Stifling Pitching Helps Presbyterian Blemish CSU Home Finale

Freshman Taylor Black had half the Bucs' hits on Wednesday, going 3-for-4 against Presbyterian.

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Presbyterian spoiled the final home game of the 2008 season for the CSU baseball team, stifling the Buccaneer offense in a 9-5 victory. The Blue Hose pitching staff held the Bucs to just six hits while the visitors’ bats tallied 12 to help Presbyterian avoid a season series sweep at the hands of CSU. Freshman Taylor Black provided half the Buccaneer hits, going 3-for-4 with one run batted in for the home team.

Senior Eric Tatum got the start for the Blue Hose and earned the win to improve his record to 3-5 on the season. He lasted six innings, allowed four runs, three earned, on four hits and four walks with four strikeouts for the visitors. Coming on for two innings of relief, senior Cody Higgins took the loss for CSU (18-31) to drop to 3-3 on the season.

Presbyterian (13-37) took an early lead thanks to a two-run home run from senior Steven Henry in the top of the second. After fellow senior William Bolchoz drew a walk to lead off the inning, Henry stepped in and delivered a homer over the wall in right center to put the Blue Hose in front 2-0.

The Bucs stormed back in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three runs in the inning to take a 3-2 lead. Freshmen Steve Antolik and Derek Smith started the rally with a pair of one-out walks before Black stepped in and recorded the home team’s first hit of the game. His single to left field brought Antolik around to score and pulled CSU within one run. After an errant pickoff attempt moved Smith to third and Black to second, freshman Tom Burkett put the Bucs in front with a single through the left side that brought both runners across home plate.

Trailing the home team 3-2, Presbyterian quickly responded with two runs in the top of the fifth to regain its advantage. Senior Kyle Craven led off the inning by earning a free pass to first on a walk and advanced to second on junior Zac Rhinesmith’s sacrifice bunt. Senior Casey Carlson then tied the game with a single to center that brought Craven in from second. Two batters and one out later, Bolchoz gave the Blue Hose a 4-3 lead with a single to left field that gave Carlson time to beat the relay home.

CSU pulled even with its visitors in the bottom of the sixth, getting one run on a pair of hits. Black hit a one-out single to left center and redshirt-junior Michael Obuchowski followed with another single before Burkett drew a walk to load the bases. Freshman Jesse Cadenhead then hit a fly ball deep enough into right center to allow Black time to score from third on the sacrifice, making it a 4-4 game.

The game did not stay deadlocked for long, however, thanks to a leadoff home run by Rhinesmith to start the top of the seventh. Presbyterian extended its advantage later in the inning when a throwing error allowed Carlson to come all the way around from second to score and make it 6-4. With the bases loaded in the top of eighth, the Blue Hose added some insurance to their lead, getting a base-clearing triple from junior Jared Combs to make it 9-4 in favor of the visitors.

An error on an attempted double play allowed Black to score in the bottom of the eighth inning to make it 9-5, but that was as close as the Bucs could get in the loss.

CSU will hit the road for its final Big South Conference series of the regular season, squaring off with V.M.I. for three games over the weekend. The series will begin with a 7 p.m. game on Friday.