PBC Baseball Daily Update - April 29: Armstrong Wins Regular-Season Title!
Like the Peach Belt on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@PeachBelt)
No. 5 Pirates Capture PBC Title
With DH Split At Georgia College
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - The No. 5-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State
University baseball squad earned the 2012 Peach Belt Conference
regular season championship with a split at Georgia College on
Sunday afternoon at John Kurtz Field. The Pirates held off a
ninth-inning rally for an 8-7 win in game one, while the Bobcats
took game two, 5-2.
The Pirates (36-12, 20-10 PBC) finish one half game ahead of the
Bobcats (29-19, 19-10) for the regular season league crown, which
is the second for Armstrong in league history. The Pirates were
also champions in 2003, matching this year's league record at
20-10.
Georgia College plated an early first-inning run in game one on a
fielder's choice RBI, but the Pirates' Richie Anderson gave the
Pirates the lead in the fourth inning with a two-run single. The
Bobcats tied the game in the bottom of the fourth on a Benton Yaun
RBI groundout, then took a 4-2 lead on Jeremy Donaldson's two-run
home run.
The Pirates answered back in the top of the sixth on a solo home
run by Drew Walker, making the score 4-3. Armstrong took the lead
for good with a five-run seventh inning, keyed by Anderson's
three-run home run that put the Pirates ahead, 8-4.
Georgia College rallied in the ninth as five straight batters
reached with nobody out - a Travis Echols two-run single and a Cody
Maas RBI single brought the Bobcats to with one run, but Ethan
Bader retired the next three batters in order with the tying run at
second base to preserve the victory and earn Armstrong the league
title.
Chandler Hall (8-2) picked up the win for the Pirates, scattering
14 hits and six runs in eight-plus innings of work, walking one
while striking out four. Bader gave up two hits and a run but
walked one and struck out one in one inning of work for his second
save of the season.
Matt LaMothe (4-1) took the loss in relief for the Bobcats, giving
up four hits and five runs - four earned - in 1 1/3 innings of
work, walking two while striking out one.
Anderson paced the Pirates in game one with a 4-for-5 day with a
season-high five RBIs, while Walker went 2-for-3 with three runs
scored and two RBis. Echols led the Bobcats in game one with a
3-for-5 day with three RBIs.
Georgia College then scored runs in each of the third through sixth
innings, erasing an early 2-0 Pirate lead for the 5-2 win in game
two.
Casey Maloney doubled to lead off the game and an RBI groundout by
Alex Frederick plated a first-inning run for the Pirates, then Will
Thomas' RBI groundout in the third made it a 2-0 Pirate
advantage.
Echols' RBI double in the third made it a 2-1 game, then Josh
Young's RBI triple in the fourth tied the score at 2-2. A sacrifice
fly by Clay Ardeeser in the fifth inning put the Bobcats up, 3-2,
then two errors by the Pirates in the sixth added two insurance
runs for Georgia College.
Matt Kaplan (1-1) picked up the game two win for the Bobcats,
giving up five hits and two runs in eight innings of work, walking
two while striking out six. Zack Hula hurled a shutout ninth for
his sixth save of the season. Bader (10-4) took the loss for the
Pirates, giving up nine hits and three runs in 4 2/3 innings of
work, walking one while striking out four.
Lander Baseball Sweeps North Georgia, 10-5,
17-0
DAHLONEGA, Ga. - Jordan Owens struck for two home runs in the first
game and Kevin Childs blasted a first-inning grand slam in the
second to lead the Lander baseball team to a Peach Belt Conference
doubleheader sweep against North Georgia Sunday afternoon at Bob
Stein Stadium. Lander won the first game, 10-5, and the second,
17-0.
Lander improves to 33-16 overall and 17-12 in the PBC. The Bearcats
tied a school-record for wins in a season with the 1999, 2001 and
2004 teams. North Georgia drops to 23-25, 13-15.
The 17-run win in the second game is the highest win margin and the
most runs scored in a game for the Bearcats this season.
In the first game, Lander's Todd Hughson (3-3) earned the win after
striking out three, walking five and allowing five earned runs on
six hits in 5.1 innings pitched.
North Georgia's Jacob Beauchamp (5-2) suffered the loss, striking
out four, walking four and allowing nine earned runs on 11 hits in
5.1 innings.
Lander took a 3-0 lead in the second inning on RBI doubles by Colby
Painter and Aaron Poole, followed by Poole scoring on a wild
pitch.
North Georgia cut the margin to 3-1 in the bottom of the inning
after Terrell Jones scored on Tremayne Toorie's RBI groundout.
The Bearcats stretched the margin to 4-1 in the third on Owens'
leadoff homer, his seventh roundtripper of the year, to left
centerfield.
Owens came right back the next inning and stroked a three-run shot
over the right centerfield wall to put Lander up 7-1.
With bases loaded in the sixth, Jeff May's second double of the
game drove in Weston Lawing, Kevin Starr and Owens to give Lander a
10-1 advantage.
The Saints rallied for four runs in the sixth to trim the lead to
10-5 on Toorie's bases-loaded walk, Eason Spivey's RBI groundout
and Dustin Carpenter's RBI single that drove in Toorie and Andrew
Gordon.
For Lander, May batted 4-for-5, Owens 3-for-5 and Painter
2-for-5.
For North Georgia, Hooper went 3-for-5 and Black 2-for-5.
In the second game, Chris Thomas (7-2) was awarded the two-hit,
complete-game shutout victory after striking out 10 and walking
two.
North Georgia's Blake Hobby (8-3) suffered the loss, striking out
two, walking one and allowing nine earned runs on eight hits in 3.1
innings pitched.
Lander wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. With bases loaded
-- AJ Nunziato tripled, Patrick Grady was hit by a pitch and Owens
walked -- Childs blasted a grand slam home run to right centerfield
for a 4-0, first-inning lead.
The Bearcats made it 6-0 with solo home runs by Painter in second
and Owens -- his third of the day -- in the third. The scoring
barrage continued with three runs in the fourth when Nunziato drove
in Poole, and Ian Harvey and Childs scored on bases-loaded
walks.
Lander made it 13-0 in the fifth on Poole's solo shot to left field
and Grady's three-run homer to center. The Bearcats upped it to
15-0 in the seventh when Starr drove in Nunziato and Owens went
home on a bases-loaded hit by pitch.
The Bearcats scored their final two runs in the last two innings
when Owens' RBI double plated Nunziato in the eighth and Poole went
home in the ninth on a bases-loaded hit by pitch.
For Lander, Nunziato batted 5-for-6, while Owens, Painter 4-for-5,
Starr and Childs 2-for-4, and Poole, 2-for-5.
Flagler Downs Columbus State 4-2 in Season
Finale
ST. AUGUSTINE – The Flagler College baseball team wrapped up
its 2012 season with a 4-2 win over Columbus State University
Sunday afternoon at Drysdale Field.
Flagler won two games in the three-game series and ended its season
with a 27-22 overall record and a 13-17 mark in the Peach Belt.
Columbus State ends its regular season with a 29-21 overall record
including a 15-15 record in league play. The Cougars will advance
to play in the conference tournament May 9-13.
With the scored tied 2-all in the bottom of the seventh inning,
Brett Moreland hammered a solo home run to right-center field with
two outs to give the Saints the lead for good.
Devon Hellett added an insurance run in the eighth when he hit a
sacrifice fly to center field.
Danny Brown (5-2) tossed seven innings, scattered seven hits and
allowed two runs. He induced 10 ground outs and six fly outs.
Max Rusch came on to pitch the last two innings and yielded two
hits and two strikeouts. He earned his ninth save of the season
which tied a school record.
Moreland finished the day 2-for-3 with a run scored and two more
driven in. John Sgromolo belted a double and scored a run.
Will Casey (6-4) also hurled seven innings for the Cougars. He
surrendered seven hits, two earned runs and fanned four.
Cameron Scott and Brett Teschner each collected a pair of
singles.
Prior to the start of the game, Flagler honored its 11 seniors: Max
Kreuter, Micah Kellogg, Max Rusch, Jonathan Armold, Devon Hellett,
Kyle Foti, Nate Fudala, Will Percy, John Sgromolo, Cade Smith, and
Charlie Stewart.
Brown earned Pitcher of the Year honors while Moreland was picked
as the team’s Offensive Player of the Year. Percy took home
Defensive Player of the Year honors while Foti was selected as the
Coaches MVP. Jay Laurienzo was tabbed as the Newcomer of the Year.
Sgromolo took home Team MVP honors.
Falcons Fall at #4 Tusculum, 6-3
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Montevallo baseball
team (24-25) dropped their regular season finale to fourth-ranked
Tusculum College (46-8), 6-3. The Falcons were led by senior Chris
Ross (Pelham, Ala./Jefferson State C.C.) who went 3-for-5 at the
plate with an RBI and a stolen base. While the Falcons battled in
non-conference action many of the Peach Belt Conference teams were
in PBC action and with losses by both Columbus State University and
North Georgia College and State University the Falcons clinched the
number two seed in the West Division for the upcoming PBC
Tournament.
The Falcons will battle the number three seed for the East Division
which will either be USC Aiken or Lander University. The game is
scheduled for 8 a.m. central time on Wednesday, May 9 in Columbus,
Georgia.
Freshman Zack Willoughby (Boaz, Ala./Boaz) and junior Austin
Dubberly (Helena, Ala./Pelham) each added an RBI.
On the mound junior Devon Davis (Mason, Ohio/Indiana Tech) got the
start and went 5.0 innings with a pair of strikeouts and a pair of
walks. He allowed seven hits and four runs while taking home his
second loss of the season.
TC got on the board first with two runs in the second and a third
in the third. UM responded in the fourth as Willoughby hit an RBI
single to right centerfield to score junior Vincente Andrews
(Phenix City, Ala./Chattahoochee Valley C.C.) who had reached on an
error.
The Pioneers answered with a single run in the fifth. TC tacked on
a run in the seventh and another in the eighth to take a 6-1 lead.
UM mounted a small comeback in the ninth as junior Andrew Hill
(Helena, Ala./Pelham) and sophomore Will Fulmer (Palm Harbor,
Fla./East Lake) hit back-to-back singles after a lead-off foul out.
Dubberly provided the first RBI as he hit a grounder to the
shortstop which scored Hill. With two outs Ross hit an RBI single
to centerfield to score Fulmer and cut the lead to just three. UM's
comeback ended with a groundout as the Falcons fell 6-3.
The Falcons will return to action Wednesday, May 9 at 8 a.m. as
they travel to the Peach Belt Conference Tournament to face the
number three seed in the east.
University of Montevallo baseball team (18-18, 12-10 PBC) to an 11-0 victory over Augusta State University (11-27, 3-19 PBC) at home. Shreves is now 2
-1 in his last three starts with a 1.45 ERA. He struck out seven and did not give up a walk or hit by pitch in his nine innings of work tonight. He has
now pitched back-to-back complete games for the Falcons and is the only pitcher on the Falcons staff to have a complete game.
Senior Kirk Waligora (Hartland, Mich./Lambuth University) led the Falcons at the plate as he went 2-for-4 with a pair of homeruns, three runs scored,
five RBI and a walk. The two homeruns were the first two in Waligora's career at UM. Junior Vincente Andrews (Phenix City, Ala./Chattahoochee Valley
C.C.), senior Heath Peterson (Phenix City, Ala./Chattahoochee Valley C.C.) and sophomore Will Fulmer (Palm Harbor, Fla./East Lake) all had two hits and
an RBI. Andrews was 2-for-4 with a walk, Peterson was 2-for-4 with a run scored and a hit by pitch while Fulmer was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs
scored.
Junior Austin Dubberly (Helena, Ala./Pelham) was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Freshmen Zack Willoughby (Boaz, Ala./Boaz) was 1-for-4
with a triple and two RBI.
UM got on the board in the very first inning as Peterson hit an RBI single through the left side to score Waligora who led off the inning with a walk.
Willoughby then laced a triple to right center to score Peterson and Fulmer.
In the second UM plated two runs on a two-run homerun by Waligora to right field. The Falcons tacked on a single run in the fourth as freshman Cody
White (Cocoa, Fla./Cocoa) drove in a run on a sacrifice bunt.
Two more runs scored in the sixth as Fulmer hit an RBI double down the left field line to score White and then Andrews hit an RBI single up the middle
to score Fulmer.
UM's final three runs came in the seventh as Waligora hit a three-run homerun to right field. White and Dubberly scored on the homerun along with
Waligora.
The lone hit against Shreves came in the second as a ball made it just out of the infield.
Shreves produced 14 groundouts and just six fly outs in the game while throwing 110 pitches.
The Falcons will return to action tomorrow, April 7 at 12:00 p.m. as they host Augusta State University in a doubleheader.
Bobcat Baseball Clobbers Georgia Southwestern, 10-2
AMERICUS, Ga. – The Georgia College baseball team (21-14, 12-6 PBC) started off this weekend’s Peach Belt Conference (PBC) series at Georgia
Southwestern State University (8-28, 5-16 PBC) on the right foot, a 10-2 victory Friday night.
The Bobcats scored in all but two innings, and scored the first nine runs of the game. All but one spot in the GC order recorded a hit.
Designated hitter Cody Maas (Alpharetta, Ga.) drove in a team-high three runs tonight, despite tallying just one hit, as the junior had a pair of
sacrifice flies and an RBI single. His season RBI total of 37 ranks eighth in the league.
Leftfielder Josh Young (Lake Havasu City, Ariz.) had a 2-for-5 game with two RBI and two runs, while second baseman Jeremy Donaldson (Winder, Ga.) was
also 2-for-5 with two doubles, plating a pair. Rightfielder Bryce Williams (Manhattan, Kan.) tallied two hits in three trips, scoring a pair of runs.
Righty starter Darin Wiltgen (Reno, Nev.) continues to impress, going eight strong innings, surrendering just a pair of runs and fanning four. The
junior improves to a team-best 6-1, his six victories ranking second in the PBC.
GSW starter Matthew Suggs (2-7) couldn’t get out of the fourth inning in the losing effort. The top guy at the plate for the Hurricanes was leftfielder
Randall Sheffield, going 3-for-4 with an RBI.
GC jumped on top in the first inning, putting up a pair of runs. Young had a one-out walk, and after a Travis Echols (Suwanee, Ga.) double to left,
came in on one of Maas’ sacrifices. Echols added the second run on an error by the Canes on the very next play.
The Bobcats conclude the three-game set with a doubleheader tomorrow, April 7 beginning at 1 p.m.
Saints Trounce Patriots Behind Brown's Pitching
FLORENCE, S.C. – Danny Brown (Fort Myers, Fla., Community School of Naples) (3-1) tossed seven innings and allowed just two hits, one run and struck
out six to help Flagler College roll past No. 14 (Collegiate Baseball Division II Top 30) Francis Marion University 11-2 in a Peach Belt Conference
baseball game Friday night at Cormell Field.
Flagler improved to 22-14 overall and 10-9 in the Peach Belt. Francis Marion lost its second game in a row and fell to 24-13 overall and 12-9 in league
play.
Brown dominated right out of the gate as he retired the first 11 batters he faced and 12 of the first 13. Only a base hit by Buddy Sosnoskie in the
fourth inning broke Brown’s streak. He got into trouble in the fifth inning when he faced seven batters, but was able to get out of the inning giving
up only one run. Francis Marion entered the game with a .317 team batting average.
Flagler erupted for four runs in the third inning. The Saints sent nine men to the plate and recorded four hits. Will Percy (Colorado Springs, Colo.,
St. Mary's HS) led off the inning with a bunt single and then Brett Moreland (Charles Town, W.Va., Frederick CC) and John Sgromolo (Fleming Island,
Fla., Clay HS) followed with a hit and a walk, respectively, to load the bases. Cade Smith (Ocala, Fla., North Marion HS) singled home Percy and Jay
Laurienzo (Tampa, Fla., Santa Fe College) drew a bases loaded walk to give Flagler a 2-0 lead. Charlie Stewart (Port St. Lucie, Fla., Lincoln Park
Academy) followed with a base hit through the right side of the infield to plate another run. Two batters later, Nate Fudala (Cincinnati, Ohio, Turpin
HS) hit a sacrifice fly to cap the scoring.
The Saints added three more in the fourth on an RBI double by Moreland and Sgromolo followed with a run scoring single.
Percy paced the 15-hit attack with a career-high four-hit performance. He scored twice and drove in a run. Stewart went 3-for-4 with two runs batted in
and he scored a run. Moreland went 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles, scored twice and drove in a run.
Jeffrey Stoner (5-3) took the loss on the hill for Francis Marion. He lasted three-plus innings and surrendered nine hits and seven runs.
Sosnoskie and Michael Wilson each singled twice for the Patriots.
The same two teams meet tomorrow (Apr. 7) in a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
Beauchamp Tosses North Georgia Past Columbus State in Series Opener
DAHLONEGA, GA – The North Georgia baseball team snapped a two-game losing streak on Friday evening as they defeated No. 23 Columbus State 4-2 in Peach
Belt Conference action at Bob Stein Stadium.
The Saints (17-17, 7-12 PBC) won their first conference home game in a month and a half despite leaving 13 runners on base, while the Cougars (23-14,
10-9 PBC) dropped their second straight contest.
Freshman Jacob Beauchamp picked up his fourth win of the season going 8.2 innings allowing just two runs on two hits and striking out five, while Levi
Puto picked up the loss tossing 6.1 innings and allowing all four North Georgia runs.
Reese Patten picked up his second save of the season coming on with two runners on in the ninth and retiring a pinch hitter to seal the victory for the
Saints.
Beauchamp continues to impress in his first season in Dahlonega as he has gone at least six innings in each of his last four starts. Since entering the
starting the rotation Beauchamp has gone 2-1 with 21 strikeouts and allowing just 20 hits in 30 innings.
After not scoring a run in a 12-inning loss to Anderson on Wednesday, the Saints wasted no time getting on the board as they scored in the home half of
the first. Derek Hooper got things started with a one out single up the middle and Kenny Bellavance followed with an infield single.
Matthew Black stepped to the plate and delivered a clutch single through the left side to plate Hooper. Black would not be done as he would later add a
two run single in the bottom of the fourth.
Black continues to sizzle at the dish as he went 4-for-4 with three RBI's. Black has had multi-hit games in each of the last three conference games.
The Saints would add an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Hooper smacked an RBI single to center to plate Andrew Gordon.
Hooper, Kenny Bellavance and Travis Naraine each joined Black and had multi-hit games. The Saints finally got big contributions from the heart of their
order as the 2-3-4 hitters combined to go 8-11 with three RBI's and two runs scored.
The Saints wrap up the weekend series against the Cougars with a doubleheader tomorrow, April 7. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm.