Feb. 16, 2002

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina opened the 2002 baseball season in impressive fashion, defeating Wright State in a Saturday afternoon doubleheader at Childress Field at Hennon Stadium. The Catamounts got two home runs from junior Alan Beck to win game one, 14-4 in nine innings, then got a career-high 12 strikeouts from Seth Foster to complete the sweep, winning 18-0 in seven innings.

Western (2-0) pounded out 17 hits in both contests, while WCU pitchers did not allow an earned run all afternoon. Wright State (0-2) only managed seven hits on the day, including just one in the second game. Also, with Beck getting at least one hit in both games, he has reached base safely in 58 consecutive games by either a hit or walk. Beck started the streak by reaching in the final eight games of his freshman year and reaching in all 48 games he played last season.

In game one, Western jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning, thanks to a two-run single by Beck and a three-run home run by sophomore Doug Myers. Beck hit the first of his two homers in the second inning, adding a solo shot in the fourth. Junior Todd Buchanan followed Beck's second blast with a home run of his own to push the WCU lead to 8-0.

Wright State scored four runs - all unearned - in the sixth to make the score 9-5. Bill Johnson started the inning with a infield single, which was just the second safety by the Raiders in the contest. After a throwing error and a walk, Wright State got on the scoreboard on a sacrifice fly by Jake Hart. With two outs, Nick Shields and Lance Links had back-to-back doubles. Shields plated Trent Matthews, who reach on a fielder's choice, and Kevin Bohman, who had reached on the error, while Links drove in Shields.

Western took advantage of two Raider errors and three hits to score five in the seventh and provide the final margin, 14-4.

Beck was 3-of-5 with four RBI and three runs scored in the first game, while seniors Ryan Schade and Donovan Minero each went 3-for-5. Western starting pitcher Jared Burton (1-0) got the win, striking out seven batters in six innings. None of the four runs he allowed were earned and he only walked one. First year player Brad Josey got the save, pitching the final three innings. He struck out two, allowing two hits, no runs and no walks.

Links and Johnson each had two hits in the first game, with Bohman and Shields collecting Wright State's other hits. Raider starting pitcher Brian Stephens (0-1) was saddled with the loss, allowing 11 hits and eight runs in 3.1 innings.

In game two, Catamount junior Seth Foster (1-0) dominated from the start, striking out the first batter he faced. He would strike out the side twice in his six innings en route to his career-high 12 K's. His previous best was fanning seven in 7.2 innings versus The Citadel last season. He only allowed one hit coming when Shields lifted one just beyond the reach of Catamount second baseman Todd Roper in the fourth. He also only allowed one walk, when Chris Tuttle reached in the first.

Freshman Alex Obert retired the Raiders in order to close out the game.

Offensively for the Cats, Schade one again collected three hits with two RBI and two runs scored. First baseman Todd Buchanan went 3-for-5 with five RBI, while Minero was 3-for-4 with a solo home run in fifth. Western also had multiple hits from Rod Goldston, Chris Aeschlimann and Roper.

Western sent 10 men to the plate in the first inning, scoring six runs on six hits. The Cats were held scoreless in the second, third and fourth innings before sending 13 batters to the plate in the sixth, scoring eight runs on seven hits. Western took advantage of three walks and a hit batsman to score its final four runs on just two hits in the sixth.

Western Carolina and Wright State will conclude their three-game set on Sunday at Childress Field with a single-game. The nine inning contest will start at 1:00 pm.