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Day one roundup of SoCon Baseball Championship
UNCG remains in winner's bracket via walk-off
No. 8 The Citadel 3, No. 5 ETSU 1
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Eighth-seeded The Citadel defeated No. 5 seed ETSU 3-1 in the first game of the 2022 Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases on Wednesday.
The Bulldogs (25-29), who entered the tournament on a two-game losing streak after going 1-2 in their final regular season series against the Bucs, scored three runs in the first inning and held the Bucs to only one run to secure the win. The squad will face No. 4 UNCG later this afternoon, with the winner of the contest scheduled to face top-seeded Wofford (40-14-1) on Friday at 9 a.m.
The Citadel’s Sawyer Reeves and Cole Simpson, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI and 2-for-2 with two doubles and one walk, respectively, led the squad on offense and were two of three Bulldogs to score in the first inning to give The Citadel the early advantage.
Noah Mitchell got the Bulldogs on the board early, opening the first inning with a single to left field followed by Travis Lott’s double to right field that scored Mitchell and handed the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. The Citadel’s first inning scoring marathon didn’t stop there, as Sawyer Reeves laced a single through the right side to score Lott, increasing the Bulldog lead to 2-0, and advance Cole Simpson to third, who was hit by a pitch in his at bat. The Citadel extended their lead to 3-0 going into the bottom of the first after Simpson scored off a Reeves steal attempt.
Cameron Reeves earned the start for the Bulldogs and faced only seven batters in the first two innings, striking out one and forcing two fly-outs and two-groundouts to maintain The Citadel’s 3-0 lead. The sophomore from Rock Hill, South Carolina, went on to throw eight additional scoreless innings, tallying eight strikeouts and allowing only one run on eight hits to register the complete-game victory. The complete game is Reeves’ first of the 2022 campaign, bringing his record to 4-7 on the season.
The Buccaneers got on the board with one run in the bottom of the seventh. Catcher Ryan McCarthy knocked a double down the left field line and crossed the plate after Ashton King’s sacrifice fly to right field. King led the ETSU offense, going 1-for-3 with one RBI.
ETSU pitcher Zach Kirby started for the Bucs, allowing seven hits and three runs, while recording six strikeouts in seven innings pitched. Matt Bollenbacher entered to pitch in the eighth and faced seven total batters, allowing one hit and recording one strikeout in his two-inning appearance.
No. 6 Western Carolina 4, No. 7 VMI 1
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Sixth-seeded Western Carolina recorded a 4-1 victory over No. 7 seed VMI in the second game of the 2022 Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
The Catamounts (26-29-1) move on to face No. 3 seed Samford in the nightcap at 7:30 p.m. The winner will play No. 2 seed Mercer on Friday at 12:30 p.m.
Western Carolina scored in the bottom of the second inning to take a 1-0 lead as sophomore third baseman Zach Ketterman knocked a double down the right field line before Seth Graves laced a double to right field, advancing Brandon Butterworth to third, who drew a walk, driving in Ketterman for the one-run lead.
Freshman right-hander Tyler Kaltreider earned the start for the Keydets, facing only three batters in the first inning, before allowing five hits, one run and two walks in his 4.1 innings pitched. Left-handed pitcher Will Lopez entered the contest in the bottom of the fifth, throwing only one inning before redshirt freshman Will Riley took the mound in the sixth.
Scoring halted until the bottom of the sixth, where the Catamounts scored three runs on two hits and an error to secure a 4-0 advantage over VMI. Western Carolina loaded the bases in the first three at-bats of the inning, with Jordan Starkes drawing a walk, Ketterman singling through the left side and Butterworth singling to third before Graves recorded a sacrifice fly to center field to drive in Starkes and hand the Catamounts a 2-0 lead. Western Carolina’s final two runs were unearned, with Bryson Parks reaching first base and Butterworth and Ketterman scoring on an error to give the Catamounts a four-run lead.
The Keydets cut the deficit down to three and finally got on the board in the eighth inning, with Zac Morris knocking a solo home run in VMI’s first at-bat of the inning.
Butterworth and Ketterman both finished 2-for-3 to lead Western Carolina at the plate, with Ketterman scoring two runs with one double and one walk and Butterworth scoring one run and drawing one walk in the win.
Morris was 1-for-4 with one run, one RBI and one home run to pace the Keydets, while redshirt sophomore Trey Morgan and sophomore Cole Garrett had one hit each.
Western Carolina’s Zebby Matthews improved to 4-6 with the win, as he allowed only one run on two hits and registered seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings of action. Zach Franklin earned the start for the Catamounts, tossing 2.2 innings with one hit, two walks and six strikeouts.
Kaltreider (3-7) took the loss for the Keydets. Lopez allowed three hits on three runs, while Riley allowed two walks and recorded two strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched.
UNCG 7, The Citadel 6
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Sophomore outfielder Pres Cavenaugh knocked a double into right field in the bottom of the ninth inning as No. 4 UNCG got a walk-off win against No. 8 seed The Citadel on Friday, 7-6, at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
The Spartans scored in the first two innings of the game, which included a solo home run in the first and two runs in the second, before the Bulldogs exploded in the top of the eighth inning, tallying five runs on five hits to secure a 5-3 lead entering the final frame of the contest. The Citadel added one more run in the top of the ninth, before UNCG scored four runs on three hits and one error in the bottom of the frame to claim the victory.
UNCG (29-27) advances to face top-seeded Wofford on Friday at 9 a.m. The Citadel will play at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and their opponent is to be determined.
The Spartans grabbed the early lead in the contest, scoring in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead as junior Hogan Windish, Coaches’ SoCon Player of the Year, hit his 14th home run of the season. Windish’s homer flew 418 feet over the Green Monster before Zack Budzik laced a double to left field in the second inning, driving in Dallas Callahan and GC Garman, who both singled up the middle, to hand the Spartans a 3-0 lead.
Scoring then halted until the eighth inning, with the Citadel’s Dylan Costa opening the frame with a double to right field, followed by back-to-back doubles from Luke Montenery and Tony Skole that drove in two Bulldog runners to cut the deficit to 3-2. The Citadel continued to cut into UNCG’s lead in the frame with three additional runs from Skole, Travis Lott and Noah Mitchell, with Skole scoring on an RBI single from Lott and both Lott and Mitchell scoring on an RBI single from Wells Sykes, respectively, to hand the Bulldogs a 5-3 lead.
After holding the Spartans scoreless in the bottom of the eighth, The Citadel added one more run in the top of the ninth after Skole laced a single to center field, driving in Montenery to take a 6-3 lead.
UNCG loaded the bases in the first three at-bats of the ninth inning, with the Spartans taking advantage of a hit batter, one walk and a Budzik single to center field. Kennedy Jones knocked a single to right field, advancing to second on an error, while Budzik, Garman and Ethan McKay, who entered the contest to pinch run, crossed home plate to even the contest 6-6. With no outs in the bottom half, Cavenaugh powered the ball to right field, driving Jones across home plate for the game-winning run.
Budzik finished 2-for-4 with one run, one double and two RBIs to lead UNCG at the plate. Jones went 1-for-5 with one run scored and two RBIs, while Windish went 1-for-2 at the plate with one RBI and a home run.
Skole was 3-for-5 with two RBIs to pace The Citadel, while Sykes and Costa had two hits each.
UNCG’s Alex Hoppe improved to 8-2 with the win, as he allowed four runs on five hits and recorded one strikeout in two innings of action. Austin Parsley started for the Spartans, allowing only two runs on eight hits and tallying five strikeouts in seven innings pitched.
Ben Hutchins (4-3) took the loss for the Bulldogs. He was charged with one run on two hits in less than one inning pitched. Devin Beckley started for The Citadel, allowing three runs on five hits and recording six strikeouts, while Hunter Floyd entered the contest in the bottom of the eight, allowing three runs on one hit in 0.1 innings pitched.
Samford 22, Western Carolina 3
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Led by Colton Ledbetter’s five-hit, nine-RBI effort, No. 3 seed Samford defeated No. 6 seed Western Carolina 22-3 in seven innings in Wednesday’s final game at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
Samford (29-27) advances to face No. 2 seed Mercer on Friday at 12:30 p.m. The winner will play the winner between top-seeded Wofford and No. 4 UNCG on Saturday at 9 a.m. WCU will play at 4 p.m. Friday versus the loser of the Wofford/UNCG contest.
Western Carolina (26-30-1) got on the board first, scoring one run on two hits in the top of the first, before the Bulldogs answered with three runs on three hits in the bottom of the frame to lead 3-1. The Catamounts scored two more runs in the second inning before Samford exploded in the bottom of the third, recording 11 runs on eight hits and two errors to go ahead 14-3.
The Catamounts scored in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead as sophomore shortstop Pascanel Ferreras laced a 373-foot solo blast over the Green Monster, registering his 15th home run of the season. Three Bulldogs, including Garrett Howe, Colton Ledbetter and Will David, all singled in the bottom of the first, driving in three runs to secure a 3-1 advantage.
Western Carolina evened the score at 3-3 in the top of the second, with Seth Graves and Zach Ketterman both hitting sacrifice flies to drive in Bryson Parks and Brandon Butterworth.
The Bulldogs reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the third, with Samford scoring 11 runs on eight hits in the frame to take a 14-3 lead before scoring eight runs on nine hits in the fourth and fifth innings to extend the Bulldog lead to 22-3. Ledbetter’s homer in the fourth flew 418 feet over the Green Monster before the sophomore from Hoover, Alabama, knocked his second homer of the game in the fifth, a solo blast that went 398 feet, making it a 22-3 contest.
Ledbetter finished 5-for-5 to lead the Bulldogs at the plate. His nine RBIs tie a career-high set during Samford’s series against Western Carolina this season and marks a new SoCon tournament record for most RBIs in a game. David went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and five RBIs, while Towns King went 3-for-4 with four runs and one RBI in the victory.
Ferreras went 2-for-2 with one run, one RBI and one home run to pace the Catamounts, while Butterworth went 2-for-3 with one run scored and Will Prater went 1-for-3 with one walk.
Samford’s Jacob Cravey improved to 5-3 with the win, allowing three runs on four hits and tallying three strikeouts in four innings pitched.
Gavin Mortenson (5-9) took the loss for Western Carolina. He was charged with 10 runs on eight hits in 2.1 innings of work, striking out four.
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: #6 Western Carolina 22 vs. #3 Samford 3
May 27 (Friday)
Game 5: #4 UNCG vs. #1 Wofford 9 a.m.
Game 6: #3 Samford vs. #2 Mercer 12:30 p.m.
Game 7: Loser Game 4 vs. Loser Game 5 4 p.m.
Game 8: #8 The Citadel vs. Loser Game 6 7:30 p.m.
May 28 (Saturday)
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 12 p.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 3:30 p.m.
Game 11: Winner Game 10 vs. Loser Game 9 7 p.m.
May 29 (Sunday)
Game 12: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 11 12 p.m.
Game 13: Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser^ 40 minutes after Game 12
^ if necessary
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Eighth-seeded The Citadel defeated No. 5 seed ETSU 3-1 in the first game of the 2022 Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases on Wednesday.
The Bulldogs (25-29), who entered the tournament on a two-game losing streak after going 1-2 in their final regular season series against the Bucs, scored three runs in the first inning and held the Bucs to only one run to secure the win. The squad will face No. 4 UNCG later this afternoon, with the winner of the contest scheduled to face top-seeded Wofford (40-14-1) on Friday at 9 a.m.
The Citadel’s Sawyer Reeves and Cole Simpson, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI and 2-for-2 with two doubles and one walk, respectively, led the squad on offense and were two of three Bulldogs to score in the first inning to give The Citadel the early advantage.
Noah Mitchell got the Bulldogs on the board early, opening the first inning with a single to left field followed by Travis Lott’s double to right field that scored Mitchell and handed the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. The Citadel’s first inning scoring marathon didn’t stop there, as Sawyer Reeves laced a single through the right side to score Lott, increasing the Bulldog lead to 2-0, and advance Cole Simpson to third, who was hit by a pitch in his at bat. The Citadel extended their lead to 3-0 going into the bottom of the first after Simpson scored off a Reeves steal attempt.
Cameron Reeves earned the start for the Bulldogs and faced only seven batters in the first two innings, striking out one and forcing two fly-outs and two-groundouts to maintain The Citadel’s 3-0 lead. The sophomore from Rock Hill, South Carolina, went on to throw eight additional scoreless innings, tallying eight strikeouts and allowing only one run on eight hits to register the complete-game victory. The complete game is Reeves’ first of the 2022 campaign, bringing his record to 4-7 on the season.
The Buccaneers got on the board with one run in the bottom of the seventh. Catcher Ryan McCarthy knocked a double down the left field line and crossed the plate after Ashton King’s sacrifice fly to right field. King led the ETSU offense, going 1-for-3 with one RBI.
ETSU pitcher Zach Kirby started for the Bucs, allowing seven hits and three runs, while recording six strikeouts in seven innings pitched. Matt Bollenbacher entered to pitch in the eighth and faced seven total batters, allowing one hit and recording one strikeout in his two-inning appearance.
No. 6 Western Carolina 4, No. 7 VMI 1
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Sixth-seeded Western Carolina recorded a 4-1 victory over No. 7 seed VMI in the second game of the 2022 Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
The Catamounts (26-29-1) move on to face No. 3 seed Samford in the nightcap at 7:30 p.m. The winner will play No. 2 seed Mercer on Friday at 12:30 p.m.
Western Carolina scored in the bottom of the second inning to take a 1-0 lead as sophomore third baseman Zach Ketterman knocked a double down the right field line before Seth Graves laced a double to right field, advancing Brandon Butterworth to third, who drew a walk, driving in Ketterman for the one-run lead.
Freshman right-hander Tyler Kaltreider earned the start for the Keydets, facing only three batters in the first inning, before allowing five hits, one run and two walks in his 4.1 innings pitched. Left-handed pitcher Will Lopez entered the contest in the bottom of the fifth, throwing only one inning before redshirt freshman Will Riley took the mound in the sixth.
Scoring halted until the bottom of the sixth, where the Catamounts scored three runs on two hits and an error to secure a 4-0 advantage over VMI. Western Carolina loaded the bases in the first three at-bats of the inning, with Jordan Starkes drawing a walk, Ketterman singling through the left side and Butterworth singling to third before Graves recorded a sacrifice fly to center field to drive in Starkes and hand the Catamounts a 2-0 lead. Western Carolina’s final two runs were unearned, with Bryson Parks reaching first base and Butterworth and Ketterman scoring on an error to give the Catamounts a four-run lead.
The Keydets cut the deficit down to three and finally got on the board in the eighth inning, with Zac Morris knocking a solo home run in VMI’s first at-bat of the inning.
Butterworth and Ketterman both finished 2-for-3 to lead Western Carolina at the plate, with Ketterman scoring two runs with one double and one walk and Butterworth scoring one run and drawing one walk in the win.
Morris was 1-for-4 with one run, one RBI and one home run to pace the Keydets, while redshirt sophomore Trey Morgan and sophomore Cole Garrett had one hit each.
Western Carolina’s Zebby Matthews improved to 4-6 with the win, as he allowed only one run on two hits and registered seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings of action. Zach Franklin earned the start for the Catamounts, tossing 2.2 innings with one hit, two walks and six strikeouts.
Kaltreider (3-7) took the loss for the Keydets. Lopez allowed three hits on three runs, while Riley allowed two walks and recorded two strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched.
UNCG 7, The Citadel 6
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Sophomore outfielder Pres Cavenaugh knocked a double into right field in the bottom of the ninth inning as No. 4 UNCG got a walk-off win against No. 8 seed The Citadel on Friday, 7-6, at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
The Spartans scored in the first two innings of the game, which included a solo home run in the first and two runs in the second, before the Bulldogs exploded in the top of the eighth inning, tallying five runs on five hits to secure a 5-3 lead entering the final frame of the contest. The Citadel added one more run in the top of the ninth, before UNCG scored four runs on three hits and one error in the bottom of the frame to claim the victory.
UNCG (29-27) advances to face top-seeded Wofford on Friday at 9 a.m. The Citadel will play at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and their opponent is to be determined.
The Spartans grabbed the early lead in the contest, scoring in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead as junior Hogan Windish, Coaches’ SoCon Player of the Year, hit his 14th home run of the season. Windish’s homer flew 418 feet over the Green Monster before Zack Budzik laced a double to left field in the second inning, driving in Dallas Callahan and GC Garman, who both singled up the middle, to hand the Spartans a 3-0 lead.
Scoring then halted until the eighth inning, with the Citadel’s Dylan Costa opening the frame with a double to right field, followed by back-to-back doubles from Luke Montenery and Tony Skole that drove in two Bulldog runners to cut the deficit to 3-2. The Citadel continued to cut into UNCG’s lead in the frame with three additional runs from Skole, Travis Lott and Noah Mitchell, with Skole scoring on an RBI single from Lott and both Lott and Mitchell scoring on an RBI single from Wells Sykes, respectively, to hand the Bulldogs a 5-3 lead.
After holding the Spartans scoreless in the bottom of the eighth, The Citadel added one more run in the top of the ninth after Skole laced a single to center field, driving in Montenery to take a 6-3 lead.
UNCG loaded the bases in the first three at-bats of the ninth inning, with the Spartans taking advantage of a hit batter, one walk and a Budzik single to center field. Kennedy Jones knocked a single to right field, advancing to second on an error, while Budzik, Garman and Ethan McKay, who entered the contest to pinch run, crossed home plate to even the contest 6-6. With no outs in the bottom half, Cavenaugh powered the ball to right field, driving Jones across home plate for the game-winning run.
Budzik finished 2-for-4 with one run, one double and two RBIs to lead UNCG at the plate. Jones went 1-for-5 with one run scored and two RBIs, while Windish went 1-for-2 at the plate with one RBI and a home run.
Skole was 3-for-5 with two RBIs to pace The Citadel, while Sykes and Costa had two hits each.
UNCG’s Alex Hoppe improved to 8-2 with the win, as he allowed four runs on five hits and recorded one strikeout in two innings of action. Austin Parsley started for the Spartans, allowing only two runs on eight hits and tallying five strikeouts in seven innings pitched.
Ben Hutchins (4-3) took the loss for the Bulldogs. He was charged with one run on two hits in less than one inning pitched. Devin Beckley started for The Citadel, allowing three runs on five hits and recording six strikeouts, while Hunter Floyd entered the contest in the bottom of the eight, allowing three runs on one hit in 0.1 innings pitched.
Samford 22, Western Carolina 3
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Led by Colton Ledbetter’s five-hit, nine-RBI effort, No. 3 seed Samford defeated No. 6 seed Western Carolina 22-3 in seven innings in Wednesday’s final game at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
Samford (29-27) advances to face No. 2 seed Mercer on Friday at 12:30 p.m. The winner will play the winner between top-seeded Wofford and No. 4 UNCG on Saturday at 9 a.m. WCU will play at 4 p.m. Friday versus the loser of the Wofford/UNCG contest.
Western Carolina (26-30-1) got on the board first, scoring one run on two hits in the top of the first, before the Bulldogs answered with three runs on three hits in the bottom of the frame to lead 3-1. The Catamounts scored two more runs in the second inning before Samford exploded in the bottom of the third, recording 11 runs on eight hits and two errors to go ahead 14-3.
The Catamounts scored in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead as sophomore shortstop Pascanel Ferreras laced a 373-foot solo blast over the Green Monster, registering his 15th home run of the season. Three Bulldogs, including Garrett Howe, Colton Ledbetter and Will David, all singled in the bottom of the first, driving in three runs to secure a 3-1 advantage.
Western Carolina evened the score at 3-3 in the top of the second, with Seth Graves and Zach Ketterman both hitting sacrifice flies to drive in Bryson Parks and Brandon Butterworth.
The Bulldogs reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the third, with Samford scoring 11 runs on eight hits in the frame to take a 14-3 lead before scoring eight runs on nine hits in the fourth and fifth innings to extend the Bulldog lead to 22-3. Ledbetter’s homer in the fourth flew 418 feet over the Green Monster before the sophomore from Hoover, Alabama, knocked his second homer of the game in the fifth, a solo blast that went 398 feet, making it a 22-3 contest.
Ledbetter finished 5-for-5 to lead the Bulldogs at the plate. His nine RBIs tie a career-high set during Samford’s series against Western Carolina this season and marks a new SoCon tournament record for most RBIs in a game. David went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and five RBIs, while Towns King went 3-for-4 with four runs and one RBI in the victory.
Ferreras went 2-for-2 with one run, one RBI and one home run to pace the Catamounts, while Butterworth went 2-for-3 with one run scored and Will Prater went 1-for-3 with one walk.
Samford’s Jacob Cravey improved to 5-3 with the win, allowing three runs on four hits and tallying three strikeouts in four innings pitched.
Gavin Mortenson (5-9) took the loss for Western Carolina. He was charged with 10 runs on eight hits in 2.1 innings of work, striking out four.
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: #6 Western Carolina 22 vs. #3 Samford 3
May 27 (Friday)
Game 5: #4 UNCG vs. #1 Wofford 9 a.m.
Game 6: #3 Samford vs. #2 Mercer 12:30 p.m.
Game 7: Loser Game 4 vs. Loser Game 5 4 p.m.
Game 8: #8 The Citadel vs. Loser Game 6 7:30 p.m.
May 28 (Saturday)
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 12 p.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 3:30 p.m.
Game 11: Winner Game 10 vs. Loser Game 9 7 p.m.
May 29 (Sunday)
Game 12: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 11 12 p.m.
Game 13: Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser^ 40 minutes after Game 12
^ if necessary