March 31, 2001

Box Score

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina scored five runs in the first two innings of game one and used a nine-run second inning in game two to sweep a Saturday doubleheader, 7-3 and 18-7, versus Appalachian State. The Catamounts improved to 14-15 overall and 8-5 in the SoCon, while the Mountaineers fell to 8-20, 6-7 SoCon.

Western Carolina was led by Donovan Minero, who entered the weekend as the SoCon leader in home runs. The junior hit two homers today and now has 11 home runs on the season, going 5-for-9 in the doubleheader with a three-run homer in game one and a grand slam in game two. Todd Buchanan and Rod Goldston also had a productive day at the plate for the Cats. Buchanan, who now leads WCU with a .376 batting average, was 6-for-8, while Goldston was 7-for-10.

Ryan Basner, the reigning SoCon Pitcher of the Week, got the win in game one. He improved to 3-5 and picked up his first win of the season as a starting pitcher, earning wins in relief versus Delaware and Georgia Southern. Basner had his second consecutive impressive outing, pitching a season-high 7.1 innings with six hits, no runs, three walks and five strikeouts. Seth Foster (2-1) was the winner in game two. He entered the game in the fourth after Catamount starter Dan Foley allowed the first four batters to reach base in the frame. S. Foster got out of the jam unscathed and proceeded to shut the Mountaineers down, allowing just one hit and one unearned run with five strikeouts and zero walks in 3.0 innings of work.

In game one, Western jumped out to a 3-0 lead when Minero delivered a two-out home run to left field, scoring Alan Beck and Buchanan. The Catamounts padded its lead with two runs in the second. Ryan McCurry hit a leadoff single, and moved to third when Ryan Schade followed with a double to left. Todd Roper plated McCurry with a one-out single and Goldston singled home Schade on an infield hit to shortstop.

The Catamounts added a single run in the sixth, on Beck's ninth home run of the season, and a run in the eighth, when Buchanan singled home Goldston. The Mountaineers scored their three runs, all unearned, in the ninth. Adam Ennis hit a leadoff single and scored on Wes Timmons' double. Carey Hobbs, who reached on an error, and Timmons crossed the plate on Huffstetler's single to left.

Basner, while allowing five hits through seven innings, only faced two batters over the minimum as the WCU defense turned a double play, caught a Mountaineer stealing and cut down Robbie Huffstetler, who was gunned out when trying to stretch a double. Basner was lifted in the eighth after loading the bases with a hit a batter, a double and walk. Ryan Foster pitched the final 1.2 innings. He got out of the eighth with a strikeout and ground out, and was the victim of a two-out fielding error, allowing three unearned runs to score. R. Foster, who had two strikeouts with zero walks today, now has 10 strikeouts with zero walks in seven SoCon appearances, while fanning 27 and walking only nine in 17 appearances this season.

In game two, Appalachian State scored two runs in the first when leadoff hitter Timmons singled on the first pitch and Chris Downard hit a two-run homer two batters later, his third blast of the season.

The lead was short lived as Western sent 13 men to the plate and scored nine runs in the second, highlighted by Minero's second grand slam of the season. Brian Sigmon collected two hits in the inning and Schade, who scored early in the frame after being hit by a pitch, delivered a two-run, two-out single to end the WCU scoring in the inning and chase ASU starter Rodney Lemonds (3-4).

After singles by Marko Little, Ennis and a Luke Little alk to start the fourth, Ben Wellborn cut the lead to 9-4 with a two-run single to right. S. Foster would come out of the bullpen and retire the next three Mountaineers to end the threat. Western answered with three of runs in the bottom half. A two-run double by Sigmon, scoring Buchanan and Minero, and an RBI double by Dan Woodley made the score 12-4.

The Catamounts added two runs in the fifth on a Goldston home run and a sacrifice fly by Ben Rhoney, and four runs in the sixth. Three runs came on Beck's 10th home run of the season with Rhoney provided the fourth, singling home Buchanan. Beck entered the weekend series as the SoCon leader in RBI and now has 44 on the season.

Western's bullpen effectively shut down the Mountaineer attack, getting three-up, three-down innings in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. S. Foster fanned two in the sixth, while Joe Camac and Matt Price struck out the side in the seventh and eighth, respectively. Appalachian State ended the string when pitch hitter Andrew Kline began the ninth with a single and score two batters later on Huffstetler's two-run home run.

Western Carolina and Appalachian State will conclude the series with a single game on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m., at Hennon Stadium.