Baseball Southern Conference

Saberhagen Tosses Shutout as Western Carolina Advances in NCAA Baseball Regional with 7-0 Win over Jacksonville

NCAA Regional

 

WOFFORD-NORTH CAROLINA STATE

Game postponed due to rain. Game is tentatively rescheduled for Sunday, June 2 at 11:00 a.m.

 

WESTERN CAROLINA 7, JACKSONVILLE 7

 

 

 

 

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. ? Red-shirt sophomore Drew Saberhagen scattered seven base hits through eight innings of work as the Catamounts again pounded out double-digit base hits en route to a 7-0 victory over Jacksonville University Saturday afternoon in the first elimination game of the NCAA Baseball Championship Chapel Hill Regional at Boshamer Stadium. The win was WCU’s first-ever over Jacksonville in three all-time meetings, eliminating the Dolphins from the regional.

 

Western (41-19) finished with 13 hits, including three solo home runs, in posting just its third shutout victory of the season. The Catamounts will play the winner of the No. 2 East Carolina-No. 1 North Carolina game at 1:00 pm on Sunday afternoon.

 

“We played real well today,” said WCU head coach Todd Raleigh. “I thought we played good yesterday, too, but the difference today is we pitched a little bit better. Drew Saberhagen was just phenomenal. We needed to get an almost complete game from him to get back in this tournament, so he gave us what we had to have.”

 

Saberhagen (9-1) tossed a gem when his team needed it most, striking out five without issuing a free pass. Senior Tyler Johnson faced four batters in the ninth, allowing one hit in one inning of work to finish off Saberhagen’s win.

 

“This is my family out here,” said Saberhagen on pitching with Western’s season in his hands. “I live out in California, so this is my family out here and I just wanted to spend more time with them and keep going. Keep playing another day and give us a chance to try to win this thing.”

 

Much like Friday’s game, Western Carolina opened up the scoring early as senior Steven Strausbaugh belted an RBI triple off the center field wall to plate junior Blake Murphy from first after reaching on an HBP by Jacksonville starting pitcher, Matt Gardner. Senior Kenny Smith drove in his 82nd run of the season on a ground out to the right side of the infield which allowed Strausbaugh to scamper home for a two-run top of the first.

 

An inning later, freshman Nick Liles reached base on a single to left and advanced to second on a fielding error by left fielder Pete Clifford. A groundout by senior Donnie Wilson moved Liles around to third before a second Dolphin error allowed freshman Brent Greer to reach and the game’s third run to score.

 

Western added another run in the third on a solo home run by Jonathan Greene, his 14th of the season to put the Catamounts up 4-0.

 

After a scoreless fourth and fifth inning, senior first baseman John Ingram connected on a line drive solo home run over the right field wall to give him a dozen round-trippers on the season and stake WCU to a 5-0 advantage. Wilson followed with a single and scored as a fly ball of the bat of Greer was dropped allowing Wilson to score from first to give Western a 6-0 advantage.

 

The Catamounts rounded out the scoring with a solo home run off the bat of Smith in the visitor half of the seventh. Smith’s home run ? his team-leading 19th of the season ? was his second RBI of the day to move him one behind the school record with 83 RBI, one shy of Chris Moore’s 1999 record of 84.

 

Strausbaugh led four Catamounts with multiple hits, going 3-for-5 at the plate with a triple, single and double, respectively, just a home run shy of hitting for the cycle. Junior Barrett Shaft, again serving as the designated hitter despite battling severe shin splints, his classmate Greene and the rookie Liles each finished 2-for-4.

 

“(Today’s win) definitely gives us confidence ? the past two days really, it gives the hitters confidence,” said Smith, whose one hit of the game was a homer. “We kind of (struggled) with the bats coming into this weekend. They’ve come on strong and our pitching staff’s been great for pretty much the last half of the season. We can try to keep those guys pitching and keep us scoring, I think our bats can bring it out about anytime.”

 

Sunday’s game will be broadcast by the Catamount Sports Network and can be heard in Western North Carolina on WWCU-FM, Power 90dot5 or online at www.WWCUFM.com <http://www.wwcufm.com/> . Air time on Sunday is scheduled for 12:45 pm with a first pitch at 1:00 pm.

 

With inclement weather in the forecast for Sunday, fans are encouraged to keep tabs on the broadcast at www.CatamountSports.com <http://www.catamountsports.com/>  or on the WWCU-FM web site.