May 21, 2009

Box Score |   

Greenville, S.C. - Junior Chris Masters tied a career-high with 11 strikeouts through seven innings while classmate Brent Greer tallied four hits to tie the school's single-season hits record as fourth-seeded Western Carolina pounded out 12 runs on 20 hits to advance past No. 5 seed College of Charleston, 12-4, in game four of the 2009 Southern Conference Baseball Championship at Fluor Field.

With the win - WCU's fifth-straight overall and 10th-consecutive away from home - Western Carolina advances in the winner's bracket to face No. 1 seed Elon at 9:00 pm on Thursday night. The game will be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network and can be heard locally on WWCU-FM, Power 90dot5 in Cullowhee and online at www.WWCUFM.com.

With the loss, College of Charleston falls into the loser's bracket to meet Furman at 1:00 pm Thursday afternoon in an elimination game.

Greer finished 4-for-5 with two doubles and a couple of runs scored to move into a three-way tie with Kevin Bellomo (1991) and Keith LeClair (1988) at 101 hits, tied atop the single-season record book. The 101 hits also overtook the SoCon lead this season. He also moved into sole possession of fourth-place with 22 doubles this year, four shy of tying former Catamount standout Rod Goldston.

Masters (6-2) scattered nine hits and four earned runs through seven frames, striking out 11 including at least one in each inning he worked. Brandon Johnson took over in the eighth, finishing the final two innings with a walk and a strikeout while surrendering two hits in scoreless relief.

Western Carolina (35-20) scored six runs on seven hits in the second inning to take an early 6-0 lead over the Cougars. The Catamounts began the scoring onslaught with J.C. Lyons singling to left field, plating Stephen Notaro and Greer. Nick Liles, who went 3-for-5, then legged out his first of two doubles to left field scoring Lyons and Matt Johns to provide the Catamounts with their next two runs. Dylan de Graaf scored on a groundout by designated hitter Trevor Collias and Liles scored on a single by Ross Heffley to close out the inning.

After the six-run second inning, the Catamounts added to their lead in the third with a Lyons solo home run.

College of Charleston got on the board in the fifth inning when centerfielder Cole Rakar hit a solo homer over the left center field wall. WCU answered in the sixth as it picked up a pair of runs when Collias scored on a Notaro single and Greer scored on a Johns single to center field.

In the seventh inning, both teams scored three runs apiece. The Cougars' Austin Morgan scored on a Joey Bergman double to right field. In the next at bat second baseman Brandon Sizemore delivered a two-run homer over the "Green Monster," scoring Bergman.

The Catamounts equaled the Cougars three runs with a Heffley triple to right field that scored Collias and de Graaf. Greer brought in Heffley with a double to center to close out the scoring.

Johns stretched his career-best hitting streak to 21-straight games with a 2-for-4 effort, while Heffley finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Lyons belted his eighth home run of the season, clearing the fence in left center as a part of a 2-for-5, three RBI performance.

The Cougars' Jesse Simpson (9-4) took the loss after giving up 15 hits and nine earned runs in five and two-thirds innings of work. In a losing effort, Joash Brodin went 3-for-5 to lead the way, with Morgan doubling twice in a 2-for-4 showing.