University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Liberty
Asheville Edges Liberty, 5-4; Teams Play DH on Saturday at Noon
03.26.2010 | Baseball
Spear (1-1) earned his first collegiate win by limiting the Flames to just three runs on five hits. He struck out five and walked. Ryan Dull earned the save for the Bulldogs in the ninth inning. Dull allowed an unearned run but got Matt Williams to fly out to end the game and give Asheville its first conference win of the season.
The teams will conclude the series with a double-header on Saturday starting at Noon. The teams were scheduled to play one game on both Saturday and Sunday but with inclement weather scheduled for the Asheville area on Sunday, the schools agreed to play a double-header on Saturday to try and get both games in.
Liberty (13-7, 0-1 Big South) was led at the plate by second baseman P.J. Jimenez with two hits and two RBI.
The Bulldogs (6-12, 1-0 Big South) picked up two hits and a double from freshman second baseman Robert McIntosh. Mike Vaughn also had two hits for the home team.
The game was tied 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning when Asheville took the lead for good with two runs. With one out, Justin Schumer walked. Liberty starter Shawn Teufel was lifted for reliever J.J. McLeod.
While pitching to Danny Baatz, McLeod made two wild pitches to put Schumer on third. He then uncorked another wild pitch that walked Baatz, allowing Schumer to score as Asheville led 4-3. The Bulldogs then loaded the bases with two outs and scored an insurance run when Beau Zinman reached on an error, scoring Ian Graham for a 5-3 Asheville lead.
In the LU ninth, Dull walked Nathan Thompson to lead the inning off. One out later, pinch-hitter Jerry Neufang dropped a single to short left-field to put runners on first and second. Justin Sizemore fouled out for the second out of the inning.
Pinch-hitter Kenneth Negron then reached on an error, scoring Thompson to cut the lead to 5-4. Williams ended the game by popping out to left.
Liberty opened the scoring in the first inning when Williams doubled to open the game. Jiminez drove him in on a run-scoring single to give the Flames a 1-0 lead. Spear got out of further trouble with a double-play ball.
Asheville knotted the game up in the bottom of the first with three straight hits. McIntosh and Schumer singled with one out. Baatz followed with a RBI-single to tie the game at 1-1.
Liberty went back in front in the second as Thompson doubled to lead off the inning. He went to third on a double and then scored on a ground-out from Justin Richardson to make it 2-1.
Both pitchers really settled down after that before the Bulldogs struck for two runs in the fifth inning. With one out, Zinman doubled down the left-field line. One out later, Catlin Carter's slow roller to short, scored Zinman. Carter went to second on a throwing error. McIntosh gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the game with a double to give Asheville a 3-2 lead.
Spear kept Liberty at bay with good control and some great defense. Baatz made a great catch in center field in the sixth inning that stopped a Liberty threat.
The Flames tied things up in the eighth. Pinch-hitter Jeff Jefferson walked to open the inning. A sacrifice from Williams moved him to second. Jimenez's then singled up the middle to tie the game at 3-3.
