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Western Carolina advances to SoCon baseball championship game
Catamounts will face No. 2 seed Samford on Sunday; must win twice
GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 4 seed Western Carolina jumped out to a big early lead and held on to down No. 1 seed Wofford for the second time in the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases, with its 11-6 victory on Saturday earning the Catamounts a trip to the title game for the first time since 2016.
The Catamounts (28-20) will face No. 2 seed Samford at noon on Sunday and must beat the Bulldogs twice to claim the SoCon tournament title. Samford, which topped WCU 19-7 in seven innings earlier Saturday to advance to the title game, needs just one win to claim its first crown since 2018. The squads will be meeting in the title tilt for the first time.
Seven players recorded multiple-hit games for Western Carolina, which outhit the Terriers 16-7 on the evening. Justice Bigbie and Luke Robinson had three apiece, while Seth Graves was 2-for-4 with four RBIs.
Western Carolina jumped all over Wofford starter Dom Marcoccio, scoring four runs before the Terriers could record an out. Will Prater doubled down the left-field line on the first pitch of the game and Pascanel Ferreras drove him in with a single to right center. Bigbie followed with a two-run home run and Robinson made it back-to-back homers with a solo shot to left center that made it 4-0.
Marcoccio sandwiched a strikeout and a fielder’s choice around a walk before a Tom Brosnahan single put runners on the corners, but Colin Davis made a nice catch against the center field wall for the final out of the inning to save at least one run.
The Terriers halved their deficit in the bottom half of the first, getting consecutive RBI groundouts from Lawson Hill and Trey Yunger, but Western Carolina gave itself some breathing room in the third, when three hit batters loaded the bases for Graves, who cleared them with a tripled to center field to make it a 7-2 contest.
The Catamounts added a run in the fourth on Ferreras’ leadoff homer and another in the fifth on Graves’ sacrifice bunt as the lead ballooned to 9-2.
The SoCon regular-season champion Terriers would not go down without a fight, however, plating three runs in the bottom of the sixth to draw within four. A Jack Renwick double between a pair of walks loaded the bases for Brennen Dorighi, who singled to left to score Yunger. Pinch-hitter Ryan Galanie was then hit by a pitch to force in another run before Shane Lussier’s fielder’s choice scored John Dempsey.
Wofford crept even closer with another run in the bottom of the seventh, with Renwick knocking in Davis with a groundout to make it 9-6.
Western Carolina threatened to blow the game back open in the eighth, loading the bases with no one out to chase Clay Schwaner. Zach Byron was up to the task, however, striking out the next three batters to get Wofford out of the jam.
The Terriers returned the favor in the bottom half, loading the bases on an infield single and two walks but failing to cash in when Jack Snyder induced a groundout to first to just nip Lawson Hill at the bag.
The Catamounts added a pair of insurance run in the top of the ninth on Bigbie’s bloop RBI single to right and Robinson’s RBI groundout.
Zach Franklin (7-4), who pitched two innings in Thursday’s 16-5 first-round win over Wofford, picked up the win Saturday despite allowing five runs on six hits and five walks.
Marcoccio (3-1), the first of six Wofford pitchers on the day, suffered his first loss of the season, allowing four runs on five hits and a walk in an inning of work.
May 27 (Thursday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 1: No. 4 Western Carolina 16, No. 1 Wofford 5
Game 2: No. 2 Samford 10, No. 3 Mercer 8
May 28 (Friday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 3: No. 1 Wofford 8, No. 3 Mercer 7
Game 4: No. 4 Western Carolina vs. No. 2 Samford, suspended
May 29 (Saturday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 4: No. 2 Samford 19, No. 4 Western Carolina 7 (7 innings)
Game 5: No. 4 Western Carolina 11, No. 1 Wofford 6
May 30 (Sunday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 6: No. 2 Samford vs. No. 4 Western Carolina, 12 p.m.
Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser (If necessary), 40 minutes after the conclusion of Game 6
The Catamounts (28-20) will face No. 2 seed Samford at noon on Sunday and must beat the Bulldogs twice to claim the SoCon tournament title. Samford, which topped WCU 19-7 in seven innings earlier Saturday to advance to the title game, needs just one win to claim its first crown since 2018. The squads will be meeting in the title tilt for the first time.
Seven players recorded multiple-hit games for Western Carolina, which outhit the Terriers 16-7 on the evening. Justice Bigbie and Luke Robinson had three apiece, while Seth Graves was 2-for-4 with four RBIs.
Western Carolina jumped all over Wofford starter Dom Marcoccio, scoring four runs before the Terriers could record an out. Will Prater doubled down the left-field line on the first pitch of the game and Pascanel Ferreras drove him in with a single to right center. Bigbie followed with a two-run home run and Robinson made it back-to-back homers with a solo shot to left center that made it 4-0.
Marcoccio sandwiched a strikeout and a fielder’s choice around a walk before a Tom Brosnahan single put runners on the corners, but Colin Davis made a nice catch against the center field wall for the final out of the inning to save at least one run.
The Terriers halved their deficit in the bottom half of the first, getting consecutive RBI groundouts from Lawson Hill and Trey Yunger, but Western Carolina gave itself some breathing room in the third, when three hit batters loaded the bases for Graves, who cleared them with a tripled to center field to make it a 7-2 contest.
The Catamounts added a run in the fourth on Ferreras’ leadoff homer and another in the fifth on Graves’ sacrifice bunt as the lead ballooned to 9-2.
The SoCon regular-season champion Terriers would not go down without a fight, however, plating three runs in the bottom of the sixth to draw within four. A Jack Renwick double between a pair of walks loaded the bases for Brennen Dorighi, who singled to left to score Yunger. Pinch-hitter Ryan Galanie was then hit by a pitch to force in another run before Shane Lussier’s fielder’s choice scored John Dempsey.
Wofford crept even closer with another run in the bottom of the seventh, with Renwick knocking in Davis with a groundout to make it 9-6.
Western Carolina threatened to blow the game back open in the eighth, loading the bases with no one out to chase Clay Schwaner. Zach Byron was up to the task, however, striking out the next three batters to get Wofford out of the jam.
The Terriers returned the favor in the bottom half, loading the bases on an infield single and two walks but failing to cash in when Jack Snyder induced a groundout to first to just nip Lawson Hill at the bag.
The Catamounts added a pair of insurance run in the top of the ninth on Bigbie’s bloop RBI single to right and Robinson’s RBI groundout.
Zach Franklin (7-4), who pitched two innings in Thursday’s 16-5 first-round win over Wofford, picked up the win Saturday despite allowing five runs on six hits and five walks.
Marcoccio (3-1), the first of six Wofford pitchers on the day, suffered his first loss of the season, allowing four runs on five hits and a walk in an inning of work.
May 27 (Thursday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 1: No. 4 Western Carolina 16, No. 1 Wofford 5
Game 2: No. 2 Samford 10, No. 3 Mercer 8
May 28 (Friday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 3: No. 1 Wofford 8, No. 3 Mercer 7
Game 4: No. 4 Western Carolina vs. No. 2 Samford, suspended
May 29 (Saturday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 4: No. 2 Samford 19, No. 4 Western Carolina 7 (7 innings)
Game 5: No. 4 Western Carolina 11, No. 1 Wofford 6
May 30 (Sunday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 6: No. 2 Samford vs. No. 4 Western Carolina, 12 p.m.
Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser (If necessary), 40 minutes after the conclusion of Game 6
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