University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Saturday, May 20
Boiling Springs, NC
2 PM
UNC Asheville
23-30, 0
6
at
7
Gardner-Webb
24-28, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
UNC Asheville
0
0
0
0
4
1
0
1
0
6
6
0
Gardner-Webb
0
1
0
0
0
2
0
1
3
7
10
1
Photo by: UNC Asheville
Baseball Falls 7-6 to Gardner-Webb Saturday
05.20.2017 | Baseball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The UNC Asheville baseball team fell 7-6 at Gardner-Webb Saturday afternoon as Chandler Redmond hit a three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to claim the series 2-1 for the home-standing Runnin' Bulldogs.
Both teams earned berths in the 2017 Big South Conference Championships Presented by Hardee's held at Lexington County Baseball Stadium in Lexington, S.C., next week. The league tournament will begin on Tuesday, May 23, and will continue through Saturday, May 27. It will feature a double elimination format with the top eight teams in the conference have earned berths.
UNC Asheville's berth into the 2017 league tournament marks the first time since the 2012 campaign that the Bulldogs have earned a berth into the tourney.
Seeding for the tournament will be finalized later this evening, but the Bulldogs (23-30, 11-13 Big South) are currently tied with Radford and Gardner-Webb (24-28, 11-13 Big South) for fifth.
In an attempt to save arms for the league tournament, UNC Asheville turned to typical senior right-fielder Kyle Carruthers to start the game on the mound. After going just over five innings, the Bulldogs turned to freshman Chris Troost in the sixth before Carmine Pagano (L, 0-1) came on to face the final batter of the contest.
Gardner-Webb started with Isaac Campbell Saturday, who went four and two-thirds innings before giving way to Taylor Goodwin, Aaron Stewart, Jarrett Thompson and Will Sellers (W, 4-3). Sellers pitched the final two innings for the Runnin' Bulldogs to earn his fourth victory on the year.
Gardner-Webb scored first in the bottom of the second and held on to the lead into the top of the fifth when Joe Tietjen drew a two-out, bases loaded walk to score Brandon Lankford, knotting the score at one-all. From there, Justin Woods drew a similar two-out, bases loaded walk before Kyle Carruthers ripped a ball at the second baseman. The second baseman allowed the ball to go between his legs, allowing Troost and Tietjen to both score to put UNC Asheville up 4-1.
In the top of the fifth, Lankford led off with his team-leading ninth home run to put the Bulldogs up 5-1. After the Runnin' Bulldogs got an out, Kole Harris, Pagano and Troost each singled to load the bases with one out, forcing a pitching change, but Gardner-Webb got out of the jam after that.
In the bottom of the inning, the Runnin' Bulldogs closed the gap a touch with a pair of runs before UNC Asheville could get an out, but Troost and the Bulldogs settled in and got out of the inning without giving up any more ground.
In the top of the eighth, Lankford led things off by wearing a pitch and then advanced to second on a wild pitch before Pagano knocked his second hit of the day, this time to the gap in left-center field. The single was enough to get Lankford to round third, scoring his third run of the afternoon.
Gardner-Webb was able to get a run back in the bottom of the eighth and capped off the win with Redmond's three-run walk-off in the bottom of the ninth with one out on the board.
Both Pagano and Troost not only pitched but also led the way at the plate for the Bulldogs with two hits each. Pagano went 2-for-5 with an RBI while Troost went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Lankford went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and an RBI.
BULLDOG BITES
LANKFORD'S MULTIPLE RUNS SCORED: Freshman Brandon Lankford scored three runs in Saturday's contest, marking the seventh time this season he has scored multiple runs in a game.
GOING YARD: In the top of the sixth inning, Brandon Lankford led off by bouncing a home run off the top of the fence in left-center field. It was his team-leading ninth homer of the year.
MULTI-HIT DAY FOR TROOST: Freshman Chris Troost had his fifth multi-hit game of the season Saturday afternoon. It was also the second multi-hit outing in two weeks for Troost as he went 3-for-3 in the series finale against Longwood last Sunday.
PLENTY LEFT TO PLAY FOR: Saturday's game may have marked the end of the regular season, but it does not mean the end of the campaign for the Bulldogs as UNC Asheville has earned a spot in the 2017 Big South Conference Championships Presented by Hardee's held at Lexington County Baseball Stadium in Lexington, S.C. The berth into the post-season league tournament marks the first time since the 2012 season that UNC Asheville has advanced to the tournament.
SWEET 16: UNC Asheville will be making its 16th appearances in the Big South Conference Championships. In the previous 15 trips, the Bulldogs went 19-28, claiming the 2006 championship and finishing runners-up in 1991.
BEST FINISH IN SOME TIME: With their 11 wins this season, the Bulldogs of UNC Asheville have posted the most conference wins since winning 12 Big South Conference contests in 2012 en route to finishing sixth in the league standings. Coincidentally, 2012 was also the last time UNC Asheville earned a berth into the Big South Conference Championships.
20-WIN SEASON: The Bulldogs are guaranteed to finish the year with at least 20 wins for the second time in the Scott Friedholm era. The Bulldogs' 23 wins are the most by a UNC Asheville team since the 2012 squad finished the year with 25 wins.
BULLDOGS WINNING 20+ GAMES: In the NCAA Division I era, only head coaches Bill Hillier, Matt Myers and Willie Stewart recorded more 20-win seasons with the Bulldogs as all three had three 20-win campaigns. Hillier's 1997, 1998 and 1999 teams finished with 20, 27 and 21 wins, respectively. Myers' 2002, 2003 and 2004 squads recorded 21, 27 and 26 wins. Stewart's 2006 Big South Conference Tournament Champions, 2007 and 2008 teams recorded 28, 22 and 24 wins. Current skipper Scott Friedholm is the only other Bulldog head coach to have multiple 20-win campaigns. The 23 wins is the ninth-most wins in program history for a single season. The 2006 team set the standard with 28 wins while the 1990 squad went 25-25.
UNC ASHEVILLE IN THE BIG SOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS: UNC Asheville made seven straight appearances in the league tournament from 1998 to 2004. After a one-season hiatus in 2005, the Bulldogs made three straight appearances from 2006 to 2008 and then advanced to the conference tourney in 2010 and 2012. UNC Asheville also earned berths in the 1990, 1991 and 1992 tournaments.
FINISHING STRONG: Despite dropping Friday's game 11-0 to Gardner-Webb, the Bulldogs have mostly been playing their best baseball as of late. UNC Asheville enters the post-season having won five of their last eight games, including a stretch of three in a row from Sunday, May 14, through Thursday, May 18. The Bulldogs also won the series over Longwood, marking the sixth series victory of the season, including taking two-of-three during a weekend in Spartanburg, S.C., from Friday, Feb. 24, through Sunday, Feb. 26.
UP NEXT
For the first time since the 2012 season, the Bulldogs will compete in the Big South Conference Championships Presented by Hardee's held at Lexington County Baseball Stadium in Lexington, S.C. The 2017 league tournament will begin on Tuesday, May 23, and will continue through Saturday, May 27. It will feature a double elimination format with the top eight teams in the conference earning berths.
QUOTABLES
"This was a tough one today, but I'm proud of the way our guys competed. We played well and it gives us some positive momentum going into the tournament on Tuesday. Two days of work and we start our third part of the season." – Scott Friedholm
Both teams earned berths in the 2017 Big South Conference Championships Presented by Hardee's held at Lexington County Baseball Stadium in Lexington, S.C., next week. The league tournament will begin on Tuesday, May 23, and will continue through Saturday, May 27. It will feature a double elimination format with the top eight teams in the conference have earned berths.
UNC Asheville's berth into the 2017 league tournament marks the first time since the 2012 campaign that the Bulldogs have earned a berth into the tourney.
Seeding for the tournament will be finalized later this evening, but the Bulldogs (23-30, 11-13 Big South) are currently tied with Radford and Gardner-Webb (24-28, 11-13 Big South) for fifth.
In an attempt to save arms for the league tournament, UNC Asheville turned to typical senior right-fielder Kyle Carruthers to start the game on the mound. After going just over five innings, the Bulldogs turned to freshman Chris Troost in the sixth before Carmine Pagano (L, 0-1) came on to face the final batter of the contest.
Gardner-Webb started with Isaac Campbell Saturday, who went four and two-thirds innings before giving way to Taylor Goodwin, Aaron Stewart, Jarrett Thompson and Will Sellers (W, 4-3). Sellers pitched the final two innings for the Runnin' Bulldogs to earn his fourth victory on the year.
Gardner-Webb scored first in the bottom of the second and held on to the lead into the top of the fifth when Joe Tietjen drew a two-out, bases loaded walk to score Brandon Lankford, knotting the score at one-all. From there, Justin Woods drew a similar two-out, bases loaded walk before Kyle Carruthers ripped a ball at the second baseman. The second baseman allowed the ball to go between his legs, allowing Troost and Tietjen to both score to put UNC Asheville up 4-1.
In the top of the fifth, Lankford led off with his team-leading ninth home run to put the Bulldogs up 5-1. After the Runnin' Bulldogs got an out, Kole Harris, Pagano and Troost each singled to load the bases with one out, forcing a pitching change, but Gardner-Webb got out of the jam after that.
In the bottom of the inning, the Runnin' Bulldogs closed the gap a touch with a pair of runs before UNC Asheville could get an out, but Troost and the Bulldogs settled in and got out of the inning without giving up any more ground.
In the top of the eighth, Lankford led things off by wearing a pitch and then advanced to second on a wild pitch before Pagano knocked his second hit of the day, this time to the gap in left-center field. The single was enough to get Lankford to round third, scoring his third run of the afternoon.
Gardner-Webb was able to get a run back in the bottom of the eighth and capped off the win with Redmond's three-run walk-off in the bottom of the ninth with one out on the board.
Both Pagano and Troost not only pitched but also led the way at the plate for the Bulldogs with two hits each. Pagano went 2-for-5 with an RBI while Troost went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Lankford went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and an RBI.
BULLDOG BITES
LANKFORD'S MULTIPLE RUNS SCORED: Freshman Brandon Lankford scored three runs in Saturday's contest, marking the seventh time this season he has scored multiple runs in a game.
GOING YARD: In the top of the sixth inning, Brandon Lankford led off by bouncing a home run off the top of the fence in left-center field. It was his team-leading ninth homer of the year.
MULTI-HIT DAY FOR TROOST: Freshman Chris Troost had his fifth multi-hit game of the season Saturday afternoon. It was also the second multi-hit outing in two weeks for Troost as he went 3-for-3 in the series finale against Longwood last Sunday.
PLENTY LEFT TO PLAY FOR: Saturday's game may have marked the end of the regular season, but it does not mean the end of the campaign for the Bulldogs as UNC Asheville has earned a spot in the 2017 Big South Conference Championships Presented by Hardee's held at Lexington County Baseball Stadium in Lexington, S.C. The berth into the post-season league tournament marks the first time since the 2012 season that UNC Asheville has advanced to the tournament.
SWEET 16: UNC Asheville will be making its 16th appearances in the Big South Conference Championships. In the previous 15 trips, the Bulldogs went 19-28, claiming the 2006 championship and finishing runners-up in 1991.
BEST FINISH IN SOME TIME: With their 11 wins this season, the Bulldogs of UNC Asheville have posted the most conference wins since winning 12 Big South Conference contests in 2012 en route to finishing sixth in the league standings. Coincidentally, 2012 was also the last time UNC Asheville earned a berth into the Big South Conference Championships.
20-WIN SEASON: The Bulldogs are guaranteed to finish the year with at least 20 wins for the second time in the Scott Friedholm era. The Bulldogs' 23 wins are the most by a UNC Asheville team since the 2012 squad finished the year with 25 wins.
BULLDOGS WINNING 20+ GAMES: In the NCAA Division I era, only head coaches Bill Hillier, Matt Myers and Willie Stewart recorded more 20-win seasons with the Bulldogs as all three had three 20-win campaigns. Hillier's 1997, 1998 and 1999 teams finished with 20, 27 and 21 wins, respectively. Myers' 2002, 2003 and 2004 squads recorded 21, 27 and 26 wins. Stewart's 2006 Big South Conference Tournament Champions, 2007 and 2008 teams recorded 28, 22 and 24 wins. Current skipper Scott Friedholm is the only other Bulldog head coach to have multiple 20-win campaigns. The 23 wins is the ninth-most wins in program history for a single season. The 2006 team set the standard with 28 wins while the 1990 squad went 25-25.
UNC ASHEVILLE IN THE BIG SOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS: UNC Asheville made seven straight appearances in the league tournament from 1998 to 2004. After a one-season hiatus in 2005, the Bulldogs made three straight appearances from 2006 to 2008 and then advanced to the conference tourney in 2010 and 2012. UNC Asheville also earned berths in the 1990, 1991 and 1992 tournaments.
FINISHING STRONG: Despite dropping Friday's game 11-0 to Gardner-Webb, the Bulldogs have mostly been playing their best baseball as of late. UNC Asheville enters the post-season having won five of their last eight games, including a stretch of three in a row from Sunday, May 14, through Thursday, May 18. The Bulldogs also won the series over Longwood, marking the sixth series victory of the season, including taking two-of-three during a weekend in Spartanburg, S.C., from Friday, Feb. 24, through Sunday, Feb. 26.
UP NEXT
For the first time since the 2012 season, the Bulldogs will compete in the Big South Conference Championships Presented by Hardee's held at Lexington County Baseball Stadium in Lexington, S.C. The 2017 league tournament will begin on Tuesday, May 23, and will continue through Saturday, May 27. It will feature a double elimination format with the top eight teams in the conference earning berths.
QUOTABLES
"This was a tough one today, but I'm proud of the way our guys competed. We played well and it gives us some positive momentum going into the tournament on Tuesday. Two days of work and we start our third part of the season." – Scott Friedholm
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: SELLERS, W. (4-3)
L: Pagano, Carmine (0-1)
Batting:
HR: Lankford, Brandon 1
RBI: Pagano, Carmine 1 ; Tietjen, Joe 1 ; Woods, Justin 1 ; Lankford, Brandon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Troost, Chris 1 ; Tietjen, Joe 1 ; Lankford, Brandon 3 ; Harris, Kole 1
SB: Woods, Justin 1
HBP: Serricchio, Tyler 1 ; Lankford, Brandon 2
Batting:
2B: REDMOND, C. 1 ; SIMMONS, M. 1
HR: REDMOND, C. 1
RBI: REDMOND, C. 3 ; DUGAN, M. 1 ; SIMMONS, M. 1 ; FOX, M. 1
SF: DUGAN, M. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: THACKER, C. 1 ; SULLIVAN, D. 2 ; REDMOND, C. 2 ; KUNZ, J. 1 ; DUGAN, M. 1
SB: DUGAN, M. 1 ; FOX, M. 1
HBP: KUNZ, J. 1 ; SIMMONS, M. 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
ss/p
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
2b/p
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
2
R
3
H
1
RBI
1
rf/2b
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ BaseballINF/RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
OF/RHP
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