Baseball Stages 10-7 Comeback Win
3/21/2009 4:04:00 AM | Baseball
BOONE, N.C. ? Down seven runs after three innings, Georgia Southern scored 10 unanswered and held off a late Appalachian State rally to win 10-7 Saturday afternoon (March 21) at Smith Stadium. The Eagles captured the series thanks to the win, improving to 16-3 overall and 3-0 in the Southern Conference.
Appalachian State (6-14, 1-9) had its first three batters reach on a ground rule double, walk and single, then saw everyone score for a 3-0 lead, eventually chasing starter Andy Moye (Alpharetta/Alpharetta) after one-third of an inning. Colin Snow (Alpharetta/Alpharetta) came on and limited the damage.
Georgia Southern got the first two outs of the third inning, but the Mountaineers used three hits - including a 2-run homer by Jeremy Dowdy ? three wild pitches and a passed ball to score four times and a 7-0 lead. The Eagles finally got to starter Aubrey Edens in the next half inning.
Phillip Porter (Marietta/Sprayberry) singled, Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) was hit on an 0-2 pitch, then Ty Wright (Montrose/ABAC) singled to load the bases. A.J. Wirnsberger (Tuscaloosa, AL/Paul Bryant) ripped a 2-run double to center, then Randy Williams (Valdosta/Andrew College) lined a 2-run single up the middle.
ASU tried turning the momentum on a lineout double play, but Wright and the Eagles returned the favor in the bottom half of the fourth.
Isaac Harrow drew a leadoff walk against Snow. David Towarnicky lined a shot to the left field gap but Wright made a highlight-reel diving catch, not only robbing an extra-base hit but able to get up, throw and turn a 7-6-3 double play. The senior provided more highlights in the top of the fifth.
Kevin Bowles (Statesboro/Statesboro) hit a leadoff double and scored on Porter's RBI single. Two batters later, with two outs, Wright launched his second home run of the year into the trees beyond the left field fence tying the game.
Michael Hester (Evans/Greenbrier) worked a 1-2-3 fifth inning and in the sixth two-out hitting put the Eagles ahead. Bowles reached on a two-out infield single then Jonathan King (Athens, TN/Young Harris) singled up the middle to put runners on the corners. Chris Patterson threw a fastball that went off the glove of catcher Jeremy Dowdy and Bowles scored on the play giving the Eagles an 8-7 lead, one they would not relinquish.
Eric Phillips (Carrollton/Carrollton) lined a leadoff double in the eighth and would eventually score on a fielding error. With the bases loaded and one out in the ninth, Phillips lifted a sacrifice fly for the final margin.
Dexter Bobo (Cumming/Darton College) got a lineout for the first out of the ninth but issued two walks and hit a batter to load the bases and bring the potential game-winning run to the plate. Kyle Kamppi (Savannah/Benedictine) struck out the next two batters on seven pitches to close the door.
Wright at first didn't think he would be able to make the momentum-changing double play in the fourth.
“I really didn't think I had a chance at it, but the ball hung up longer and I was able to come up with it,” said Wright. “Our coaches told us that we didn't have to get all seven runs back at once, just to keep fighting back and stay with it. A comeback win like the one we got today definitely adds to our confidence.”
The Eagles doubled up ASU in hits, 12-6. Porter, Wright, Wirnsberger and Bowles had two hits apiece.
Hester improved to 2-0 throwing 1.1 innings of hitless relief. Charles Matthews (Athens/Spartanburg Methodist) blanked the Mountaineers in 2.2 innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. Kamppi's two strikeouts earned him his third save of the year.
Nick Daniels (0-2) took the loss in relief, charged for an unearned run. Edens was charged for seven runs on eight hits in five innings. Closer Zach Quate had allowed only two runs on the year, and the Eagles made him match that total in two innings of work. Six different Mountaineers tallied a base hit.
Georgia Southern goes for the series sweep on Sunday (and try to improve to 5-1 on the Spring Break trip) as first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
