GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning and used a six-run fourth inning to easily defeat visiting UNC Asheville, 13-5, on Tuesday evening at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Reliever Zach Furl (1-0) picked up the win for UNCG (4-0) after pitching a third of an inning. UNC Asheville's Elliot Criss was credited with the loss after allowing seven runs in 3 1/3 innings of work.
Thomas Troelstrup led the Spartans at the plate as he went 2-5 with three RBI and a run scored. Bobby Martin also had three RBI and Trevor Edwards added a two-run home run in the first inning.
UNC Asheville (3-1) was led by Jordan Lurie who went 3-5 with two RBI and Todd Joyner who went 2-4 with two RBI and two runs scored.
UNCG appeared to carry its momentum from this past weekend into the game as it took the early lead in the bottom of the first. After a leadoff fly out, Christian Wolfe singled and then scored when Lloyd Enzor followed with a double to the wall in center field. Edwards came up next and took a 2-1 pitch out to right center to give the Spartans a 3-0 lead.
The Spartan lead didn't last long as the Bulldogs responded with three runs of their own in the top half of the second inning. After a leadoff out, Patrick Koontz walked and Cody Buch doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Joyner then hit a two-run single up the middle and then later score on a Lurie single to tie the game at 3-3.
UNCG had an immediate answer in the bottom of the second as Kris Richards hit an RBI single to give the Spartans the lead for good.
The game was blown open in the fourth inning as the Spartans pushed six runs across the plate to go ahead 10-3. Bobby Martin had a two-run double into the left-field corner and Troelstrup capped off the inning with a three-run home run to left field.
UNCG would add a run on a throwing error and another on a bunt in the fifth inning and another in the seventh inning to make it 13-3.
UNC Asheville would go on to add two more runs in the top of the ninth on RBI singles by Lurie and Billy Creighton to make the final score 13-5.
The Spartans return to action this weekend as they host Penn State for a three game series beginning on Friday at 4 p.m.
AGATE
UNCG 13, UNC Asheville 5
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UNC Asheville....... 030 000 002 - 5 10 5 (3-1)
UNCG................ 310 620 10X - 13 13 0 (4-0)
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Pitchers: UNC Asheville - CRISS, Elliot; SCHAVONE, Nick(4); MARTINEZ, Rene(4); SPRACKLIN, Adam(5); HUNT, Justin(7); TABAR, Dillon(8) and GRAHAM, Ian; TURNER, Sam. UNCG - Jonathan Jones; Zach Furl(2); Lee Gilliam(3); Dylan Hathcock(6); Brennen James(8); Wes McBride(9); Dominique Vattuone(9) and Cambric Moye.
Win-Zach Furl(1-0) Loss-CRISS, Elliot(0-1) T-3:14 A-243
HR UNCG - Trevor Edwards; Thomas Troelstrup.
McBride faced 3 batters in the 9th.
- UNCG -
