THE CITADEL SQUEAKS BY FURMAN 5-4

Box Score
 
Charleston, SC – The Citadel scored three unearned runs in the seventh and then dodged a two-run ninth inning rally by Furman to sneak past the Paladins 5-4 in Southern Conference baseball action Saturday evening in front of 2,841 fans at Riley Park.
 
Furman, which falls to 17-28 on the year and 8-15 in the SoCon, plated a run in the first giving the Paladins an early 1-0 lead.  A.J. Davidiuk led off the game with a single and then advanced to second on Andrew Greene's bunt single.  Following a groundout that pushed Davidiuk to third, Case Cassedy picked up the RBI on a sacrifice fly to left field.
 
The Citadel responded with a run of their own in the bottom half of the third to tie the score at 1-1.  The Bulldogs, who move to 29-19 and 17-6 in the SoCon, manufactured their third inning run thanks to a single and a stolen base by junior third baseman Chris Ard.  Ard moved to third on a failed pick off attempt and then was driven home on a sac-fly by junior right fielder Josh Stackley.
 
Two innings later, the Paladins retook the lead 2-1 in the fifth on a RBI-single to right off the bat of Greene.  Nick Mershon, who reached on a fielding error by Bulldog shortstop Matt Matulia, scored from second on Greene's base hit.
 
The Bulldogs answered again in the sixth as they knotted the score at two runs apiece.  Stackley helped produce the Dogs' run again by leading off the inning with a double down the right field line.  He would later score on a single up the middle by senior left fielder Andy Phillips.
 
In the seventh, The Citadel captured the lead, 5-2, on two hits and two Furman errors.  After sophomore designated hitter Mark Egleton drew a lead off walk, he came around from first to score on a Matt Covington base hit to right and a throwing error by Furman right fielder Nick Wajda.  Wajda attempted to gun down Egleton who was advancing from first to third, but his throw bounced into the stands allowing Egleton to cross home plate.
 
Later in the Bulldogs' half of the seventh, Stackley picked up his second RBI of the night as he drove-in Covington on a single to right center, while junior second baseman Jon Aughey was credited with a run batted in as he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
 
The Paladins attempted a comeback in the ninth, but fell just short after cutting the lead to one, 5-4.  With runners on second and third, pinch hitter Matthew Betsill grounded out to second but drove home Furman's first run of the game in the process.  Davidiuk helped the Paladins cut the lead to one on a RBI-single to left, but Derek Norman popped up to second with runners on second and third to end the game.
 
The Citadel's Griff Beckham (3-2) picked up the win by pitching one and two-thirds in relief of starter Ken Egleton.  Beckham was charged with the two runs in the ninth, but sophomore hurler Ryan Owens came on in the ninth to squelch the Paladin rally and earn his second save of the year.
 
Ryan Hodinka (3-2) took the loss for Furman on two-thirds of an inning.  He gave up two unearned runs in the seventh on one hit.  Paladin starter Matt Klinker allowed two runs, one earned, in six innings of work.
 
The Bulldogs and Paladins will meet again tomorrow at 1 pm in Riley Park for the three-game SoCon series finale.