University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
UNCG
Offensive Explosion Lifts Asheville to Wednesday Win
05.11.2016 | Baseball
THE RUNDOWN
Score: Asheville 12 – UNCG 7
Teams: Asheville (16-31, 5-13 BSC)
UNCG (35-15, 13-5 SoCon)
Location: Greenwood Field / Asheville, N.C.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – UNC Asheville scored three runs in each of its first three at-bats Wednesday night, and scored in six of its eight at-bats overall, as the Bulldogs grabbed a 12-7 win over UNC Greensboro at Greenwood Field.
Asheville now turns its attention to Senior Weekend as it welcomes Big South Conference foe Gardner-Webb to town for three important games in league play.
THE TURNING POINT
All of the scoring in the first three innings for the Bulldogs came with two outs, as Asheville tallied 10 of its 12 total runs with two outs throughout the game. As a team, the Bulldogs tallied six extra-base hits in the win.
NOTABLES
-Asheville was led at the plate by Lucas Owens' four-hit night, which included a double and his three-run homer in the third inning. Joe Tietjen finished with three hits, including two doubles, and two RBI, while Kyle Carruthers had two hits – both doubles – as he tallied four RBI.
-Wednesday marked just the third time all season Asheville recorded six or more extra-base hits (Feb. 26 Monmouth, Feb. 27 Rider) and the 12 runs are the third-most the Bulldogs have scored this season, behind 19 runs (Feb. 27 Rider) and 22 runs (April 3 Presbyterian).
-Pete Guy was hitless on the night and also did not record a walk – just the second time all season he's gone back-to-back games without a walk (other – Feb. 20/21 Ohio, Feb. 26 Monmouth). Guy was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning, running his on-base streak to 32 consecutive games.
-For the second consecutive night, Asheville received a great pitching effort that allowed the Bulldog bullpen to rest, as freshman starter Austin Fahr earned his second win of the season after tossing six-plus innings. Fahr allowed five runs (three earned) on nine hits with four strikeouts in his third start of the season. Adam Spracklin, Eric Whitecavage (two runs allowed) and Nick Boyles tossed each of the final three innings in the win.
-Tietjen and Carruthers connected on back-to-back RBI doubles down the left field line before Justin Woods followed with an RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the first inning to get the Bulldog offense going. Asheville added two the lead in the second frame on Carruthers' three-run double into deep left center field to push out to a six run advantage.
-UNCG cut into the deficit with a three-run top of the third inning, using an RBI groundout to plate its first run before a Bulldog throwing error allowed the second two runs of the frame to score with two outs.
-Asheville extended the lead right back again in the bottom half of the third inning with one swing, as Owens sent his first home run of the season over the right field wall. The Bulldogs added single runs in the fourth (Alex Baratta RBI groundout) and fifth (Tietjen fielders' choice RBI) innings to push the advantage to eight runs.
-UNCG notched two-run homers in both the top of the seventh and eighth frames as it attempted to make things interesting down the stretch, but the Bulldogs added their final run of the night in between the homers in the bottom of the seventh on Connolly's two-out RBI single.
UP NEXT
-Following tonight's win, the Bulldogs wrap up the home portion of their schedule this weekend against Big South Conference foe Gardner-Webb. The series begins with a 6:00 p.m. Friday contest before a 3:00 p.m. Saturday matchup with Senior Day activities taking place beginning at approximately 2:45 p.m. Sunday's series finale will be a 1:00 p.m. first pitch.
