MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – Redshirt-freshman RF Daniel Aldrich (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) had three hits and four RBIs, including a two-run homer in the eighth inning, as the College of Charleston defeated Appalachian State 10-7 Sunday afternoon at Patriots Point to take the weekend series against the Mountaineers. The Cougars improve to 34-18 overall and 17-10 in the Southern Conference.
Charleston opened the game with a single run in the first inning as junior 1B Marty Gantt (N. Augusta, S.C.) led off the frame with a triple to left center and with one out, Aldrich knocked a sacrifice fly to left scoring Gantt for a 1-0 lead. The Cougars added a pair of runs in second to take a 3-0 lead. With senior CF Cole Rakar (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) at third and senior SS Jamie Holler (Rock Hill, S.C.) at second, junior 2B Rob Harding (Columbia, S.C.) singled to third base and a throwing error by Zack Briggs allowed Rakar to score. Gantt followed with a fielder's choice to second and after forcing Harding at second, Will Callaway's throwing error allowed Holler to cross the plate for a 3-0 lead.
App State (29-23, 13-14 SoCon) cut into the Cougars' lead with a run in the third on a RBI groundout by Jack Myers that plated Hector Crespo, who led off the inning with a double to left. Charleston restored the three-run cushion in the bottom of the frame with three straight singles by redshirt-junior LF Jose Rodriguez (Hialeah, Fla.), freshman DH Brandon Murray (Nassau, Bahamas) and Rakar, with Rakar's single to right, scoring Rodriguez from second.
The two teams traded runs in the fifth to make the score 5-2. App State scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Trey Holmes and the Cougars got the run back on a RBI single to right by Aldrich that brought home Kral, who doubled to lead off the frame.
Charleston scored single runs in the sixth and seventh to take a 7-2 lead into the eighth. A RBI single to left by Harding accounted for the run in the sixth, while senior PH Kolby Epley (Yadkinville, N.C.) lifted a sacrifice fly to right in the seventh to score Aldrich from third.
App State scored three runs in the top of the eighth to cut the Cougars' lead to 7-5. After Daniel Kassouf was hit by a pitch and Will Callaway doubled to center, Preston Troutman's RBI single up the middle plated Kassouf and Callaway scored on a bases-loaded single to center by Jeremy Dowdy. Crespo's RBI groundout to first with one out brought home Troutman and pulled the Mountaineers within two.
The Cougars responded in their half of the inning with three runs of their own to restore the five-run advantage. With Tyler Miller on the mound for App State, Harding led off the frame with a single to right center and Gantt sacrificed him over to second. Redshirt-junior C Rob Kral (Randolph, N.J.) singled through the right side to put runners at the corners for redshirt-junior 3B Matt Leeds (Boca Raton, Fla.), who delivered an RBI single to first. After Leeds moved to second on a wild pitch by Miller, Aldrich drilled a 2-1 pitch over the wall in right center for his 21st home run of the season and a 10-5 Charleston lead.
App State cut the final margin to 10-7 in the ninth with a RBI groundout by Troutman and a RBI single to center by Jason Wallace, but senior RHP Casey Lucchese (Lexington, Ky.) held off the Mountaineer attack for his five save of the season.
Sophomore RHP Christian Powell (Greenwood, S.C.) improved to 7-1 on the season with the victory, scattering five hits and two runs over six innings with four strikeouts. Aldrich and Harding collected three hits apiece for the Cougars, who out-hit App State 16-12 in the game. Aldrich also posted four RBIs in the contest.
Seth Grant (4-8) took the loss for App State, allowing five runs on eight hits in 4-1/3 innings. Callaway had three hits for the Mountaineers.
Charleston closes out the home portion of the 2011 schedule with a non-conference showdown against Presbyterian College Tuesday evening. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m.
