'Cats Rally in Nightcap for Doubleheader Split
5/18/2007 11:57:12 AM | Baseball
Lauren Biggers
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Davidson played spoiler on Friday night, winning the nightcap of the regular-season finale with the College of Charleston Cougars in 11 innings, 6-5, after falling 14-2 earlier in the afternoon. The split kept Charleston (39-17, 20-7 Southern Conference) from winning its 40th game and clinching the SoCon tournament's No. 1 seed. Davidson (19-33, 8-19) will enter the tournament, which begins Tuesday, on a high note following the comeback triumph.
Matt Webb took the mound for the Wildcats in the bottom of the eighth, trailing 5-2, and retired three straight batters before the team rallied. Davidson scored three runs to tie the game and then pushed across the winning run in the 11th on an RBI-single from Zach Kayne.
Webb (3-1) worked four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out one.
Michael Bunton (4-2) took the loss for Charleston, allowing the hit to Kayne and the winning run over 2 2/3.
Trailing 1-0 early in game two, the 'Cats took the lead in the second. Right fielder Blake Osborn drew a walk before left fielder Chase Fitzpatrick doubled, and the pair scored on an RBI grounder from Chris Fitzpatrick and the RBI single of catcher Tommy Piacenza, respectively.
Charleston pushed across a run in the fifth on an RBI single from Chris Campbell to knot the score, and then took the lead with a solo shot from Alex Garabedian in the sixth. The Cougars tacked on a couple more in the frame behind Gabe Marchant's two-run blast to pull ahead 5-2.
Webb entered in the eighth and retired three straight batters, then the 'Cats went to work in the ninth. Osborn smacked a one-out single into right field and pinch hitter Brett Shore delivered a base hit of his own the other way. Charleston's Graham Maiden committed a fielding error to load the bases for Piacenza, who slapped a single to right to plate the first two runs. Cougar second baseman Chris Campbell committed the second error of the inning, bobbling center fielder Hugh Eden's grounder up the middle as pinch hitter Pat Brady tied the score at five.
The Cougars threatened and loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but after falling behind 3-0 to Garabedian, Webb coaxed a comebacker to force the extra innings, and Kayne's RBI single with two out in the 11th proved the difference.
The front end of the doubleheader was a different story, as Charleston's Brian Schlitter (5-4) silenced the Davidson offense and got plenty of run support at the same time in the Cougars' 14-2 win. In his first start of the season, Schlitter went the distance and held the 'Cats to just two runs on four hits while striking out nine.
Freshman Thomas Middour (5-7) took the loss for the Wildcats, allowing seven runs, but only three earned, on nine hits while walking one and striking out a pair in six innings.
Webb had two of Davidson's four hits in the first game, while Michael Harrington paced the Cougars, going 3-for-6 with four RBI and a pair of runs.
Harrington started the scoring for the Cougars in the first game, hitting a grand slam in the second to give the Cougars a lead they would never relinquish. Charleston added a run in the third, fifth and sixth on a pair of sacrifice flies and an RBI double and put up a six-spot in the seventh to take a commanding 13-0 lead.
Eden broke up Schlitter's shutout bid in the eighth, dropping a double into right-center field to send in Piacenza, and Webb blasted his ninth home run of the season in the ninth. The Cougars added their final run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly for the final margin.
Davidson will return to Charleston for the Southern Conference Baseball Tournament, which begins Tuesday and is hosted by The Citadel at Joe Riley Park.
Matt Webb took the mound for the Wildcats in the bottom of the eighth, trailing 5-2, and retired three straight batters before the team rallied. Davidson scored three runs to tie the game and then pushed across the winning run in the 11th on an RBI-single from Zach Kayne.
Webb (3-1) worked four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out one.
Michael Bunton (4-2) took the loss for Charleston, allowing the hit to Kayne and the winning run over 2 2/3.
Trailing 1-0 early in game two, the 'Cats took the lead in the second. Right fielder Blake Osborn drew a walk before left fielder Chase Fitzpatrick doubled, and the pair scored on an RBI grounder from Chris Fitzpatrick and the RBI single of catcher Tommy Piacenza, respectively.
Charleston pushed across a run in the fifth on an RBI single from Chris Campbell to knot the score, and then took the lead with a solo shot from Alex Garabedian in the sixth. The Cougars tacked on a couple more in the frame behind Gabe Marchant's two-run blast to pull ahead 5-2.
Webb entered in the eighth and retired three straight batters, then the 'Cats went to work in the ninth. Osborn smacked a one-out single into right field and pinch hitter Brett Shore delivered a base hit of his own the other way. Charleston's Graham Maiden committed a fielding error to load the bases for Piacenza, who slapped a single to right to plate the first two runs. Cougar second baseman Chris Campbell committed the second error of the inning, bobbling center fielder Hugh Eden's grounder up the middle as pinch hitter Pat Brady tied the score at five.
The Cougars threatened and loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but after falling behind 3-0 to Garabedian, Webb coaxed a comebacker to force the extra innings, and Kayne's RBI single with two out in the 11th proved the difference.
The front end of the doubleheader was a different story, as Charleston's Brian Schlitter (5-4) silenced the Davidson offense and got plenty of run support at the same time in the Cougars' 14-2 win. In his first start of the season, Schlitter went the distance and held the 'Cats to just two runs on four hits while striking out nine.
Freshman Thomas Middour (5-7) took the loss for the Wildcats, allowing seven runs, but only three earned, on nine hits while walking one and striking out a pair in six innings.
Webb had two of Davidson's four hits in the first game, while Michael Harrington paced the Cougars, going 3-for-6 with four RBI and a pair of runs.
Harrington started the scoring for the Cougars in the first game, hitting a grand slam in the second to give the Cougars a lead they would never relinquish. Charleston added a run in the third, fifth and sixth on a pair of sacrifice flies and an RBI double and put up a six-spot in the seventh to take a commanding 13-0 lead.
Eden broke up Schlitter's shutout bid in the eighth, dropping a double into right-center field to send in Piacenza, and Webb blasted his ninth home run of the season in the ninth. The Cougars added their final run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly for the final margin.
Davidson will return to Charleston for the Southern Conference Baseball Tournament, which begins Tuesday and is hosted by The Citadel at Joe Riley Park.
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