March 12, 2011

Box Score

Greensboro, N.C. - Western Carolina erased an early 4-0 deficit with a four-spot in the top half of the fourth inning, but a Cole Harrison home run in the bottom of the frame allowed UNCG to reclaim the lead for good as the Spartans took the best-of-three series with an 11-4 victory over the Catamounts Saturday afternoon at UNCG Stadium.

Game three of the Southern Conference series is scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 pm. The game will be broadcast by the Catamount Sports Network with a 12:45 pm air time and can be heard online at CatamountSports.com.

Senior Matt Johns led off the Catamounts' rally inning with a walk with freshman Adam Martin bringing him home on a RBI double to left centerfield, cutting the deficit to three, 4-1. Tyler White reached on a fielder's choice that erased Martin from the base paths with Stephen Notaro rapping out one of his three singles on the day to put two aboard.

Notaro finished 3-for-4 with a run scored as the designated hitter on Saturday.

Continuing in the fourth, freshman Dykota Spiess drew a two-out walk to load the bases ahead of senior Austin Schultz whose two-RBI double pulled WCU back to within a run, 4-3, and chasing UNCG starter Brandon Browne. Spiess later scampered home to tie the game on a wild pitch uncorked by reliever Greg Smith to knot the game at four after three and a half.

Schultz finished a perfect 4-for-4, reaching base in all four plate appearances with a walk. He had two RBI to lead the Catamounts in the losing effort. Martin and junior Ross Heffley each recorded a base hit as WCU was out-hit 13-to-9 on Saturday.

However, with the game tied a four in the home half of the fourth inning, Ray Quinones drew a one-out walk ahead of Harrison who drilled a 1-1 pitch over the left field fence to again put the Spartans ahead for good, 6-4.

UNCG (9-5, 2-0 SoCon) would add single runs in the sixth and seventh innings before a three-run eighth stretched the advantage to 11-4 to provide the final.

WCU freshman starter Jordan Smith (2-1) suffered his first loss of the season, working through four and two thirds allowing six runs - only five of which were earned - on seven hits with two strikeouts and a pair of walks. Relievers Jeremy Sluder, Taylor Sandefur and Andrew Chilcoat each tossed an inning out of the bullpen, each allowing a run, while Morgan McKinney and TJ Page finished out the game for WCU on the hill.

Reliever Jarrett Miller (1-1) earned the victory out of the bullpen for the Spartans, entering the game after Harrison's two-run homer in the fourth. He tossed the final five innings of scoreless, three-hit relief for UNCG with a walk and a strikeout while hitting two batters. Browne gave up four earned runs on six hits in three and two-thirds innings in the starting effort, walking three with a pair of strikeouts.

Trevor Edwards doubled twice for UNCG as a part of a 3-for-4, one RBI afternoon while Thomas Troelstrup and Drew Gehringer both finished 2-for-4 for the Spartans.

Both squads stranded eight base runners apiece on the day.