Feb. 23, 2008

Box Score |   

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina used four home runs and a trio of multiple-run innings to pick up its first victory of the season, rallying from down 4-0 to win 11-5 Saturday afternoon against the Marshall Thundering Herd at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium. The win was also the first in the career of first-year head coach Bobby Moranda.

The Catamounts scored five in the fourth to erase the four-run deficit, then pushed across three in both the fifth and again in the eighth to secure the win.

Sophomore Nick Liles and junior transfer J.C. Lyons posted multiple hit games for the Catamounts, each securing two base hits including a double for Liles and a home run for Lyons. Senior Blake Murphy led all players with three runs scored thanks in part to a game-high three walks.

Joining Lyons with long balls on Saturday were Murphy, junior transfer Iain Sebastian and sophomore Tyler Kirkpatrick.

WCU starter Garrett Ozar got off to a rough start in the first inning, allowing two runs on back-to-back solo home runs by Marshall's Brandon Casamassima and Jeff Rowley for an early Herd lead. The visitors manufactured two more runs in the top of the fourth, one scoring despite a bang-bang play at the plate between Ozar and Murphy.

Trailing 4-0, the Catamount bats awoke for the first time in the series in the bottom of the fourth inning. Murphy drew one of his game-high three walks to open the frame, then proceeded to steal both second and third, the latter coming simultaneously as a walk by Brent Greer. The next batter, Kirkpatrick, blasted one over the fence in right center field for a three-run shot to trim the deficit to one, 4-3. Freshman transfer, Ryan Mathews, then doubled and was scored on a floating home run to straight-away center by Sebastian to give WCU the lead for what proved to be for good.

All told, WCU plated five runs in the fourth using a pair of home runs.

Murphy again ignited a rally one inning later, crushing a two-run home run over the "Purple Monster" in left field to score both he and classmate Barrett Shaft, who was 1-for-3 on the day with a walk and a run scored. The scoring for the fifth was rounded out by the fourth homer, a solo shot to center field by Lyons for an 8-4 Catamount lead.

Western added three runs in the eighth including a sacrifice fly by Shaft and a two-RBI double by Lyons to extend the advantage to seven, 11-4. Marshall would push across one run in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Lape, but left-handed reliever Chris Masters shut the door with a strikeout to earn his first save of the year.

Ozar earned his first win for the purple and gold, lasting five innings allowing four earned runs on eight hits with a pair of strikeouts. The Oak Park, Calif., native also picked off two Herd base runners - one at first and another at third base. Masters tossed the final four innings of three-hit, one-run relief with four walks and four strikeouts.

Steve Blevins was saddled with the loss for Marshall after allowing eight earned runs on eight base hits with four walks and five K's in 4.2 innings of work. Offensively for the Thundering Herd, four players posted two-hit games with Lape doubling twice and the pair of homers by Casamassima and Rowley.

Western hosts Marshall in the rubber match of the three-game series on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 pm at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium. WCU left-hander Drew Saberhagen is scheduled to face Marshall freshman right-hander, Dan Strailey.