Box Score

Johnson City, Tenn. - Junior Caleb Robinson plated the go-ahead run on a RBI double to left field in the top of the 12th inning, and senior reliever B.J. Nobles finished off the Friday night victory with a strikeout as Western Carolina outlasted ETSU, 5-4, to take the Southern Conference series opener at Thomas Stadium.

Senior Matt Smith drew a one-out walk to start the final inning rally for the Catamounts, moving to second when Spencer Holcomb was plunked to put two aboard. The eldest Robinson then drove the first pitch of his at bat to the wall in left field allowing Smith to score for the second time in the win, putting WCU ahead for good.

In the bottom of the frame, Nobles stranded a pair ETSU runners at first and second base, working around a leadoff walk and a one-out single with a pair of strikeouts including fanning pinch hitter Ethan Rice looking on a full-count pitch to end the game.

Western Carolina improved to 13-15 overall and 5-2 in the conference with its fourth-straight victory, while ETSU dropped to 14-13 overall, 2-5 in the SoCon.

WCU's theatrics in the top of the 12th would not have been possible if not for a ninth-inning rally by the Catamounts. ETSU broke a 3-3 tie in the home half of the eighth inning as Hunter Parker belted a double to right center field on a hit-and-run play as catcher Hagen Owenby scored the go-ahead marker, 4-3.

In the top of the ninth, pinch hitter Andrew Robinson drew a lead-off walk before being sacrificed into scoring position by Brett Pope. Down to its final out after a fly out to center field, redshirt senior Bryson Bowman hit a rocket off the glove of the third baseman that ricocheted into shallow left field allowing Andrew Robinson to race home with the game-tying run that eventually forced extras.

Smith reached base five times in Friday night's victory, finishing 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored to accompany a trio of walks. The Fredericktown, Ohio, native has his second, double-digit streak for reaching base safely this season, having reached in 10-consecutive games. Pope also finished with two hits in a 2-for-4 performance, also drawing a walk

Bowman extended his reached base safely streak to 28-straight with a seventh inning walk, while his RBI single in the ninth stretched his team-long hitting streak to 13.

Nobles (3-0) was the third Catamount pitcher to work on Friday, tossing the final three innings. The Raleigh, N.C., native scattered three hits and worked around a walk in pitching three scoreless innings. Nobles has yet to allow a run to score since moving back to the bullpen, tossing a combined 13.2 scoreless relief innings.

Senior Bryan Sammons struck out seven in the starting role for WCU, allowing three runs -- two earned -- on five hits in factoring in the no-decision. The Wilmington, N.C., remained fifth in school history, currently with 277 career strikeouts. Classmate Korey Anderson kept the Catamounts in the game over a three-inning relief appearance, surrendering a run on three hits with a trio of strikeouts before handing off to Nobles.

WCU led 1-0 through four and two-thirds innings on Friday before the Bucs got on the board. With two aboard, Sammons recorded a swinging strikeout of Owenby on a breaking ball to seemingly end the inning. However, the pitch bounced out in front of the plate and was redirected up the first base line out of Holcomb's reach allowing Owenby to reach. On the same play, Blake Rowlett advanced from second to third before racing home ahead of a toss to the plate to tie the game. Bailey then doubled to drive in two more runs as ETSU took a 3-1 lead through five innings.

In the seventh, Nobu Suzuki drove in a run on an infield ground out before Smith knotted the game with a run-scoring single up the middle.

ETSU reliever Connor Bartow (1-1) took the loss, allowing a run on a hit and issuing a walk. Starter Ryan Simpler struck out nine against four walks in eight solid innings before exiting the game. Starting shortstop, Chris Cook, tossed two innings in relief, allowing the game-tying run in the ninth that forced extra innings.

Owenby led four Buccaneers with multi-hit games, finishing 3-for-6 with three strikeouts. Christian Bailey tallied a two RBI on a double in a 2-for-5 performance, while Chris Cook finished 2-for-6 and Blake Rowlett was 2-for-4 for the home squad.

Game two of the three-game series is scheduled for Saturday afternoon with first pitch at 2:00 pm. Fans can follow the game with live streaming audio from the Catamount Sports Network online at CatamountSports.com, with a live video stream through the SoCon Digital Network.