CHARLESTON, SC UNC Greensboro came away with a 3-1 victory over The Citadel in game one of the three-game Southern Conference series Friday evening in Charleston, SC.
The Spartans tallied single runs in the second, fourth, and seventh and held the Bulldogs to just one just in the third. UNCG tied their game high three double plays going 4-6-3 all three times and with two successful pickoffs, The Citadel now leads the nation with a total of 20.
The Spartans (23-12, 9-4 SoCon) lit up the board first in the top half of the second inning with the aid of the Bulldogs (22-16, 10-6 SoCon). With two away and runners on second and third, third baseman Ray Quinones laid the ball in front of the pitcher. Sean Snell, who was on third, got the go-ahead home, but rather than go for the play at the plate, The Citadel chose to go for the force-out at first. Matt Crim gathered up the ball, but a muffled throw left both Quinones and Snell safe and gave UNCG the 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs nearly tied the ballgame up at 1-1 in the home half of the second with an outfield single, but Snell easily gunned Chris McGuiness down from right field. The Citadel got their 1-1 tie off of a solid hit through the left side in the third by Bryan Altman to drive in Brad Felder.
UNCG regained the one-run lead in the top of the fourth as left fielder Pedro Leon slapped a double just feet off of the left field line to bring Corey Overholtzer in from second. Three innings later, the Spartans made it a 3-1 game as shortstop Matt Gaski drifted a single into right field to plate Quinones from second.
UNCG turned second-short-first double plays in the first, sixth, and seventh to mark the second time the team has turned three DPs in a single game and improved their total to 36 on the season. This is the sixth game in a row the blue and gold have nabbed the two-for-one.
The Spartan sticks were led by Corey Overholtzer who was 2-for-4 with a run, a single, and a double. Matt Gaski went 3-for-5 with three singles, and an RBI. The Bulldogs were led by Chris Swauger and Sonny Meade who were both 2-for-3.
Starting pitcher Greg Martin (4-2) collected the win for the Spartans. In his seven innings on the mound he retired four and gave up on run. Rob Gilliam (2-3) recorded his fifth save of the season after coming in to pitch two innings. While at the rubber, he allowed zero hits, zero runs, and struck out three.
The Spartans and the Bulldogs return to Riley Park on Saturday for game two of the three-game series. First pitch is slated for 2pm.
For news about UNCG baseball, complete season schedule, and any other information regarding Spartan athletics log onto www.UNCGSpartans.com.
# # UNCG # #
UNC Greensboro 3, The Citadel 1 (Apr 18, 2008 at Charleston, SC)
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UNC Greensboro...... 010 100 100 - 3 9 1 (23-13, 9-4 SoCon)
The Citadel............... 001 000 000 - 1 10 2 (22-16, 10-6 SoCon)
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Pitchers: UNC Greensboro - Greg Martin; Rob Gilliam(8).
The Citadel - Matt Crim; Raymond Copenhaver(8).
Win-Greg Martin(4-2)
Save-Rob Gilliam(5)
Loss-Matt Crim(5-3)
Martin faced 1 batter in the 8th.
