Box Score

Johnson City, Tenn. - Western Carolina jumped out to an early advantage thanks to a five-run top of the first inning before holding off the Buccaneers, claiming its Southern Conference series by winning game two over ETSU, 9-6, on Saturday afternoon at Thomas Stadium.

On the strength of its fifth-straight victory -- and second-consecutive SoCon series win -- the Catamounts improved to 14-15 overall and 6-2 in league play, entering Sunday's series finale tied for second in the league. ETSU dropped to 14-14 overall, 2-6 against league foes.

Western Carolina scored five runs on four hits and capitalized on a pair of walks in the first inning to grab a lead it would never relinquish, chasing ETSU starter Drew Korzybski before the right-hander had recorded an out. Following the big inning for WCU, the Buccaneers managed to close back to within a run twice -- 6-5 in the fourth inning and again at 7-6 in the bottom of the sixth.

After a scoreless seventh, the Catamounts tacked on an insurance marker in the eighth as Spencer Holcomb singled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brett Pope. Then, Bryson Bowman belted his fifth home run of the season on a lead-off shot in the top of the ninth to provide the final tally.

Korzybski (2-4) took the loss for the Bucs as ETSU was never able to tie the game or take a lead.

WCU had four players collect two-hit games in the winning effort as Holcomb, Pope, junior Caleb Robinson, and sophomore Andrew Bullock each finished 2-for-4. Robinson drove home two runs on a first-inning single, adding a third-inning HBP and a fifth inning double to reach three times on the day.

Redshirt senior Bryson Bowman finished 1-for-4 on the day, reaching and scoring twice with a walk and his ninth-inning homer. The Baton, N.C., product extended his reached base safely streak to 29-consecutive -- each game WCU has played this season -- with a first inning walk while his round-tripper in the final frame stretched his current hitting streak to a team-best 14-straight. Classmates Nobu Suzuki and Matt Smith also extended their reached safely streaks to 13 and 11 games, respectively, as Suzuki singled for an eight-game hit streak.

Reliever Dylan Biumi (1-0) tossed an effective three and two-thirds innings out of the bullpen to claim the victory for the Purple & Gold. The Cumming, Ga., native worked around three hits and one walk, surrendering a run but never the lead. He turned it over to senior reliever Korey Anderson, who tallied his second save of the year with a hitless, scoreless inning and a third, tallying a strikeout to end the eighth before a 1-2-3 ninth.

Catamount starter Tristan Baker battled through four innings, working around five walks with a pair of strikeouts. The left-hander surrendered five runs on eight hits, exiting after the fourth inning.

The top three of ETSU's lineup combined for three of the Buccaneers' 11 hits on Saturday afternoon as Chris Cook, Hagen Owenby, and Christian Bailey each tallied two hits apiece. Owenby recorded two leadoff home runs in a 2-for-3 outing, also reaching on two walks. Jammer Strickland also homered in a 1-for-3 showing at the plate.

The final game of the three-game series is scheduled for Sunday afternoon with a 1:00 pm first pitch at Thomas Stadium. The game will be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network with live streaming audio online at CatamountSports.com. Fans can also follow the game with ETSU's video stream on the SoCon Digital Network.