By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Looking at a 15-14 final score, the casual observer might think the winning team was successful on 2-point conversion to explain the winning margin.

But no, this was a college baseball game. Seven home runs, 27 hits total and eight errors by both teams combined made for a heart-stopping thriller at Smith Stadium, a walk-off win on a one-out, bases loaded single to right field in the bottom of the 9th inning. For host Appalachian State, it may have been as improbable a win as it gets in winning the game and weekend series (2-1) over visiting Georgia State.

We’ll get to what led up to the 9th inning in a moment, but drama doesn’t get more invigorating than what occurred in the last frame.  App State broke open a 12-12 tie and jumped to a 14-12 lead in the bottom half of the 8th inning when catcher Hayden Cross clubbed a leadoff home run to left, then shortstop Alex Aguila sent an RBI-producing sacrifice fly to left and first baseman Golston Gillespie tagged up at third and outraced the throw to home plate.

I wanted that at-bat.

Although the Appalachian fans in attendance were smelling victory, Georgia State wasn’t done. Panther head coach Brad Stromdahl sent Michael Mcginnis to the plate to bat for catcher Kyle Hilton. Maginnis rewarded his manager for the decision by promptly rapping a single to left center. Two batters later, designated hitter Max Ryerson proved why he was in that position by launching a 3-2 pitch over the left field fence for a 2-RBI home run, tying the game. The Panthers got two more runners on, but could not bring them home so the game went to the bottom of the 9th all tied up at 14-14.

Mountaineer third baseman Andrew Terrell led off the inning with a single, followed Xavier Moronta knocking another single through the left side with Terrell advancing to third base.

At this point, the Panthers had drawn in their left fielder, creating a presumably impenetrable, 5-man infield. It seemed to work when the Mountaineers’ Austin St. Laurent poked a ground ball toward third base, where the left fielder held the runner and sent a rocket to first base, catching St. Laurent for the first out of the inning.

Meanwhile, Moronta advanced to second, putting runners on second and third and leaving first base unoccupied.

The next batter up was App State second baseman Luke Drumheller, with catcher Hayden Cross on deck. GSU head coach Stromdahl called for an intentional walk to Drumheller, loading the bases.

And Cross didn’t waste any time in ripping a ball under the first baseman’s glove for a single, plating Terrell with the winning run and sending the entire Mountaineer dugout racing onto the field to embrace a jubilant Cross near second base.

Was loading the bases and pitching to Cross the right call?

While on the surface it seemed incongruous to walk Drumheller and pitch to Cross, the Mountaineers’ leading RBI producer with runners in scoring position, when asked about his counterpart’s decision after the game, App State head coach Kermit Smith did not hesitate in saying it was the right call because a ground ball could lead to a force out at any base and possibly even a double play to end the threat.

“Yes, it was the right call,” explained Smith. “You have to play for a force out there. It really has less to do with who is coming to the plate than it does with the situation.”

Cross had a home run early in the game but didn’t hesitate in describing his most important hit of the afternoon.

I think scoring is up because umpires are being held more accountable to a legitimate strike zone, just like in the majors.

“Yes, the last one was the biggest,” he said with a big smile. “I was trying to hit a ball in the air because they had five guys in the infield. The pitch kind of got inside on me so I didn’t get it in the air but thankfully it got through.

“I thought they might intentionally walk Drumheller to load the bases and play for a force out,” said Cross, “but I was ready. I wanted that at-bat.”

Early in the game, the Panthers pounced on scoring opportunities. They opened the first inning with a walk and a hit batter before consecutive doubles by centerfielder Cameron Jones and JoJo Jackson. Jones sending a ball all the way to the fence through the gap in right center and Jackson ripping a ball down the right field line to the corner, accounting for GSU’s first three runs. Then third baseman Will Mize followed with a 2-RBI home run, giving the Panthers a 5-0 lead before App State had even had an at-bat.

While the Mountaineers manufactured three runs in the 2nd inning thanks to a 2-run home run by Golston Gillespie and then Alex Aguila coming home on a wild pitch, Georgia State scored two runs in the second inning and three more in the third to take a 10-3 lead with the game only a third of the way completed.

But this was a game of comeback rallies. The Mountaineers battled back with nine runs in the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings, while the Panthers added just one more over the same span, giving the Mountaineers a 12-11 lead. Both teams held the other scoreless in the 7th inning, but that just led to the closing offensive fireworks and drama.

“Both teams would probably say they wished some things were done better on the mound and defensively,” said Smith about the high scoring game. “Early on, specifically, that was the case for us. Later, I thought we did a pretty good job, although we gave them a couple of runs. The other side of it though is that Georgia State can just hit. They are a good offensive team. Overall, though, if you look across the country the number of runs scored are up everywhere.”

Smith also suggested that his team has evolved, grown and gotten better.

“If you look back over the last few years, we haven’t scored as much with teams. Now teams are scoring a little bit and we are playing with them,” said Smith.

Smith offered an interesting observation as to why the runs scored may be increasing and it has nothing to do with juiced balls or changing the technology of bats.

“I think college umpires are now being held more accountable to a legitimate strike zone, which means pitchers have to do more work in the actual strike zone, too.,” Smith said while pointing to camera equipment fixed atop the press box and aimed specifically at home plate. “Umpires are actually being graded and there are reports just like in Major League Baseball that go back out to the conference offices.”

App State’s Jackson Steensma (2-0) was credited with the win. GSU’s Zach Ottinger (0-3) took the loss.

App State plays Queens on March 29 at Truist Field in Charlotte before traveling to Louisiana to test the Ragin’ Cajuns next weekend.

BONUS PHOTOS (all photo graphic images by David Rogers)

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Footballs — and football players — were flying around Kidd Brewer Stadium on March 25, as Appalachian State is now a little more than halfway through its spring practice schedule. The session included not just drills, but several scrimmage situations.

Summary Notes

• The next “era” for App State QB is fast upon us, to continue the line play callers that has included names like Armanti Edwards, Taylor Lamb, Zac Thomas and, most recently, Chase Brice. The next in line appear to be redshirt freshman Ryan Burger (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) or Joey Aguilar (Antioch, Calif. and Diablo Valley JC). Both are listed as 6-3 and very athletic, very mobile. Whoever wins the job, it will be nice to have the other one waiting in the wings.
• The running back room is again very deep, led by junior Nate Noel, the Sun Belt Conference rushing leader in 2021 and an honorable mention all-conference selection in 2022 after missing three games and limited in others due to injury. Ahmani Marshall, now a junior, returns after transferring from Wake Forest last year. Redshirt freshman Kanye Roberts was at times dynamic in his few opportunities last season. Boone native and Watauga High School alum Anderson Castle may have a larger role this year. He racked up some big gains in traffic during the scrimmage sessions. Junior Maquel Haywood is an interesting transfer out of Navy. Other prospects include freshman Jaylon Calhoun (Lakeland, Ga.), redshirt freshman Antonio Yates (Winston-Salem/Reynolds HS), and redshirt sophomore Bradley Davis (Spartanburg, S.C./Dornan HS).
• With the departure last year of four “super seniors,” the wide receiver opportunities became wide open. Kaedin Robinson, Christan Horn, Dashaun Davis, and Dalton Stroman seemed to take on leadership roles in 2022, but for 2023 we would not count out Jacoby Pinckney, a redshirt junior from Spartanburg, S.C. and transfer from Virginia Tech who looked particularly impressive on March 25. Redshirt sophomore Coen Sutton, younger brother of former Mountaineer WR Corey Sutton, has good size (6-2, 200), comes to App State with the NFL in his DNA (father, Clarence, signed with the Chicago Bears after playing as a safety for App State from 1993-1995) and had a good high school career, though somewhat abbreviated by COVID-19’s impact on high school sports. Other wide receiver names in the mix include redshirt sophomore Michael Hetzel (Charlotte/Ardrey Kell), freshman Grant Tucker (Charlotte Christian), freshman Chris Lawson, Jr. (Columbia, S.C.), redshirt freshman Trae Nickelson III (Huntersville, N.C.), redshirt freshman Reece Larson (Wellington, Fla.), redshirt Scoobie Ford (Atlanta, Ga./transfer from Mississippi State), and sophomore Makai Jackson (Croydon, Pa./transfer from St. Francis [Pa.]).

Interviewed by High Country Sports after the March 25 practice session and scrimmages, App State head coach Shawn Clark expressed a degree of disappointment in the session but remained optimistic.

“I think we took a step back on both sides of the ball today,” said Clark. “We have been playing at a very high level all spring practice. We just didn’t make the plays we had to. The quarterbacks and receivers were out of sync. I thought we did pretty well running the football, which is a good sign. On defense, we did a good job of getting to the quarterback. There were some issues there at the very end on coverage in red zone defense, but those are things we can control as far as missed assignments and mental errors. I am looking forward to watching tape tonight and getting back here Monday”

Clark indicated that it is “running back by committee” right now, acknowledging that Nate Noel has done what he described as a “fantastic job.” Clark also gave high marks to Ahmani Marshall, Kanye Roberts and Maquel Haywood, the latter of whom he described as, “… our transfer from Navy. He has really opened some eyes here. As of now, he looks to be in the top top two or three. But again, in this offense you need to have multiple running backs and that is where we are.”

Clark also spoke well of Watauga HS alum Anderson Castle.

“Anderson is important to our program. He can do a lot of things for us and he is Mr. Reliable. We look forward to getting him more involved in the offense this fall,” said Clark.

If there was a sense of still more recruiting work to do for the upcoming season, it might have come in Clark’s comments on the offensive line.

“You can never have too many offensive linemen. We are likely to go out to the transfer portal yet and get two or three, but I like our top seven guys right now. That said, we have to make sure we build depth at the position, and continuity with that depth. It is a long season and guys get injured or get bangs and bruises. That (roster) depth is important,” said the former App State lineman in the 1990s and offensive line coach before becoming head coach of the Mountaineers.

Acknowledging that there is a quarterback competition, Clark said, “Ryan (Burger) and Joey (Aguilar) have had a battle the whole way through the spring. I think both of them took a step back today, in practice No. 13.”

Catching up with Anderson Castle after the session, High Country Sports talked with him about the apparently deep running back room, even with the departure of Camerun Peoples.

“I like the way we are headed,” said Castle, now a junior. “We have gotten better every day this spring. That is the whole goal of spring, to get out there and get after it. We definitely have another deep running back room, loaded up again. I feel like we all fit in and we are all going to play a part in it Obviously, at running back you have to stay ready because a lot can happen. We all support each other. It is fun to be in that room.

“In spring ball,” Castle added, “we don’t really focus on roles but in short yardage situations I feel I can get those yards.”

Castle said he has no plans for the summer except for working out.

“I’m just going to be working out and enjoying the summer,” he said.

By Katherine Jamtgaard for App State Sports. ROCK HILL, S.C – The App State track and field team closed competition at the Adidas Winthrop Invitational on Saturday with 10 event wins and 28 top five finishes in addition to Friday’s seven event wins and 23 top five finishes.

In the men’s shot put, junior Chris Wainscott clinched gold with a toss of 17.46m (57′ 3.5″), which places him at third in the App State all-time list. Fellow junior Nathan Karl secured silver with a personal best toss of 16.67m (54′ 8.25″), which rounds out the top 10 in the program’s all-time list. Wainscott and Karl swapped spots in the men’s discus, as Karl finished first with a toss of 48.57m (159′ 4″) with Wainscott and freshman Jeremiah Burch Jr. taking second (48.34m (158′ 7″), PR) and third (44.66m (146′ 6″), PR), respectively.

The Mountaineers also took the top three spots in the women’s 400 meters and men’s 1,500 meters. Graduate student Hunter Robinson took first (56.04) and seniors Jelonnie Smith and Mariah Atwater took second (57.08) and third (57.51), respectively in the women’s 400 meters. In the men’s 1,500 meters, freshman Layne Hoyes clocked a personal best of 3:59.82 to clinch first and was closely followed by sophomore Rylan Haskett (4:00.10) and graduate student Jonah Bird (4:03.38, PR).

Senior Taylor Smith, along with freshmen Harrison Robinson and Addison Ollendick-Smith clinched gold in the women’s 100 meters (11.86), men’s 100-meter hurdles (14.69, PR), and women’s 800 meters (2:18.15, PR), respectively.

In the men’s 400 meters, junior Cole Krehnbrink posted a personal best of 47.50 to finish first and move up to No. 6 in the all-time list, while freshman Jayvion Johnson stopped the clock at 49.39 for a personal best and fourth-place finish.

The women’s 4×100-meter relay team of Taylor Smith, Hunter Robinson, Jelonnie Smith, and Atwater clocked a time of 45.83 to place first. In the women’s 4×400-meter relay team, Jelonnie Smith, senior Jada Branch, Hunter Robinson, and Atwater stopped the clock at 3:46.61 to garner gold. The men’s 4×400-meter relay team also placed first, as freshman Christian Gore, junior Jabari Dalton, freshman Brennin Beechum, and Krehnbrink stopped the clock at 3:16.27.

Friday Rewind

Sophomore Daiyanna Cooper recorded a toss of 52.16m (171′ 1″) to clinch first, which moved her to fifth in the program all-time list and senior Celia Agee garnered gold in the women’s pole vault with a clearance of 3.45m (11′ 3.75″). In the men’s 200 meters, sophomore Miles Stephens placed first with a time of 21.57, which matched his personal best, set at the Georgia Tech Invitational last season.

The Mountaineers took the top three spots in the men’s pole vault, men’s 5,000 meters, and women’s long jump. Junior Taylor Fox landed first in the men’s pole vault with a clearance of 4.65m (15′ 3″), junior Ryan Teuscher set pace for the Mountaineers in the men’s 5,000 meters with a personal best time of 15:17.00, and junior Siby Yao led the Mountaineers in the women’s long jump, recording a leap of 5.95m (19′ 6.25″), which placed her first in the event and ninth in the all-time list.

In the women’s 5,000 meters, sophomore Linnea Maynard stopped the clock at 18:28.51 to garner gold.

At the Raleigh Relays, Donohue clocked a personal best of 17:01.34 in the women’s 5,000. She finished third in her heat and 86th overall out of 170 competitors. Her time puts her at sixth in the App State all-time list for the event.

Up Next

The Mountaineers will split next week as they compete at the Texas Relays in Austin, TX, Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, Va., and Bill Carson Invitational in Greenville, N.C.

By Bobby Neal for App State Sports: LAFAYETTE, La. — App State softball ended its weekend series at No. 23 Louisiana with its first-ranked win in program history, defeating the Ragin’ Cajuns, 5-3, after dropping the first game of the doubleheader, 0-4.

The Mountaineers (16-10, 1-3 SBC) are the second unranked team to defeat Louisiana (23-10, 5-1 SBC) this season. All of Louisiana’s losses before Saturday came against teams who were in the top 22 of the RPI rankings.

Taylor Thorp hit a three-run homer in the top of the first, and Mary Pierce Barnes hit a go-ahead two-run single in the top of the seventh in the historic win, as Sejal Neas improved her record in the circle to 6-2 and Delani Buckner earned a save in the final inning.

Barnes’ big hit down the stretch was the 150th of her career.

“We never give up; that’s what I love about this team,” head coach Shelly Hoerner said.

Game 1 Recap (App State 0, #23 Louisiana 4)

In the first game of the day, Barnes punched two hits to lead her team offensively, but the Mountaineers could not bring in any runs.

App State held Louisiana scoreless through the first three innings before the Ragin’ Cajuns scored pairs of runs in the fourth and sixth frames. Kaylie Northrop tallied four strikeouts and pitched the complete game, while Addie Wray dove for a couple of show-stopping catches from the shortstop slot.

Game 2 Recap (App State 5, #23 Louisiana 3)

After a walk for Kayt Houston and a single by Sidney Martin, Thorp slammed the first home run of her season past left field to give the Mountaineers a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. The Mountaineers are now 10-0 this season when they score a run in the first inning.

App State’s defense held the three-run lead through the first two innings with Neas in the circle. Neas retired four consecutive batters between the first two innings before the Ragin’ Cajuns snagged a pair of runs in the third to cut the lead to one.

After those runs, Neas retired seven straight batters as the score remained, 3-2, until the bottom of the sixth when Louisiana brought in a tying run.

In the top of the seventh, Houston and Martin were batted in by the same hit a second time as Barnes singled to give her team a 5-3 lead.

Game Notes

• Buckner came in to pitch the final inning and retired all three batters. Abby Cunningham made two of the final three outs from left field.
• Neas pitched the first six innings and allowed only two earned runs, while Buckner posted her first save of the season.
• Hannah Forbes made her first career start in the historic win.

Up Next

App State will return to non-conference action on Wednesday with a doubleheader at N.C. Central. Next weekend, the Mountaineers will host Sun Belt rival Texas State in a three-game series at Sywassink/Lloyd Field.

By Joey Jones for App State Sports. TROY, Ala. — Helena Jansen and the App State tennis team were not going to go down without a fight. And as it turned out, they didn’t go down at all.

The Mountaineers (6-5, 3-1 Sun Belt) came from behind to tie their road match at Troy (8-5, 1-3 Sun Belt) three times before Jansen overcame a first-set loss in her No. 1 singles match against the Trojans’ Kristina Kukaras to send App State to a thrilling 4-3 victory at the Lunsford Tennis Complex.

“First of all, I just want to give credit to Troy,” said App State head coach Ashleigh Antal, whose squad has already matched its league win total from last year. “They are an incredibly tough team, and playing them on the road is one of the toughest matches on our schedule. I’m so proud of the way we competed today, and the way we trusted the process through rough patches in the match. This was a really complete road win for us and definitely one we’ll remember. This is a huge confidence booster for us going into the rest of the season.”

Troy started the day by winning the doubles point and giving the Mountaineers their first dose of adversity to overcome.

With all six singles courts in action, the first to finish was App State’s Erika Dodridge with an easy 6-0, 6-1 win over Troy’s Olivia Elliott at No. 5 to tie the team score at 1-1.

Troy regained a 2-1 lead at court four with Maria Guirguis’ 6-3, 6-4 win over Virginia Poggi before Savannah Dada-Mascoll drew the teams even again with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Hagar Amin at No. 2. It was Dada-Mascoll’s eighth win in nine singles finishes this season, with her only defeat coming to a top-20 ranked Anika Yarlagadda of top-ranked UNC.

A Trojan win on court six (Franziska Ahrend’s 6-4, 6-1 win over Ellie Murphy) pulled the Trojans within one singles match of a team victory, but the Mountaineers had a pair of seniors still battling it out on courts one and three.

Maggie Pate earned a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6 win over Valeriia Avdeeva on court three to make it 3-3 overall with just court one left in play.

Jansen had dropped her first set to Kukaras 6-1 before bouncing back with a 6-3 win in the second to set up the thrilling finale. With all eyes on the final two competitors, Jansen broke serve multiple times in route to a 6-2 triumph and an exuberant celebration by the visiting Mountaineers on court one.

App State will try to make it back-to-back road wins with a trip to Georgia State on Sunday. The match has been shifted to an 11 a.m. start in Atlanta.

Follow all the action this season on Twitter (@AppWTennis), Instagram (@appwtennis) and appstatesports.com.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Before a crowd that topped the 1,000 mark for the first time in 2023, with temperatures near 70 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny to partly cloudy skies at Smith Stadium, Appalachian State baseball dropped Game 2 of its Sun Belt Conference series with Georgia State, 10-4, on March 25.

The Mountaineers plated a run in each of the first two innings and in each of the last two innings, but in between they could do little in the way of offensive production. Meanwhile, the Panthers took advantage of the wind blowing out toward left field, with three home runs on the afternoon, two by shortstop Jesse Donohoe and one by centerfielder Max Ryerson.

Georgia State senior righthander Ryan Watson was one out away from a complete game shutout in the bottom of the ninth when App State third baseman ripped a 2-out double down the left field line, scoring earlier pinch hitter Vasili Kaloudis. Panthers head coach Brad Stromdahl decided to take no chances  for a Mountaineer rally, inserting freshman righthanded reliever Davis Chastain to get the final out.

In earning the win, Watson (2-1) scattered 7 App State hits in allowing the 4 runs, striking out five.

The Mountaineers got four doubles in the afternoon’s play, one each by Xavier Moronta, Hayden Cross, Hunter Wilder and the aforementioned Terrell. They just couldn’t do anything with the runners in scoring position.

The two teams will meet again on Sunday, March 26, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.

Key Individual Performances

• APP – Xavier Moronta (DH): 1-4, 1 run scored, 2B
• APP – Luke Drumheller (2B): 2-4, 1 run scored, 1 RBI
• APP – Hunter Wilder (CF): 1-3, 1 run scored, 2B
• APP – Andrew Terrell (3B): 1-2, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 2B
• APP – Hayden Cross (C): 1-4, 1 RBI, 2B
• GSU – Ryan Watson (starting pitcher: 8.2 innings, 4 runs on 7 hits
• GSU – Jesse Donohoe (2B): 2-4, 3 runs scored, 3 RBIs, 2 HRs
• GSU – Max Ryerson (DH): 1-3, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, HR
• GSU – Matt Ruiz (SS): 2-4, 3 runs scored, 1 stolen base
• GSU – Dylan Strickland (LF): 2-4, 1 run scored, 2 RBIs, 2B

BONUS PHOTOS