Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Wildcats Host Preseason Favorite College of Charleston This Weekend
3/10/2011 5:38:55 PM | Baseball
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- For the fourth straight weekend, the Davidson Wildcats will host a series at Wilson Field, opening play against preseason favorite No. 21 College of Charleston Friday at 7 p.m. Game two is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, and the series finale is slated for 1 p.m. Sunday.
Davidson (6-7, 1-1) returns to action after a pair of rainouts, the rubber match of the Furman series and a Wednesday road trip to defending national champion South Carolina. The Wildcats won their Southern Conference opener behind a dominant pitching performance from SoCon Pitcher of the Week Chris Lamb, who struck out 11 and scattered three hits in a 1-0, complete-game shutout.
The College of Charleston (12-2, 0-0) is hitting the road for just the second time this season when they travel to Davidson for their Southern Conference opener. SoCon February Player of the Month Matt Leeds and the Cougars rattled off eight straight wins to open the season and have only lost games at Jacksonville and to No. 25 Auburn.
About the Series
The College of Charleston leads the overall series, 27-11. The teams first played April 11, 1911, but began playing on a regular basis when the Cougars joined the SoCon in 1998. The Cougars have swept the Wildcats for the last three seasons, and Davidson's last win was a 7-0, 11-inning win on May 18, 2007 in Charleston.
Last Time Out
Davidson returns to action after two straight rainouts. Game three of the Furman series was postponed and then cancelled due to unplayable field conditions. Davidson's Wednesday game at defending national champion South Carolina was also cancelled by rain.
En route to SoCon Pitcher of the Week honors, junior LHP Chris Lamb struck out a season-high 11 and went the distance in Davidson's last outing, leading the Wildcats to a 1-0 victory over Furman in both team's SoCon opener last Friday at Wilson Field. Lamb (W, 1-1) made it into the ninth for a second straight outing and finished off the Paladins in the three-hit complete-game shutout, striking out 11 batters and walking just one. The Davidson offense gave him just one run of support on four hits, as freshman Kelly Myers (1-for-2, RBI) drove in junior Seth Freeman (1-for-3) in the third, but it was enough. Lamb led Davidson to its first shutout since April 22, 2009 (NC A&T, 7-0) and its last in the Southern Conference since March 31, 2006 (Georgia Southern, 6-0).
Furman scored seven runs over the first three innings in an 8-2 win over Davidson in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader Saturday. Junior #RHP Brian Russell# (L, 1-1) retired his first two hitters but got into trouble on back-to-back base hits before Reese Wade's three-run home run. Russell loaded the bases on walks to bring on junior RHP Ryan Overcash, who got a foul out to get out of the first, but Furman extended its lead to 5-0 with a pair of runs on two hits and an error in the second. Senior designated hitter Danny Weiss went a perfect 4-for-4 and drove in a run. Weiss led off the fourth with a base hit and scored Davidson's first run on a sacrifice fly to make it 7-1. RHP Matt Sliwiak, senior LHP Mac Hunter and sophomore RHP Michael Goldberg allowed just one run over the final 3 1/3, but Davidson could not climb out of the early hole.
About the Wildcats
After starting the season with a pair of four-game weekends, the Wildcats have settled into the three-SoCon game routine. Davidson, who is playing its fourth straight weekend at Wilson Field, split its first SoCon series after losing game three to rain.
One of four teams to have begun conference play, the Wildcats are tied for second in the league with a 1-1 record. The Wildcats are ranked last in the league in batting average (.230) and fielding percentage (.933), but have the sixth-best team ERA of 3.71.
Lamb struck out a season-high 11 and went the distance in the three-hit, 1-0 complete-game shutout over the Furman to earn Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of February 28-March 6. He, who ranks fifth in the league with a 1.35 ERA and fourth with 22 strikeouts, was also named CollegeBaseballInsider.com's Southeast Pitcher of the Week and to the College Baseball Hall of Fame's National All-Star Lineup.
Junior outfielder/first baseman Drew Gadaire, who missed the last four games to illness, ranks third in the league with a .471 average, and freshman left fielder Forrest Brandt is ninth with a .415 clip. Senior Mike Frongello, all-time appearance leader and Lowe's Senior CLASS award candidate, is fifth in ERA with a 1.35.
About the Cougars
Preseason SoCon favorite in both the Coaches and Media Poll, the 21st-ranked College of Charleston Cougars enter the weekend with a 12-2 overall record in their first weekend of league play.
The Cougars started the season on an eight-game winning streak, sweeping Kentucky (11-6), Miami of Ohio (6-2) and Marshall (8-6) and beating UNC Wilmington?(5-4) before sweeping a three-game series against Youngstown State. After playing the first eight at Patriots Point, the Cougars went on the road to defeat Jacksonville, 9-5, and lost their first game of the season against Coastal Carolina, 12-3. Charleston bounced back to beat Western Kentucky (7-5) in the first game of the CofC Classic before losing the second, 7-4, to then 25th-ranked Auburn. CofC finished the tournament with a 24-4 win over New York Tech and won its most recent midweek games against USC?Upstate (4-0) and Ball State (12-1).
As a team, the Cougars are ranked fifth in the league in batting (.302), second in ERA?(3.14) and third in fielding percentage (.966). The Cougars are led by 2011 Preseason SoCon Player of the Year Cole Rakar and SoCon February Player of the Month Matt Leeds. Leeds leads the league in runs scored (19), RBI (29), home runs (5) and total bases (38), and Rakar is second in runs scored (19) and tied for first with seven doubles. Joining Leeds and Rakar on the Preseason All-SoCon First Team are reliever Casey Lucchese, catcher Rob Kral and first baseman Jose Rodriguez, while David Peterson was named one of two starting pitcher on the Second Team.
Last Meeting
Charleston swept Davidson a season ago at Wilson Field with scores of 10-8, 11-3 and 8-4. Thomas Middour held Charleston to just two hits through seven innings and struck out a career-high nine, but the Cougars scored eight runs off the Davidson Wildcat bullpen in the last two innings in their comeback 10-8 win Friday, April 30, at Wilson Field in the opening game of the SoCon series.
The College of Charleston used five home runs to defeat the Wildcats 11-3 in game two to spoil senior day and win the SoCon series Saturday. Kral (2-for-4, 3 RBI), Leeds (1-for-4, RBI), Rodriguez (1-for-3, RBI), Greg Blake (1-for-3, 3 RBI) and Jamie Holler (1-for-4, RBI) all went yard for the College of Charleston (32-12, 16-7 SoCon), who used 11 hits to score 11 runs and committed just one error.
Kral went 4-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI to lead the Cougars past the Wildcats, 8-4, and complete the sweep in the series finale Sunday. Kral's two-run home run in the third lifted the Charleston to a 4-0 lead. Rakar (2-for-4, 2 RBI) added two more in the fourth on the second Cougar home run, and Kral followed with his second in the next at-bat to push Charleston's lead to 7-0.
Next Up
Davidson will host UNC Asheville at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 15. The Wildcats will then hit the road for the first weekend of the season for a three-game set at The Citadel.
Davidson (6-7, 1-1) returns to action after a pair of rainouts, the rubber match of the Furman series and a Wednesday road trip to defending national champion South Carolina. The Wildcats won their Southern Conference opener behind a dominant pitching performance from SoCon Pitcher of the Week Chris Lamb, who struck out 11 and scattered three hits in a 1-0, complete-game shutout.
The College of Charleston (12-2, 0-0) is hitting the road for just the second time this season when they travel to Davidson for their Southern Conference opener. SoCon February Player of the Month Matt Leeds and the Cougars rattled off eight straight wins to open the season and have only lost games at Jacksonville and to No. 25 Auburn.
About the Series
The College of Charleston leads the overall series, 27-11. The teams first played April 11, 1911, but began playing on a regular basis when the Cougars joined the SoCon in 1998. The Cougars have swept the Wildcats for the last three seasons, and Davidson's last win was a 7-0, 11-inning win on May 18, 2007 in Charleston.
Last Time Out
Davidson returns to action after two straight rainouts. Game three of the Furman series was postponed and then cancelled due to unplayable field conditions. Davidson's Wednesday game at defending national champion South Carolina was also cancelled by rain.
En route to SoCon Pitcher of the Week honors, junior LHP Chris Lamb struck out a season-high 11 and went the distance in Davidson's last outing, leading the Wildcats to a 1-0 victory over Furman in both team's SoCon opener last Friday at Wilson Field. Lamb (W, 1-1) made it into the ninth for a second straight outing and finished off the Paladins in the three-hit complete-game shutout, striking out 11 batters and walking just one. The Davidson offense gave him just one run of support on four hits, as freshman Kelly Myers (1-for-2, RBI) drove in junior Seth Freeman (1-for-3) in the third, but it was enough. Lamb led Davidson to its first shutout since April 22, 2009 (NC A&T, 7-0) and its last in the Southern Conference since March 31, 2006 (Georgia Southern, 6-0).
Furman scored seven runs over the first three innings in an 8-2 win over Davidson in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader Saturday. Junior #RHP Brian Russell# (L, 1-1) retired his first two hitters but got into trouble on back-to-back base hits before Reese Wade's three-run home run. Russell loaded the bases on walks to bring on junior RHP Ryan Overcash, who got a foul out to get out of the first, but Furman extended its lead to 5-0 with a pair of runs on two hits and an error in the second. Senior designated hitter Danny Weiss went a perfect 4-for-4 and drove in a run. Weiss led off the fourth with a base hit and scored Davidson's first run on a sacrifice fly to make it 7-1. RHP Matt Sliwiak, senior LHP Mac Hunter and sophomore RHP Michael Goldberg allowed just one run over the final 3 1/3, but Davidson could not climb out of the early hole.
About the Wildcats
After starting the season with a pair of four-game weekends, the Wildcats have settled into the three-SoCon game routine. Davidson, who is playing its fourth straight weekend at Wilson Field, split its first SoCon series after losing game three to rain.
One of four teams to have begun conference play, the Wildcats are tied for second in the league with a 1-1 record. The Wildcats are ranked last in the league in batting average (.230) and fielding percentage (.933), but have the sixth-best team ERA of 3.71.
Lamb struck out a season-high 11 and went the distance in the three-hit, 1-0 complete-game shutout over the Furman to earn Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of February 28-March 6. He, who ranks fifth in the league with a 1.35 ERA and fourth with 22 strikeouts, was also named CollegeBaseballInsider.com's Southeast Pitcher of the Week and to the College Baseball Hall of Fame's National All-Star Lineup.
Junior outfielder/first baseman Drew Gadaire, who missed the last four games to illness, ranks third in the league with a .471 average, and freshman left fielder Forrest Brandt is ninth with a .415 clip. Senior Mike Frongello, all-time appearance leader and Lowe's Senior CLASS award candidate, is fifth in ERA with a 1.35.
About the Cougars
Preseason SoCon favorite in both the Coaches and Media Poll, the 21st-ranked College of Charleston Cougars enter the weekend with a 12-2 overall record in their first weekend of league play.
The Cougars started the season on an eight-game winning streak, sweeping Kentucky (11-6), Miami of Ohio (6-2) and Marshall (8-6) and beating UNC Wilmington?(5-4) before sweeping a three-game series against Youngstown State. After playing the first eight at Patriots Point, the Cougars went on the road to defeat Jacksonville, 9-5, and lost their first game of the season against Coastal Carolina, 12-3. Charleston bounced back to beat Western Kentucky (7-5) in the first game of the CofC Classic before losing the second, 7-4, to then 25th-ranked Auburn. CofC finished the tournament with a 24-4 win over New York Tech and won its most recent midweek games against USC?Upstate (4-0) and Ball State (12-1).
As a team, the Cougars are ranked fifth in the league in batting (.302), second in ERA?(3.14) and third in fielding percentage (.966). The Cougars are led by 2011 Preseason SoCon Player of the Year Cole Rakar and SoCon February Player of the Month Matt Leeds. Leeds leads the league in runs scored (19), RBI (29), home runs (5) and total bases (38), and Rakar is second in runs scored (19) and tied for first with seven doubles. Joining Leeds and Rakar on the Preseason All-SoCon First Team are reliever Casey Lucchese, catcher Rob Kral and first baseman Jose Rodriguez, while David Peterson was named one of two starting pitcher on the Second Team.
Last Meeting
Charleston swept Davidson a season ago at Wilson Field with scores of 10-8, 11-3 and 8-4. Thomas Middour held Charleston to just two hits through seven innings and struck out a career-high nine, but the Cougars scored eight runs off the Davidson Wildcat bullpen in the last two innings in their comeback 10-8 win Friday, April 30, at Wilson Field in the opening game of the SoCon series.
The College of Charleston used five home runs to defeat the Wildcats 11-3 in game two to spoil senior day and win the SoCon series Saturday. Kral (2-for-4, 3 RBI), Leeds (1-for-4, RBI), Rodriguez (1-for-3, RBI), Greg Blake (1-for-3, 3 RBI) and Jamie Holler (1-for-4, RBI) all went yard for the College of Charleston (32-12, 16-7 SoCon), who used 11 hits to score 11 runs and committed just one error.
Kral went 4-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI to lead the Cougars past the Wildcats, 8-4, and complete the sweep in the series finale Sunday. Kral's two-run home run in the third lifted the Charleston to a 4-0 lead. Rakar (2-for-4, 2 RBI) added two more in the fourth on the second Cougar home run, and Kral followed with his second in the next at-bat to push Charleston's lead to 7-0.
Next Up
Davidson will host UNC Asheville at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 15. The Wildcats will then hit the road for the first weekend of the season for a three-game set at The Citadel.
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