UNC Greensboro 13, Wake Forest 7
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. ? Sophomore Alex Frederick had a career-high five RBIs and UNC Greensboro had a season-high six doubles as the Spartans cruised past Wake Forest, 13-7, on Wednesday evening at the Wake Forest Baseball Park.
Senior Alex Shelton picked up his first win of the season for the Spartans (16-21) after allowing two runs in 2 1/3 innings. Warren Slack was credited with his first save after pitching the final 3 2/3 innings and allowing just two hits and no runs.
Wake Forest (10-30) starter Alex Weisner was credited with the loss after giving up three runs on five hits in just two innings of work.
Frederick had a breakout game at the plate as he went 3-5 with two doubles to go along with his five RBIs. Kris Richards also had three hits for UNCG, while Harry Slade and Zach Leach each added a pair of RBIs.
Mark Rhine had an impressive day at the plate for Wake Forest as he went 4-5 with a run scored and Mike Murray went 2-4 with two RBIs.
Wake Forest got on the board first with a run in the bottom of the first inning to take the early lead. With one out, Ryan Semeniuk singled to left field and scored later in the inning on a double to left center by Murray to put the Deacs ahead, 1-0.
The Spartans responded with a two-out rally in the top of the second inning to take a 2-1 lead. Ray Quinones delivered a single to right field to get the rally started. Leach followed with a single to right field that fell just beyond the diving effort of the Deacon right fielder that allowed Quinones to come around and score from first.
A single by Richards put two runners on and then Frederick was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Slade then hit a chopper down the third base line for an infield single that scored Leach and gave the Spartans a lead they would never relinquish.
The Spartans took a commanding lead in the top of the third inning as they pushed six more runs across the plate. Corey Overholtzer led off the inning with a double and then moved to third on a wild pitch. Lloyd Enzor was then hit by a pitch before Ed Jayjack singled through the right side to score Overholtzer.
A walk to Quinones loaded the bases before Leach singled up the middle to score Enzor. Richards had a singled up the middle himself to score Jayjack before Frederick stepped to the plate and belted a double to the gap in left center to score Quinones and Leach. A sacrifice fly by Slade scored Richards to put the Spartans ahead, 8-1.
Wake Forest continued to score though as they put up a pair of runs in the bottom half of the third. Steven Brooks led off with a double to left center and scored two batters later on a single by Mac Williamson. Williamson advanced to second on a passed ball before stealing third and scoring on a throwing error by UNCG to make it 8-3.
The Spartans always had a response as they got those two runs back in the top of the fourth. Jayjack singled to lead off the inning and then moved over to third on a double by Quinones. After a ground out and strike out, Frederick once again stepped to the plate and delivered a two-run double to left center to extend the Spartan lead to 10-3.
The Demon Deacons got one run back in the bottom of the fourth as Shane Kroker led off with a single and after a double by Rhine, he scored on a groundout to make it a 10-4 game.
UNCG added one more run in the top of the sixth as Quinones led off with a walk before stealing second. He advanced to third on a single by Richards before Frederick knocked him in on a single through the left side of the infield.
The Demon Deacons continued to fight as they had a two-run double and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth to pull within, 11-7.
The score would stay that way until the ninth inning when Enzor had an RBI double off the wall and UNCG added a run on a wild pitch to make the final score, 13-7.
The Spartans will return home this weekend as they host Wofford for a three-game series beginning on Friday at 7 p.m.
Samford 11, UAB 10
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.?The Samford baseball team plated nine runs in its final three innings to overcome a six-run deficit and claim an 11-10 win over cross-town rival UAB Wednesday night at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
Wednesday night’s game was played in front of 1,843 fans, the third-largest crowd in Joe Lee Griffin Field history.
The win gives Samford (23-14) the series sweep over UAB (20-17). The Bulldogs earned an 8-1 win over the Blazers Tuesday night at Young Memorial Field.
“Coming back like this shows the resiliency of our guys,” Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. “It was good to come back and get a big win like this. I was proud of our guys for hanging in there and fighting back.”
Stephen Ballard, Bo Smith and Davis Harrison each homered in the win for Samford. Smith was 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Ballard went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Harrison went 2-for-3 with an RBI. David Schulze also had two hits for Samford, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Tyler Vanderheiden pitched 1.2 innings of hitless relief to earn the win and improve to 1-0 on the season. Andrew Jones got the Blazers out in order in the ninth inning to earn his first save of the season. In all, Samford used seven pitchers in the game. Kyle Putkonen, Tripp Swann, Mark Lewallyn, Michael Gunter and Rumiko Forrester also saw time on the mound for the Bulldogs.
For UAB, Jamal Austin went 3-for-4 with a home run and an RBI to lead the Blazers at the plate. Luke Stewart and Jacob German also homered for UAB. Ryan Woolley pitched two-thirds of an inning in relief, giving up three runs on two hits to take the loss and drop to 2-4 on the season.
Samford trailed, 8-2, heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. The Bulldogs plated four runs in the sixth to cut the Blazers’ lead to 8-6. Schulze singled to right field to drive in Michael Johnson with the first run of the inning. Smith then homered to right field with Schulze and Mason Meredeth on base to bring Samford to within two runs.
UAB added two runs in the top of the seventh inning to push its lead back to four runs at 10-6. Jonathan Merritt scored on a wild pitch and John Frost scored on a Samford error.
Samford answered with two runs in the bottom of the seventh to make the score 10-8. Harrison and Ballard each hit solo home runs in the inning for the Bulldogs.
Samford plated three final runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to take an 11-10 lead. Schulze walked and then moved to third base on a double by Smith. Trey Hayes then reached base on an infield single to drive in Schulze and make the score 10-9. The game-tying run was scored when Austin Allison walked with the bases loaded to drive in Smith. Johnson then hit a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in Hayes with the game-winning run.
Jones came in to pitch the ninth inning, setting the Blazers down in order. Jones struck out Merritt, Frost and Stewart to close out the game.
Samford will return to action on Friday, April 23, when the Bulldogs open their Southern Conference series with Appalachian State. The teams will play Friday at 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, both at 1 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
Appalachian State 11, East Tennessee State 10
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. ? Appalachian State University baseball's Chris Patterson (Laurinburg, N.C./Scotland County) set a single-season school record with his 12th save of the year in Appalachian's 11-10 win at East Tennessee State on Wednesday evening.
Patterson capped the wild victory by striking out three batters over the game's final 1.1 innings. His 12th save of the season broke a tie with Zach Quate, who shattered ASU's previous school record with 11 saves a year ago. Prior to Quate's all-America campaign in 2009, the ASU single-season saves record stood at eight.
With the school record now in hand, Patterson can set his sights on the Southern Conference standard of 17, set by Georgia Southern's Paul Thornton in 1993. With 14 saves in his career, the Appalachian career record of 18 (set by Matt Wood from 1999-2001) is also in reach for the dominating senior closer, who sports a 0.68 ERA and .163 opponents' batting average this year.
Ironically, the record-breaking pitching performance capped a game that saw the teams combine for 21 runs and 32 hits.
Appalachian (27-8-1) banged out a season-high 20 hits but had to overcome a pair of four-run deficits to move to 18-0 in non-conference games this season. Single runs in the seventh and eighth innings proved to be the difference in the come-from-behind win.
Trailing 10-9 in the top of the seventh, the Mountaineers drew even on Wes Hobson's (Winston-Salem, N.C./North Forsyth) sacrifice fly to center field. With the score still knotted at 10-10 in the top of the eighth, ASU plated the winning run when Jerod Faggart (Concord, N.C./Northwest Cabarrus) came home on a double-play groundout by Tyler Zupcic (Charlotte, N.C./Providence). Faggart, Jeremy Dowdy (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) and David Towarnicky (New Bern, N.C./New Bern) led off the eighth with three-straight singles to set up the game-winning score.
Patterson came into the contest with a runner on and two outs in the eighth. An error by ASU shortstop Doug Jones (Charlotte, N.C./South Mecklenburg) put the potential go-ahead run into scoring position but Patterson thwarted the threat by striking out ETSU's Kerry Doane to end the eighth. The right-hander recorded two more strikeouts in the ninth to seal the win and earn the record-breaking save.
Every member of ASU's starting lineup contributed to the 20-hit attack, led by Ryan Stetson (Charlotte, N.C./Ardrey Kell), Hector Crespo (Miami, Fla./Florida Christian), Faggart and Towarnicky, who each had three hits. Hobson drove in four of ASU's 11 runs in a 2-for-4 effort that raised his SoCon-leading batting average to .415.
Appalachian reliever Taylor Miller (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) worked a perfect seventh inning to move to 5-0 on the season.
All-America candidate Paul Hoilman went 3-for-3 with two home runs, four RBI and four runs scored to pace ETSU (20-16). Reliever Bo Burton surrendered the winning run in the eighth and fell to 3-3 on the campaign.
Up next for ASU, the Mountaineers (9-8-1 in SoCon play) make the long journey to Birmingham, Ala. for a pivotal three-game SoCon series with second-place Samford (23-14, 11-4 SoCon). Game times are set for 7 p.m. ET Friday, 2 p.m. ET Saturday and 2 p.m. ET Sunday.
Furman 6, UNC Asheville 5
GREENVILLE, S.C. ? Furman scored three unearned runs in the seventh inning to break a tie en route to a 6-5 victory over UNC Asheville in baseball action Wednesday evening at Latham Stadium.
The win snapped a five-game losing skid for Furman (12-25) and evened the season series with UNC Asheville (11-22) at a game apiece.
With the score tied 3-3 and runners on first and second with two outs, UNC Asheville shortstop Catlin Carter misplayed a ground ball off the bat of Brian Harrison, allowing Cameron Allmendinger to score from second base and give the Paladins a 4-3 lead. Will Muzika, who advanced from first to third on the error, then came home on a balk, and Will Miller finished off the three-run inning with an solid single up the middle that plated Matt Bona for a 6-3 lead.
The Bulldogs scored twice in the bottom of the ninth on RBI singles by Danny Baatz and Ian Graham before Jay Friedman retired Jordan Lurie on a pop fly to end the game.
Furman’s eighth inning rally made a winner of Paladin freshman reliever Matt Plate (1-0), who also allowed a pair of unearned runs, three hits, and a walk in 2 2/3 innings of work.
The three unearned runs gave the loss to David Ricker (1-2), who allowed a hit in one inning of relief.
UNC Asheville took a 1-0 lead in the third when Cody Buch walked and scored on Justin Schumer’s triple to right center field.
The Paladins answered with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the frame and made it 3-1 an inning later on a Paul Nitto RBI single to left center field that drove home Miller.
The Bulldogs tied the game in the seventh, taking advantage of a two-out Paladin error for a Schumer two-run home run that wrapped around the left field foul pole.
Schumer led UNC Asheville’s 11-hit attack with a 3-for-5, 3-RBI performance, and Mike Vaughn also had three hits for the Bulldogs.
Furman managed only five hits in the contest.
The Paladins play Presbyterian Thursday evening at Fluor Field in a 7:00 p.m. game.
#3 Georgia Tech 18, Georgia Southern 4
ATLANTA, Ga. ? Kyle Blackburn drove in two runs as Georgia Southern fell to No. 3 Georgia Tech in a non-conference meeting Wednesday (April 21) at Russ Chandler Stadium. An eighth-run fifth frame preserved an 18-4 win as GT improved to 33-5. The Eagles, who return to J.I. Clements Stadium this weekend, dropped to 21-17.
Kevin Bowles (Statesboro, Ga.) drove in the first Georgia Southern run and was one of five Eagles to hit successfully in the ballgame. Blackburn (Marietta, Ga.) went 1-for-5 with two RBI, while Bowles collected one RBI as did A.J. Wirnsberger (Tuscaloosa, Ala.).
The Eagles posted a pair of runs in the third and added two more in the fifth and sixth, but five Yellow Jacket runs within the first two innings capped by an eight-run fifth and three late sealed the in-state win.
Tech exploded in the first inning scoring four runs for an early 4-0 cushion. Jeff Rowland would score the first run after a leadoff double put him on second. Derek Dietrich picked up the first RBI with a single to right field plating Rowland. Tony Plagman, hitless in game one, dropped a home run to right field on a 1-0 pitch for a GT 2-0 lead. Georgia Tech scored the final two runs in the inning on two wild pitches and a sacrifice fly.
The Yellow Jackets picked up another run in the bottom of the second. A free pass to Brandon Thomas turned into an earned run when the freshman moved to third on a fly out and scored on a Plagman single up the middle that followed.
Georgia Southern struck in the top of the third capitalizing on two walks from Shawn Payne (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and Arthur Owens (Fayetteville, Ga.). Bowles drove the first run in on a ground-rule double down the right field line that bounced into the bullpen, scoring Payne and moving Owens to third. Blackburn batted a run in on a groundout to second that plated Owens for a 5-2 score.
GT answered with a pair of runs of their own using three hits ? two doubles and a single ? in the bottom half of the frame. In the fifth, Bowles scored on a Blackburn double to right center, cutting the deficit to 7-3.
But the Yellow Jackets’ response was an eight-run fifth in which GT sent 12 batters to the plate recording six hits ? three singles, one double, one triple and one home run ? and leaving one stranded on base.
The Eagles took one run back in the sixth when Wirnsberger homered down the right field line, but that would be the last run scored for GS. Tech added three runs in the seventh and eighth to cap the win.
For the Eagles, Jake Ware (Statesboro, Ga.) was 1-for-1 pinch hitting with Steve Cochrane (Mooresville, N.C.) going 2-for-2. Buck Farmer picked up the win moving to 4-1 on the year, while Justin Hess was charged with the loss.
Georgia Southern returns home to welcome Western Carolina to J.I. Clements Stadium, April 23-25. The three-game series opens Friday night at 7 p.m.
High Point 6, Elon 4
ELON, N.C. -- The High Point Panthers scored two unearned runs in the top of the ninth inning to break a four-four tie to pick up a 6-4 victory over the Elon Phoenix from Latham Park on Wednesday night. The loss saw the Phoenix drop to 25-14 while High Point improved to 19-21 on the year. The two teams split the season series, each winning on the road.
After the first two hitters of the bottom of the first were retired, Elon loaded the bases with walks to Mike Melillo and Scott Riddle sandwiched around a single by Neal Pritchard. Alex Maruri picked up a RBI when he walked on four straight pitches to score Melillo. The Phoenix was unable to push across any more runs, however, as Seth Canipe went down swinging for out number three.
High Point came back with two in the third on Zach Tessier's first career home run. Max Fulginiti rode home on the shot to left-center after he had reached on a one-out single.
With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Pritchard drilled a 2-0 pitch from Panther reliever Wes Torrez over the wall in left-center to knot the game at two. Riddle followed with a single and stole second before heading to third on a two-out wild pitch. As Riddle raced to third, the High Point catcher fired the ball down the left field line allowing Riddle to score the go-ahead run. Canipe and pinch-hitter Ryan Adams upped Elon's lead to 4-2 with back-to-back doubles.
Fulginiti began the Panther sixth with a double and went to third on a pinch-hit single from Sal Pezzino. With two outs, a wild pitch allowed Fulginiti to score and moved Pezzino to second. High Point would tie the game on Andrew Bartlett's bloop single down the right field line as Pezzino scored.
Elon loaded the bases with one out in the seventh as Riddle reached on a fielder's choice ahead of walks to Matt Hinson and Canipe. A 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Adams kept the Phoenix off the board as the inning came to a close with the game still tied at four.
With two away in the top of the ninth, Mike Mercurio singled and went to second on a walk to Nate Roberts. Matt Gantner ripped a ball that Riddle misplayed at third to plate Mercurio with the go-ahead run. The Panthers tacked on another when Kyle Mahoney singled through the right side to drive in Roberts to make it 6-4.
Riddle drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the ninth before the second out was recorded. Canipe came to the plate as the potential tying run, but flew out to center to end the game.
Kyle Webb (0-2) suffered the defeat for Elon. Webb went 1.1 innings and was charged with one unearned run on two hits.
Kyle Starnes (2-1) was the winning pitcher for High Point. He kept Elon scoreless for 1.2 innings, allowing just one hit. Mikel Rodenberg, off whom the Phoenix homered three times in the first meeting of the season, walked one, but picked up the save by hurling a scoreless ninth. It was his seventh save of the year.
Pritchard recorded three of Elon's eight hits, including his seventh home run of the season.
Bartlett went 2-for-3 while both Gantner and Fulginiti were 2-for-5 to lead the High Point attack.
Elon hits the road for a key Southern Conference series at College of Charleston this weekend. The set begins with a 6 p.m. contest on Friday night in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
Gardner-Webb 10, Wofford 8
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Wofford College baseball team was defeated 10-8 by Gardner-Webb on Wednesday evening at Russell C. King Field. Wofford had a 4-2 lead before the Runnin’ Bulldogs scored four runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to pull away for the win.
Wofford is 11-25 on the season, while Gardner-Webb is 17-19 overall. The Terriers were led by Mac Doyle with three hits, including a home run, and five RBIs. Adam McFarland had three hits for the Runnin’ Bulldogs.
In the top of the first, Daniel Merck opened the game with a double and he scored on a single by Kurt Fulginiti. Wofford answered in the bottom of the first when James Foster singled and Alex Lee was hit by a pitch. Mac Doyle brought in both runners on a home run to right center for a 3-1 lead.
Gardner-Webb got one run back in the top of the third on a solo home run by Jake Watts to make it a 3-2 game. The Terriers responded with a solo home run by Alex Lee in the bottom of the third inning for a 4-2 lead. It was Lee’s first home run of the season and third of his career.
Neither team scored in the fourth or fifth innings. In the top of the sixth, an RBI single from O.J. McFarland scored one run. A single from Zeke Blanton added a run, which was followed by an RBI single from Aaron Miller. With the bases loaded, Jake Watts was hit by a pitch to bring in another run and it was a 6-4 lead for Gardner-Webb.
The Terriers opened their half of the sixth with a walk to Kyle Behrendt and he moved to second on a wild pitch. A single by Mac Doyle scored Behrendt. A single by Landon Bennett and a walk to Konstantine Diamaduros loaded the bases with no outs for Wofford. A walk to Neil Robinette brought in one run, however back-to-back fielder’s choices had runners out at home and a fly ball ended the inning with three runners stranded and the score tied.
In the top of the seventh, Ty Boyles had a lead-off solo home run to make it a 7-6 game. After a double and a walk, a wild pitch scored one run. A throwing error by the Terriers allowed two more runs to score and the Runnin’ Bulldogs had a 10-6 lead.
Wofford added a run in the bottom of the seventh when Alex Lee was hit by a pitch and a triple down the right line by Kyle Behrendt scored Lee. Mac Doyle then added a single to bring Behrendt across the plate to make it a 10-8 game. Both teams went down in order in the eighth inning.
Gardner-Webb added a hit in the ninth, but Matt Sapp was caught stealing to end the inning. In the bottom of the ninth, Adam Izokovic struck out the Terriers in order to end the game at 10-8.
For the Terriers, starter Gus White went 4.2 innings and allowed two runs on six hits with two strikeouts. Ryan Traylor and Pete Noordsy both added outs in a third of an inning each. Bobby Streisel and J.D. Osborne combined to give up four hits and four runs. Anthony Rowland (1-2) went 1.1 innings with four runs allowed on two hits, however only one run was earned. He added three strikeouts. Cash Collins went 1.1 innings and had two strikeouts, while Drew Sheridan threw the ninth with one hit allowed and a strikeout.
Gardner-Webb starter Michael Hanzlik went five innings with four hits and five runs allowed with two strikeouts. Emilio Pagan gave up two hits and a run, while Brandon Boling (2-1) went an inning and allowed two hits and two runs. Jeff Howell added two strikeouts in two innings and Adam Izokovic picked up the save with three strikeouts in the ninth.
Wofford will head to UNC Greensboro on Friday for the start of a three-game conference series. It will be the third straight conference road series for the Terriers.
North Carolina 13, Davidson 0
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The 29th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels snapped the Davidson Wildcats' four-game winning streak with a 13-0 win Wednesday night in non-conference play at Boshamer Stadium.
North Carolina (23-16) held Davidson (17-20) to just three hits while shutting out the Wildcats for the first time this season. Junior first baseman Danny Weiss (1-for-3), junior right fielder Sam Payne (1-for-2) and senior pinch hitter Steven Blomberg (1-for-1) recorded the only hits for the Wildcats.
North Carolina collected 18 hits, led by Dillon Hazlett who batted 3-for-4 with three RBI. Tarron Robinson added a solo home run in the sixth, while Seth Baldwin and Jesse Wierzbicki each had a pair of hits.
Coming off a win over Duke last Tuesday, sophomore right-hander Brian Russell (3-2) took the loss for the Wildcats, allowing five runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings.
Greg Holt (1-2) earned the win for North Carolina, giving up just two hits in four shutout innings in the start and striking out four.
North Carolina started the scoring with a run in the first as Mike Cavasinni tripled into left field and scored on a sacrifice fly from Ben Bunting to take a 1-0 lead. The Tar Heels put up four runs in the third, highlighted by a three-run home run from Brian Goodwin to jump out to a 5-0 lead through three innings.
After a 22-minute lighting delay, the Tar Heels continued the scoring with a pair of runs in the fourth, a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth, including Robinson's solo home run. North Carolina added three more scores in the seventh on Hazlett's bases-loaded double for what proved the final 13-0.
Davidson will return to Southern Conference play with a three-game set at The Citadel beginning Friday at 6 p.m. Friday.
Tennessee 18, Western Carolina 8
Cullowhee, N.C. ? Western Carolina pitching issued a combined 12 walks while Tennessee hitters pounded out 20 base hits including eight for extra bases as the Volunteers avenged an earlier home loss to the Catamounts with an 18-8 road victory Wednesday night in nonconference baseball action at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
Tennessee’s 20 hits were the most allowed by a Catamount squad since Elon tallied 26 back on May 9, 2009, while the 18 runs were the most surrendered by WCU this season.
Western Carolina (23-12-1) rallied from an early, 2-0, deficit to claim a 3-2 advantage after one inning, and used a five-run home half of the third to take an 8-7 lead in which it held through the fourth. However, the Volunteers took the lead for good with a two-spot in the top of the fifth and hung nine runs on WCU between the seventh and eighth for the 10-run victory.
After rapping out seven hits through the first three frames, the Catamounts were held to just one hit from the fourth through the eighth ? a single up the middle by Tyler White in the seventh ? before tacking on two base knocks in the ninth.
Eight Catamount pitchers worked the nine-inning affair, none lasting longer than three and two thirds innings. Kyle Stewart (1-2) relieved starter Vance Chavis after just one inning and five runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout for Chavis. Stewart tossed the next three and two thirds, surrendering four runs on five hits with five walks against four strikeouts.
Also tossing for WCU were freshmen Jeremy Sluder, Mat Batts, Preston Hatcher and Adam Curtis, with junior Andrew Chilcoat facing one batter and sophomore Cameron Dullnig, who started the game in right field throwing the ninth allowing just one base runner on a single.
After spotting Tennessee a 2-0 lead after the top of the first, Western Carolina used a pair of RBI singles around a sacrifice fly to left by Ollie Goulder to take its first lead of the game, 3-2.
Ross Heffley, who finished 2-for-4 to pace the Catamounts in the first mid-week loss of the season, doubled to right center to open the home half of the third inning with WCU trailing, 6-3. An RBI single by Austin Schultz and a two-run double down the left field line off the bat of Trevor Collias scored three of the first four runs of the inning. Matt Johns capped the scoring with an RBI ground out as WCU surged in front of the Volunteers, 8-7, with the five-run frame.
White and Heffley were the only two Catamount hitters with multiple hits in the home defeat.
Conversely, six Vols tallied multiple hits in the win as Khayyan Norfork went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run, scoring three times, with Cody Hawn finishing 3-for-5, also with a two-bagger and a round-tripper, scoring twice and driving in a game-high five. Blake Forsythe was also 3-for-5 with four RBI, drilling a two-run double in the seventh and leading off the third with a solo home run to left as UT went up 7-3.
Reliever Nick Blount (2-2) earned the win for Tennessee after silencing the Catamount bats, limiting WCU to just one hit with a strikeout in four and two thirds innings of work after starter Alan Walden and first relief pitcher, Rob Catapano, allowed eight runs on seven hits. The relief tandem of Josh Allman and Steve Crnkovich worked the final two innings with the latter allowing two hits against two strikeouts.
Western Carolina opens a four-game road swing through the state of Georgia beginning with the three-game tilt in Southern Conference play at Georgia Southern this Friday through Sunday. First pitch of Friday night’s game is scheduled for 7:00 pm, with Saturday’s start at 2:30 pm and 1:30 pm on Sunday.
All three games will be broadcast by the Catamount Sports Network and can be heard online at www.CatamountSports.com with the Carolina Ford Dealers Pre-game Show starting 15 minutes prior to first pitch.