Appalachian State Baseball (22-5, 7-2 SoCon) vs Oakland (3-21)

Oakland University has yet to play a home game this season. By the time they leave Boone on Sunday afternoon, they will have started the season with twenty three away games and two games on nuetral fields. The Grizzlies have averaged 3.9 runs per game while allowing 6.2 runs per game. The team batting average is .237 and have hit just seven home runs on the season. Opponents are averaging 2.6 steals per game against Oakland.

Appalachian is 12-0 at home this season, while batting .309 as a team. Appalachian averages 7.7 runs per game this season, while giving up 3.7 runs per contest. The Mountaineers have belted twenty home runs this season and have stolen 47 bases as a team, led by Will Callaway and Hector Crespo with with fifteen bags each.

Game 1

ASU RHP Ryan Arrowood (4-0, 4.59) vs OU Sr. LHP Jeff Gorecki (1-3, 5.08 ERA)

Appalachian fell into a 7-2 deficit after four and a half innings but rallied for seven runs in the bottom of the fifth and went on to beat the Oakland Grizzlies 13-8 in the first game of a Saturday twinbill. Oakland came out swinging the bat and really roughed up Ryan Arrowood for 78 pitches. It was Arrowood’s shortest start of the season since his Akron, when he was a low pitch count. Arrowood has now given up at least four runs or more in four consecutive starts. In seven starts this season, Arrowood has only pitched six innings or more on two occasions.

The Mountaineers did a great job of turning over the lineup in the first game. The 8-9-1 hitters collected seven of the fifteen hits, highlighted by Brandon Burris (.524) who went 3/3, which gave hime six hits in his last six at bats. Trey Holmes and Hector Crespo drove in seven of the Mountaineers thirteen runs. Crespo stole two bases on back to back pitches, giving him the team lead with 17 stolen bases. Jamie Nunn (3-0, 1.69) picked up the win in relief, giving up only two hits and one run in 2.2 innings.

Game 2

ASU RHP Seth Grant (4-1, 2.72) vs OU So. LHP Hayden Fox (0-4, 7.52 ERA)

It took nearly 21 hours after the first pitch to complete the game, but Appalachian grabbed a series win on Sunday afternoon with a 14-5 win over Oakland. The game was suspended with Appalachian batting in the bottom of the fifth inning, leading 10-3 on Saturday afternoon. A couple minutes before noon on Sunday, the game resumed and Appalachian scored two more runs in the fifth inning to make it 12-3 through five innings. Appalachian used Will Helms, Josh Wilson, Zach Joyce and Tyler Jackson in the next four innings to seal the win for Seth Grant (5-1, 2.42) who has won his last five starts.

Massive defensive changes were made to finish the second game of the series on Sunday. A big highlight was the first career hit by freshman outfielder John Kincaid who doubled in the eight inning. The heart of the Appalachian order, Will Callaway, Daniel Kassouf and Tyler Tewell rocked nine of the fourteen Appalachian hits. Callaway joined Kassouf (.418) in the .400 club as he raised his average to .412.

Game 3

ASU Jr. LHP Rob Marcello (3-1, 3.09 ERA) vs. OU Brady Adamek (0-2, 5.43 ERA)

Oakland score all five of its runs in one inning but it was not enough to avoid the sweep against Appalachian State. Rob Marcello did not allow a hit for 3.2 innings but unraveled in the fifth inning when allowed six hits, five of them singles, to trim the Mountaineer lead to 6-5 through four and a half innings. After Marcello’s exit, Tyler Moore, Chad Farmer and Nathan Hyatt slammed the door, only allowing one hit in the final 3.1 innings. The highlight of the game came in the fifth inning, when Moore came in to replace Marcello. Oakland had two runners on base when Moore’s first pitch was smacked to left field. Brandon Burris made a diving catch, that would have surely scored both runners, to end the Grizzlies rally.

Tyler Tewell and Trey Holmes drove in six runs on the afternoon. Holmes hit a three run home run in the second inning and a solo shot in the fifth inning. Holmes’ home run in the second was followed by a homer by Hector Crespo (.301). Holmes second home run never had any doubt as it cleared the wall in right center by a good thirty feet. Tewell was 4/5 at the plate with his team leading eighth and ninth doubles of the season. Brandon Burris (4.64) also added two hits and a walk. The 22-5 start is the third best record after 27 games in school history. Appalachian moved to 15-0 at Smith Stadium this season. Appalachian stole 11 bases and hit five home runs against Oakland for the series. The Mountaineers raised their team batting average to .317 on the season.

SoCon Standings

 Appalachian    7-2

Charleston      11-4

Elon                11-4

WCU               6-3

Samford          7-5

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