DAVIDSON, N.C. – Despite a grand slam in the third inning by Drake Zupcic, Appalachian State University baseball dropped a 12-6 midweek decision to Davidson on Tuesday night at Wilson Field.
The Mountaineers (12-21) managed 10 hits on the game to counter the Wildcats' (17-13) 15, but a wild 11-run third inning by both teams through the game completely off balance.
Appalachian got on the board first in the top of the third when a Calev Grubbs single through the right side and walks from Jason Curtis and Matt Vernon set up a bases loaded situation for Zupcic. Zupcic stepped up to the plate and took a 1-0 ball deep for his first career grand slam.
Without wasting a moment, Davidson responded with their own grand slam with two outs to start a furious inning that resulted in seven total. The Wildcats then extended the lead in the fourth by one.
The Black and Gold were able to capitalize on a throwing error that allowed Curtis to turn a single into a three-baser, allowing a Vernon shot to right center to bring him home.
Davidson tacked on two more in the fifth and seventh innings to close out the game before Matt Brill continued his fine week at the plate, hitting a double down the right-field line that would bring home Zupcic, who singled earlier to left in the ninth.
Zupcic led all hitters for the Mountaineers, going 3-for-5 on the day with four RBI and crossing the plate twice himself. Appalachian had seven batters get a hit on the day, including a pinch-hit single from Avery Jackson in his lone at-bat.
On the mound, Bobby Hampton got the start and went just 2.2 innings before Matt Schaeffer and Sean Mason provided two innings of relief.
Reliever Dallas DeVrieze also provided 2.1 innings on the mound and had a fine outing, allowing just two hits, no earned runs and striking out three batters in 11 faced.
The Mountaineers will have a slightly shifted weekend schedule this weekend, heading to play rival Georgia Southern in a three-game schedule that will begin Thursday night at 6 p.m. The series will then shift to a 2 p.m. midday start on Friday and a 1 p.m. start on Saturday to close it out.
