Moye Pitches Eagles Past LeMoyne
3/7/2009 5:15:00 AM | Baseball
STATESBORO, Ga. ? Sophomore right-hander Andy Moye (Alpharetta/Alpharetta) pitched eight solid innings leading Georgia Southern to a 5-3 win over LeMoyne in day two of the Holiday Inn Eagle Invitational. The Eagles improved to 10-1 overall while LeMoyne fell to 2-5.
The Dolphins took an early lead off Sean Paino's one-out solo home run in the second. The Eagles got two-out hitting in their half to tie the score.
Ty Wright (Montrose/ABAC) lined a one-out single. He advanced to third when Jonathan King (Athens, TN/Young Harris) singled to right. Brian Pierce (Roswell/Roswell) singled to right scoring Wright. A.J. Wirnsberger (Tuscaloosa, AL/Paul Bryant) hit a two-out homer in the third for a 2-1 lead.
Eric Phillips (Carrollton/Carrollton) dropped down a bunt to start the fourth and pitcher Cory Nelson's throw sailed into right, allowing the freshman first baseman to advance to second. Pierce lined a RBI double to left field adding to his team-leading total (12). Matt Miller (Canton/Woodstock) singled home Pierce for a 4-1 lead.
LeMoyne threatened in the fifth with a one-out hit batter and bloop single. Matt Nandin lined a shot up the middle, Pierce knocked it down to start an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) lined a one-out single in the fifth, then Wright doubled. Two batters later Nelson uncorked a wild pitch and Benedict slid under the tag making it 5-1.
Chris Edmonson hit a solo homer in the sixth then Chris Haynes followed with a single. The Eagles were able to turn another inning-ending double play to get out of the jam, turning three in the game. Haynes added a leadoff shot in the ninth for the final margin.
Moye (2-0) turned in one of the best performances of his career, two runs on seven hits in a career-best eight innings. He walked one and struck out one throwing 96 pitches.
“I felt really good out there today. The way our defense is playing I just wanted to throw strikes and let them make plays,” said Moye. “The double play in the fifth inning was big. Brian (Pierce) made a great stop then Kevin (Bowles) and Eric (Phillips) did a great finishing it off.”
Wirnsberger, Benedict, Wright and Pierce collected two hits each as the Eagles held a 12-8 edge in hits. Charles Matthews (Athens/Spartanburg Methodist) gave up the Haynes home run but responded by striking out the side in the ninth for his first save.
Nelson (0-2) allowed five runs on 10 hits in 4.2 innings. He walked two and struck out five. Edmonson and Haynes had two hits apiece.
GAME NOTES: Moye needed just six pitches to get three groundouts in the seventh inning... Brett Botsford robbed Pierce of a home run in the seventh. It would have been the fourth of Pierce's career.
EAST CAROLINA 5, INDIANA 3
East Carolina won a battle of starting pitching, defeating Indiana 5-3 in the nightcap of day two of the Holiday Inn Eagle Invitational. East Carolina (ranked 20th nationally) improved to 8-1 overall while Indiana fell to 3-6.
Pirates' designated hitter Kyle Roller reached base on a fielding error and would eventually score on Dustin Harrington's RBI double. ECU took advantage of a costly throwing error by pitcher Eric Arnett and centerfielder Evan Crawford on the same play, allowing two runners in scoring position. They both scored on Rollers' single for a 3-0 lead. Stephen Batts homered to start the fifth.
Crawford brought home one run in the fifth, Alex Dickerson lined a solo homer to start the sixth then Cody Webber scored in the seventh on a single from Jarrud Sabourin.
The Pirates added an insurance run in the ninth on Brandon Henderson's sacrifice fly. Seth Simmons pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his first save. However, the story was the starting pitching.
Arnett went the distance (throwing 150 pitches), allowing five runs (three earned) on 10 hits. He walked four and struck out 10 but fell to 2-1 on the year.
ECU starter Chris Heston struck out eight in six innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits. He improved to 2-0.
Sunday, March 8
Indiana vs. LeMoyne, 11 a.m.
East Carolina vs. Georgia Southern, 3 p.m.
