Feb. 23, 2007

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina scored runs in each of the first four innings, racking up a combined 14 hits including four home runs to power its way past the Connecticut Huskies Friday afternoon, 16-5, at Childress Field at Hennon Stadium. Five Catamounts posted multiple hit games with three belting homers as WCU won its 11th-straight home opener.

Senior transfer Kenny Smith, juniors Jonathan Greene and Blake Murphy and freshman Nick Liles each posted 2-for-3 showings at the plate with Greene and Liles each blasting a home run a piece and Smith finishing with two homers and four total RBI to give him a team-best nine for the season. A total of 17 Catamounts recorded official at bats.

Junior Barrett Shaft had his 22-game hitting streak snapped on Friday after going 0-for-3 at the plate. His run was the best by a Catamount hitter since Ryan Schade reached safely in 21-consecutive games in the 2001 season. Shaft was just five games shy of tying the WCU school-record of 27-straight games set by Scott Lyman from the end of the 1992 season through '93.

Western (3-1) opened the scoring in the home half of the first inning, plating Jason Haynes on a bases loaded RBI single through the left side by Greene, extending his current team-best hitting streak to 17 games dating back to last season. Yet, a strikeout and double-play up the middle stranded two Catamount base runners and ended the first-inning threat.

Half an inning later, the Huskies got on the board after taking advantage of a pair of walks and a catcher's interference call. Following a Matt Karl strikeout, third baseman Erik Turgeon roped an 0-1 pitch into left center a two-run double, pushing UConn ahead, 2-1. The lead was short-lived, though, as Western managed to take the lead for good in the home half of the second. Senior transfer, John Ingram, led off with a single and trotted home as Smith hammered one over the left field fence for the 3-2 Catamount advantage.

Western Carolina was able to add to its lead in both the third and fourth innings, again playing long ball with Husky pitching. With three aboard, Liles collected his first collegiate home run with a towering shot to left to give WCU a 6-2 edge. Two batters later, Smith supplied more fireworks with his second homer, a solo shot again to left to cap the four-run frame.

In the fourth, Greene concluded Western's hit parade with a two-out solo shot to left to open the three-run inning. Back-to-back singles by Murphy and Liles put two more in scoring position with the pair coming around to score on a Connecticut fielding error.

The Catamounts added four insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth, and then survived a bumpy ninth which saw Connecticut score three runs on just two hits with four wild pitches and a WCU error.

Junior right-hander Tyler Sexton earned his second victory of the season, tossing six solid innings allowing just two earned runs on three hits with four strikeouts and four walks. Sophomore Corey Martin threw two scoreless innings, scattering a pair of hits with a pair of strikeouts with junior Andrew Larrimore finishing off the top of the ninth, surrendering three runs - only one of which was earned - with two walks and two strikeouts.

For Connecticut, sophomore Dale Brannon was the lone player to record a multiple-hit game, going 2-for-4. Starting pitcher Rich Sirois was saddled with the loss, giving up seven earned runs on seven hits with three walks and one strikeout in three innings of work. Relief pitcher Dusty Odenbach also went three, allowing five runs on four hits, with John Folino tossing the final two frames.

The same two teams continue the three-game series on Saturday afternoon at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium with the first pitch scheduled for 1:00 pm. Due to technical difficulties, GameTracker will NOT be available for Saturday afternoon's game.