Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Citadel (17-20, 3-9 Southern Conference) scored seven times in the first two innings and held on for an 8-7 victory over UNCG in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader to salvage the series finale. The Spartans (17-18, 8-7) won the opener 5-4 to clinch their sixth straight series win over the Bulldogs in Greensboro.

The Citadel heads into a busy week with games against Charleston Southern on Tuesday and North Florida on Wednesday, with both contests at Riley Park starting at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs host VMI in their next SoCon series beginning Friday at 4 p.m.

Connor Walsh had five hits, scored twice and drove in a pair in the two games to pace The Citadel offensively. The Bulldogs had 11 hits in the nightcap after totaling only nine in the first two games of the series.

Game 1
Collin Woody drove a shot over the fence in left center off Skylar Hunter with two outs in the ninth to give UNCG the victory in the opening game of the twinbill.

Hunter entered in the eighth with The Citadel clinging to a 4-3, hoping to record his 38th career save which would give him sole possession of the all-time SoCon record. But the opportunity for history was lost when Aaron Wright homered with one out in the inning to tie the game.

The Bulldogs took leads of 1-0 in the fifth and 3-1 in the sixth, but the Spartans tied it in the bottom of the inning both times. The Citadel went in front one more time in the seventh when Stephen Windham singled in Johnathan Stokes to make it a 4-3 contest.

JP Sears worked five strong innings on the mound for The Citadel, allowing four hits and one run with four strikeouts. He was matched by the duo of starter Andrew Wantz and reliever Tyler Frazier, who combined to surrender all seven hits and four runs with 11 strikeouts.

Bryant Stafford faced only one batter, striking out Drew Ellis with a runner at third in the top of the ninth, and was credited with the win.

After not scoring in the first 13 innings of the series, The Citadel broke through in the fifth on an RBI single by Mike Deese. After the Spartans tied it, Connor Walsh homered to lead off the sixth, his third of the season, and Steven Hansen added a run-scoring single to give the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead.

UNCG responded in its half of the sixth on a two-run double by Eric Kalbfleisch to tie it at 3.

Game 2
The Bulldogs got RBI singles from Stokes and Walsh in the first and then exploded for five runs in the second to build their early cushion. However, the game was not decided until Hunter got Woody to pop out to Stokes after a three-run homer in the ninth by Hunter King brought UNCG within a run.

Barrett Charpia doubled and Hansen walked to put runners at first and second with one out in the ultimately decisive second inning. The Citadel pulled off a double steal, with Charpia scoring on a throwing error by catcher Jake Kusz, for the first run of the frame.

Jason Smith singled in Hansen and Deese followed with a double to chase home Smith and make it a 5-0 game. Walsh doubled in run and Windham knocked him home with a single to cap the uprising.

The Spartans scored once in the second and two in the third against Bulldog starter Kevin Connell, who allowed seven hits but was able to strand five runners. The Citadel tacked on a run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Stokes, which UNCG matched in the seventh.

The Spartans threatened in the eighth with back-to-back singles against Thomas Byelick, who escaped the jam with a key strikeout of Kusz, before making it interesting in the ninth.

Zach Sherrill pitched a scoreless fourth in his 134th career appearance, pulling within one of Raymond Copenhaver's all-time Citadel record.