Spartans sweep Appalachian:
UNC Greensboro slugs

its way past Mountaineers
By Steve Behr
sports@wataugademocrat.com

Normally, 11 runs and 14 hits are plenty when it comes to winning baseball games. For Appalachian State, those numbers didn’t come close in a 17-11 loss Sunday at Smith Stadium.

The most important number to UNC Greensboro (15-5, 3-0 SoCon) was three, the number of wins it took to sweep the Mountaineers (11-11, 0-3) in Appalachian State’s first Southern Conference series of the season.

But the sweep goes deeper than just three losses for the Mountaineers. Appalachian State’s pitching staff allowed 38 runs in three games.

“We’ve got to get better,” Mountaineers coach Chris Pollard said. “We played well offensively the last two games to win those two ballgames. We didn’t pitch nearly the way we’re capable of pitching. We’ve got to make some changes to get better and guys have to come into the ballgame ready to execute their game plan.”

That was not a problem for UNC Greensboro, which got off to fast starts in its final two games against the Mountaineers. The Spartans scored three runs in the first inning Sunday, but Appalachian State responded with a five-run first that included a pair of two-run he runs from Brett Stewart and David Towarnicky.

Appalachian led 7-4 at the end of the second, but could not hold the lead. Three of the first four UNC Greensboro batters walked in the top of the third inning, and two scored on a double by Pedro Leon. Another, plus Leon, scored on a two-run double by Corey Overholtzer, giving the Spartans an 8-7 lead they would never lose.

Throwing strikes proved to be a problem for the Mountaineers Sunday. Starter Jason Rook walked four batters and hit another Spartan in the first inning. All of those Spartans who were given free passes by Rook scored.

Relief pitcher Aubrey Edens also walked four batters, but only one of them scored. By the time the Mountaineers’ pitching staff was finished, six pitchers combined to walk 11 Spartans and gave up 13 hits.

UNCG’s Ricky Orton belted a two-run home run in the first inning and then walked the next five times he went to the plate.

“I’ve seen every one of them be very effective in different scenarios,” Pollard said. “Whether it’s an ACC game or intersquad or a SoCon game, the guys now are speeding up the game in their minds, and we’ve got to slow it down and execute one pitch at a time.”

Appalachian State’s offense stayed close by hitting four home runs. Jerod Faggart smacked a two-run homer in the second inning and added a solo shot in the sixth. Faggart, who had a double in the first inning, went 3-for-5 from the plate. Jason Altenhof hit safely in his 12th straight game by hitting a double in the third and an RBI single in the ninth. He drove in Nick DeRose, who tripled at the start of the inning.

The Mountaineers host High Point Tuesday and North Carolina A&T Wednesday, before returning to their SoCon schedule this weekend at The Citadel, where they’ll play a three-game series.

UNCG 17, Appalachian State 11
UNCG 314 103 302 — 17 13 2
ASU 520 002 101 — 11 14 1
Gibson, Smith (1), White (5), McCall (7), Gilliam (9) and Deleo. Rook, Edens (3), Teague (6), Rubinstein (7), Patterson (7) Ohl (9), Miller (9) and Faggart. W—Smith (2-0), L—Rook (0-3). LOB—UNCG 8, ASU 10. 2B—UNCG, Carrier (8), Feltes (3), Leon (6), Overholzer (4), Deleo 2 (5); ASU—Altenhof (3), Harrow (11), Faggart (4), 3B—ASU, DeRose (1). HR—UNCG, Feltes (6), Orton (6), Snell (2); ASU—Stewart (3), Faggart 2 (2), Towarnicky (3). HBP—UNCG, Gaski, Snell; ASU, Beasley. SF—UNCG, Snell; ASU, Rubinstein. SB—UNCG, Carrier, Feltes, Orton; ASU, Altenhof, Smith.

Game 2
It’s not often that a baseball team can hit five home runs in one game and still lose by four.

Appalachian State found out that not only is it possible, it can happen when you’re playing at home. The Mountaineers sent five UNC Greensboro offerings over the Smith Stadium wall Saturday, but still lost 12-8 to the Spartans in the second game of their three-game series.

David Towarnicky, Appalachian State’s first baseman, belted two home runs against the Spartans. His first, a two-run blast in the fourth, gave Appalachian State a 5-4 lead after the Mountaineers had fallen behind 4-0 at the top of the first.

Towarnicky’s second home run, a solo shot in the sixth, was the Mountaineers’ third of the game. Jason Rook hit an opposite field, two-run shot in the third inning, David Rubinstein sent a solo shot over the fence in the fifth and pinch-hitter Brett Stewart hit a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth.

“We had some good at-bats,” Mountaineers coach Chris Pollard said. “The difference in the ballgame is that we let them have some big innings. The first inning? So what. They got a lead, but the four runs we gave up with two outs (in the fifth inning) was the difference in the ballgame.”

Appalachian State scored at least one run in six of the nine innings, but the Spartans posted four runs in the first, fifth and ninth innings to bury the Mountaineers.

Ricky Orton did the most damage by going 3-for-4 from the plate with four RBIs. Orton’s two-run home run in the first gave the Spartans a 4-0 lead off starter Matt Andress, and his solo shot sparked a four-run rally in the ninth.

But the four runs the Spartans scored in the fifth inning hurt the Mountaineers the most. Tim Carrier led off with a double and Matt Gaski reached on an error, but UNCG’s next two batters were put out, though Orton’s sacrifice fly drove in a run.

The Spartans proceeded to produce three straight hits to take an 8-6 lead that the Mountaineers would not overtake.

“I thought out kids competed really well,” Pollard said. “I thought they showed some poise. They jumped out on top, and we chipped away and got back in it. We even took the lead, but two different times we let them score with two outs.”
Carrier went 4-for-6 from the plate with two runs and an RBI. Gaski, Sean Snell and Orton all scored two runs each.

Andress lasted 4 1/3 innings, giving up six runs — five earned — on six hits. Nick Terry allowed two runs on 1 1/3 innings before Adam Mills pitched two innings of scoreless ball.

Appalachian State trailed 8-7, but Mountaineers closer Garrett Sherrill allowed four runs on four hits.

UNCG’s Rob Gilliam, who took over in the ninth following Stewart’s home run, closed out the game for the Spartans. Both teams turned two double plays.

Towarnicky and Isaac Harrow each had two hits for the Mountaineers.

UNCG 12, ASU 8
UNC Greensboro 400 040 004 — 12 16 0
Appalachian State 012 211 001 — 8 9 1
Gibbs, Shelton (5), Slack (5), Bjorkstrom (6), Gilliam and Snell. Andress, Terry (5), Mills (7), Sherrill (9) and Faggart. W—Bjorkstrom (1-0), L—Terry 2-1. LOB—UNCG 8, ASU 7. 2B—UNCG Carrier 2 (7), Snell (7), Leon (5); ASU, Harrow 2 (10). HR—UNCG, Gaski (2), Orton 2 (5); ASU, Rook (3), Stewart (2), Rubinstein (2), Towarnicky 2 (2). HBP—UNCG, Feltes; ASU, Franco 2. SH—ASU, Altenhof. SF—UNCG, Orton. SB—UNCG, Snell 2, Overholter 2, Geringer, Quinones.

Game 1
Appalachian State’s offense, which has been very potent lately, seemed to be right on track against UNC Greensboro Friday night.

The three-run first-inning rally the Mountaineers posted looked like they would run away from the Spartans in just the first inning of the game. However, UNCG pitcher Greg Martin and a couple of relief pitchers made sure the Mountaineers would not see the plate again in a 3-0 Spartans victory.

Appalachian State got a double from Jason Rook in the first inning. Rook scored on a wild pitch and Isaac Harrow, who reached on a fielder’s choice, scored on a Wes Hobson double. Hobson scored on an Andrew Franco single.

UNC Greensboro 9, ASU 3
Game 1
UNC Greensboro 020 003 103 — 9 13 1
Appalachian State 300 000 000 — 3 9 2
Martin, White (8), McCall (9) and Deleo. Dowdy, Mills (6), Quate (8) and Teague (9). W—Martin (2-0), L—Dowdy (1-4). LOB—UNCG 11, ASU 8. 2B—UNCG, Carrier (5); ASU, Rook (3), Hobson 2 (5), Smith (4). 3B—UNCG, Snell (2). HPB—UNCG, Feltes; ASU—Altenhof, Franco. SB—UNCG, Gaski (2).