Citadel rallies again to take SoCon baseball series from Georgia Southern

Sunday has been comeback day for Citadel baseball this season.

The Bulldogs mounted yet another Sunday rally today, falling behind by three runs before a six-run third inning propelled The Citadel to an 8-7 victory over Georgia Southern at Riley Park.

The Citadel (19-25, 9-12) took two of three in the series against GSU, the preseason favorite in the Southern Conference. The Eagles, who committed four errors today and seven for the series, fell to 24-21 overall and 11-10 in the SoCon.

The Bulldogs, who have rallied for Sunday wins over Wofford, Samford, UNC Greensboro and Georgia Southern this season, are in seventh place in the SoCon, fighting for a spot in the eight-team league tournament.

Coach Fred Jordan’s team can go a long way toward securing that berth the next two weekends, as the Bulldogs play series against the two teams directly behind them in the standings – at Davidson next weekend and at Riley Park against Furman on May 11-13.

The Bulldogs were down 3-0 when they scored six runs on five hits and three GSU errors in the third, two of the errors on mishandled bunts. Joe Jackson delivered a two-run double, and Bo Thompson and Hughston Armstrong also drove in runs.

The Citadel added two runs in the fourth on hit batter and a walk, both with the bases loaded, for an 8-3 lead. The Eagles rallied with three runs in the sixth and one in the eighth, but Citadel reliever Ryan Hines struck out Ben Morgan with runners at second and third in the eighth. Hines worked a perfect ninth for his second save of the series and fifth of the season.

James Reeves (6-3) got the win with 3 1/3 innings of relief, and Jackson was 3 of 4 with two RBI for The Citadel. GSU’s Scooter Williams was 5 for 5 with three RBI.

The Bulldogs host North Florida in non-conference midweek games Tuesday and Wednesday.