April 23, 2006

Box Score

BOONE, N.C. -- Case Cassedy hit for the cycle, homered twice, and drove in a career high seven runs to power Furman past Appalachian State 17-11 in the second game of Southern Conference baseball doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Red Lackey Field.

Furman (26-12, 12-3 SoCon), which claimed the series two games to one, dropped the first game 7-2.

Cassedy belted a solo home run in the first inning, tripled in the third, singled in the fourth, blasted a three-run roundtripper in the fifth, and doubled in a pair of runs in the seventh to become the first player to hit for the cycle since Tommy John III accomplished the feat in a 5-4 win over Appalachian State on April 1, 2000.

His 5-for-6 performance against ASU capped a week that saw him bat .611 (11x18) with 11 RBI, crack six doubles, two home runs, and a triple, and score six runs in four games. The Paladin senior first baseman began his week on Wednesday with a two-out, two-run double in the seventh inning to deliver Furman a 5-4 win over nationally sixth-ranked Clemson and doubled three times in Saturday's 3-2 victory over Appalachian State.

Cassedy's power display highlighted a 21-hit attack for Furman, which also got three hits each from Will Stembridge and Jay Jackson, whose performance included his eighth home run of the campaign, a two-run blast in the seventh inning. A.J. Davidiuk also swatted a two-run clout in a five-run Paladin seventh to tie Jackson for the team lead in home runs.

Furman scored in each of the first five innings to build a 12-3 lead, but Appalachian State (17-22-1, 5-13 SoCon) fought back, using a six-run fifth and a two-run sixth to make it 12-11.

The Paladins answered with five runs in the seventh, including Cassedy's one-out RBI double that gave him the cycle. Davidiuk followed with a two-run home run to left, and after a Stembridge single, Jackson capped the rally with a two-run blast over the right field fence.

Furman's big offensive performance allowed starting pitcher Ryan Hodinka (9-0) to secure the victory. The senior lefthander, who had been slowed during the week due to illness, yielded nine runs on 11 hits over five innings before departing with an 12-9 lead.

Appalachian State's top pitcher, Garrett Sherrill (3-5) took the loss after surrendering nine hits and seven runs, all earned, in 3 1/3 innings of work.

In game one Jason Rook hurled seven innings of solid ball to lift the Mountaineers to a 7-2 win over the Paladins.

Rook (4-4) yielded six hits, two earned runs, and two walks while striking out six to gain the win.

Appalachian State took control of the contest in the fifth, combining a pair of walks, a hit batsman, two wild pitches, an error, and three hits to take a 5-0 lead. Paladin starting pitcher Mason Smith (3-3), who yielded only two earned runs in the decisive fifth frame, was chased following an RBI double by Kevin Butler, who later advanced to third on a wild pitch by Paladin reliever Ryan Hudson and scored on David Rubenstein's RBI single.

Case Cassedy's two-run double in the sixth got Furman on the board, but Rook and Calvin Teague combined to keep the Paladins scoreless over the final three innings.

Furman outhit Appalachian State 8-6 in the contest, but three Paladin errors led to five unearned runs for the Mountaineers.

The Paladins continue their nine-game road stretch on Wednesday against the Charlotte 49ers in a 6:00 p.m. game.