College of Charleston
Delaware
CAA Series Sweep Eludes @CofCBaseball
4/19/2015 9:49:00 PM | Baseball
NEWARK, Del. – College of Charleston baseball suffered a 10-8 loss to Delaware in the third of a three-game Colonial Athletic Association series on Sunday afternoon at Bob Hannah Stadium.
After Charleston (27-9, 13-2 CAA) convincingly won games one and two to secure the series, Delaware (15-14, 4-8 CAA) became just the second of five CAA opponents to stave off a Cougar sweep.
Charleston yet again hit for double digits, but was outhit for only the 12th time this season, as UD amassed 10 runs on 13 hits, the most runs for a CofC opponent in 14 games.
Blake Butler and Nick Pappas were both 3-for-4 and scored two times apiece, and Pappas added four RBIs with a double and home run, his 17th and fifth of the season, respectively. Bradley Jones picked up three RBIs on two doubles on the day.
Charleston led early, and erased a three-run deficit in the middle innings, but surrendered four runs across the seventh and eighth innings before being tagged with the loss.
The Cougars sparked a rally in the second inning, led off by walks to Butler and Morgan Phillips to put two runners aboard. Jones chopped a double down the third baseline and into the corner in left, clearing the bases for a 2-0 Cougar lead.
Carl Wise was hit by a pitch to lead off the third, and Butler and Pappas strung together back-to-back two-out singles to bring Wise to the plate for a 3-0 CofC lead.
UD took their first lead of the series with a six-run fourth inning, taking advantage of a Cougar error and adding four hits to represent the most damaging inning CofC has allowed since a six-run sixth inning against High Point on March 14. After a Cougar error extended the inning and allowed the Hens to load the bases, Norm Donkin capped the inning with a three-run homer to left. Four of UD's six runs in the inning were unearned.
The Cougars took one run back in the top of the sixth, off another RBI double by Jones, which was almost identical to the one from the second inning. The Cougars loaded the bases on a pair of walks later in the inning to put the go-ahead run aboard, but ultimately stranded the runners.
Charleston completed the comeback effort in the seventh, with Wise and Pappas sandwiching doubles around a Butler single to plate one run and put runners on second third before recording an out. Phillips then drove an RBI sacrifice fly to the warning track in left to plate the tying run.
The lead wouldn't stay tied long, however, as the Hens went to work in their half of the seventh as well, ultimately plating three runs on two hits and two walks. After back-to-back walks to start the inning, a Greg Olenski double off the wall in left scored one run, and a Ty Warrington sacrifice fly scored another. With two outs, Joe Giacchino lined an RBI single off the tip of Wise's glove at third base to stretch the lead back to three runs. The Hens added one more run on two singles in the eighth to stretch their lead to 10-6.
Butler led off the ninth with a single to right field, and Pappas pulled a towering shot beyond the fence in right to promptly cut the lead in half. Phillips and Erven Roper followed with singles, and Ryan Brown was walked as the potential go-ahead run to load the bases, but the Cougars were unable to cash in, and ultimately stranded 12 runners in the game.
The College faces a busy midweek with a Tuesday trip to Georgia Southern, before playing host to Coastal Carolina on Wednesday to round out home-and-home series with both opponents. The Cougars break from CAA play next weekend and play host to Furman in a three-game set at Patriots Point.
POSTGAME NOTES
Charleston entered the week ranked No. 22 by both Baseball America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), and No. 30 by Collegiate Baseball, while receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll (No. 29) and D1Baseball Poll (No. 26).
The Cougars were outhit for only the 12th time in 36 games this season, and fall to 5-7 on those occasions.
Charleston reached its leadoff hitter in five of nine offensive innings, but was reduced to 4-for-15 (.267) with runners in scoring position.
Hayden McCutcheon made his first mound appearance since being hit in the elbow with a come-backer against USC Upstate on March 11.
Carter Love does not have a run charged against him in nine consecutive outings, pitching 10.0 scoreless innings with only 5 hits and one walk against 12 strikeouts over the stretch.
Blake Butler is now on a seven-game hitting streak, and has reached base successfully* in 34 straight games going all the way back to opening weekend. On the season, Butler has at least one base hit in 32 of CofC's 36 games. The game was his 19th with multiple hits.
Carl Wise has reached base* in 22 consecutive games. Nick Pappas has reached base* in 15 consecutive games.
*A reached-base streak includes base hits, walks, and hit by pitches. Reaching on an error or fielder's choice does not extend a reached-base streak.
