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The Citadel Downs Furman 9-3 In Series Opener
May 13, 2005
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Chris Ard collected a career high five hits to power a 17-hit attack and lead The Citadel to a 9-3 Southern Conference victory over Furman Friday night at Furman Baseball Stadium.
Ard, a senior third baseman from Summerville, S.C., went 5-for-5 with five singles, two RBI, and a run scored to highlight a potent Bulldog attack that also included three-hit performances by Matt Covington and Zach Brown. Josh Stackley added two doubles for the Bulldogs.
With the victory The Citadel (19-31, 10-15 SoCon) moved to within a half game of Furman (23-24, 10-14 SoCon) for the eighth and final qualifying slot into this year's Southern Conference Tournament, which gets underway May 25 at Charleston's Joseph P. Riley Park. The loss snapped the Paladins' seven-game home winning streak.
The two teams play the second game in the three-game series on Saturday beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Ryan Owens (6-4) pitched 7 2/3 innings to earn the win, yielding 10 hits, three earned runs, and two walks while striking out five.
Sam Perry (5-4) absorbed the loss after giving up nine hits and seven earned runs in three innings of work. He walked one and struck out one.
The Citadel wasted little time in roughing up Perry, striking for two runs in the top of the first. Covington led off with a single and advanced to third on a single by Ard. Chris Swauger followed with a sacrifice RBI to plate Covington. Ard then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch before coming home on Jon Aughey's sacrifice fly.
The Bulldogs added three runs in the second to stretch their advantage to 5-0. Josh Stackley's double opened the frame. With one out Will Coker walked and Trent Weathers followed with a single the left to score Stackley. Covington then singled to score Coker, and Ard delivered the third straight hit to drive home Weathers. Perry avoided further damage when Swauger lined into an inning ending double play.
Furman got on the board in the third with three consecutive two-out singles by Nick Wajda, Andrew Greene, and A.J. Davidiuk to make it 5-1, but The Citadel responded with a two-run fourth for a 7-1 lead. Coker's double to left field scored Brown and chased Perry, and Weathers greeted Paladin reliever Mason Smith with a single and later scored on a base hit by Ard.
Covington's RBI single in the sixth inning made it 8-1 before Furman countered with a run in the bottom of the frame on an RBI groundout off the bat of Case Cassedy, who had two of the Paladins' 10 hits.
The Citadel added a final run in the ninth on a wild pitch, one of four by Paladin pitchers in the contest.
