BOX SCORE (PDF)
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG baseball team pounded out 14 hits Saturday afternoon on the way to a 10-6 Southern Conference victory over No. 22 Georgia Southern at the UNCG Baseball Stadium. The Blue and gold captured the league series two games to one with the win.
The Spartans improve to 14-13 overall and 3-6 in SoCon play as the Blue and Gold has won six of its last nine contests. Conversely, the nationally-ranked Eagles fall to 18-9 and 9-3 having lost their first league series of the season. UNCG also recorded its third victory this season against a Top 25 opponent while improving to 4-0 when scoring in double figures.
Senior outfielder Zach Leach had a huge day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI. A total of five Spartans tallied at least two hits in the contest while junior catcher Cambric Moye and senior infielder Lloyd Enzor each drove in a pair of runs.
Starter and sophomore RHP Lee Gilliam improved to 2-1 on the bump as he threw six innings, scattered five hits, allowed three runs (two earned) and struck out four. Freshman RHP Ryan Clark was strong for the second-straight day, blanking the Eagles in the seventh and getting out of the inning on just nine pitches.
Gilliam retired the first five Eagle batters he faced while the Spartans managed just one hit through the first two frames. UNCG broke through in the bottom of the third, scoring two runs on three hits. Enzor singled up the middle to lead off the inning before senior outfielder Christian Wolfe doubled to put Spartan runners at second and third with just one away. Redshirt sophomore infielder Ray Crawford struck out looking before senior infielder Trevor Edwards walked to load the bases. Last night's hero, junior catcher Cambric Moye, came through again as he ripped a single through the right side which scored Wolfe and Enzor to make the score 2-0.
The lead was short-lived however as the Eagles strung together four hits in the fourth and received a RBI single and RBI double from T.D. Davis and Garren Palmer to knot the score at two apiece.
UNCG responded right back in the bottom of the frame. Leach doubled down the left field line before senior infielder TJ Spina singled to right field to put Leach at third. Spina then proceeded to steal second before Enzor grounded out to score Leach. With two outs, Wolfe came through with a double to left which plated Spina and made the score 4-2.
The fifth inning began innocently enough as Streicher Brown grounded out to short. However, things got interesting as Ben Morgan reached on a throwing error by Crawford before Chase Griffin hit a lazy fly ball to center. Leach could not handle it and the ball bounced off his leg and to the wall – allowing Griffin to come all the way home and cut the UNCG lead to 4-3.
The score stayed that way thanks to a fantastic play by Crawford in the sixth. With runners on first and second with one away, Crawford dove for a hard ground ball, came up and tagged third before throwing out Tyler Avera on a bang-bang play at first to compete the double play and get the Spartans out of the inning.
That effort by Crawford put life into the UNCG lineup as Leach began the bottom of the sixth with a single through the left side. Spina flied out to left before Leach advanced to second on a wild pitch. Enzor came up next and destroyed a ball to right center that bounced off the wall for a triple. The GSU center fielder overthrew third base trying to nab Enzor and he came across to score to put the Spartans in front 6-3.
The Blue and Gold put the game away in the seventh after Clark's fine relief effort on the bump in the top of the frame. Moye was hit by a pitch with one down and sophomore outfielder Eric Kalbfleisch roped a single to left field. Leach followed with another solid hit – this one a triple down the right field line that brought home the runners to extend the Spartan cushion to 8-3. Spina then produced a sacrifice fly which plated Leach and put UNCG in front 9-3.
Kalbfleisch would answer an Eagle run in the top of the eighth with a RBI double in the bottom of the frame before Georgia Southern plated two consolation runs in the ninth to provide the final score.
UNCG remains at home for its next contest as the Spartans host North Carolina Central Monday, April 1 at the UNCG Baseball Stadium. That game will get underway at 6 p.m.
- UNCG -
