ASU Dominates Furman in 3-Game Sweep, Tewell Earns SoCon POW

Tyler Tewell - From GoASU.com

After a rough stretch that saw the Mountaineers (28-9, 13-5 SoCon) drop 4 of 5 including a tough loss in the rubber match in Statesboro, Appalachian bounced back in dominating fashion. In a series that spanned just over 24 hours and was seemingly over before it began, ASU outscored Furman (18-23, 7-14 SoCon) 34-7 in three games at Smith Stadium that came just days after the Paladins defeated the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens. Due to impending weather, the series concluded with a double header beginning at noon on Saturday.


Daniel Kassouf led the way in the 14-2 game one romp, going 4-for-5 with 4 runs, 3 RBI and 2 HR. After the completion of the series, Kassouf now sports a .387 average (4th in the SoCon) with 15 HR (2nd), 45 RBI (T-1st) and is still very much alive in his quest for the conference's triple crown. Ryan Arrowood turned in another solid outing in the opening game as well, going 7 innings, allowing 2 earned runs and striking out 5 with no walks. Ryan improved to a perfect 7-0 on the year and remains in a 4-way tie for the conference lead in wins.


Offensively, Saturday's twin bill was all about Tyler Tewell. After a 1-for-3 performance in the opener, Tyler went 3-for-4, scoring two runs and driving the final dagger in the Paladins to conclude a back and forth contest with a walk-off, bases loaded single off of Jacques de Gruy in the 9th to lift ASU to a 6-5 victory. Nathan Hyatt pitched a perfect 9th inning to earn his first victory of the season.


Tyler's bat did not cool off at all for the nightcap, as he turned in a 2-for-5 performance with 3 runs scored and 5 RBI. Tewell drove in 4 of those runs with one swing in the 7th inning, as he belted his first career grand slam off of Elliott Warford to break the game wide open and extend the ASU lead to 12-0 after Warford hit two consecutive Mountaineer hitters. Behind all the offensive fireworks, Rob Marcello pitched 6 scoreless innings, notching 3 strikeouts with no walks as Appalachian cruised to a 14-2 victory.


Today, Tyler Tewell was announced as the Southern Conference Player of the Week on the heels of his 6-for-12 weekend with 6 RBI and 6 runs scored. Tyler's hot weekend has moved him just past teammate Daniel Kassouf and into 2nd in the SoCon with a .393 batting average. The award was the first of Tewell's ASU career.


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The Mountaineers will put their 3-game winning streak on the line Tuesday night, as the High Point Panthers (23-20, 8-7 Big South) make the trip up the mountain for a single game. First pitch is set for 6:00 PM and while the pitching match-up has not been officially announced, I would expect to see freshman right hander Jamie Nunn (3-0, 1.61 ERA) take the ball for Coach Pollard and the Apps. The Panthers are expected to counter with junior righty Jared Avidon (1-3, 8.68 ERA). Despite his unimpressive statistics, Avidon was able to go 7 strong innings, giving up only 1 earned run in a home victory over East Carolina on March 21.


Appalachian is 10-5 against the Panthers since 2000 and leads the all-time series 27-23, although HPU swept both games last season. The clubs originally had a game scheduled for March 20 in High Point that was postponed due to rain. To date, no make-up date has been scheduled. The Panthers are winding down a six game road trip and declined to turn Tuesday's contest into a double-header. Although I would love to see the game made up, I cannot fault them for turning down the offer. They are coming of a brutal stretch of road contests at UNC, Elon and Coastal Carolina (3), posting a 1-4 record.