May 11, 2003

Greensboro, NC - Jon Aughey and Brook Dantzler both homered, while Chip Cannon pitched a complete game to help The Citadel come from behind to down UNC Greensboro 11-6 in Southern Conference baseball action Sunday afternoon in UNCG Baseball Stadium. With the series victory two games to one, the Bulldogs move into sole possession of second place in the SoCon standings.

UNC Greensboro ( ) scored four runs in the first inning taking a 4-0 lead. The Spartans used RBI singles from Jay Maule and Kirk Strebin, and a two-run double to center by Nate Alden to take the early lead. Citadel starting pitcher Chip Cannon got Clay Wehner to pop up in foul territory and Robbie Redic to fly out to right to end the rally and strand runs on second and third.

The Citadel ( ) got on the board in the fourth as Brook Dantzler hit a solo homerun over the right field fence. The homer for Dantzler was his second of the season and third of his career.

The Spartans pushed the lead back to four, 5-1, in the bottom of the fourth as Allen Thomas raced home on a fielding error by Citadel third baseman Chris Ard. The Bulldogs committed three errors in the fourth, but Cannon pitched around them and got Maule to line out to end the inning with the bases loaded.

In the fifth, the Bulldogs got their second run of the game, 5-2, on a RBI groundout by Chris Altman. Josh Stackley tripled over the center fielder and then scored on Altman's groundout to the shortstop.

UNCG responded with a run in the bottom half of the fifth to make the score 6-2 as Redic doubled in Alden from second. Alden singled and moved into scoring position on a groundout to third.

The Bulldogs tied the score at 6-6 on four hits and three UNCG errors. Matt Matulia started the inning with a double down the right field line and advanced to third on a fielding error by the Greensboro right fielder Maule. Matulia was then promptly plated by Jon Aughey who singled to right. With the help of a throwing error by the UNCG pitcher Chris Mason, Cannon drove-in two runs on a triple to left center. Both Aughey and Trent Weathers scored on Cannon's third triple of the season. Cannon then scored an unearned run as Ard reached on a fielding error by the UNCG second baseman.

In the eighth, The Citadel broke the tie and took a 9-6 lead with three two-out RBI singles by Josh Stackley, Altman and Will Coker. Following a Dantzler double and an Ard walk, Stackley singled to center driving in Dantzler and advancing Ard to third. Altman then followed with a single up the middle plating Ard, while Coker followed a single to left center that scored Stackley, who advanced to third on Altman's single.

Jon Aughey's fourth homer of the season and a Ard RBI double gave The Citadel two insurance runs to insure their 11-6 lead. Aughey's solo blast was on the first pitch of the inning, while Ard doubled with two outs driving in Cannon, who reached first on his 41st walk of the season.

Cannon (2-3) pitched a complete game on 141 pitches, while allowing six runs, five earned, on ten hits to earn his second win of the season. He struck out four and walked four. Jarrett Santos (11-4) took the loss on 2.1 innings of relief. He gave up three runs on five hits.

The series loss was the first home series loss for UNCG since The Citadel won the 2000 series. Greensboro had won 14 straight home SoCon series dating back to the 2000 Citadel series.

The Citadel will stay on the road as they travel to Columbia, SC to take on the USC Gamecocks on Wednesday, May 14 at 7:00 pm from South Carolina's Sarge Frye Field. Following the trip up I-26 on the 14th, the Bulldogs will host military-rival VMI in the final series of the season on May 17 and 18.