App State baseball’s up-and-down start to the season continued on the coast of South Carolina March 7-9, as the Mountaineers dropped 2 of 3 games on the road to the College of Charleston.
The Mountaineers began the series March 7 by falling to the Cougars in a close game, 5-4.
Charleston started the weekend with a bang, hitting a 2-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to get an early lead.
Freshman infielder Tyler Lichtenberger got App State on the board in the second, notching an RBI single that scored redshirt freshman outfielder Dillon Moquin.
The Cougars responded by adding 2 more runs in the third on base hits, but App State rallied back over the course of the next two innings to tie the game. Moquin smacked an RBI double to bring senior catcher Braxton Church home in the fourth. Moquin scored later in the inning on a groundout by redshirt sophomore infielder Johnathan Xuereb, followed by Church drawing a bases-loaded walk in the fifth to force in sophomore infielder Tyler Figueroa, evening the score at 4 runs apiece.
Charleston got the deciding run across in the seventh on an RBI groundout, and the Cougars’ pitching kept the prolific Mountaineer offense quiet for the rest of the game..
The Mountaineers evened the series with a dominant performance on both sides of the ball March 8, winning 13-0.
It was a day to remember on the mound for senior pitcher Caleb Marks. The right-hander tossed a 4-hit complete game shutout in just 95 pitches, a feat known as a “Maddux.” Marks struck out 4 Cougars and picked up his first win in the Black and Gold, earning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week honors as a result.
The offense could not be stopped as App State racked up a season-high 21 hits over the course of the game, 8 of which were doubles. Eight Mountaineers had multi-hit days, led by Xuereb and senior first baseman Juan Correa each going 3-for-5, along with Lichtenberger and redshirt junior outfielder John Kramer both finishing 3-for-6 on the day.
The Mountaineers were able to push across 3 or more runs in 4 innings thanks to timely hitting with runners in scoring position, smart baserunning, and 3 errors from the Cougars that gave the Black and Gold additional opportunities to score.
The rubber match on March 9 did not go App State’s way, as the Cougars defeated the Mountaineers, 11-4.
Charleston broke the ice in the second, plating a run on a wild pitch from junior pitcher Everette Harris. App State was quick to answer, however, as senior infielder Joseph Zamora laced a 2-run single to right field to take the lead in the top of the third. Correa brought Moquin across on a sacrifice fly later in the inning to increase App State’s lead to 2.
The Cougars got 1 back in the bottom of the third on an RBI double, then retook the lead in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk and sacrifice fly. Kramer knotted the game at 4 a side with a sacrifice fly of his own in the top of the fifth.
The bottom half of the fifth inning saw the game completely unravel for the Mountaineers, as Charleston hit 2 big home runs and scored 6 to take a commanding 10-4 lead.
The Cougars’ offense added 1 more for good measure in the seventh on an RBI single, while their pitching allowed no runs in the final 4 innings of the game.
After a 21-hit explosion Saturday, the Mountaineers could only collect 4 Sunday. Additionally, App State did not hit a home run in any of the 3 games in the series.
