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Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina rapped out 19 base hits including six for extra bases en route to a season-opening, 17-6, victory Friday afternoon over the Purdue Boilermakers at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. The Catamounts scored two-or-more runs in four frames to tally their 10th-straight home victory, winning their season-opener for a seventh-consecutive year.

True freshman Brett Pope finished a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate with four singles, a double and four runs scored while junior J.D. Long collected a career-best four hits on five at bats with two RBI and a pair of runs scored to pace the Catamount offense. Junior Danny Bermudez, who threw out two would-be base stealers from behind the plate, drove home three on 2-for-4 hitting with a solo home run while sophomore Matt Smith collected two hits including a double and circling the base paths on his first collegiate home run.

All told, WCU had eight batters collect hits in the winning effort with five posting multi-hit games.

Sophomore starter Bryan Sammons (1-0) scored the victory on the mound for Western Carolina, scattering seven hits over five and a third innings. The southpaw surrendered five runs - only one of which was earned - with three strikeouts against two walks. Junior reliever Jonathan Waszak struck out five including four-straight in two and two thirds frames while junior Taylor Durand allowed two base hits with a strikeout in tossing the ninth inning.

Purdue (0-1) capitalized on an early WCU error to take a 1-0 lead in the opening inning on Friday afternoon. Lead-off man Michael Vilardo reached on a misplayed ball in the infield before moving to third on the game's first hit, a Brandon Kreig chopping single up the middle. The Boilermakers' third batter, Kyle Johnson, then dropped a single into shallow right centerfield to score Vilardo for the early advantage.

The lead was short-lived, though, as the Catamounts answered with a two-spot in the home half of the first. Smith lifted a one-out single to left center field before moving to third when WCU loaded the bases on a Bermudez HBP and an infield single by senior Jacob Hoyle. Smith scored on an infield fielder's choice by transfer Austin Atwell with a throwing error allowing Bermudez to scamper home.

Vilardo struck again in the top of the second with a two-out, two-RBI double to right center field to push Purdue back in front, 2-1. Vilardo was one of two Boilers with two hits in the opener with outfielder Kyle Johnson also finishing, 2-for-5.

However, the Catamounts surged back in front on the strength of a four-run home half of the second inning to take a lead they would never relinquish. Pope opened the barrage with a single to right field before Long doubled down the right field line to put two in scoring position. Senior Bradley Strong brought home the two runners on a two-RBI single through the right side to make it 3-2, WCU. With Strong aboard, Smith hit his first career home run on a shot that cleared the fence in right center field to cap the four-run burst.

After Purdue got one back in the top of the fourth inning to trim the margin to two, 6-4, the Catamounts erupted in a decisive, six-run fifth inning. Bermudez opened the scoring with a solo home run that carried the "Purple Monster" down the left field line. Later with two aboard, redshirt junior transfer Kramer Ferrell bounced a ground-rule double over the fence in left center to score two in Pope and Hoyle.

Scoring continued when freshman Caleb Robinson drove home Ferrell from third on a fielder's choice with Long and Strong later coming home thanks to a pair of stolen bases and a Purdue throwing error.

The Boilermakers tacked on a run in the top of the sixth inning on Evan Kennedy's sacrifice fly to right field to make it 12-5 through six innings.

In the seventh, the Catamounts again hung a crooked number on the scoreboard to further put the game out of reach with four runs on five hits. Long plated his third run of the day on a single through the right side with redshirt freshman Pierce Suttles delivering his first collegiate base hit on a RBI single up the middle. Bermudez drove home two on a single through the left side to make it 16-5.

Both teams would scratch the scoreboard in the eighth inning with Purdue loading the bases but scoring just once. Vilardo recorded his third RBI of the day on an infield single with Long collecting his second RBI to score Pope who doubled, capping the game's scoring.

Strong ended the game in the ninth with a 4-3 double-play, the second turned by the Catamount defense in the winning effort.

Purdue starter Gavin Downs (0-1) - one of five Boilermakers to toe the rubber on Friday - suffered the loss after surrendering six runs - five earned - on six hits through two innings of action. Reliever Brian Ghiselli struck out three in two and a third innings with Tim McElroy, Kyle Van Hoeck and Alex Lyons combining to strikeout four over the final three and two thirds.

WCU and Purdue will wrap-up the three-game nonconference series with a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 11:15 am at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.