WCU vs. PSU Box Score  |  WCU at Liberty Box Score

Lynchburg, Va. - Western Carolina split its Friday doubleheader at the Liberty Baseball Invitational, claiming the opener, 4-2, over Penn State before falling in the second game, 5-1, to the host Flames at the Liberty Baseball Stadium. The Catamounts were the only team to play two games on the opening day of play.

Three Catamounts recorded two hits apiece between the doubleheader, though the WCU offense was limited to just a combined 10 hits in the two games. Virginia natives Bradley Strong (2-for-7) and Reece Strong (2-for-6), as well as junior catcher Danny Bermudez (2-for-8) all tallied two hits with Bermudez collecting one of two extra base hits for the Purple & Gold.

Sophomore Matt Smith, playing as the designated hitter in both games, reached base six times with a double, three walks and was twice hit by a pitch. Both Smith and Bradley Strong tallied two stolen bases as the Catamounts swiped five collectively.

No Catamount had more than one RBI with WCU recording five total on the day.

On the mound, WCU's pitching staff combined to limit both Penn State and Liberty to a .222 batting average against, surrendering seven runs on 14 hits. The Catamount hurlers were impressive with 23 total strikeouts - 12 against Liberty and 11 against the Nittany Lions.

Game One: Western Carolina 4, Penn State 2
Sophomore Bryan Sammons limited Penn State to one run on three hits through six innings on Friday as Western Carolina claimed its opener in the Liberty Baseball Invitational, 4-2, at the Liberty Baseball Stadium. The Catamounts used a two-run top of the fourth inning to break a 1-1 tie, holding off the Nittany Lions for the victory in the first-ever meeting on the diamond.

Sammons (2-2) recorded five strikeouts with just two walks and one hit batter to even his seasonal record. He handed the ball off to sophomore B.J. Nobles after a lead-off double in the seventh inning, who stranded the base runner with a pair of strikeouts and a fly ball out. All told, Nobles fanned four in two innings of hitless, scoreless relief with senior Tyler Powell claiming his third save of the year, striking out two in the ninth.

Juniors Danny Bermudez (2-for-4) and Reece Strong (2-for-3) collected two hits apiece in the Catamount victory.

WCU grabbed an early lead with a solo run in the top of the first inning as Matt Smith was plunked by a pitch before promptly stealing second base. Bradley Strong was hit by a pitch before Bermudez singled to load the bases with one out. Junior Kramer Ferrell then lifted a sacrifice fly to right field allowing Smith to scamper home for the lead.

Penn State (1-12) responded two innings later, plating a run in the bottom of the third inning as Tyler Kendall doubled to left center before scoring on a RBI single by James Coates to tie the game, 1-1.

The next half inning, WCU scratched the scoreboard twice to take a lead it would never relinquish. Bermudez opened the rally with a lead-off double to center field with Ferrell walking to put two aboard. Freshman Brett Pope sacrificed the runners into scoring position with a bunt before J.D. Long delivered a RBI single into right center scoring Bermudez to give the Catamounts the lead, 2-1. Austin Atwell then handed WCU a two-run lead with a sacrifice fly to center making it 3-1 through four innings.

WCU added an insurance runs in the top of the ninth as Reece Strong lifted a one-out single to left field before scoring on a Smith RBI double that dropped between a trio of Penn State defenders down the left field line to make it 4-1. The Nittany Lions got back-to-back two out base hits including a double by Greg Guers to provide the final tally, 4-2.

Catamount senior Jacob Hoyle saw action as a defensive substitution in the ninth inning. Still battling a hand injury, it was Hoyle's first appearance in a game since Feb. 21.

Penn State starter Nick Hedge took the loss after surrendering three earned runs on five hits with six strikeouts to counter a pair of walks through six and a third innings. He also plunked four batters including Smith twice in his first two plate appearances. Hard-throwing freshman Sal Biasi struck out two in two and two thirds innings, allowing the final run on two hits with one walk.

Game Two: Liberty 5, Western Carolina 1
Liberty starter Parker Bean limited the potent Catamount offense to just three hits in tossing a complete game as the Flames downed Western Carolina, 5-1, in the nightcap of the twin bill. Bean held the Catamounts hitless until the seventh inning before WCU was able to break through in the hit column.

Overall, Bean worked around three walks with a pair of strikeouts in pitching all nine innings. The Flames used back-to-back, two-run innings to secure the 5-1 win.

Sophomore Matt Smith drew a pair of walks and was WCU's only base runner until Bradley Strong led off the seventh inning with a single through the right side for the first base hit. Two batters later, Kramer Ferrell pushed runners to the corners with a second Catamount single into right field. WCU ended the shutout on a sacrifice fly by Reece Strong to trim Liberty's lead back to four - and providing the final tally, 5-1.

Junior Colton Davis (0-2) pitched the first four innings in the start as one of four Catamount hurlers to toe the rubber. The Commerce, Ga., native struck out five against five walks, allowing three runs on five hits through four innings in suffering the loss. His classmate, reliever Taylor Durand, fanned two in surrendering two runs on three hits in an inning and a third.

Jonathan Waszak struck out one against one hit in a third of a frame while freshman Corey Sikes struck out a career-best four in pitching the final 2.1 innings of hitless, scoreless relief out of the bullpen.

Five different Liberty players combined to score the Flames' five runs. Nick Paxton and Alex Close both tripled with the latter plating two runs on his three-base hit. Nick Salisbury and Andrew Yacyk both collected two hits apiece for Liberty.

Western Carolina is scheduled to wrap-up play in the Liberty Baseball Invitational against the host Flames with first pitch at 4:00 pm. The game will be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network and can be heard online at CatamountSports.com. It will also be televised by Liberty online on ESPN3.

Fans are encouraged to check CatamountSports.com for any weather-related schedule changes to Saturday's slate of games in Lynchburg, Va.