DURHAM, N.C. — Appalachian State took a first-inning lead that held up for starter
Brandon Boone, who pitched six scoreless innings as the Mountaineers claimed a 6-0 road win against high-scoring North Carolina Central on Tuesday at the Durham Athletic Park.
Boone,
Kaleb Bowman and
Luke Watts combined for 12 strikeouts, including six with runners in scoring position, to help Appalachian (5-9) post its first shutout under second-year head coach
Kermit Smith. It was the program's first shutout since 2016, when current pitching coach
Justin Aspegren's first App State staff blanked UNC Asheville (8-0) and Stony Brook (4-0).
Appalachian State held a 3-0 lead in the top of ninth inning when
Joel McDaniel, playing in the same stadium where his grandfather had appeared against the Durham Bulls as a Detroit Tigers farmhand, emptied the bases with a three-run double to left field.
Boone (1-1) lowered his ERA in a starting role to 2.03 thanks to an outing in which he allowed five hits, recorded seven strikeouts and issued no walks. He had allowed a combined three earned runs over 7.1 innings in his first two starts. Bowman threw two scoreless innings, and Watts struck out two batters while pitching a perfect ninth against an opponent that had averaged 8.9 runs per game during its 12-4 start.
"I thought Brandon, Kaleb and Luke were equally good," Smith said. "They did a fantastic job. Brandon goes out and gives up five hits in six innings with no walks and seven punches — just a tip of the cap to him. You could tell he was really locked in today.
"I thought our offense did a pretty good job — just enough to win, and then Joel pops that bases-clearing double, which was huge. Some of the adjustments we've been trying to make offensively, you could see us trying to work through the day. That's what we really talked about, the process, and Joel has a chance to do that late. We did a lot of work yesterday, and it was fun to see it pay off today."
McDaniel's three RBIs led a nine-hit attack, as
Drew Beck and
CJ Brown had two hits apiece.
Alex Leshock scored two runs.
App State scored right off the bat as Beck delivered a two-out double against weekend starter Jonathan Figueroa to bring home Leshock, who had drawn a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch.
With Figueroa on a tight pitch count days ahead of his next start, the Mountaineers added to their lead with a third-inning run against reliever Nick Caregnato.
Calev Grubbs opened the frame with an opposite-field double over the third baseman's head, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a one-out sacrifice fly to center from
Riley Smith.
App State jumped ahead 3-0 in the seventh following a leadoff double over the center fielder's head from
Kendall McGowan, who exited in favor of pinch-runner
Beau Myers. The Mountaineers had two runners in scoring position following a sequence that began with a bunt single from Brown, and Myers raced home on a two-out wild pitch.
McDaniel's ninth-inning double to score Brown,
Robert Langdon and Leshock doubled the advantage on a day in which App State's pitchers didn't need much run support.
"I got a good pitch to hit, and I just wanted to come through for the guys right there," McDaniel said
N.C. Central (12-5) had a baserunner reach third with one out in the first inning, but a strikeout and groundout to second ended the Eagles' initial threat.
They put a runner on third with two outs in the second inning, and a swinging strikeout on a 3-2 pitch allowed Boone to escape that situation with no damage. A one-out double off him in the third didn't come around to score, and N.C. Central used a two-out rally to put runners at the corners in the fourth. Three pitches later, Boone exited the mound with a swinging strikeout.
Boone pitched a perfect fifth before stranding a runner at second in the sixth thanks to a swinging strikeout and a foul-out to first baseman
Conner Leonard.
"If we get ahead in the count, we're more successful," Boone said, "so that's been the ultimate goal the whole time. Once I was able to do that, it made it easier."
The Eagles had two runners on with one out against Bowman in the seventh before he recorded a swinging strikeout and McDaniel made a nice play ranging to the left from his shortstop position. N.C. Central stranded two more in the eighth when Bowman got a strikeout looking on a 3-2 pitch with runners at the corners.
App State returns to action Friday with the start of its first Sun Belt Conference series of 2018. The Mountaineers play Texas State in San Marcos, Texas, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
