University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Morehead State
Pitching Shines in a Pair of Bulldog Wins
02.28.2015 | Baseball
Sumter, S.C. – Solid pitching and defense carried UNC Asheville baseball in wins over the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Morehead State on Saturday at Riley Park.
Asheville (4-5) pitching led the way in the victories. Relievers Tyler Hughes, Nick Schavone, Jordan Fulbright, Nick Boyles and Evan Joura combined to throw 8.2 innings over two games and allowing just one run while striking out eight batters.
The Bulldogs defeated NJIT 4-1 in the first of two games. In game two, the Blue & White topped Morehead State 3-2.
“That was a really good day! That was a really good win,” said head coach Scott Friedholm. “[Morehead State] went out to San Diego, No. 34 in the country and took 3-of-4 against them. For our pitchers to do what they did today is big. They all did their jobs, Spencer Orr, Jordan Fullbright and even Nick Boyles all threw the ball well, then for Evan Joura to come in and shut the door and get us out of a big jam with the bases loaded and no outs. It was a great job. We played great defense and the guys are happy.”
GAME ONE
Lucas Clarke (1-1) threw 6.1 innings while scattering five hits, and allowing one run, two walks and striking out four batters in his first win of the season. Tyler Hughes threw 1.2 inning in relief for the Blue & White and tallied four strikeouts before giving way to Nick Schavone to come in and earn the save (1) for Asheville.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning after Hunter Bryant and Kyle Towles led off the inning with back-to-back singles, Joe Tietjen doubled down the left field line to drive in Bryant to open the scoring. Towles and Tietjen scored the final two runs of the inning on a single by Kyle Carruthers.
NJIT (2-2) cut into the lead, manufacturing one run after Rex MacMillan reached on a single. MacMillan moved up to second on a bunt single and to third on a sacrifice bunt by Johnny Malatesta, before scoring on a passed ball. That would be it for the NJIT offense as Hughes and Schavone closed things out.
Zayatz was the key man at the plate for the Bulldogs going 3-for-4 and scoring a run, while Carruthers went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
GAME TWO
After giving up a run in the bottom of the first inning, Asheville pitching shut down the Morehead State (5-3) lineup, working out of a pair of bases loaded situations to allow just one run over the final eight innings.
Evan Joura came up big on the mound for the Blue & White when he entered the ball game in the bottom of the seventh inning with the bases loaded and no outs. Joura struck out Nick Newell, before getting Alex Stephens to ground into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play and secure the Bulldogs' 3-1 lead.
Joura threw three innings, surrendering just two hits and allowing one run and striking out a batter for his first save of the year. Jordan Fulbright (1-0) replaced starter Spencer Orr in the fourth and threw three scoreless innings to earn the victory.
The Blue & White tied the score in the third inning. Tommy Houmard reached on a single up the middle and was driven on Kyle Towles' RBI single.
After back-to-back hits by Lucas Owens and Hunter Bryant to start the fifth inning the Bulldogs took the lead on a sacrifice fly to right field courtesy of Towles, which scored Owens. Tietjen's single to right center gave Asheville a 3-1 lead, scoring Bryant which represented the winning run.
Tietjen and Owens led the Blue & White at the plate in game two with two hits each. Towles finished 1-for-4 with two RBI.
The Bulldogs will wrap up the weekend on Sunday morning when they face NJIT for the second time in as many days at the Lexington Sports Complex in a 1:00 p.m. contest.
