March 16, 2012

Box Score

Jacksonville, Fla. - Jacksonville answered Western Carolina's opening two-run frame with a five-run bottom of the first inning, making it stand up the remaining eight frames behind the complete game effort of starter Chris Anderson as the Dolphins downed the Catamounts, 5-2, Friday night in nonconference action at John Sessions Stadium.

The second of the two-game series is scheduled for 6:30 pm on Saturday evening, with WCU slated to face Fairfield in a neutral field game on Sunday afternoon while in Florida.

Anderson (2-0) kept the Catamount hitters off-balance most of the night, limiting the potent WCU lineup to just five hits - its lowest hit total since tallying five in a road win over eighth-ranked Georgia back on Feb. 29. Anderson worked around three walks and two hit batsmen with nine strikeouts, keeping the Catamounts off the bases while only allowing four runners to second base over the final eight innings.

WCU sophomore RHP Jordan Smith (1-3) was saddled with the loss after allowing all five runs on seven hits with four walks and three strikeouts in five and a third innings thrown. Darron Dotson was the most effective of WCU's four relief pitchers, tossing the final inning and two-thirds, retiring all five batters he faced.

Freshman Tyler Powell walked and struck out one in a third of an inning pitched while lefties Vance Chavis and Hunter Brister faced four batters apiece in relief.

Western Carolina (13-5) opened the game well with two runs on three hits in the top of the first inning against the Dolphins. Tyler White, who led the team with a 2-for-3 showing at the plate, singled through the right side with one out with Ross Heffley drawing his team-leading 19th walk of the season to put two aboard. Freshman Jacob Hoyle added his Southern Conference-leading 29th RBI on a single right up the middle, plating White and moving Heffley to third base. The next batter, Cody Jones, singled to right field to plate Heffley and the 2-0 lead.

WCU still had two aboard in the top of the first, but a fielder's choice force play along the middle of the infield and a pop-up to third ended the inning.

Jacksonville's home half of the first got off to an auspicious start with a sharply hit ground ball that was gloved by Smith on the hill and tossed to first for an easy first out. However, the Dolphins got rolling as Alex McRae lined one through the left side where WCU shortstop Aaron Attaway was unable to make a play looking back at the early evening's setting sun that was directly off the right side of the facility.

With McRae on first, Smith got Dan Gulbransen to fly out to center and appeared to be out of the jam on what appeared to be a routine fly ball to right by JU first baseman, Adam Brett Walker II. However, the ball carried farther than Hoyle thought in right, landing near the fence in right for an RBI double, scoring McRae. Jonathan Murphy walked to put two aboard for Jimmy Appleby who then delivered an RBI single to right before shortstop Ethan Loosen rapped a two-run double off the wall in left for a 4-2 edge.

Jacksonville scored its fifth and what proved to be its final run on a single to right by catcher Matt Frank, leading 5-2 after one complete inning.

Despite the early deficit, Western Carolina had several opportunities it failed to capitalize on the remainder of the game. WCU moved a runner to second base in the third inning as White led off with a walk and moved to second on an infield ground out. However, WCU was unable to advance him any further. An infield throwing error put Dykota Spiess at second base with two outs in the fourth, but a fly ball out to left ended that threat.

In the third, White again found himself standing on second base with a one-out double down the left field line, but again the Catamounts failed to progress the Forest City, N.C., native any further.

The best threat of the night for the Catamounts came in the sixth inning as Adam Martin was struck by a one-out Anderson pitch with Luke Gragg drawing a four-pitch walk to put two aboard. However, a strikeout and a dribbler back to the mound by pinch hitter Connor Andrus thwarted any chance of a WCU rally.

Jacksonville (9-9) threatened to blow the game open in the home half of the seventh inning, loading the bases with a trio of walks issued by Catamount pitching around one strikeout in the mix. However, Dotson came in from the bullpen to get an infield pop-fly and ground ball out bounced back to the mound to end the inning.

All told, both squads stranded nine runners on the night. Jacksonville added three stolen bases with Martin gunning down one would-be base stealer in the loss.