CHARLESTON, S.C. - Redshirt-sophomore C Rob Kral's (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) single in the bottom of the 11th inning scored junior RF Baker Knox (San Mateo, Fla./Daytona Beach CC) and gave No. 2 seed College of Charleston a 12-11 victory over No. 7 seed Appalachian State in game one of the 2010 Bennett Hofford Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Carolina Ford Dealers. The Cougars advanced in the winner's bracket and will take on No. 6 seed Western Carolina Thursday at 9:00 p.m.
Sophomore LF (Hialeah, Fla./Broward College) Jose Rodriguez went 4-for-5 with a run and a walk. Junior SS Jamie Holler (Rock Hill, S.C./USC Sumter JC) tallied four hits, while senior 2B Joey Bergman (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny) and junior CF Cole Rakar (Mt. Pleasant, S.C./Wando) each added two. Holler, Bergman and Rakar also had three RBIs apiece. Knox scored three times and senior 1B Greg Blake (Westerly, R.I./Lake City CC) accounted for two runs.
Hector Crespo went 4-for-7 to lead the Mountaineers, while Wes Hobson notched three hits.
Redshirt-senior Owen Brittle (Cross, S.C./Florence Darlington Tech) earned the win to improve to 1-1. The southpaw pitched 3.2 innings, allowing one earned run on three hits, while striking out four. Chris Patterson (3-3) suffered the loss, going 3.1 innings. He surrendered four runs, three of which were earned and tallied four strikeouts.
The Mountaineers got on the board early as Crespo hit a solo home run to left center in the first at bat of the game. Bergman evened the score for the Cougars in the bottom of the opening frame, sending a shot beyond the wall in left center.
CofC would score runs in the second, third and fifth, taking a 7-1 lead before ASU mounted a comeback. The Mountaineers put runs on the board in the sixth, seventh and eighth to pull ahead 10-8.
Charleston tied it in the bottom of the seventh as Holler singled, scoring Blake. ASU responded in the top of the eighth with two runs. First baseman David Towarnicky singled to right field and advanced to second on the throw while plating Hobson. Catcher Jeremy Dowdy then singled to bring in Towarnicky and give the Mountaineers a two-run advantage.
The Cougars rallied in the bottom of the ninth as senior PH Justin Brewer (Greer, S.C./Spartanburg Methodist College) homered to right center. With two outs on the board, Rakar singled through the left side scoring Knox and knotting the score at 10. Rakar was tagged out at second, ending the inning and sending the game to extras.
Both teams went scoreless in the 10th, but ASU took an 11-10 lead in the top of the 11th. A double down the left field line by Crespo brought in Jason Wallace.
CofC made another run in the bottom of the 11th. Bergman singled through the right side bringing in sophomore PR Thomas Brittle (Cross, S.C./Berkeley), tying the game and setting the stage for Kral.
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