Cougar Baseball Hosts Davidson This Weekend
3/22/2012 9:26:00 PM | Baseball
The Seahawks were able to sweep the season series over CofC by going ahead with a three-run third inning, eventually leading 5-0 after four. The Cougars were able to cut it to 5-3 after an RBI single from Marty Gantt in the seventh, but couldn't draw any closer before UNCW's Tyler Molinaro hit a 2-run HR to put the game away.
Ryan West gave up four runs in 2.2 IP, but the CofC bullpen responded well, allowing just one run until the 8th inning HR from Molinaro.
CofC's Wednesday game at Charleston Southern was canceled due to rain in the area. No makeup date has been currently set.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Day Name Team 2012 Stats
Friday RHP #21 Brian Russell Davidson 1-2, 6.15 ERA, 14 BB, 18 K
LHP #19 Josh Renfro CofC 3-1, 2.93 ERA, 6 BB, 30 K
Saturday RHP #31 Ryan Overcash Davidson 1-3, 6.11 ERA, 6 BB, 23 K
RHP #20 Christian Powell CofC 3-1, 1.57 ERA, 9 BB, 22 K
Sunday RHP #30 Danny Mooney Davidson 1-0, 3.63 ERA, 8 BB, 17 K
RHP #22 Matt Pegler CofC 4-0, 2.08 ERA, 9 BB, 23 K
SERIES NOTES
College of Charleston leads the all-time series over the Wildcats, 30-10. Last season, CofC took two of three from Davidson at Wilson Field in Davidson, N.C.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Davidson comes to Charleston after earning a rain-shortened 4-1 win over N.C. Central on Tuesday. The Wildcats scored a big weekend series win over Elon this past weekend, splitting a double-header on Saturday and then winning 9-8 (11 innings) in walkoff fashion on Sunday.
Davidson has been led offensively by Drew Gadaire who boasts a .343 batting average with seven doubles and 12 RBIs. He also has a slugging percentage of .478. Andrew Barna leads the team with 16 RBIs and a .314 batting average.
The Wildcats rank ninth in the conference in both batting average (.256) and team ERA (4.95). DC was picked to finish last in the conference in the preseason coaches poll.
COFC IN THE STATISTICAL RANKINGS
The Cougars currently lead the SoCon in pitching with a team ERA of 2.47 and an opposing batting average of just .206. The staff ERA ranks fifth nationally, while the Cougars are second in the NCAA in hits allowed per nine innings (6.42).
Christian Powell is now second in the league with an ERA of 1.57. Matt Pegler is second in the Southern Conference with an opposing batting average of .171. Josh Renfro is fifth in the league with 30 strikeouts.
After his save over the weekend, David Peterson stays in second place in the SoCon for saves with 6. That mark ranks sixth nationally.
Marty Gantt leads the conference and is eighth in the country in runs scored with 26 and is second in the SoCon in batting average (.410). Gantt's slugging percentage of .663 ranks sixth in the league and his on-base percentage of .479 is sixth.
Slugger Daniel Aldrich is in first place in the conference and 16th in the country in triples with three, while he's tied for third in the SoCon in walks (16).
The Cougars are 13th in the NCAA in home runs per game with 1.0 per contest.
GOING STREAKING
Marty Gantt has led the team all season in batting average after opening with a strong series at South Alabama. Gantt currently sports a team-best 18-game reached base streak after his 10-game hit streak was snapped last week.
PATIENCE AT THE PLATE
College of Charleston slugger Daniel Aldrich has shown that he can hit for power. The first team All-American led all freshman in home runs last season and has tallied a slugging percentage of .486 this season with 16 RBIs.
However, Aldrich has made patience at the plate into a prevalent aspect of his game this season. Aldrich leads the team in walks with 16 and his on-base percentage of .404 is second on the team.
BETWEEN A ROCK AND A "HARD" PLACE
Senior Rob Harding has come through when it's counted this year. 12 of his team-best 18 RBIs have come in 2-out situations, and he is hitting .333 overall when there are two outs. Harding leads the team with an average of .458 with runners in scoring position.
B-MURR, BENZ OR BENTLEY
College of Charleston sophomore Brandon Murray hit three home runs last week, all of which were solo shots to right field. Murray now leads the team with four long balls as he's cemented a permanent starting spot in left field.
WHAT'S HAPPENED BY THE 4TH INNING?
CofC games this season have largely been determined by the action in the first four innings. The Cougars are an impressive 11-1 when leading after the fourth inning and are 1-5 when trailing after the fourth inning.
WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS
College of Charleston has seen its share of rain interruptions this season, including a game cancellation at Charleston Southern on March 21. Overall, five games have been moved or delayed because of weather conditions this season. CofC is 2-2 in double-headers resulting from rain.
