University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Tennessee Tech
Asheville Falls at Tennessee Tech; Prepares for Radford
05.17.2016 | Baseball
THE RUNDOWN
Score: Tennessee Tech 9 – Asheville 4
Teams: Asheville (16-35, 5-16 BSC)
Tennessee Tech (28-22, 14-13 OVC)
Location: Bush Stadium / Cookeville, Tennessee
COOKEVILLE, TN. – Visiting UNC Asheville stranded nine men on the base paths and Tennessee Tech used a four-run third inning to help hand the visiting Bulldogs a 9-4 loss in Asheville's final non-conference contest of the season.
The Bulldogs now turn their attention to a Big South Conference road series at Radford that begins Thursday night to close the regular season. Asheville enters the series one game behind Radford for the final spot in the 2016 Big South Tournament.
THE TURNING POINT
Tennessee Tech was able to answer each of Asheville's pushes, beginning with a four-run third inning after the Bulldogs had just taken a one-run lead in the top of the third. Asheville cut the lead to one run in the top of the fifth with two more runs, but the hosts again answered, extending the advantage with a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth before final runs in the seventh and eighth frames.
NOTABLES
-Asheville finished with five total hits, including two from Danny Wilson. Erik Connolly and Kyle Carruthers each finished with a hit and two RBI as the pair drove in the Bulldog runs. Lucas Owens added the final Bulldog hit of the afternoon as Asheville drew seven walks as a team in the game.
-Pete Guy was hit by a pitch to begin the third inning and also drew a walk in the ninth, extending his program-record on-base streak to 36 consecutive games.
-Asheville starter Parker Swindell was saddled with the loss, allowing four runs on four hits over the opening two innings as seven total pitchers threw for the Bulldogs in the game.
-Tennessee Tech took the lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning before the Bulldogs answered in the top of the third on Connolly's two-run single, which at the time was Asheville's first hit. Connolly's single drove in both Guy and Wilson who had earlier walked in the frame.
-The hosts quickly answered, posting four runs on three hits in the bottom of the third via an RBI single, run-scoring double and a two-run double.
-The Bulldogs cut into the lead again in the fifth, when Carruthers sent a two-out, two-run single down the left field line to plate both Wilson and Connolly to pull Asheville within one run. Tennessee Tech responded with the solo homer in the bottom of the fifth to gain some cushion before adding a run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly. The final runs of the afternoon came in the bottom of the eighth with an RBI double and a sacrifice fly.
-Guy's walk and Owens' single gave the Bulldogs the opportunity in the ninth with one out before a foul out and a fly out ended the afternoon.
UP NEXT
-Following today's loss, Asheville wraps up the regular season and Big South Conference play with a three-game set beginning Thursday night at Radford before a Friday night contest and a Saturday afternoon game to close the schedule.
