For Immediate Release April 29, 2011
Contact: Matt Michalec
VanAssche Tosses Complete Game as Spartans Edge Savannah State, 4-3
NORFOLK, Va. - Freshman left hander Ryan VanAssche tossed his first career complete game, and John Lynch and James Taylor had two RBI apiece as Norfolk State edged Savannah State 4-3 on Friday night at Marty L. Miller Field.
The Spartans improve to 16-23 overall, while the Tigers drop to 26-20.
VanAssche scattered six hits and allowed just one earned run (three total) over nine innings. It was the Spartan pitching staff's fourth complete game of the year, but the first in a nine-inning game. VanAssche walked three and struck out three and improved his record to 5-5 on the year. He allowed just one hit in the final four innings, and the Spartans rallied from an early deficit to take the first game of the series.
SSU scored a run in the first and second innings. Dexter Kelley singled and later scored on a double play to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the first. In the second, Peter Poole drew a leadoff walk and later scored on VanAssche's error, making the score 2-0.
NSU got a run back in the third. TiQuan Griffin led off with a triple off SSU starter Kevin Herlihy (5-4). Taylor followed with a sacrifice fly to cut NSU's deficit in half. But the Tigers got a run back in the fifth on Kelley's RBI single, making 3-1 in SSU's favor.
The Spartans, however, responded with a three-run bottom of the fifth. Chris Warren walked to lead off the frame, then both Griffin and Sammy Serafine reached on bunt singles to load the bases. Taylor knocked in Warren with a fielder's choice grounder, then stole second to put runners on second and third. Lynch followed with a two-run single to give the Spartans a 4-3 lead.
VanAssche settled in, retiring 11 straight batters from the fifth to the ninth innings. He got into trouble in the ninth as Emory Barkley led off with a single, and after a sacrifice bunt, Chris Arnold reached on a fielder's choice to put runners on first and second. But VanAssche coaxed Julius Green to ground into a 5-3 double play to finish off the Tigers.
Herlihy also pitched a complete game for SSU, allowing four earned runs and seven hits in eight innings.
Eagles Split Season Finale With Texas Southern
CONYERS, GA.- North Carolina Central earned a split on the final day of the 2011 season thanks to timely hitting and gutsy performances by the shorthanded squad by taking game one over Texas Southern 7-5 and dropping a 9-8 nail biter in game two to end the final transition season at 7-39.
In the first game of the Friday twinbill with a 1-0 lead the Eagles were struck with adversity from the get-go as senior Douglas Dalley strained his oblique muscle on the game's second pitch putting an already depleted pitching staff in a bigger bind thrusting game two starter Sam Fulmer to the hill.
In the top of the second inning, after Troy Marrow's leadoff double, senior Blake Murray crushed his second home run of the season to left field putting the Eagles up 3-0.
TSU finally got on the board in the bottom of the second when shortstop Frankie Rivera's double to left field driving in Lacy Jackson and cut the margin to 3-1 after two innings.
Heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, NCCU lead 4-1 and Texas Southern charged back with three runs to tie the game at 4 that was highlighted by a double by Terrell Jones.
TSU took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the sixth after Anthony Flenoy led off with a single and worked his way around with two stolen bases. Flenoy scored on a squeeze bunt that put the Tigers ahead.
The Eagles struck the final blow as Marrow and Tyson Simpson, Jr. were both hit by a pitch and Murray reached on a throwing error by the TSU pitcher loading the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh inning. Junior Etienne Farquharson doubled to center field scoring two runs and giving the Eagles a 6-5. The final run of the game was added on a sacrifice fly by Ross Plummer putting NCCU ahead for good at 7-5.
Fulmer earned his first win on the diamond as the junior went seven strong innings with four earned runs allowed and six strikeouts.
With a depleted pitching staff Timothy Rennard came to the hill in game two and the Eagles found themselves down 5-0 due to three solo home runs by the Tigers.
In the bottom of the third inning, NCCU plated four runs off of six hits that began with a Farquharson triple, his second of the season, an RBI double by Plummer and Simpson, Jr. to cut the deficit to one at 5-4.
NCCU took a 6-5 lead in the fourth with two runs that were aided by a Tiger error, but freshman Dylan Drayton recorded the RBI double to drive in Plummer and would later scorer on the only error of the frame.
The Eagles made it 8-5 on Simpson, Jr.'s two-run bomb giving the freshman three on the season seemingly putting all the momentum on NCCU's side.
With a run in the sixth, senior Murray went to the hill and the Tigers took advantage with a two-run homer in the seventh to tie the game at eight. Murray held TSU scoreless until the ninth inning when he seemingly ran out of gas and walked in the winning run.
NCCU could get nothing going in the final inning and dropped the final contest of the season 9-8.
Three Eagles combined for four hits in both games as Marrow finished 4-for-6 with two doubles, three runs scored and was hit by a pitch three times. The second season in a row, Farquharson saved his best for last finishing 4-for-7 with a double, triple, a run scored and two RBIs, and Drayton went 4-for-10 on the day with a double and an RBI.
For the complete story, visit www.nccueaglepride.com