Edward Waters defeats Claflin
By EMERY GLOVER,T&D Sports WriterWednesday, April 02, 2008
Claflin was all smiles heading into their April Fools' Day game against Edward Waters.
But, when it was all said and done, it was no laughing matter as the Tigers topped the Panthers 11-5.
After two singles to center field in the top of the first inning, Mo Turknett scored the Tigers' first run as Bryan Joseph grounded out to shortstop.
Edward Waters (27-14) extended their lead against Claflin starting pitcher Norman O'Neal. After a fielding error by Shannon Ransom, Jamie Parrott scored on a two-out double to right by Brandon Barrington to make it 2-0. Turknett followed that with a RBI single to center. Sherman Ferguson chipped in during the next at-bat with a two-run home run to lift the Tigers to a 5-0 lead to end O'Neal's day.
"The main point was to come out and be aggressive," Tigers head coach Kerby Marshall. "The guys came out and did a great job in doing that."
With two outs, Randall Hanna got the ball rolling for the Panthers in the bottom of the third with a triple off the center field wall. He scored on a RBI single to right by Eric Jordan making it a 5-1 game.
Brooks' day ended prematurely due to soreness in his pitching arm. He allowed four hits and a run while striking out five and walking two in five innings.
Once Brooks left, the Panthers began another rally. After two walks and a sacrifice bunt, Hanna scored on a wild pitch making it 5-2. Hyatt went on to walk Reggie Taylor and plunk Wes Platts. During the next at-bat, Jordan scored on a fielder's choice to make it 5-3. Taylor made it 5-4 after scoring on a Trivon Howard single.
The Tigers fought to remain ahead in the sixth inning. Hyatt got on base thanks to a lead-off walk. Following an infield single and a fielder's choice, Hyatt scored on a Tyler Parrott sacrifice fly to right giving Edward Waters a 6-4 advantage.
Paul Carpenter responded for the Panthers in their half of the sixth with a solo shot over the foul pole in left making it 6-5.
Edward Waters proved to be too strong for Claflin as the game went on. Hyatt helped his own cause with a two-run home run in the top of the seventh giving the Tigers an 8-5 lead. Thanks to two more errors for Ransom at shortstop, the Tigers were able to add three more run in the top of the eighth.
Meanwhile, the Panthers (18-16) couldn't come up with any answers to combat the Tigers' offensive attack.
"Their pitchers did a good job of mixing it up," Claflin head coach James Randall said. "They threw a lot of off-speed (pitches) and they ran fastballs in with good location. They really kept us off-balance and this is good for a good team. We need to see that kind of good pitching to get us ready."
Despite having their four-game winning streak snapped, Randall sees the loss as a learning experience for his players heading into Thursday's doubleheader against Voorhees starting at 1 p.m.
"We just weren't ready to play today," he said. "We were just dragging around. We had oppourtunities to take control of the game and didn't take advantage of our opportunities. We were a little sluggish today, but we'll get it back. We'll be ready on Thursday."
-- T&D Sports Writer Emery Glover can be reached by e-mail at eglover@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5532. Check out his blog, Cover 2, at www.thetandd.com. --
Wednesday, March 26, 2008, 11:14:00 AM After erasing a four-run deficit and forcing extra innings, Barton (19-20) dropped the opener 6-4 in eight innings after leaving the bases loaded with nobody out in the seventh against a team that carried only 11 players. "They outplayed us, they played harder than we did and they just made more big plays," a frustrated Barton head coach Todd Wilkinson said. "We got into extra innings because they started walking some guys, but we got outplayed from the first pitch." After falling behind 4-0, Barton cut the deficit in half in the fifth when Zach Boyette and Aaron Watkins scored on freshman Sam Pepper's two-out double. In the seventh, the Bulldogs of Conference Carolinas pushed across two more runs to force extra innings. Bobby Dorman was hit by a pitch to begin the inning. Travis Holloman and Watkins singled to load the bases with nobody out and Pepper walked to force in Dorman. A pitching change did Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference member Claflin (14-14) no good as the new hurler walked Michael Parker to tie the game. With nobody out and the bases loaded, the Bulldogs looked like a lock to push across one more run for the win, but things quickly went south.
Barton settles for twinbill split with Claflin http://www2.barton.edu/uploads/schedules/2008/03/2008032517573635/bcbb0838.htm
By Brad Howell | Daily Times Staff Writer http://www2.barton.edu/uploads/schedules/2008/03/2008032517583674/bcbb0839.htm
The Barton College baseball team had just finished off a 19-4 thrashing of Claflin (S.C.) University in the second game of a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at Nixon Field, but the long faces and dejected body language of the Bulldogs told a deeper story.
Designated hitter John Anderson struck out looking, Corbett popped up a squeeze attempt and catcher David Bunn lifted a harmless fly ball to center field to end the inning.
Claflin's Eric Jordan roped a two-out, two-run double in the top of the eighth to regain the lead for the Panthers, and the Bulldogs went down in order to end the game.
Chris Hill (1-5) took the loss, allowing two runs (both earned) on six hits in three innings. He walked one and struck out three. Claflin right-hander Andy Till notched the win after two innings of hitless relief.
Watkins was the only Bulldog to record two hits.
BIG INNINGS IN BLOWOUT
Barton rolled in game 2 with plenty of help from Claflin.
The Bulldogs scored nine in the second inning to bury the Panthers, who issued 12 walks and committed seven errors throughout the game.
"We were able to have a big inning with a combination of some hits and some errors and walks," Wilkinson said. "And in a seven-inning game, it's hard to recover from a nine-run inning."
Barton lefty John Miller took advantage of the sizable lead and didn't shy away from hitters. Miller, a fifth-year senior, earned his first win of the year after scattering 10 hits and four earned runs over five innings. He notched one strikeout and one walk and was lauded for his aggressiveness.
"The big story in the second game was John Miller," Wilkinson said. "He came in and threw strikes and he didn't walk people.
"I was happy for John. He's a fifth-year guy who's a real hard worker and does a good job with other things for the team too."
Miller said his game plan was simply to attack the strike zone.
"I just wanted to try to get ahead in the count. If you get ahead, hitters get defensive," he said.
It was the first start of the season for Miller and just his fourth appearance overall, a fact not lost on the southpaw.
"It felt very good to be out there," he said. "I'm thankful Coach (Wilkinson) gave me another chance."
Four errors, three walks and a hit batter allowed Barton to score eight more runs in the sixth on just three hits.
Watkins went 2 for 4, scored twice and drove in three runs. Third baseman Derek Thomas, in just his sixth start of the season, also drove in three runs while second baseman Will Johnson went 2 for 3 with three runs scored.
"The kids played hard and I'm happy with getting a win since we only had 11 kids today," Claflin head coach James Randall said. "(Barton's) got a good team, so this was big."
For the Bulldogs, the sting of letting the first game slip away never quite subsided. And even in the second game, Wilkinson wasn't particularly pleased with his team's effort.
"Really for the 15 innings that we played, our ballclub didn't represent their ability," he said. "We just lacked the energy and the focus to win two ballgames."
Barton will attempt to put together a better effort today in another non-conference game against Catawba College in Salisbury.
bhowell@wilsontimes.com | 265-7879
Panthers pound Morris
By EMERY GLOVER, T&D Sports WriterFriday, March 28, 2008 1 comment(s) | Default | Large
Ernest Sinkfield needed very little time to make the adjustment from shooting jumpers in the Edward Tullis Arena to pitching at Mirmow Field.
Sinkfield -- a key contributor for the Claflin basketball team -- scattered six hits while striking out six and walking one in his first game on the mound to help the Panthers (15-15) crush the Hornets (0-7) 16-1 in five innings.
The Panthers began their hit parade in the first inning. Following a lead-off walk by Eric Jordan and a single by Rafael Outler, Reggie Taylor cleared the bases with an RBI single to take the early 2-0 lead. Taylor advanced to third thanks to an error in left by Lionel Mann on the same play. After Taylor scored Claflin's third run, Wes Platts hit a solo home run to make it a 4-0 game. The Panthers finished the first inning with seven runs on six hits.
"We've been swinging the bats good all year," Claflin head coach James Randall said. "That has really given us a chance to win some games this year. We're really proud of how our guys have swung the bats."
Claflin put three more runs on the board in the bottom of the second thanks to an RBI single to right by Shannon Ransom and a two-RBI double off the right field wall by Paul Carpenter giving Sinkfield more than enough run support heading into the third.
"I just wanted to make pitches and make strikes," Sinkfield said as he iced his shoulder. "My catcher called a great game. These are a great group of guys. I had nothing to worry about."
Originally, Randall didn't want to start Sinkfield. However, his decision to put the swingman-turned-starting pitcher on the mound worked out.
"He helped us out a lot," Randall said. "I was able to rest a couple of guys that I planned to pitch today. We've got a big series this weekend with Tuskegee. So, we're going in really healthy to play them this weekend. It was a tremendous lift for him to come in and do as well as he did today."
Claflin capped off its offensive onslaught with a six-run fourth inning which included a solo home run by Trivon Howard and a three-run homer by Taylor.
With this win, Randall hopes that his team can carry this momentum throughout the rest of the season.
"I'm going to be honest with you," he said. "I want us to make a run in our last games of the year. I expect that. I'm not looking for us to lose another game. We've played a tough schedule. Now, it's time for us to put a streak together. Hopefully, this win can help us steamroll into the conference (mathcup) this weekend and we can go right on through the rest of our schedule."
-- T&D Sports Writer Emery Glover can be reached by e-mail at eglover@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5532. Check out his blog, Cover 2, at www.thetandd.com. --
March 13, 2008
DURHAM, N.C. - North Carolina Central University junior Oliver Jenkins drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk to force in the game-winning run in the seventh inning of a 6-5 victory over Claflin University on Thursday inside the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Jenkins also had two hits with a double, two runs scored and four putouts from his centerfield position. Freshman outfielder Brian Brice also sparked the host Eagles with a double and a solo home run over the DBAP's "Blue Monster" in left field.
David Scott, Robert Landis and Kenny Martin drove in the other three runs for NCCU (2-9).
NCCU starting pitcher Douglas Dalley threw 6.1 innings, striking out five batters and allowing only two earned runs. James Jordan pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Dalley to pick up his second win of the season. Alex Weathersby, in his first action of the season, took the hill in the top of the ninth inning with two outs and a runner on second base. He promptly struck out pinch hitter Jarryd Alexander looking on three breaking balls to earn the save.
Claflin was topped by senior shortstop Eric Johnson, who went 4-for-5 at the plate with a double, triple and a run scored. Relief pitcher Christopher Armstrong was responsible for only one run in 3.1 innings of work, but it turned out to be the game-winner.
NCCU returns to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for a weekend, four-game series against Savannah State University on Saturday and Sunday, March 15-16. Both doubleheaders are scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
