Box Score

Greensboro, N.C. - Western Carolina dropped its 2015 Southern Conference opener at UNCG on Friday night, 17-2, at the on-campus UNCG Baseball Stadium. The loss halted WCU's six-game winning streak in the head-to-head series with the Spartans.

Leading 3-0 through four complete, UNCG broke open the game with 14 runs between the fifth and eighth innings. The Spartans scored four in bottom of both the fifth and sixth innings before pushing across three runs in the seventh and eighth. WCU was able to break the shutout with two markers in the final two frames to provide the final tally.

Freshman Caleb Robinson was the lone Catamount to record multiple hits as seven players combined for the team's eight hits in the loss. Robinson finished 2-for-4 with a double. Classmate Spencer Holcomb, a latter-inning substitution behind the plate, also added a RBI double. Jason Smith drove home the Catamounts' other run after pinch hitting and playing in left field.

Sophomore Matt Smith reached base three times with a pair of walks to go along with a single, extending his consecutive reached streak to 10-straight games. However, senior Bradley Strong had his impressive, career-long 31-game streak snapped as he finished 0-for-4. It was also just the second time in the past 32 games that the elder Strong was held without a base hit.

Sophomore starter Bryan Sammons (2-3) was saddled with the loss, striking out six while walking seven in four innings. UNCG only managed four hits off the second-year southpaw, plating five runs. Four Catamount relievers patched together the final four frames, each tallying a strikeout. Freshman Corey Sikes tossed a third of an inning with Jonathan Waszak fanning one in two thirds of a frame. Redshirt sophomore Dillon Bray tallied a strikeout in an inning of work while freshman Dylan Biumi tossed a career-long two innings with a strikeout against three walks.

Junior starter Ryan Clark (4-1) scored the victory for UNCG, working seven scoreless innings and limiting the Catamounts to just five hits. The right-hander struck out six against two walks.

Six Spartans finished with two-or-more hits on the day with Hunter King and Collin Woody both finishing 3-for-5 to lead the home squad. King drove home a game-high five runs while Woody plated four for UNCG including one on a sacrifice fly.

Game two of the three-game series is scheduled for 2:00 pm on Saturday afternoon.