CHARLESTON, S.C. – Wes Wrenn struck out eight batters in eight innings on the mound Friday night and shut a potent Eagle offense down as The Citadel topped Georgia Southern, 6-2, in front of 925 at Riley Park.
Down 2-1, The Citadel (24-16, 11-8 SoCon) broke the game open with a four-run sixth inning rally and added another run in the seventh. Georgia Southern (29-10, 12-5 SoCon) was only able to score two runs in the third inning as their six-game winning streak came to a halt.
Wrenn (7-1), who has now received wins in his last six starts, held a tough Georgia Southern offense at bay as he allowed two runs on 10 hits while walking two and striking out eight in 8.0 innings on the mound. Wrenn, who was strong from start to finish, threw 143 pitches in the game as he fanned the last two batters he faced. Drew Mahaffey finished the game as he retired all three batters faced in the ninth.
Chris Mederos (8-1) was took the loss – his first this season – as he allowed five runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings pitched. Mederos walked two and struck out eight in the start. Charles Matthews pitched the final 2.1 innings for the Eagles, allowing one unearned run on one hit while striking out two.
Richard Jones led the Bulldog offense with a 2-for-4 day with a triple and two runs scored.
Georgia Southern got on the board first as Phillip Porter hit a two-run single up the middle in the third inning, but the Eagles were unable to score after that point and only moved runners into scoring position once more in the game.
The Citadel cut the lead to a 2-1 GSU advantage was Sid Fallaw’s double off the left center field wall sent Chris McGuiness home from second in the bottom of the fourth.
The Bulldogs broke the game wide open in the sixth as Jones led off with a triple to center field, his first triple of the season. McGuiness followed with a walk and Simonelli drove in Jones on a fielder’s choice to first that put McGuiness out at second. Fallaw drew a walk in the next at bat and following a Kyle Jordan strikeout, Johnny Dangerfield drove a run in with a single through the left side, scoring Simonelli.
Nick Orvin kept the rally going with a double to left center field, driving in Fallaw and Dangerfield and chasing Mederos from the game. Matthews entered at that point and retired Bryan Altman to end the inning.
In the seventh inning, Jones hit a one-out single through the right side and moved to third as McGuiness reached base on an error by GSU second baseman Kevin Bowles. Simonelli grounded out to second but was credited with an RBI as Jones was able to cross the plate on the play.
The two teams will meet in the second game of the three-game Southern Conference series on Saturday, April 25 at 2 p.m. For complete coverage of Bulldog Baseball, please visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at CitadelSports.com.
