May 19, 2007

Box Score

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina out hit Georgia Southern, 12-to-9, Saturday afternoon, but the Catamounts stranded a dozen base runners to fall to the Eagles, 5-2, in the 2007 regular season finale spoiling Senior Day at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium. With the series victory, though, Western (40-16, 20-7 SoCon) claimed a share of its 11th SoCon regular season title in school history.

The loss snapped WCU's eight-game winning streak and was its first to GSU in their last five meetings. Sharing the regular season championship with the College of Charleston, Western is relegated to No. 2 seed in next week's SoCon Baseball Championship at Riley Park in Charleston, S.C.

Georgia Southern (33-26, 13-14 SoCon) used a solid pitching effort from senior Josh Lairsey (4-1), who kept the Catamount hitters off-balance and pitched around 11 WCU base hits with five strikeouts, while allowing two earned runs. Closer A.J. Battisto closed the final 2.1 innings only allowing one base hit with four strikeouts to earn his 10th save of the year.

Trailing 2-0 after the Eagles manufactured runs in both the visitor portion of the second and third, the Catamounts cut their deficit in half on back-to-back doubles to open the fourth inning. Freshman Nick Liles, who finished the day 3-for-4, doubled to left center in front of designated hitter, classmate Adam Baker, who was lifted after fouling a 2-2 pitch off his face. Pinch hitter, freshman Tyler Kirkpatrick, laced the first pitch he saw from Lairsey down the right field line for an RBI double to score Liles. Later in the frame, WCU loaded the bases on a two-out double to left by junior Barrett Shaft and a hit batsman drawn by Blake Murphy, but ended up stranding three on a diving stab by the Eagle third-baseman who touched the bag to end the inning.

GSU surged back in front in the fifth with a solo home run to left field by Jeremiah Parker to lead 3-1 after four and a half. But the Catamounts answered in the home half as senior Kenny Smith punched his 23rd double of the season to left center and was plated on an RBI single up the middle by junior Jonathan Greene.

Parker struck again in the top of the seventh, blasting his second homer of the game, a two-run shot on an 0-1 pitch to stake GSU to the three-run lead, which concluded the game's scoring. Battisto pitched out of a two-on, two-out jam in the seventh and all told struck out four of the seven outs he recorded to claim the save.

Corey Martin (5-3) suffered the defeat for Western, allowing three earned runs on seven hits with a career-best eight strikeouts. Freshman Chris Masters tossed an inning and a third of one-run, one-hit relief fanning a pair, with junior Greg Holland pitching the final 2.2 innings, allowing one run on one-hit also with a pair of strikeouts.

In addition to Liles, Greene finished with three base hits filling in at first base for senior John Ingram, who was ineligible for today's game after being thrown out Friday night. Shaft posted Western's only other multi-hit game, going 2-for5 with a double to shallow left center.

Western will now await final word on tournament seedings, which will also determine at what time they will be playing on Wednesday in Charleston. Check back to www.CatamountSports.com later this weekend for the official seeding and game times.