Eagles Top Buccaneers, 8-6
3/11/2010 12:12:00 AM | Baseball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Kyle Blackburn launched his fifth home run of the season in the top of the fifth for a 5-1 lead as Colin Snow sealed an 8-6 Eagle victory for Georgia Southern over Charleston Southern Wednesday afternoon (March 10). Snow recorded his first collegiate career save with the outing as GS notched its first road win of the season.
Georgia Southern (6-7) collected 12 hits for eight runs with Kevin Bowles (Statesboro, Ga.) going 3-for-4, senior third basemen A.J. Wirnsberger (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) going 3-for-5 and Blackburn (Marietta, Ga.) picking up three RBI using a two-run home run.
Eagle starter Chris Beck (Jefferson, Ga.) worked four innings, allowing four runs (one earned) on four hits before being relieved by Michael Hester (Evans, Ga.) in the fifth. Hester (2-0) picked up his second win going three innings, striking out three with two hits and one run.
Three Eagle relievers closed out the final two innings with Snow (Alpharetta, Ga.) picking up the save.
Buccaneer (5-8) starter Patrick Dolan (0-1) allowed five runs (two earned) over four innings. Brantley Meier hit his first career home run and was 1-for-5, while Derek Smith recorded his fourth home run of the season going 2-for-3. Nick Chinners went 2-for-4 at the plate for CSU.
Georgia Southern's first two runs occurred without the use of a base hit over two innings. The Eagles struck immediately converting a Shawn Payne (Stone Mountain, Ga.) free pass to open the game into a 1-0 lead. Payne swiped second and third, scoring on a throwing error by the catcher to give the Eagles the early advantage.
The non-conference foes traded runs in the second as Steve Cochrane (Mooresville, N.C.) put GS up 2-0 reaching on a walk and scoring off a Buccaneer miscue by second baseman Jaren Sustar. But CSU sliced its deficit in half with Smith's homer – his third in two days - to left field in the bottom half of the frame.
Errors plagued the Buccaneers again in the fourth, allowing Eric Phillips (Carrollton, Ga.) to score unearned. Phillips reached on a hit-by-pitch, advanced to third on Michael Burruss' (Marietta, Ga.) double to left center and scored on a passed ball by catcher Chinners.
Georgia Southern cushioned its advantage with a two-run Blackburn blast to center field in the fifth, handing GS a 5-1 lead. But CSU struck in the bottom half of the inning, leading off with a Dolan single up the middle before Beck issued a walk to Walt Quattlebaum. Both runners scored when Beck errantly threw Sustar's sacrifice bunt over first base. Hester came on in relief and wriggled out of the jam allowing minimal damage with one run scored on a groundout, ending the inning with two strikeouts. But the error brought CSU to within a single run at 5-4.
Bowles singled to lead-off the seventh and scored three batters later on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Cochrane. The Buccaneers also tacked on another run in the seventh with Meier's solo home run, keeping the score differential to one run, 6-5.
A two-run eighth inning by Georgia Southern secured the win as Burruss laced one to center field to jumpstart the inning. With Owens picking up a walk, Payne laid a down a sac bunt to the pitcher, putting both base runners in scoring position with one out. Relief pitcher Corey Deighan intentionally walked Bowles to load the bases and plated a run when hitting Blackburn. Wirnsberger picked up an RBI on the next at bat, grounding out to third base, scoring Owens and putting GS on top, 8-5.
CSU threatened in the bottom half, loading the bases on a fielder's choice, single and walk with one out. An RBI groundout from Quattlebaum would be the only damage committed and last Buccaneer run as Snow entered the game and shut down the CSU threat striking out Sustar to end the inning.
The winning run stood at the plate in the ninth with two runners on base with two outs. But Snow fanned Matt Still to close out the game and pick up the save.
Georgia Southern returns to J.I. Clements Stadium to open Southern Conference play this weekend welcoming an undefeated Appalachian State team. First pitch on Friday, March 12 is slated for 7 p.m. Saturday's contest, a CSS televised contest, has been moved to a 2 p.m. start time, while the series closes out on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
Georgia Southern (6-7) collected 12 hits for eight runs with Kevin Bowles (Statesboro, Ga.) going 3-for-4, senior third basemen A.J. Wirnsberger (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) going 3-for-5 and Blackburn (Marietta, Ga.) picking up three RBI using a two-run home run.
Eagle starter Chris Beck (Jefferson, Ga.) worked four innings, allowing four runs (one earned) on four hits before being relieved by Michael Hester (Evans, Ga.) in the fifth. Hester (2-0) picked up his second win going three innings, striking out three with two hits and one run.
Three Eagle relievers closed out the final two innings with Snow (Alpharetta, Ga.) picking up the save.
Buccaneer (5-8) starter Patrick Dolan (0-1) allowed five runs (two earned) over four innings. Brantley Meier hit his first career home run and was 1-for-5, while Derek Smith recorded his fourth home run of the season going 2-for-3. Nick Chinners went 2-for-4 at the plate for CSU.
Georgia Southern's first two runs occurred without the use of a base hit over two innings. The Eagles struck immediately converting a Shawn Payne (Stone Mountain, Ga.) free pass to open the game into a 1-0 lead. Payne swiped second and third, scoring on a throwing error by the catcher to give the Eagles the early advantage.
The non-conference foes traded runs in the second as Steve Cochrane (Mooresville, N.C.) put GS up 2-0 reaching on a walk and scoring off a Buccaneer miscue by second baseman Jaren Sustar. But CSU sliced its deficit in half with Smith's homer – his third in two days - to left field in the bottom half of the frame.
Errors plagued the Buccaneers again in the fourth, allowing Eric Phillips (Carrollton, Ga.) to score unearned. Phillips reached on a hit-by-pitch, advanced to third on Michael Burruss' (Marietta, Ga.) double to left center and scored on a passed ball by catcher Chinners.
Georgia Southern cushioned its advantage with a two-run Blackburn blast to center field in the fifth, handing GS a 5-1 lead. But CSU struck in the bottom half of the inning, leading off with a Dolan single up the middle before Beck issued a walk to Walt Quattlebaum. Both runners scored when Beck errantly threw Sustar's sacrifice bunt over first base. Hester came on in relief and wriggled out of the jam allowing minimal damage with one run scored on a groundout, ending the inning with two strikeouts. But the error brought CSU to within a single run at 5-4.
Bowles singled to lead-off the seventh and scored three batters later on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Cochrane. The Buccaneers also tacked on another run in the seventh with Meier's solo home run, keeping the score differential to one run, 6-5.
A two-run eighth inning by Georgia Southern secured the win as Burruss laced one to center field to jumpstart the inning. With Owens picking up a walk, Payne laid a down a sac bunt to the pitcher, putting both base runners in scoring position with one out. Relief pitcher Corey Deighan intentionally walked Bowles to load the bases and plated a run when hitting Blackburn. Wirnsberger picked up an RBI on the next at bat, grounding out to third base, scoring Owens and putting GS on top, 8-5.
CSU threatened in the bottom half, loading the bases on a fielder's choice, single and walk with one out. An RBI groundout from Quattlebaum would be the only damage committed and last Buccaneer run as Snow entered the game and shut down the CSU threat striking out Sustar to end the inning.
The winning run stood at the plate in the ninth with two runners on base with two outs. But Snow fanned Matt Still to close out the game and pick up the save.
Georgia Southern returns to J.I. Clements Stadium to open Southern Conference play this weekend welcoming an undefeated Appalachian State team. First pitch on Friday, March 12 is slated for 7 p.m. Saturday's contest, a CSS televised contest, has been moved to a 2 p.m. start time, while the series closes out on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
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