Tar Heels belt ASU,

Cougars invade Friday
From staff reports

CARY — Appalachian State committed a season-high three errors in the first two innings and never recovered in a 7-0 loss Wednesday to No. 4 North Carolina at the USA Baseball Training Complex.

The Mountaineers (15-14) went into the game hitting .371 with nearly 13 runs per game in midweek games, but were held scoreless on five hits by the Tar Heels (23-5). Appalachian State is 8-2 in midweek games, with its other losing being to Auburn 17-0 earlier this year.

Just a year removed from snapping a 40-game losing streak versus Atlantic Coast Conference competition, the Mountaineers posted a 3-3 record against ACC foes this season.

The Mountaineers turn their attention to their three-game series against College of Charleston, which is in first place of the Southern Conference. The Cougars (18-9, 5-1 SoCon) have won five of their last six games, having taken two out of three from Georgia Southern last weekend.

They are second in the league in batting, hitting .345 as a team. They are led offensively by outfielder Gabe Marchant, who is fifth in the conference in hitting with a .400 average. Marchant also leads the conference in runs scored (43), hits (47) and home runs (11).

Some of the Cougars’ scores resemble football games. They beat George Mason 28-14, Jacksonville State 17-7, Winthrop 17-6, Savannah State 26-8, Texas San Antonio 20-16 and Davidson 31-3. They also lost to Indiana State 26-20.

College of Charleston has struggled with its pitching. The Cougars’ staff has an overall ERA of 7.22, which is only better than Western Carolina and Davidson.

Appalachian State showed some offensive muscle in its 23-8 win over UNC Asheville Tuesday. Andrew Franco hit two home runs, including a grand slam in the first inning.

Franco went 5-for-6 with seven RBIs against UNC Asheville. The Mountaineers scored nine runs in the first inning and never looked back. UNC Asheville cut Appalachian State’s lead to 10-7, but the Mountaineers scored the next 13 runs to put the game away.

The Mountaineers were not so fortunate against North Carolina. David Towarnicky’s double was the lone extra-base hit for the Mountaineers. The first baseman was 1-for-3 in the game. Jason Altenhof led off the game with a single and later drew a walk for ASU, while David Rubinstein, Isaac Harrow and Rand Smith each singled for the visitors.

Appalachian errors in the early innings set the tone for the disappointing loss. The Mountaineers had runners on second and third with just one out in the top of the first inning, but came away with no runs.

Appalachian State then allowed a pair of unearned runs and eventually fell into a 3-0 deficit after two innings.
Appalachian State’s Nick Terry pitched the opening two innings. After stranding three runners in the first inning, he allowed an earned run on three hits and an error. He left the game with a strikeout and a pair of walks. He took the loss for Appalachian, and moved to 3-2 on the year.

The first reliever of the game, Calvin Teague, kept the Tar Heels scoreless for a pair of innings, allowing just three hits in the appearance. Garrett Sherrill and Taylor Miller combined for the final three innings of the game, with just one unearned allowed between them with three strikeouts.

All told, Appalachian State’s staff allowed five earned runs on 13 hits and three walks with four strikeouts.