GREENSBORO, N.C. — Multi-run hits from
Kendall McGowan,
Drew Beck and
Riley Smith propelled Appalachian State to its first win of the season, a 6-4 victory at UNCG on Sunday.
Closing out its series against a team that won the Southern Conference tournament and appeared in an NCAA Regional last season, App State jumped ahead 2-0 on a fourth-inning home run from McGowan. Beck's two-run homer gave App State a 4-1 lead in the fifth inning, and it increased the margin to 6-1 on Smith's two-run double in the sixth.
Starting pitcher
Travis Holden and another senior,
Luke Watts, handled the mound duties for the Mountaineers (1-2). Holden picked up the win, and Watts earned the save by pitching the final four innings against the Spartans, who scored three times in the seventh inning.
In the 27 innings played over three days, App State held the lead after its at-bat 14 times, was tied after seven of its at-bats and trailed after only six of its at-bats. It either led or was tied until the bottom of the seventh inning Friday and led or was tied until the bottom of the fifth inning in Game 2.
"I think our starters did a really good job, and it was great to see (reliever)
Will Herman back on the mound (in Game 2) — he did a very good job in his first game back from injury," said second-year App State coach
Kermit Smith, who had
Andrew Vaccacio and
Colin Schmid start the first two games. "We got some timely hits. Summing up the weekend, we have to find a way to be a little bit more consistent offensively."
The Mountaineers followed up an 11-6 loss in Sunday afternoon's completion of a suspended game with effective pitching and clutch hitting — in addition to the three extra-base hits, the team's other hit was a single by
Bailey Welch.
Of App State's six runs, the four scoring baserunners all reached on walks to set up productive swings from McGowan, Beck and Smith. That offense provided a lead for Holden, who was pitching at UNCG for the first time since he saved the final game of the 2014 state championship series as a West Forsyth High School senior.
Holden allowed one unearned run on eight hits in five innings, totaling two strikeouts and just one walk. UNCG had runners at the corners in the fifth when Holden induced a foul-out to first baseman
Conner Leonard, and a hit batter loaded the bases before center fielder
Alex Leshock chased down a liner for the third out.
"Credit to our infielders and outfielders — (UNCG) really scattered me pretty well," Holden said. "They hit it at some guys, and we made some plays, like Riley throwing some people out (from catcher) and a great play in center field."
Watts retired the final two batters of the eighth with a runner on base and pitched a perfect ninth.
Holden and Watts are two of the six seniors on App State's roster. McGowan, Beck and Smith are among the team's 18 newcomers, and McGowan and Beck delivered the Mountaineers' first two homers of the season in back-to-back innings.
A freshman left fielder, the right-handed McGowan followed a walk to Leonard and a balk with a two-run shot that snuck inside the left-field foul pole. The balk was called as McGowan saw a first-pitch fastball.
"I thought, 'Here comes another one,' and I swung for it," McGowan said. "I found it, and it felt really good coming off the bat."
Smith's leadoff walk in the sixth set up a no-doubt homer to left from the right-handed Beck, the starting third baseman as a transfer from Howard College in Texas.
"I was being a little timid, so that at-bat I just tried to let loose and cut loose with my swing," Beck said. "It was a good feeling."
Smith, who went 4-for-4 with a walk in Game 2, came to the plate with two runners on base in the sixth thanks to walks drawn by CJ Brown and Leshock. The junior catcher and transfer from Catawba Valley Community College lined a double past UNCG's diving third baseman for a 6-1 lead that help up against the Spartans' powerful offense.
"This was a great win for us," McGowan said. "Hopefully it'll make everything we've been working for a reality for us."
App State returns to action Friday for the start of a weekend series at UNCW.
