ETSU stuns Western Carolina at Baseball Championship

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Cullen Smith smoked a two-out, two-run triple to center in the top of the ninth to cap a five-run rally as No. 7 seed ETSU stunned No. 2 seed Western Carolina 8-6 in Wednesday's nightcap at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.

The Bucs (28-27) advance to face the winner of Thursday morning's contest between No. 3 seed UNCG and No. 6 seed Samford on Friday at 12 p.m. Western Carolina (28-27) will take on either the Spartans or Bulldogs in an elimination contest at 4 p.m. Thursday.

Trailing 6-1 after six innings, ETSU scored a pair of runs in the seventh to get back into the game and then landed the knockout blow in the ninth. Jammer Strickland was hit by a pitch to open the decisive frame, and after a fielder's choice, Chris Cook drew a four-pitch walk. Aaron Maher followed with a two-run double to left center to make it a one-run affair, and after All-Southern Conference first-team catcher Hagen Owenby was intentionally walked, Christian Bailey made the Catamounts pay with a game-tying RBI double to right center.

B.J. Nobles was then summoned from the bullpen and got a popup, but Smith delivered the go-ahead triple, his fourth hit of the day, to complete the stunning finish.

Western Carolina made things interesting in the bottom half of the ninth by putting a pair of runners on, but Maher, a junior outfielder making just his fourth pitching appearance of the season, induced a game-ending double play off the bat of Nobu Suzuki for his first career save.

Trailing 1-0 entering the bottom of the fourth, the Catamounts batted around to seemingly blow the game open, taking advantage of four singles – three of them on the infield – an error, a passed ball and a walk to score five runs.

Matthew Koehler's RBI single to first scored SoCon co-Player of the Year Bryson Bowman, who led off the frame with a single up the middle, to tie the contest, and after a walk put runners on first and second, Cameron Blaquiere singled to third to score Suzuki, who reached on an error.

Brett Pope greeted reliever Jamin McCann with a two-run single through the right side, and Andrew Robinson beat out a single to short to plate Koehler with the fifth run of the frame, making it 5-1.

The Catamounts tacked on an insurance run in the sixth on Robinson's RBI single to left but squandered a chance for more, leaving the bases loaded.

The Bucs got a pair of runs back in the seventh on Ethan Rice's pinch-hit RBI double and Hunter Parker's RBI single, but ETSU left the bases loaded for the second straight inning as the comeback attempt stalled for the time being.

The Bucs stranded 17 runners in the contest, including at least one in each frame and at least two in each inning from the second to the eighth.

Smith paced ETSU at the plate with a 4-for-6 effort, while Maher, Strickland and Parker had two hits each. Blaquiere had three hits to lead the Catamounts on the day.

Connor Bartow (2-1) was the beneficiary of ETSU's late offensive fireworks, as he picked up the win after two innings of scoreless relief. Korey Anderson (0-2) was charged with all five ninth-inning runs in 2/3 of an inning of work.

The SoCon Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases resumes Thursday with No. 3 seed UNCG taking on No. 6 seed Samford at 9 a.m.

NOTE: Originally scheduled for a 4 p.m. start, the contest was delayed by inclement weather until an 8:46 first pitch and lasted 3 hours, 59 minutes, ending at 12:45 a.m. Thursday.

May 23 (Tuesday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (SDN)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 1: #9 VMI 8, #8 The Citadel 0

May 24 (Wednesday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (SDN)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 2: #4 Furman 13, #5 Wofford 3 (7 innings)
Game 3: #1 Mercer 11, #9 VMI 6
Game 4: #7 ETSU 8, #2 Western Carolina 6

May 25 (Thursday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (SDN)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 5: #3 UNCG vs. #6 Samford 9 a.m.
Game 6: #5 Wofford vs. #9 VMI 12:30 p.m.
Game 7: #2 Western Carolina vs. Loser Game 5 4 p.m.
Game 8: #4 Furman vs. #1 Mercer 7:30 p.m.

May 26 (Friday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (SDN)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 9: #7 ETSU vs. Winner Game 5 12 p.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8 3:30 p.m.
Game 11: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 9 7 p.m.

May 27 (Saturday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (SDN)
Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 12: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9 12 p.m.
Game 13: Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 11 3:30 p.m.
Game 14: Winner Game 13 vs. Loser Game 12 7 p.m.

May 28 (Sunday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN3)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 15: Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 14 12 p.m.
^Game 16: Winner Game 15 vs. Loser Game 15 40 minutes after Game 15

^ if necessary

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