Greenville, N.C. A bases-loaded RBI single by East Carolina's Dustin Harrington in the bottom of the 10th inning ended The Citadel's bid at a second extra-inning upset victory as the Bulldogs fell at No. 24 East Carolina, 4-3, in front of 2,718 on Wednesday night.
The Citadel (22-15) scored three runs on 10 hits and committed three errors while the 23rd-ranked Pirates scored four runs on 10 hits and committed one error.
Matt Reifsnider (3-2) was credited with the loss the second of the season for the sophomore giving up the game-winning single to the Pirates with bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the 10th.
Seth Simmons (2-0), who prevented the Bulldogs from scoring when The Citadel had the bases loaded with one out in the top of the 10th, was credited with his second win of the season.
Richard Jones recorded a season-high four hits as he went 4-for-5 on the night as the only Bulldog to record multiple hits in the game. Reifsnider went 1-for-5 from the plate but had two RBI off a two-run home run in the fifth.
The Citadel took the early lead in the first as Chris Swauger opened the game with a single to center. An East Carolina fielding error allowed Matt Arnold to reach base and Swauger to advance to third. Swauger then scored on a sacrifice fly by Sonny Meade to center.
East Carolina tied the game in the bottom of the second as Corey Kemp led off the inning with a double to right field. Following a pair of fly outs, Jamie Ray drove Kemp in with a single to center.
The Citadel took a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning off the bat of Matt Reifsnider. With two outs, Richard Jones took first off a single to center. Reifsnider followed, sending a 3-1 pitch over the left field wall for his second home run of the season and the third of his career.
ECU tied the game again in the bottom of the sixth as Stephen Batts led off the inning with a single, followed by taking second on a stolen base. Following a fielder's choice by Kemp, Batts took third on a throwing error by Jones. Batts scored and Henderson took second on a failed pickoff attempt by Raymond Copenhaver.
Copenhaver then hit Stephen Henderson to put runners on first and second and walked Kyle Roller to load the bases. Following a strikeout by Ray, Dustin Harrington sent Kemp across the plate with a groundout to third base for the Pirates' final run of the inning, tying the game at 3-3.
The Citadel had a chance to score in the top of the 10th, but with bases loaded and one out, Seth Simmons struck out Bryan Altman and forced Kyle Jordan to fly out to right field to get out of the jam.
Reifsnider, who entered the game to pitch in the ninth, gave up a leadoff single to Henderson followed by a double to Roller. After intentionally walking Ray, Reifsnider gave up a game-winning RBI single to left field off the bat of Harrington to end the game.
The Citadel returns home and to conference action when UNC Greensboro heads to Charleston for a three-game Southern Conference series. The Bulldogs and the Spartans are currently tied for second with the College of Charleston in the Southern Conference standings.
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