May 14, 2009

Box Score

High Point, N.C. - J.C. Lyons capped a five-run fourth inning with a towering three-run home run to left center and Kyle Stewart scattered five hits through six innings as Western Carolina snapped a three-game drought with a 10-5 non-conference road win over the High Point Panthers Wednesday night at Williard Stadium.

Lyons tied his season-high with five runs driven in on a 2-for-4 performance at the plate including his sixth home run of the season. Stewart fanned four against one walk in tallying his fourth victory of the season as Western Carolina (31-20) won its sixth-straight road game.

Trailing by two after a two-run second inning by High Point, consecutive RBI singles by Matt Johns and Stephen Notaro as a part of five-straight base hits the Catamounts knotted the game at two apiece ahead of Lyons. The Marietta, Ga., native hammered the first pitch of his at bat over the fence in left to hand WCU a three-run advantage it would never relinquish.

Johns extended his current career-long hitting streak to a team-best 17 games on a 1-for-3 outing, with Notaro finishing 2-for-5 with a pair of singles and the run driven in. Andy John posted the only other extra base hit for the Catamounts with a double of the right field wall in the fourth inning.

WCU added solo runs in the fifth and sixth, capping the scoring with three runs in the top of the seventh inning. Lyons belted a bases loaded, two-RBI single to right with Trevor Collias walking to drive in the third run to give the Catamounts an eight-run, 10-2, advantage.

High Point (18-29) answered the Catamounts' three-spot with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to provide the final tally.

In the ninth, HPU put its first two runners on before a ground ball force-out at second put runners at the corners with one out. However, reliever Jason Sullivan, who only surrendered one base hit in two and two-thirds innings, got Bill Manion to line into a game-ending double-play as Ross Heffley snared the liner and threw to first to end the game.

Reliever Zach Scott (1-4) took the loss as High Point used seven pitchers in the game by design. Scott gave up five runs on six hits in two innings in relief of starter Jamie Serber, who worked the opening two innings of hitless, scoreless action with a walk and a strikeout.

Pablo Rosario homered as a part of a 2-for-4 night while teammate Eric Marion had a pair of singles in duplicating the 2-for-4 output.

Western Carolina opens a three-game Southern Conference road series on Thursday night as it visits the Davidson Wildcats. First pitch is set for 7:00 pm. The Catamounts, currently fifth, enter their final regular season series with a chance at claiming second-place in the final league standings while Davidson is locked into the tournament's seventh seed.

The series continues with a 6 pm first pitch on Friday night with an 11 am start on Saturday morning.

All three games of the series will be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network and can be heard locally in Cullowhee on WWCU-FM, Power 90dot5 and online at www.WWCUFM.com.