CLINTON, S.C. - The Presbyterian College baseball team (10-17, 0-6) returns home after a four-game road swing to host the UNC Asheville Bulldogs (12-14, 3-3) in a three-game weekend series that kicks off on Friday at 3 p.m. PC snapped a seven-game losing skid with an 8-4 victory on Tuesday at Clemson, its second in its last three games against the Tigers.
All three games will be video streamed on the Big South Network, weather permitting.
PC evened the Division I all-time series, 6-6, by sweeping the Bulldogs last season. The final game of the season saw the teams combine for 42 hits and 40 runs as PC ended its campaign on a high note, 23-17. The Blue Hose captured their first-ever Division I win against the Bulldogs, topping UNC Asheville by a 4-2 score on February 23, 2008.
UNC Asheville enters the weekend with a 12-14 record and a 3-3 Big South tally. The Bulldogs began Big South play with a sweep of VMI before being swept themselves last weekend at Radford. Wofford handed the team its fourth straight loss on Wednesday night, 4-3, and this weekend marks the fifth, sixth and seventh games of an eight-game road swing. Jordan Lurie leads the team in average (.333) while Bill Creighton drives in the most RBI (22).
The Blue Hose will likely start Bud Jeter, Chandler Knox and Beau Dees over the weekend. Jeter and Knox have served as PC's opening 1-2 punch throughout the season, with both collecting their first wins of the season against NJIT on March 9 and 10. Knox leads PC starters in ERA (4.41) and gave a solid performance on Saturday at VMI, allowing three runs over 6.1 innings. Dees earned his first career win on March 14 with 1.2 innings of hitless relief against Kennesaw State.
Gabe Grammer made his first career pitching start one to remember on Wednesday, as the senior held Clemson to two hits in six innings and PC knocked off the Tigers, 8-4. The win marks the PC's second in its last three tries against the Tigers and the first at Clemson since 1949. The Blue Hose coupled solid pitching with success at the plate, outhitting the Tigers eight to six and taking advantage of four Clemson errors. Seven of PC's eight runs came with two outs. Grammer allowed one run and two hits in six innings. The senior also matched a career high with three strikeouts. Freshman Michael Ricchi locked up his first career save with 1.2 innings of two-hit, one run relief.
Over the last five games, Kenny Bryant leads the team with a .550 batting average (11-for-20) while Robby Swab's six RBI pace the team in that category. Jay Lizanich has also gone .350 at the plate (7-for-20), while Bryant has posted a .750 slugging percentage and a .625 on-base percentage, drawing three walks and a hit-by-pitch.
The Blue Hose stand tied with the Liberty Flames atop the Big South Conference in home runs, with 17 on the year, and nine different Blue Hose have gone yard this season with Brandon Paul's first career home run on Sunday. Kenny Bryant took back the team lead for home runs, with one against Liberty on March 17 for his fourth homer of the year. He ranks tied for fourth in the Big South in that category as well.
Tony Micklon hit his third of the season against Clemson, tying Andrew Williams, who smacked a trio of homers against Kennesaw State on March 14. The three nearly matched his previous career total as he entered the night with four in his career. Bryant ranks second among all active players with 20 career home runs, while Tony Micklon leads the pack with 26. Gabe Grammer and Brad Zebedis check in in a tie for third, with 13.
Kenny Bryant hit in his seventh straight game on Wednesday, giving him the team's longest active streak. He stands one shy of Andrew Williams' team-high eight this season. His seven games also mark the longest on-base streak as well, while Gabe Grammer enters the weekend on a six-game hit streak.
