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Wofford, UNCG to meet for SoCon title Sunday
Terriers need one win for title, Spartans must beat Wofford twice
Wofford 10, Samford 3
GREENVILLE, S.C. — After entering the bottom of the fifth inning trailing 3-2, Wofford’s bats came alive, with the Terriers scoring four runs on five hits in the frame and another four runs in the sixth to secure a 10-3 victory over No. 3 seed Samford on Saturday, at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
Wofford (30-28) advances to the 2022 SoCon Championship title round on Sunday at noon, with the Terriers looking to claim its first crown since 2007 after securing the regular season title this season for the second straight year. The winner between No. 2 seed Mercer and No. 4 seed UNCG will face No. 3 seed Samford tonight, and the winner of that contest will move on to face the Terriers.
Wofford took an early lead in the contest, with Nolen Hester, John Dempsey and Ryan Galanie all drawing walks to load the bases before Brennen Dorighi knocked a single up the middle to advance Galanie to third and score Dempsey at home, handing the Terriers the 1-0 advantage.
Samford answered with two runs on one hit in the top of the fourth, with Will David lacing a 396-foot two-run home run over the left center field fence to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 advantage before the Terriers evened the score in the bottom of the frame after Brice Martinez hit an RBI groundout to the right side of the infield, advancing Yunger to third and driving in Renwick to make it a 2-2 contest.
The Bulldogs added one more run in the top of the fifth, with Garrett Staton singling to Wofford pitcher Coulson Buchanan and Garrett Howe doubling to right center before Towns King hit an RBI groundout to shortstop, advancing Howe to third and driving Staton across home plate, giving Samford a 3-2 lead.
Wofford exploded in the fifth and sixth innings, with the Terriers scoring four runs on five hits in the fifth and four runs on three hits in the sixth. After Dempsey and Brennen Dorighi opened the bottom of the fifth with a single to center field and double to left field, respectively, Jack Renwick drew a walk, loading the bases for Wofford. Yunger hit a line-drive single to right field, scoring Dempsey, before Zeb Roos stepped up and hit a two-run RBI single through the left side, driving in Renwick and Dorighi to extend Wofford’s lead to 5-3. Hester concluded the inning with a single through the left side to score Roos, as the Terriers lead ballooned to 6-3.
After holding Samford scoreless in the top of the sixth, the Terriers carried their momentum into the bottom of the frame, with Wofford taking advantage of a Galanie walk and a Dorighi single to left center before Renwick followed with his own single to left field, driving in Galanie to make the score 7-3. Yunger drew a walk on the next at-bat, then Roos would knock a two-run double down the left field line and Martinez hit a sacrifice fly to right field, driving in Dorighi and Yunger to hand the Terriers a seven-run lead and eventual 10-3 victory.
Roos finished 2-for-3 with one run, a double and four RBIs to lead Wofford at the plate. Dorighi went 3-for-5 with one run scored, one double and one RBI, while Yunger went 2-for-2 with a run scored and one RBI. Hester, Dempsey, Galanie and Renwick all had one hit apiece.
David was 1-for-4 with one run scored, one home run and two RBIs to pace the Bulldogs. Stephen Klein went 1-for-3 with one run scored in the loss. Howe, King, Dreier and Staton also recorded one hit each.
Wofford’s Holden Wilder improved to 8-0 with the win, as he allowed only one hit and no runs scored in 1.2 innings of action. Buchanan started for the Terriers, allowing three runs on four hits, and tallying five strikeouts in 4.1 innings pitched, while Luke Stephens closed the contest, allowing only one hit and no runs scored in three innings of action. Stephens recorded his first save of the 2022 campaign in Saturday’s win.
Cole Fryman (0-3) took the loss for the Bulldogs. He allowed three runs on two hits in less than one inning pitched. Four other Samford pitchers took the mound in the contest, allowing seven runs on nine hits in eight innings pitched.
UNCG 16, Mercer 5
GREENVILLE, S.C. — UNCG registered 16 runs on 24 hits, scoring in five of eight innings to secure a 16-5 victory in eight innings over No. 2 seed Mercer on Saturday, at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Flour Field.
UNCG (31-28) will play No. 3 Samford in the 2022 SoCon Championship semifinal round tonight, with the Spartans looking to claim its first crown since 2017. The winner of that contest will move on to face No. 1 seed Wofford in the championship tomorrow at noon.
Mercer grabbed the first lead of the contest, scoring two runs on three hits, with Jozsef Rohrbacher starting off the inning with a single to center field, followed by Bill Knight, who singled to shortstop before Collin Price hit a single through the left side, driving in Rohrbacher for the one-run lead. After Treyson Hughes reached base on a fielder’s choice, David Burke hit an RBI groundout to shortstop, driving in Knight for the 2-0 lead.
UNCG answered back in the top of the second inning, with the Spartans recording six unearned runs on seven hits to grab a four-run lead. With one out, Dallas Callahan doubled to right center before GC Jarman singled through the right side, with Jarman advancing to second on a muffed throw and Callahan scoring on the play, cutting the Spartans deficit to 2-1. Zack Budzik singled to shortstop before Kennedy Jones singled through the right side, with Jarman scoring on the hit and Budzik and Jones advancing to third and second on the throw, respectively. Hogan Windish drew a walk in his at-bat before Pres Cavenaugh followed with a 376-foot home run, scoring Windish, Jones and Budzik to collect the Spartans’ first grand slam of the 2022 campaign and extend UNCG’s lead to 6-2.
The Spartans added two more runs in the third, with UNCG taking advantage of a single to left field, a wild pitch, a walk, and a bunt before Kennedy Jones laced a two-run single through the right side to advance Bradley Bott to second and bring Budzik and Jarman across home plate for the 8-2 advantage.
Mercer added two runs on two hits, with Price drawing a walk with two outs before Hughes hit a triple to right field. Hughes scored following a wild pitch as the Bears cut the deficit to 8-4.
UNCG added three more runs in the top of the fourth, pulling away with an 11-4 lead after Callahan and Jarman doubled to left field and singled up the middle, respectively, before Budzik blasted a double to left field. Budzik scored on an error two batters later that gave the Spartans a seven-run lead.
After both teams went scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings, the Spartans scored two runs on two hits in the seventh and three runs on five hits in the eighth as UNCG ballooned its lead to 16-5 to secure the win.
Budzik went 4-for-4 with four runs, two doubles and two RBIs to lead the Spartans at the plate. Cavenaugh and Jones both went 4-for-6 with Cavenaugh finishing with two runs scored, one home run and four RBIs, while Jones concluded the contest with two runs scored, one home run and five RBIs. GC Jarman had three hits, while Windish, Smith, Hardison and Callahan recorded two hits each.
Hughes was 2-for-4 with one run scored, one triple and one RBI to pace the Bears, while Rohrbacher was 2-for-5 with one run scored. Antonio Brown, Price, Burke and Knight also recorded one hit each.
UNCG’s Sam Murchison improved to 2-2 with the win, as he allowed four runs on six hits and tallied seven strikeouts in six innings of action. Preston King closed the game for the Spartans, allowing one run on two hits, and tallying three strikeouts in three innings pitched.
Josh Farmer (6-3) took the loss for the Bears, allowing six runs, none earned, on eight hits in 1.2 innings pitched. Five other Bears pitchers took the mound in the contest, allowing 10 runs on 16 hits in 6.1 innings pitched.
UNCG 8, Samford 2
GREENVILLE, S.C. — UNCG tallied eight runs on 15 hits, scoring in five of nine innings to secure an 8-2 victory over No. 3 seed Samford on Saturday, at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Flour Field.
The Spartans (32-28) will face top-seeded Wofford at noon on Sunday and must beat the Terriers twice to claim the SoCon tournament title. Wofford, which topped Samford 10-3 earlier Saturday to advance to the title game, needs just one win to claim its first crown since 2007. The squads will be meeting in the title tilt for the first time.
UNCG exploded early in the contest, scoring two runs on two hits in the first inning. Kennedy Jones started the frame with a double down the left field line before Hogan Windish knocked a double to left center, driving in Jones for the one-run lead. Mitchell Smith hit an unassisted RBI groundout to first base, scoring Windish to put the Spartans ahead 2-0.
The Spartans went on to add one run each in the fourth and fifth to extend their lead to 4-0. With two outs in the top of the fourth, Zack Budzik and Bradley Bott hit back-to-back singles to center and left field, respectively, before Jones reached base on an error, advancing Bott to second as Budzik scored on the play to give UNCG a 3-0 advantage. Pres Cavenaugh opened the fifth inning with a double to right center before Smith laced an RBI single to left field, driving in Cavenaugh for the four-run lead.
The Spartans added two runs each in the sixth and seventh innings, with UNCG scoring two runs on four hits in the sixth and two runs on two hits in the seventh. Bott opened the sixth with a single to left field before Jones hit an RBI single to right field, driving in Bott to make it a 5-0 contest. With two outs in the inning, Greg Hardison singled through the right side, to score Jones and give the Spartans a 6-0 advantage.
GC Jarman drew a walk to start the Spartans off in the seventh inning. Budzik followed with a double down the left field line before Jones laced an RBI single up the middle to drive in Budzik as the Spartans lead ballooned to 8-0.
The Bulldogs looked to make a comeback in the eighth and ninth inning, with Samford adding one run on three hits in the bottom of the eighth after Stephen Klein laced a double to right field before he crossed the plate on a passed ball to cut the Bulldogs’ deficit to 8-1. Samford added one more run in the ninth, with Klein knocking an RBI single to right field, driving in Colton Ledbetter, who drew a walk in his at-bat in the frame. However, Samford’s two runs in the final two frames were not enough, as UNCG went on to clinch the 8-2 victory.
Jones went 4-for-6 with two runs, two doubles and one RBI to lead the Spartans at the plate. Cavenaugh, Budzik and Bott all went 2-for-5 with Cavenaugh finishing with two runs scored and one RBI, while Budzik and Bott concluded the contest with one run scored each. Windish, Smith, Hardison, Callahan and GC Jarman recorded one hit each, while the team recorded six doubles and drew five walks.
Maurice Hampton was 2-for-3 with one walk to pace the Bulldogs, while Klein was 2-for-5 with one run scored, a double and an RBI in the loss. Garrett Staton, Kaden Dreier and Ledbetter also recorded one hit each.
UNCG’s Price King improved to 3-1 with the win, allowing no runs on three hits and tallying four strikeouts in six innings of action. Camden Noble closed the game for the Spartans, allowing two runs on two hits, and tallying two strikeouts in three innings pitched.
Brody Westbrooks (3-4) took the loss for the Bulldogs, allowing four runs on seven hits in four innings pitched. Jalon Long and Dominic Ganley also took the mound for Samford in the contest, with Long allowing four runs on seven hits and recording four strikeouts in three innings of action and Ganley allowed no runs and one hit in two innings pitched.
May 25 (Wednesday)
Game 1: #8 The Citadel 3, #5 ETSU 1
Game 2: #6 Western Carolina 4, #7 VMI 1
Game 3: #4 UNCG 7, #8 The Citadel 6
Game 4: #3 Samford 22, #6 Western Carolina 3
May 27 (Friday)
Game 5: #1 Wofford 6, #4 UNCG 3
Game 6: #3 Samford 13, #2 Mercer 10
Game 7: #4 UNCG 9, #6 Western Carolina 7
Game 8: #2 Mercer 2, #8 The Citadel 1
May 28 (Saturday)
Game 9: #1 Wofford 10, #3 Samford 3
Game 10: #4 UNCG 16, #2 Mercer 5
Game 11: #4 UNCG 8, #3 Samford 2
May 29 (Sunday)
Game 12: #1 Wofford vs. #4 UNCG 12 p.m.
Game 13: Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser^ 40 minutes after Game 12
^ if necessary
GREENVILLE, S.C. — After entering the bottom of the fifth inning trailing 3-2, Wofford’s bats came alive, with the Terriers scoring four runs on five hits in the frame and another four runs in the sixth to secure a 10-3 victory over No. 3 seed Samford on Saturday, at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
Wofford (30-28) advances to the 2022 SoCon Championship title round on Sunday at noon, with the Terriers looking to claim its first crown since 2007 after securing the regular season title this season for the second straight year. The winner between No. 2 seed Mercer and No. 4 seed UNCG will face No. 3 seed Samford tonight, and the winner of that contest will move on to face the Terriers.
Wofford took an early lead in the contest, with Nolen Hester, John Dempsey and Ryan Galanie all drawing walks to load the bases before Brennen Dorighi knocked a single up the middle to advance Galanie to third and score Dempsey at home, handing the Terriers the 1-0 advantage.
Samford answered with two runs on one hit in the top of the fourth, with Will David lacing a 396-foot two-run home run over the left center field fence to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 advantage before the Terriers evened the score in the bottom of the frame after Brice Martinez hit an RBI groundout to the right side of the infield, advancing Yunger to third and driving in Renwick to make it a 2-2 contest.
The Bulldogs added one more run in the top of the fifth, with Garrett Staton singling to Wofford pitcher Coulson Buchanan and Garrett Howe doubling to right center before Towns King hit an RBI groundout to shortstop, advancing Howe to third and driving Staton across home plate, giving Samford a 3-2 lead.
Wofford exploded in the fifth and sixth innings, with the Terriers scoring four runs on five hits in the fifth and four runs on three hits in the sixth. After Dempsey and Brennen Dorighi opened the bottom of the fifth with a single to center field and double to left field, respectively, Jack Renwick drew a walk, loading the bases for Wofford. Yunger hit a line-drive single to right field, scoring Dempsey, before Zeb Roos stepped up and hit a two-run RBI single through the left side, driving in Renwick and Dorighi to extend Wofford’s lead to 5-3. Hester concluded the inning with a single through the left side to score Roos, as the Terriers lead ballooned to 6-3.
After holding Samford scoreless in the top of the sixth, the Terriers carried their momentum into the bottom of the frame, with Wofford taking advantage of a Galanie walk and a Dorighi single to left center before Renwick followed with his own single to left field, driving in Galanie to make the score 7-3. Yunger drew a walk on the next at-bat, then Roos would knock a two-run double down the left field line and Martinez hit a sacrifice fly to right field, driving in Dorighi and Yunger to hand the Terriers a seven-run lead and eventual 10-3 victory.
Roos finished 2-for-3 with one run, a double and four RBIs to lead Wofford at the plate. Dorighi went 3-for-5 with one run scored, one double and one RBI, while Yunger went 2-for-2 with a run scored and one RBI. Hester, Dempsey, Galanie and Renwick all had one hit apiece.
David was 1-for-4 with one run scored, one home run and two RBIs to pace the Bulldogs. Stephen Klein went 1-for-3 with one run scored in the loss. Howe, King, Dreier and Staton also recorded one hit each.
Wofford’s Holden Wilder improved to 8-0 with the win, as he allowed only one hit and no runs scored in 1.2 innings of action. Buchanan started for the Terriers, allowing three runs on four hits, and tallying five strikeouts in 4.1 innings pitched, while Luke Stephens closed the contest, allowing only one hit and no runs scored in three innings of action. Stephens recorded his first save of the 2022 campaign in Saturday’s win.
Cole Fryman (0-3) took the loss for the Bulldogs. He allowed three runs on two hits in less than one inning pitched. Four other Samford pitchers took the mound in the contest, allowing seven runs on nine hits in eight innings pitched.
UNCG 16, Mercer 5
GREENVILLE, S.C. — UNCG registered 16 runs on 24 hits, scoring in five of eight innings to secure a 16-5 victory in eight innings over No. 2 seed Mercer on Saturday, at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Flour Field.
UNCG (31-28) will play No. 3 Samford in the 2022 SoCon Championship semifinal round tonight, with the Spartans looking to claim its first crown since 2017. The winner of that contest will move on to face No. 1 seed Wofford in the championship tomorrow at noon.
Mercer grabbed the first lead of the contest, scoring two runs on three hits, with Jozsef Rohrbacher starting off the inning with a single to center field, followed by Bill Knight, who singled to shortstop before Collin Price hit a single through the left side, driving in Rohrbacher for the one-run lead. After Treyson Hughes reached base on a fielder’s choice, David Burke hit an RBI groundout to shortstop, driving in Knight for the 2-0 lead.
UNCG answered back in the top of the second inning, with the Spartans recording six unearned runs on seven hits to grab a four-run lead. With one out, Dallas Callahan doubled to right center before GC Jarman singled through the right side, with Jarman advancing to second on a muffed throw and Callahan scoring on the play, cutting the Spartans deficit to 2-1. Zack Budzik singled to shortstop before Kennedy Jones singled through the right side, with Jarman scoring on the hit and Budzik and Jones advancing to third and second on the throw, respectively. Hogan Windish drew a walk in his at-bat before Pres Cavenaugh followed with a 376-foot home run, scoring Windish, Jones and Budzik to collect the Spartans’ first grand slam of the 2022 campaign and extend UNCG’s lead to 6-2.
The Spartans added two more runs in the third, with UNCG taking advantage of a single to left field, a wild pitch, a walk, and a bunt before Kennedy Jones laced a two-run single through the right side to advance Bradley Bott to second and bring Budzik and Jarman across home plate for the 8-2 advantage.
Mercer added two runs on two hits, with Price drawing a walk with two outs before Hughes hit a triple to right field. Hughes scored following a wild pitch as the Bears cut the deficit to 8-4.
UNCG added three more runs in the top of the fourth, pulling away with an 11-4 lead after Callahan and Jarman doubled to left field and singled up the middle, respectively, before Budzik blasted a double to left field. Budzik scored on an error two batters later that gave the Spartans a seven-run lead.
After both teams went scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings, the Spartans scored two runs on two hits in the seventh and three runs on five hits in the eighth as UNCG ballooned its lead to 16-5 to secure the win.
Budzik went 4-for-4 with four runs, two doubles and two RBIs to lead the Spartans at the plate. Cavenaugh and Jones both went 4-for-6 with Cavenaugh finishing with two runs scored, one home run and four RBIs, while Jones concluded the contest with two runs scored, one home run and five RBIs. GC Jarman had three hits, while Windish, Smith, Hardison and Callahan recorded two hits each.
Hughes was 2-for-4 with one run scored, one triple and one RBI to pace the Bears, while Rohrbacher was 2-for-5 with one run scored. Antonio Brown, Price, Burke and Knight also recorded one hit each.
UNCG’s Sam Murchison improved to 2-2 with the win, as he allowed four runs on six hits and tallied seven strikeouts in six innings of action. Preston King closed the game for the Spartans, allowing one run on two hits, and tallying three strikeouts in three innings pitched.
Josh Farmer (6-3) took the loss for the Bears, allowing six runs, none earned, on eight hits in 1.2 innings pitched. Five other Bears pitchers took the mound in the contest, allowing 10 runs on 16 hits in 6.1 innings pitched.
UNCG 8, Samford 2
GREENVILLE, S.C. — UNCG tallied eight runs on 15 hits, scoring in five of nine innings to secure an 8-2 victory over No. 3 seed Samford on Saturday, at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Flour Field.
The Spartans (32-28) will face top-seeded Wofford at noon on Sunday and must beat the Terriers twice to claim the SoCon tournament title. Wofford, which topped Samford 10-3 earlier Saturday to advance to the title game, needs just one win to claim its first crown since 2007. The squads will be meeting in the title tilt for the first time.
UNCG exploded early in the contest, scoring two runs on two hits in the first inning. Kennedy Jones started the frame with a double down the left field line before Hogan Windish knocked a double to left center, driving in Jones for the one-run lead. Mitchell Smith hit an unassisted RBI groundout to first base, scoring Windish to put the Spartans ahead 2-0.
The Spartans went on to add one run each in the fourth and fifth to extend their lead to 4-0. With two outs in the top of the fourth, Zack Budzik and Bradley Bott hit back-to-back singles to center and left field, respectively, before Jones reached base on an error, advancing Bott to second as Budzik scored on the play to give UNCG a 3-0 advantage. Pres Cavenaugh opened the fifth inning with a double to right center before Smith laced an RBI single to left field, driving in Cavenaugh for the four-run lead.
The Spartans added two runs each in the sixth and seventh innings, with UNCG scoring two runs on four hits in the sixth and two runs on two hits in the seventh. Bott opened the sixth with a single to left field before Jones hit an RBI single to right field, driving in Bott to make it a 5-0 contest. With two outs in the inning, Greg Hardison singled through the right side, to score Jones and give the Spartans a 6-0 advantage.
GC Jarman drew a walk to start the Spartans off in the seventh inning. Budzik followed with a double down the left field line before Jones laced an RBI single up the middle to drive in Budzik as the Spartans lead ballooned to 8-0.
The Bulldogs looked to make a comeback in the eighth and ninth inning, with Samford adding one run on three hits in the bottom of the eighth after Stephen Klein laced a double to right field before he crossed the plate on a passed ball to cut the Bulldogs’ deficit to 8-1. Samford added one more run in the ninth, with Klein knocking an RBI single to right field, driving in Colton Ledbetter, who drew a walk in his at-bat in the frame. However, Samford’s two runs in the final two frames were not enough, as UNCG went on to clinch the 8-2 victory.
Jones went 4-for-6 with two runs, two doubles and one RBI to lead the Spartans at the plate. Cavenaugh, Budzik and Bott all went 2-for-5 with Cavenaugh finishing with two runs scored and one RBI, while Budzik and Bott concluded the contest with one run scored each. Windish, Smith, Hardison, Callahan and GC Jarman recorded one hit each, while the team recorded six doubles and drew five walks.
Maurice Hampton was 2-for-3 with one walk to pace the Bulldogs, while Klein was 2-for-5 with one run scored, a double and an RBI in the loss. Garrett Staton, Kaden Dreier and Ledbetter also recorded one hit each.
UNCG’s Price King improved to 3-1 with the win, allowing no runs on three hits and tallying four strikeouts in six innings of action. Camden Noble closed the game for the Spartans, allowing two runs on two hits, and tallying two strikeouts in three innings pitched.
Brody Westbrooks (3-4) took the loss for the Bulldogs, allowing four runs on seven hits in four innings pitched. Jalon Long and Dominic Ganley also took the mound for Samford in the contest, with Long allowing four runs on seven hits and recording four strikeouts in three innings of action and Ganley allowed no runs and one hit in two innings pitched.
May 25 (Wednesday)
Game 1: #8 The Citadel 3, #5 ETSU 1
Game 2: #6 Western Carolina 4, #7 VMI 1
Game 3: #4 UNCG 7, #8 The Citadel 6
Game 4: #3 Samford 22, #6 Western Carolina 3
May 27 (Friday)
Game 5: #1 Wofford 6, #4 UNCG 3
Game 6: #3 Samford 13, #2 Mercer 10
Game 7: #4 UNCG 9, #6 Western Carolina 7
Game 8: #2 Mercer 2, #8 The Citadel 1
May 28 (Saturday)
Game 9: #1 Wofford 10, #3 Samford 3
Game 10: #4 UNCG 16, #2 Mercer 5
Game 11: #4 UNCG 8, #3 Samford 2
May 29 (Sunday)
Game 12: #1 Wofford vs. #4 UNCG 12 p.m.
Game 13: Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser^ 40 minutes after Game 12
^ if necessary
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