Wes Hobson had two hits, drove in a run and scored another on Friday versus UNCG (photo courtesy of Marc DeRose) Game statistics

Baseball Drops SoCon Opener to UNCG, 9-3
by Appalachian Sports Information

March 21, 2008 - BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University baseball scored three times in the first inning but couldn’t manage anything else against UNC Greensboro starter Greg Martin en route to a 9-3 loss to UNCG on Friday evening in the Southern Conference opener for both teams at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.

Jason Rook rapped a triple to left center field and Wes Hobson and Andrew Franco each collected RBI in Appalachian’s three-run first. However, Martin (2-0) stymied ASU’s offense over the next seven innings, holding the Mountaineers scoreless on just four hits to pick up the win.

The Spartans got two runs back in the second and took the lead for good with three runs in the top of the sixth. Appalachian (11-9, 0-1 SoCon) helped the UNCG’s cause in the sixth, as a botched rundown allowed the first run to score and rendered all three runs unearned.

UNC Greensboro (13-5, 1-0 SoCon) tacked on a single run in the seventh and three more in the ninth (two unearned courtesy of another ASU error) to account for the final margin.

Hobson was the only Mountaineer with multiple hits, as he went 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored on the evening. ASU starter Josh Dowdy surrendered just two earned runs and struck out five over 5.2 innings but suffered the loss to fall to 1-4 on the season.

Pedro Leon led the Spartans offensively with a 4-for-5, three-run effort, while Ray Quinones went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs.

The two teams continue their three-game weekend series on Saturday with a 3 p.m. first pitch at Smith Stadium.