May 11, 2005

WCU vs UGA Box Score
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Final Stats

Athens, Ga. - Jared Greenwood walked and scored twice and four Western Carolina pitchers combined to allow just one run as the Catamounts handed the Georgia Bulldogs a 2-1 loss Wednesday night at Foley Field.

While the offense had some timely hitting and the pitchers got out of some jams, it was also the defense of redshirt freshman Blake Murphy and junior Tim Hallam which played key in the Catamounts' win.

With two outs in the first and an 0-2 count on Greenwood, the senior from Franklin drew a walk, advanced to second on a single by Steven Strausbaugh and scored on a single by Trey McDaniel. The single by Strausbaugh extended his current hitting streak to 15 games and gives the freshman a hit in 30 of his last 31 games. Western would load the bases in the inning, but Georgia pitcher Mickey Westphal ended the threat with a ground out, keeping the score 1-0.

Georgia tied the game at one apiece in the bottom of the second. After an infield single by Derek Smith, Adam McDaniel advanced the runner further into scoring position on the corner at third. Bulldog catcher Joe Bullock hit a line drive to center field, which was caught, but allowed Smith to score on the sacrifice fly.

In the third, Georgia put the first two hitters on board thanks to a walk and a hit batter. However, Murphy made three outstanding plays to essentially make it a 1-2-3 inning. With two on, Kyle Keen missed a bunt attempt and Bobby Felmy strayed too far from second and was picked off. Then, Jason Jacobs, who was hit by a pitch to reach, was caught stealing second on a great throw by Murphy. Keen ended the inning, swinging and missing at strike three in the dirt to allow Murphy to throw the Keen out at first.

Western Carolina starter Jon Kibler pitched a career-high 5.1 innings, giving way to the right-handed throwing Luke Miller with one out and a runner on third in the bottom of the sixth. Miller responded with two ground outs to escape unscathed. Miller would improve to 6-2 on the season, pitching two complete innings and allowing just one hit with a strikeout.

In the top of the seventh, Western once again used a walk by Greenwood and a two-out hit to score a run. After Greenwood walked on five pitches, Strausbaugh duplicated his senior counterpart's effort, drawing the second free pass of the inning. McDaniel reached on a fielder's choice, putting Greenwood on third. Nate Hall then lined a pitch back up the middle, driving in Greenwood and giving the Cats the 2-1 advantage.

Senior Clint Ramsey came on in the ninth and retired the side, getting two strikeouts to end the game and earn his sixth save of the year. For the Catamounts, it was the 16th save of the season, setting a WCU school record.

Western Carolina will return to action this weekend with a three-game non-conference series with Charleston Southern at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium. Game times are 7:00 pm on Friday night, 4:00 pm on Saturday afternoon, and 1:00 pm on Sunday. Western will honor its six seniors prior to the start of the second game of the series on Saturday.