Baseball Takes Opener at Appalachian State
3/20/2009 4:20:00 AM | Baseball
BOONE, N.C. ? Georgia Southern batted around in the fourth and sixth inning, scoring six runs each frame, and defeated Appalachian State 12-7 in the game one of the series Friday afternoon (March 20). The Eagles improved to 15-3 overall and 2-0 in the Southern Conference.
Wes Hobson gave the Mountaineers (6-13, 1-8) a 1-0 lead thanks to a one-out home run in the first. ASU threatened in the second, loading the bases with one out. Chris Mederos (Valdosta/Gordon College) worked out of the jam by getting Hobson to ground into a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play.
The Eagles found an answer to Matt Andress in the fourth inning. A.J. Wirnsberger (Tuscaloosa, AL/Paul Bryant) snapped a 0-for-15 streak with a solo shot to start the inning, his fourth round-tripper this year. The rest of the damage came on two out hitting and two errors.
With two outs, Brian Pierce (Roswell/Roswell) tripled and scored on Kevin Bowles' (Statesboro/Statesboro) RBI single. Jonathan King (Athens, TN/Young Harris) lined a single then Phillip Porter (Marietta/Sprayberry) reached on an error. Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) singled to load the bases. Third baseman Isaac Harrow could not handle Ty Wright's (Montrose/ABAC) sharp grounder, allowing a run to score. Wirnsberger followed with a 2-run single for his third RBI in the inning and a 6-1 lead.
According to Mederos the team's defense played a big role in the win.
“Our defense helped me out a lot in the first two innings. The flu bug is running through the team, so to come out here and play the way we did is a big lift,” said Mederos. “I really didn't have a lot of energy being sick so I wanted to throw strikes and let the defense play behind me. But once I started getting going I felt more comfortable. This is a big start to the series for us.”
Georgia Southern plated six more runs while batting around in the sixth. King led off with a walk. In consecutive at-bats, Porter hit a triple then Benedict and Wright lined consecutive RBI doubles. After two strikeouts Will Southwell (Moultrie/Colquitt County) walked. Pierce sent a RBI single to left then Bowles sent a double over the head of centerfielder Rand Smith scoring two for a 12-1 lead.
The Mountaineers got one in the eighth then scored five runs in the ninth off three hits and an error for the final margin. Kyle Kamppi (Savannah/Benedictine) came on and got the final out. Southwell made two highlight-reel diving stops for the final two outs in the inning.
Mederos improved to 5-0 on the year, allowing one run on seven hits in six innings. For the fourth time in his five starts the junior right-hander fanned a season-high eight batters. Tony Chisman (Conyers/Salem) fanned two in two innings of work.
Six Eagles had two hits apiece, including the 1-3 hitters of King, Porter and Benedict who also combined to score six runs. Wirnsberger and Bowles drove in three runs each.
Andress (1-3) allowed nine runs (five earned) on 11 hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out one. Smith, Hobson and DeRose had three hits apiece.
Game two of the series is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start on Saturday afternoon (March 21).
