BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State's baseball team dropped both games of a Sunday doubleheader against Marshall, losing 4-2 and 14-5 to conclude its first home series of the season.
App State (4-6) got another strong start from
Colin Schmid (one run on three hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings) and took a 2-1 lead in Sunday's opener thanks to
Conner Leonard's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning, but Marshall (6-3) scored three times in the top of the ninth inning.
In the series finale, the Mountaineers used an RBI double from
Joel McDaniel and sacrifice fly from
Drew Beck to tie the game at 2-all in the third inning, but the Thundering Herd broke the tie with a seven-run fifth.
App State returns to action Tuesday night in Charlotte with a Sun Belt Rentals Collegiate Baseball Series game against South Carolina (7-5). First pitch at BB&T Ballpark is scheduled for 6:05 p.m., and tickets can be
purchased online HERE or by calling the Charlotte Knights' ticket office at 704-274-8282.
GAME 1 RECAP
Marshall went ahead with an RBI double in the second inning, and App State tied the game on a sixth-inning sac fly from
Beau Myers. Beck scored after delivering a one-out single and moving to third on a double from Leonard.
The Mountaineers broke the tie after
Jason Avers led off the bottom of the eighth with a double and pinch-runner
Robert Langdon moved to third on a fielder's choice by pinch-hitter
Calev Grubbs. Leonard's run-scoring flyball to center on a two-strike pitch put App State three outs away from winning the first two games of the series.
Marshall posted its three ninth-inning runs on one single, one hit by pitch, two walks and one throwing error.
Beck led App State's offense with two hits, while
Bailey Welch and
Alex Leshock also doubled. Schmid has struck out 18 batters over 14 innings in his last two starts.
GAME 2 RECAP
Marshall had three RBI doubles as it took a 9-2 lead with its seven-run fifth.
App State's productive third inning began with a double from catcher
Bradley Davis, who advanced to third as Langdon reached first on a sacrifice bunt. Leshock's infield single loaded the bases for McDaniel, who brought Davis in with his double. A potential second run was thrown out at the plate, and Leshock scored from third on Beck's bases-loaded sac fly with one out.
The Mountaineers' other run came from Leonard's no-doubt homer to left in the sixth inning.
Leonard, Leshock, McDaniel and C.J. Brown had two hits apiece for App State, which finished with 12 hits. It used seven pitchers, including freshman reliever
Will Sprinkle, who made his Mountaineer debut.
