Box Score |   

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina starter Brendan Nail matched a career-high with 12 strikeouts on Sunday afternoon as the Catamounts completed the Southern Conference series sweep of longtime league rival, The Citadel, with a 14-1 victory in the run-rule shortened finale at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.

Nail worked around five walks while limiting the Bulldog offense to just three base hits over six solid innings of work. After surrendering a solo home run in the top of the fourth, the junior southpaw recorded the next seven outs via the strikeout as a part of his 12 K performance. It is the second time this season the Greensboro, N.C.., product has fanned a dozen in a game, doing so earlier this year at home against Marshall back on Feb. 26.

Senior RHP B.J. Nobles -- who scored the victory out of the bullpen in Friday's walk-off victory in the series-opener -- was called upon to close out the game, striking out two in a perfect top of the seventh inning.

Five Catamounts posted multi-hit games in the win including two with a game-high three hits apiece. Lead-off batter Brett Pope set the stage with a 3-for-4, two-RBI outing while his middle infield counterpart, senior Nobu Suzuki, reached four times in a 3-for-3, three-run performance that included a double. Suzuki has reached in 11-straight games, a third Catamount hitter this season to have a double-digit streak.

Senior Matt Smith and junior Caleb Robinson both finished 2-for-4 while both J.D. Long and Luke Robinson -- a middle-inning substitution in the DH spot -- both collected two RBI apiece. Matthew Koehler scored both times he reached, doing so on a single and a walk.

Redshirt senior Bryson Bowman reached three times, drawing a walk as a part of a 2-for-3 showing at the plate on Sunday afternoon. The Baton, N.C., native scored twice while stretching both his reached base safely streak to a career-long 27 games -- each game WCU has played this season -- while also lengthening his current hitting streak to 12-straight.

The Citadel (9-19, 2-4 SoCon) started strong as two-sport athlete Shy Phillips tripled in the lead-off spot in the top of the first inning. However, Nail tallied a pair of strikeouts with the third out coming at the plate on a would-be double steal by the Bulldogs with Phillips tagged out by Spencer Holcomb at the dish to end the threat.

Following the first inning, the Bulldogs would only manage to put more than one base runner aboard at a time two additional times over the next six frames, each time doing so with free passes on walks. Outfielder Taylor Cothran tallied the lone marker for the Bulldogs on a one-out solo home run to left center field in the top of the fourth, recording one of The Citadel's three hits overall.

Meanwhile, the Catamounts were able to put three crooked numbers on the scoreboard including grabbing the lead with a two-spot in the bottom of the second inning before stretching the margin to six with four runs in the third. Holcomb's sacrifice fly to right in the fourth drove home Bowman to make it a 7-1 game through four complete. Holcomb finished with two RBI on the day.

But it was the bottom of the sixth inning that put the game out of reach, and ultimately ended the game with the Sunday run-rule. WCU sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the sixth with seven reaching on base knocks in the seven-run frame to provide the final tally, 14-1.

Bulldog starter Will Pillsbury (1-5) suffered the loss, surrendering four runs on six hits through two and a third innings in the start. Pillsbury and relievers Jordan Buster and Thomas Byelick each posted one strikeout apiece.

Western Carolina (12-15, 4-2 SoCon) returns to the road for its next five games beginning Wednesday evening at Kennesaw State in Kennesaw, Ga. First pitch from Stillwell Stadium is scheduled for 5:00 pm in a game that will be broadcast both on ASun.TV (video stream) on the Catamount Sports Network with live streaming audio online at CatamountSports.com.