Baseball Drops Season Opener 6-3 to Florida state

Senior Josh Evans

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Charleston Southern opened the 2006 baseball season against the eighth-ranked Florida State Seminoles on Friday afternoon. Well, sort of. The two teams completed six innings with FSU leading, 6-2, before the game was halted due to inclement weather in the area. The game was completed on Saturday afternoon with the Seminoles taking a 6-3 victory.

CSU got on the board early in the contest, scoring twice in the top of the first inning off FSU starter Brian Henry. Third baseman Sean Doherty opened the game with a walk and second baseman Ryan Smart followed with a single to right, moving Doherty to third.

After left fielder Justin Fyle walked and designated hitter Keith Stewart struck out, first baseman Anthony Hayes hit what looked to be an inning ending double play ball to third. FSU third baseman Ryne Malone booted the ball, allowing Doherty to score and keeping the bases loaded.

Centerfielder Chris Krogmeier delivered an RBI single to score Smart but the Bucs could not manage a big inning as the next two hitters struck out.

FSU answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, aided by a balk call, an error, two walks and a hit batsman. CSU starter Josh Evans issued a one-out walk to Tony Thomas and followed by hitting Jack Rye. Third baseman Ryne Malone appeared to end the inning with a double play grounder to first but the play was ruled dead by first base umpire Al Davis, who called a balk on Evans before the pitch.

With new life, and runners at second and third, Malone blooped a single to the middle of the infield, scoring Thomas. After a walk to shortstop Buster Posey, catcher Danny Diaz delivered a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Rye and tying the game at two.

Both starters settled into a grove through the next three innings with Henry retiring 11 consecutive hitters and Evans escaping a two on, nobody out jam in the third.

Florida State took the lead in the fifth on RBI singles by Posey and Travis Anderson. The first weather delay came in the bottom of sixth as lightening flashed in the area. After a 54-minute delay, FSU scored two runs in the sixth with two outs to take a 6-2 lead.

The second lightening delay came as CSU was starting to bat in the seventh. That delay led to the postponement of the contest until Saturday afternoon. CSU added a run in the top of the ninth after three walks and a hit batsmen. The Bucs left the bases loaded in the ninth.

Evans took the loss, falling to 0-1. Evans allowed four earned runs on five hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings. Henry was the winner for FSU after allowing two runs on four hits with five strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.