March 7, 2003

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - Senior Alan Beck delivered a one-out single in the bottom of the 10th to give Western Carolina an 8-7 win over The Citadel in the teams' 2003 Southern Conference opener Friday afternoon at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium. The win, which was the eight-straight for the Catamounts, gives Western a 9-5 record overall and 1-0 in the SoCon, while the Bulldogs fall to 5-6, 0-1.

Sophomore Alex Gary got Western started the 10th as he reached on an error. Todd Roper moved Gary to second with a sacrifice bunt. The Citadel intentionally walked Wayne Kilmer and called on closer Shannon Sprouse to face Beck. The Hudson, N.C., native drove the first pitch he saw to center field, plating Gary for the win.

Western was down 7-2 through the top of the fifth. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first, thanks to a two-run double by Chip Cannon and a Trent Weathers RBI single. The Catamounts answered with two runs in the bottom of the second. Junior catcher Denver Edick got his first hit as a Catamount, driving in Goldston, while Gary doubled to score Edick and making the score 3-2.

The Citadel made it two-run game in the fourth on a John Randall sacrifice fly and used a two-run homer by Chris Ard en route to three runs in the fifth to make it a 7-2 game. Western chipped away at its deficit with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Kilmer singled and Beck was hit by a pitch, setting up Todd Buchanan's RBI single. Goldston followed with a ground out, plating Beck. Western tied the game in the sixth, scoring three runs off Bulldog relief pitcher Ken Egleton. A leadoff walk to Chris Davis and Roper reaching on an error set up Kilmer's two-run single. Kilmer would later score the tying run on a Buchanan single.

WCU relief pitcher Joe Camac, who got the final two outs in the fifth, kept The Citadel off the scoreboard for the next two innings. The senior only allowed two hits, with one walk and striking out three of the six batters he faced. Sophomore Derrick Hawk (Sylva, N.C.) pitched the final 3.2 innings to improve to 2-0 on the year. The sophomore came in the game in the seventh with the count 2-1 on Josh Stackley and got the Bulldog left fielder to fly out. He then struck out Jon Aughey to end the frame. Hawk, who picked up the save in a win over UNC Asheville earlier this week, allowed three hits, zero runs and zero walks with four strikeouts.

?This was a typical Western Carolina-Citadel game,? said WCU head coach Todd Raleigh. ?We knew coming into this game that this would be a close game. We got down 7-2 early, but this team has a knack of coming back and always battling. Our bullpen was the key today by keeping The Citadel off the scoreboard and allowing us to come back. Joe (Camac) and Derrick (Hawk) were the difference in the game. ?

Kilmer led the WCU offense. The junior shortstop went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Buchanan, who also had two RBI, and Davis added two hits each.

The Citadel, who out-hit WCU 14-13, was led by its shortstop as well. Matt Matulia was 3-for-6, while Cannon, Mark Egleton, Weathers, Ard and Brook Dantzler each contributed two hits. Cannon and Ard each drove in two, while Aughey, who made two impressive defensive plays, scored twice. Bulldog starter Matt Hamer pitched five innings and surrendered eight hits, four runs and three walks with three strikeouts. K. Egleton was saddled with the loss, falling to 1-1 on the season. He pitched 4.1 innings and allowed four hits, four runs (one earned) and two walks with five strikeouts.

Western Carolina and The Citadel will play the second of their three-game series on Saturday (Mar. 8). First pitch is set for 2 pm at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium.