Savannah State Earns 7-2 Victory to Split Season Series with CSU Baseball

Redshirt-freshman Nick Chinners went 3-for-4 and had a team-high 12 putouts on Thursday.

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Savannah State built an early lead and freshman Michael Allegretti held the CSU offense at bay to help the Tigers record a 7-2 win at Buccaneer Field on Thursday. Redshirt-freshman Nick Chinners led the Bucs with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate, while freshmen Tom Burkett and Taylor Black recorded two hits each. With four of his team’s five runs batted in, junior Brandon Javis led the way for Savannah State.

Making his tenth start of the season, freshman Tyler Thornburg took the loss for CSU (15-25). He fell to 2-5 on the year, giving up four runs (three earned) on three hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Allegretti improved to 7-3 after holding the Bucs to one run on six hits over six innings. He allowed two walks and struck out three.

Thornburg got off to a rocky start, hitting Tigers’ leadoff man David Washington, junior, to start the top of the first inning. Washington advanced to second on a groundout and then scored on a single by Javis, sliding in underneath the tag to give Savannah State (20-21) the early advantage. After Javis advanced to second on the throw home, sophomore Brett Pointer put a fly ball into left field that was mishandled, giving Javis time to score to put the visitors in front 2-0.

Freshman Matthew Nowacki started a two-run rally in the top of the second with a double to right field. Junior Andrew Mendez followed with a single that gave the Tigers runners on the corners with no outs. Washington was then hit by a pitch for the second straight at-bat, loading the bases for sophomore Kyle Wilkerson. Despite the precarious situation, he showed patience by drawing a walk to bring Nowacki home and increase the visitors’ lead to three. Javis made it 4-0 with a sacrifice fly into foul territory in right field that gave Mendez time to tag up and score from third.

CSU got on the board in the bottom half of the inning, cutting it to a three-run deficit. Freshman Derek Smith and Chinners led off with back-to-back singles, and Burkett loaded the bases when his sacrifice bunt attempt found a seam for an infield single. Smith then scored on a double play ground ball, making it 4-1 in favor of the Tigers. After a walk to junior Jake Cox gave the Bucs runners on the corners, Allegretti got out of the jam by picking Cox off at first to end the inning.

Entering in as a scheduled reliever, freshman Anthony Markham shut down the Savannah State offense for the next four innings. Keeping the home team within three runs, Markham gave up just two hits and struck out three in his scoreless outing.

The Tigers extended their lead in the top of the seventh, however, with another two-run rally. After junior Brandon Roberts came on as a reliever for CSU and got the first out on a strikeout, Washington drew a walk to get things started. He moved over to third when Wilkerson laid down a bunt single that resulted in an error by the Bucs to give the visitors runners on the corners with one out. Wilkerson put himself in scoring position by stealing second, which proved costly when Javis delivered a double down the left field line to bring both runners around.

Leading 6-1, Savannah State added another run in the top of the eighth when senior Alford Arnold led off with a double and advanced to third on a ground out, putting him in position to score on a passed ball. After two straight walks, freshman Jesse Cadenhead took the mound for CSU and induced an inning-ending double play on his first pitch.

After a groundout to get the bottom of the ninth started, Black doubled down the left field line. Junior Mark Perry then picked up his first hit of the day with a single through the left side to give the Bucs runners on the corners. Also breaking a hitless day, junior Kory Morian brought the home team within five with a single that chopped over the third baseman’s head to bring Black home from third. But the rally was cut short when freshman Keith Hustedt’s line shot found the glove of the Tigers’ third baseman and resulted in a double play to end the game.

CSU will play its final home Big South series when it takes on Liberty this weekend at Buccaneer Field. The series will start with a 3 p.m. game on Saturday and conclude with an 11 a.m. doubleheader on Sunday.

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