following with a go-ahead two-run double to make it 7-5. Kennedy Jones would add an RBI double in the inning and Zack Budzik capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to right.
UNCG reliever Price King (3-0) took it from there, allowing just a hit and two walks the rest of the way. All told, King worked 7 1/3 innings in relief of starter Grant Aycock, surrendering just one run on three hits and three walks in matching his longest outing of the season.
There were plenty of offensive fireworks early, as UNCG jumped on top with three runs in the second. Caleb Cozart got the scoring started with a two-out solo home run, and after a Jonas single and a Callahan walk, Bradley Bott doubled to left to drive both of them in.
Mercer took its first lead in the bottom of the frame, as Ty Dalley celebrated his 19th birthday with his first career grand slam and his 18th home run of the season after a walk, an error and a single loaded the bases.
UNCG quickly pulled even on a Cozart RBI double in the top half of the third, but Mercer would go back on top in the bottom of the fifth on Carter Sanford’s RBI fielder’s choice.
The Bears tried to mount a late rally to stave off elimination, as Treyson Hughes and Jozsef Rohrbacher drew walks in the ninth inning, but King got a popup on the edge of the infield to end the contest.
Cozart, Jonas and Luke Jenkins had two hits each for UNCG, with Cozart, Callahan and Bott driving in two runs apiece.
Dalley had the only two-hit game for Mercer, as he was 2-for-4 with four RBIs on the night. Hughes went 1-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to 20 games, the longest active streak in the SoCon.
Reliever Micah Takac (1-1) took the loss for Mercer after allowing three runs on two hits and a walk in an inning of work. Starter Fred Wilson allowed four runs on four hits and three walks in four innings, striking out four.
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: #1 Samford 2, #4 ETSU 1
Game 6: #3 Wofford 16, #2 Mercer 14
May 26 (Friday)
Game 7: #6 UNCG 4, #4 ETSU 2
Game 8: #2 Mercer 8, #8 The Citadel 1
Game 9: #3 Wofford 7, #1 Samford 6
Game 10: #6 UNCG 9, #2 Mercer 5
May 27 (Saturday)
Game 11: #6 UNCG vs. # Samford, 8 a.m.
Game 12: #3 Wofford vs. Winner Game 11, 10:30 am.
Game 13: Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser^, 40 minutes after Game 12
^ if necessary
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