WESTERN CAROLINA 13, DAVIDSON 11
DAVIDSON, N.C. ? Western Carolina banged out 15 hits and took advantage of five Davidson errors to help the Catamounts hold off the host Wildcats in a Southern Conference game on Thursday night at Wilson Field, 13-11. Kenny Smith collected three hits with a triple, while Blake Murphy had a double among his three hits to lead Western Carolina (18-11, 4-3). Senior Gregory Zage belted a three-run homer for Davidson (15-17, 4-6), which lost its sixth straight contest.
For the 26th time in the Wildcats’ 32 games this year, their opponent scored first as WCU plated four runs in the top of the first. Jonathan Greene doubled home the first run, then John Ingram lofted a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead. After Greene stole third, Kenny Smith walked and stole second, and when the throw went into center field, both runners advanced with Greene scoring. A Steven Strausbaugh sacrifice fly gave the Catamounts their fourth run.
Davidson cut the deficit in half in the second after loading the bases with nobody out. A double play grounder allowed one run to score, then sophomore Matt Webb ripped an RBI single to make the score 4-2.
Western got those runs back with solitary runs in the third and fourth. Murphy singled to lead off the third, scooted to third on an errant pick-off throw, then came home on a wild pitch. His two-out, RBI single in the fourth scored Nick Liles from second, who opened the frame with a walk.
The lead grew to 9-2 in the fifth. Smith ripped a triple after Ingram began the inning with a single, then trotted home on a deep sacrifice fly from Strausbaugh again. Andy John was then hit by a pitch, stole second and went to third on another errant throw, then scored on a Liles single.
But despite the 9-2 advantage, Catamount hurler Tyler Sexton could not finish the fifth in hopes of his sixth win without a defeat. The first six Wildcats reached base in the inning on four singles and two walks, scoring three runs and loading the bases. It looked like Sexton would escape without further damage after getting a double play with one of the outs at home. But another walk and a two-run single by sophomore Zach Kayne sent Sexton to the showers and got Davidson within two, 9-7.
Ingram drilled a two-run double in the sixth off reliever Sean Lennox, and an throwing error on a two-out grounder allowed Ingram to score, putting the Catamounts back up by five, 12-7.
Senior Rob Wilson lined an RBI single in the sixth for Davidson, only to have WCU get the run back in the seventh on a two-out double by Blake Murphy to score Brent Greer, who had singled.
In the bottom of the seventh, Zage made it a close ball game again with a line drive that cleared the fence in right, bringing home Kayne and Osborn, who had doubled and walked, respectively.
The Wildcats got the tying run to the plate in the eighth, and the winning run to the plate in the ninth, only to have closer Greg Holland shut the door both times for his fifth save. In his 1.2 innings, he struck out four.
Reliever Bryan Corbett (1-1) earned his first victory of the season, getting the final out in the fifth and allowing just one run in the sixth.
Davidson senior Matt Knight (2-5) got stuck with the loss after yielding nine runs, seven earned, on eight hits and five walks in his five innings of work.