Box Score May 2, 2009
Box Score
Greensboro, N.C. -
Stephen Notaro belted three solo home runs in consecutive at bats while Chris Masters blanked UNC Greensboro through eight innings of three-hit work as Western Carolina opened its three-game series with a 10-3 victory Friday night at the UNCG Baseball Stadium. Ross Heffley drove in a game-high four runs as WCU took a shutout into the ninth before the Spartans pushed across three runs for the final tally.
Notaro, who leads the team with a career-best 11 home runs on the season, opened a scoreless game with a first-pitch home run that towered over the fence in left center field as a part of a five-run third for the Catamounts. After nine WCU hitters strolled to the plate in the third, Notaro again led off in the fourth, going opposite field with a solo shot to right field.
The junior from Thousand Oaks, Calif., concluded his offensive pyrotechnics with a third home run in the fifth, another solo blast to left center to hand Western an 8-0 lead it would build to 10 heading into the bottom of the ninth. Notaro finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBI.
Masters (5-2) was equally as magnificent on the evening, fanning eight through eight shutout innings while scattering three base hits. He carried a no-hitter into the fifth, surrendering the first hit of the game to UNCG after four and two-thirds of hitless work. Matt Benedict finished off the final inning allowing three runs - only two of which were earned - on three this with a strikeout.
It was the second-consecutive Friday that Masters had gone eight innings in a start and limited the opponents to three-hits, doing so one-week prior at Furman.
Notaro's first home run opened the gates for Western to score five in the top of the third inning to take its decisive lead. Heffley sharply grounded up the middle with two aboard plate a pair of runs in Trevor Collias and Nick Liles, with J.C. Lyons driving in Heffley on an RBI single. Lyons stole second - his 21st of the season - and touched home for the fifth run on a base hit by Matt Johns for the 5-0 edge.
Heffley picked up his third RBI on the day in the third by driving home Collias who doubled after Notaro homered for a two-run fourth and a seven-run advantage. Notaro's third homer was the lone run scored in the fifth as WCU led, 8-0, after five innings.
The Catamounts plated two additional runs in the eighth as Heffley was the second-straight batter plunked by a pitch by reliever Blake Hassebrock, doing so with the bases loaded for his fourth run driven in. Brent Greer, who finished 2-for-4 with a double, drove in WCU's final run on a single to right field scoring Collias.
Johns (2-for-5) and Lyons (1-for-5) each extended their respective hitting streaks to 11 games, while Collias (2-for-5) stretched his to 10 games giving WCU three hitters with double-digit strings.
UNCG (16-24, 4-16 SoCon) had its chances early as the Spartans threatened to take the lead in the home half of the second inning. Pedro Leon opened the frame with a leadoff walk before swiping second and moving to third on a Catamount throwing error. Rob Gilliam then laced one towards the hole on the left side of the infield that looked to be through for an RBI single as Leon raced for home.
However, Mitchell Hatley made a tremendous diving stab to rob the base hit and then threw a strike to home where Notaro applied the tag on Leon to keep the game scoreless. Gilliam was later doubled-up on a line drive fly ball to right field where Lyons threw behind for the force at first.
All told, Western's defense turned three double plays on the night, including two between middle infielders Greer and Heffley.
Spartan starter Greg Smith (3-7) suffered the loss after allowing eight runs on 11 hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Hassebrock tossed three innings of two-run, two-hit relief, with Adam Daufeldt striking out two in working the ninth. Drew Gehringer, who broke up the no-hitter with a double to left with two out in the fifth, finished with two RBI in a 2-for-4 showing while Raymond Frias also posted a 2-for-4 night.
Game two of the three-game SoCon set is scheduled for 2:00 pm on Saturday afternoon at the UNCG Baseball Stadium. The game will be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network and can be heard locally in Cullowhee on WWCU-FM, Power 90dot5 or online at www.WWCUFM.com. Air time is at 1:45 pm.