University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Presbyterian
Bulldogs Rally Back, Fall Victim to Walkoff on Sunday
04.12.2015 | Baseball
CLINTON, S.C. – The UNC Asheville baseball team plated four runs in the top of the ninth inning to tie things up on Sunday, only to see host Presbyterian College collect a walk-off double to win the game and the series by a 6-5 score.
The Bulldogs (16-21, 3-9 Big South Conference) scored the game's opening run in the top of the first inning, a lead that held up until the bottom of the seventh when Presbyterian (21-15, 4-8 BSC) plated a run to knot things up.
Presbyterian took the lead with four runs in the bottom of the eighth before Asheville tied the game at five with four runs of their own in the top of the ninth, sending eight batters to the plate and collecting three hits in the inning.
The hosts opened the bottom of the ninth with a single by Jay Lizanich before Ryan Hedrick's RBI double three batters later brought in the winning run.
Seniors Hunter Bryant and Tommy Houmard combined to collect five of the Bulldogs' nine hits, as Houmard tallied a three-hit afternoon and Bryant added two hits and an RBI. Kyle Towles and Tanner Bush each drove in a run as well.
Freshman starter Jordan Fulbright did not factor into the decision Sunday, despite allowing just one run on five hits in his 6 1/3 innings of work. Nick Schavone (2-2) was saddled with the loss after coming into the game to begin the bottom of the ninth and giving up the three hits.
Asheville jumped ahead in the top of the first when Joe Zayatz walked and later scored on a Presbyterian error, and the Bulldogs held the lead there until the hosts' tied the game with an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh.
Presbyterian plated four runs on five hits, highlighted by two RBI singles, to take the lead, but the Bulldog bullpen was able to finish the inning and leave the bases loaded without any more damage done, setting up the ninth inning.
In the top of the ninth, Asheville collected three hits as part of their own four-run frame, first bringing in a pair on Bush's groundball that was misplayed by the hosts before adding runs on Towle's RBI sacrifice fly and an RBI single by Byrant to tie the game up and set up the bottom of the ninth for Presbyterian.
The Bulldogs travel to Chapel Hill on Wednesday night for a 6 p.m. contest with UNC before readying for a road Big South Conference series at Winthrop next weekend.
