BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – A four-run fourth inning and a dominant debut from junior
Quinton Martinez powered App State baseball to its first win of the 2020 season. The 10-1 victory over Gardner-Webb on Sunday also marked the 1,200
th victory in program history.
After jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning, the Mountaineers pushed four runs across in the fourth to take a commanding 5-0 lead. App State (1-2) then tacked on five more runs in the eighth to extend its lead to 10-1.
"Really proud of our team today to come out and salvage the weekend," head coach
Kermit Smith said. "Our arms, who all had their first outings as Mountaineers, threw extremely well, and I thought we played good defense."
In the fourth, senior
Robbie Young opened the inning with a single into right center. Junior
Andrew Greckel walked before sophomore
Hayden Cross played small ball to load the bases. Cross dropped down a bunt single that stayed fair down the third-base line, giving App State three runners on with no outs. Junior
Jack Lipson then doubled to left field with one out to score Greckel and Cross.
With a 3-0 advantage, App State added two more runs when junior
Tyler Leek drilled a single up the middle on an 0-2 pitch. The Mountaineers recorded five of their 12 hits during the four-run fourth inning.
Martinez carried the momentum to the mound in the bottom half of the fourth, using his second 4-6-3 double play of the day to record another scoreless inning. The left-hander faced the minimum in the fifth inning before battling through the sixth to allow just one run. Martinez earned the win after delivering six innings and allowing just one run on four hits with seven strikeouts.
Freshman
Cy Smith and sophomore
Phillip Cole also made their App State pitching debuts, registering a combined six strikeouts. Smith struck out four batters and gave up no hits in two innings out of the bullpen. Cole, who primarily plays in the outfield or at DH, swiftly closed out the ninth with a pair of strikeouts. App State pitchers have combined to amass 13 strikeouts twice already this season.
In the eighth inning, Appalachian did all of its damage with two outs. Sophomore
Luke Drumheller smacked a single into center field to score junior
Bailey Welch from second base to give App State a 6-1 lead. After an error helped extend the lead to 7-1, Young shot a ball up the middle to plate Drumheller for an 8-1 App State advantage.
App State's scoring barrage concluded with a bases-loaded single from Cross, bringing home Allison and Young to stretch the lead to 10-1.
Three Mountaineers – Leek, Cross and Lipson – recorded two RBIs each in the victory. Drumheller registered a team-high three hits with a 3-for-5 day that included a double, two singles, an RBI and a run scored. Drumheller also was one of three Mountaineers to swipe their first bag of the season.
Greckel reached base a team-high four times on Sunday, drawing four walks and scoring two runs.
App State will hit the road again on Tuesday with a 4 p.m. first pitch at North Carolina A&T (1-2).
"You could see some qualities of a good offense here and there," Smith said. "I'm extremely excited to get back out there on Tuesday and compete."
App State Baseball would like to thank AutoStar Nissan of Boone for serving as the presenting sponsor of the 2020 season.
