Much has been made about Appalachian State’s pitching during the Mountaineers’ recent winning spell. Offense has also played a big role it ASU’s surge.

Two spectacular defensive plays helped the Mountaineers preserve a 11-6 Southern Conference victory over Wofford in the final game of the team’s three-game series. Appalachian State (26-17, 13-12 SoCon) swept the Terriers (17-21, 7-12) by combining a potent offense with solid pitching.

However, diving catches by Jason Wallace in right field and Rand Smith in center field helped curtail potential extra base hits by the Terriers in the first and fifth innings respectively.

Wallace caught up to a Jake Williams fly ball near the right-field line to rob Williams of a potential double that ended the first inning. Smith’s grab of a Mac Doyle fly ball was particularly difficult since he was running toward the left-centerfield wall in the same direction of Doyle’s hit.

Doyle’s fly drove in Landon Bennett, but starting pitcher Aubrey Edens stuck out David Roney to end the inning and limit Wofford to just one run in the inning.

“Usually I give them up to the infield, but today I gave up fly balls to the outfield,” Edens said. “They brought them in like they always do.”

Appalachian State won its 12th straight at home, has won 20 out of its last 23 games and 12 out of its last 15 in the SoCon. The Mountaineers’ sweep gave them 13 victories in their last 14 games.

“I think we’ve been playing well all season,” Edens said. “We’re getting that one guy who is getting that extra base hit in the game with two outs or making that two-strike pitch. Everything is coming together as a team.”

There was plenty of offense to go around for the Mountaineers. Isaac Harrow continued his reign of terror throughout the Southern Conference with a sacrifice fly in the first inning and an RBI double in the Mountaineers’ five-run second inning. Wofford had a chance to intentionally walk Harrow, but the senior third baseman belted a 2-0 pitch down the third base line to drive in Rand Smith and Wes Hobson.

“I thought that single he had through the five and six hole he had when he fouled off five or six pitches was really a great at-bat,” Mountaineers coach Chris Pollard said. “He finally got his pitch and hit it that way.”

Jeremy Dowdy also had an RBI double in the second and Jerod Faggart belted a solo home run in the fourth to put the Mountaineers in front 7-1. Chris Alessandria scored on a Dowdy infield hit to give the Mountaineers an 8-2 lead.

Harrow went 2-for-2 Sunday, giving him seven hits for the series and 239 in his ASU career. He broke the Appalachian State total bases Friday and tied the program’s doubles record Sunday.

Hobson also had a big day, going 4-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI collected off a bases-loaded walk in the second inning. Hobson also delivered an RBI single in the eighth inning, and the Mountaineers finished with 14 overall hits.

Edens made sure the lead would stick by scattering seven hits in eight innings. Edens struck out four and allowed sacrifice flies to Doyle in the fifth inning and Robinette in the seventh. Wofford also scored on a Konstantine Diamaduros fielder’s choice in the first inning, and on RBI singles by Michael Gilmartin and Landon Bennett in the eighth.

Saturday’s game
When Appalachian State pitchers clamp down on an offense, it doesn’t take much to win a baseball game
Josh Dowdy allowed two hit, Chris Patterson one other, and the Mountaineers used that to beat Wofford 5-0 on a chamber of commerce Saturday afternoon at Smith Stadium.

Appalachian State, after starting the Southern Conference season 1-9, pulled even at 12-12. The Mountaineers have won 18-of-21 games and improved to 25-17.

“The guys really threw great,” Pollard said. “I thought Josh Dowdy was incomplete control. We felt that he could expand the strike zone from both sides and he did.”

Dowdy was cruising along until the beginning of the seventh inning, when Michael Gilmartin’s linedrive hit Dowdy in his pitching shoulder. Before that, Dowdy had struck out five, walked two, and allowed a third-inning single to Neil Robinette that was turned into a double play by the Appalachian State defense

Dowdy came out, but Patterson helped preserve the shutout by getting the Mountaineers out of the seventh inning and the eighth. Zach Quate set the Terriers down in order in the ninth inning to keep them of the scoreboard. Dowdy got the win and improved to 4-2, but will likely have a big bruise on his shoulder.

“It was just a fastball, but he hit it right at me,” Dowdy said. “You make sure that you get your glove up so it doesn’t hit you in the face.”

Appalachian State provided three runs in the first inning with a two-run single by Isaac Harrow and another on a fielder’s choice by Chris Alessandria. An RBI double by Harrow in the third inning drove in Wes Hobson, who also scored on Harrow’s single in the first. Harrow went 2-for-3 and raised his batting average to .410.

“I’m trying to see the ball and then hit it hard,” Harrow said. “We’re just trying ot play good baseball and finish on a high note.”

“We jumped on them early,” added Rand Smith, who went 2-for-5 from the plate. “Coach always tells us that once we get going, to keep pushing the pedal down.”

Appalachian State opened its series with Wofford with a 13-9 victory Friday that was delayed two hours because of lightning, and didn’t end until after midnight.

ASU 5, Wofford 0
Wofford 000 000 000 — 0 3 2
App. State 301 000 10X — 5 4 1
DeLuria, Rowland (4), Streisel (7), Sheridan (8) and Roney. Dowdy, Patterson (7), Quate (9) and Faggart. W—Dowdy (4-2), L—DeLuria (1-4). LOB—Wofford 6, ASU 8. 2B—ASU, Smith, Harrow. SB—Wofford, Gilmartin. CS—Wofford, Doyle; ASU, Hobson, DeRose, Helms. HBP—Wofford, Williams (by Patterson; ASU, Helms (by DeLuria), Towarnicky (by Rowland).