Box Score

Greensboro, N.C. - Trailing by two runs entering the final frame on Friday night, Western Carolina loaded the bases with a single and three-straight walks that forced in a run to trim the deficit to one. However, the Catamounts were unable to complete the comeback, falling to UNCG, 5-4, in its 2017 Southern Conference opener at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.

Sophomore Andrew Bullock led off Friday's final frame with single into left field ahead three-straight walks including a run-scoring free pass to Matthew Koehler, his second walk of the day. But UNCG reliever Chad Sykes was able to get a strikeout and a ground ball out to the right side to strand the bases loaded, scoring his sixth save of the season.

Western Carolina fell to 8-13 overall and 0-1 in the league play, dropping its fourth-straight game to match a season-long winless drought.

All told, Bullock reached three times on Friday with a walk to accompany a pair of singles in a 2-for-3 showing, while junior Caleb Robinson belted his third home run of the season, a solo shot in the seventh inning that sparked the Catamount offense. Redshirt senior Bryson Bowman punched a RBI single through the right side in the two-run eighth to extend his reached base safely streak to 21-consecutive while also extending a six-game hit streak.

Catamount senior Bryan Sammons (4-1) suffered the loss on Friday, battling through 7.1 innings in his sixth start of the season. The Wilmington, N.C., product struck out three against one walk, surrendering five runs -- four of which were earned. Reliever Jacob Breakfield kept WCU within two runs by finishing off the eighth inning, retiring both batters he faced out of the bullpen.

UNCG (14-8, 1-0 SoCon) capitalized on four-straight hits to start the three-run second inning to take a lead it would never relinquish. Caleb Webster singled ahead of Tripp Shelton who tripled to left center to start the scoring. Shelton finished 2-for-2 with two RBI. Devin Ruiz collected a run-scoring single with the third run plated on an infield ground out to give the home squad the 3-0 edge after two.

The Spartans added solo markers in both the fifth and sixth innings as Ben Spitznagel singled home Austin Embler in the fifth and Cesar Trejo scoring an unearned run in the sixth to give UNCG a 5-0 lead.

Robinson ignited the Catamount offense in the top of the seventh inning, blasting a solo home run to left to halt a three-inning hit drought and recorded WCU's first run of the day. An inning later, Koehler set the stage with a walk and a stolen base, eventually scoring on a wild pitch. Brett Pope, who reached on a single to center field, scored on Bowman's RBI base knock to cut the deficit to two, 5-3, setting up the ninth inning.

UNCG starter Jack Maynard (2-1) kept the Catamounts off-balance through his seven-inning start, striking out seven against one walk while limiting the potent WCU offense to one run on just four hits including three singles. Andrew Wantz allowed two runs on two hits with a walk and a strikeout while Sykes worked around the three walks with a strikeout in securing the win.

Game two of the three-game series is scheduled for Saturday afternoon with a 3:00 pm first pitch. Fans can follow the game with live streaming audio from the Catamount Sports Network online at CatamountSports.com, with a video stream through YouTube.