May 25, 2018

Box Score

Greenville, S.C. - Justin Sparks drove in four runs on three base hits while Caleb Robinson plated a pair in a four-hit outing as No. 9 seed Western Carolina jumped on top early before weathering the late rally attempt by No. 6 ETSU, staving off both the late comeback attempt and elimination by sinking the Buccaneers, 11-8, on Friday at the 2018 Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.

WCU (10-46) advances into Saturday's action and will face the winner of No. 1 UNCG and No. 3 Wofford who play on Friday afternoon. ETSU sees its season end at 28-25.

The Catamounts matched their season high in hits with 16 and runs with 11, committing two errors in the slick conditions. Eight of nine Western Carolina batters reached base, led by Robinson's four-hit, effort. Entering the tournament, the Catamounts had only scored in double figures three times, but have done so in two of their three SoCon Baseball Championship games.

After Western Carolina blitzed the ETSU staff to the tune of an 11-1 lead after 6 1/2 innings including a five-run top of the first, the Bucs scored five runs in the seventh and eighth to make the score 11-6. Then, reminiscent of the five-run ninth-inning rally from the 2017 tournament, the Bucs loaded the bases and scored twice in the final frame on Friday before junior LHP Tristan Baker recorded his second of two strikeouts to end the game.

Freshman RHP Zach Franklin (1-4) picked up his first collegiate win for Western Carolina, tossing seven strong innings that included striking out seven batters and allowing just two earned runs. Between the fourth and sixth innings, the Marion, N.C., product sat down eight Buccaneer hitters in a row including a pair of strikeouts.

ETSU's Daniel Sweeney suffered the loss, falling to 3-2 on the season. Sweeney lasted just 2/3 of an inning, giving up two earned runs and walking a pair of batters before being lifted. Reliever Drew Korzybski scattered nine hits, allowing four runs -- only one of which was earned -- over a 4 and 2/3 inning appearance.

Western Carolina wasted no time getting on the board, hanging five runs on ETSU in the first inning amidst light rain showers. With two runners on base, Sparks doubled to right center to score Luke Robinson and Spencer Holcomb. The Bucs would commit an error to put runners on the corners for Koehler who smacked a double to make the lead 4-0 Catamounts. Caleb Robinson came up and stroked a single to give Western Carolina a 5-0 lead.

Just as Franklin finished his warm-up tosses, the heavens opened up and a heavier, steady rain began to fall, chasing both teams from the field.

After a 48-minute rain delay, ETSU's Cullen Smith smacked a solo home run to put the Bucs on the board. Christian Bailey, who was injured in the first inning, got things going in the bottom half of the inning, producing a single before being lifted for a pinch runner. ETSU would go on to load the bases with two outs, but Ben Jackson flied out to right as the Catamounts escaped the danger.

Western Carolina's bats remained hot, adding three more runs in the second. With Cameron Blaquiere and Holcomb on base, Sparks singled up the middle, driving in both runners to make the score 7-1. Sparks would score soon after when Justice Bigbie stepped up and ripped a double to give Western Carolina an 8-1 lead.

With the score 11-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Chris Cook doubled to right to score Jackson and keep the game alive for ETSU, preventing the run-rule after seven complete. In the bottom of the eighth, the bats came alive for the Bucs, hanging a four-spot on the Catamounts to make the deficit 11-6.

After working the bases loaded in the ninth, Jackson Greer earned a walk which would score Cade Gilbert. Cook came up to the plate next and smoked a grounder down the third-base line to score Jackson to make the score 11-8. With runners on all three bags, Baker struck out Caleb Longley to clinch the game for Western Carolina.

In addition to Caleb Robinson (4) and Sparks (3), Holcomb finished the day with multiple hits in a 2-for-3 performance, reaching base four times including a walk and was hit by a pitch that bounced off his batting helmet. The Pfafftown, N.C., native stayed in the game following the HBP as he stretched his reached base safely streak to 29-consecutive. Freshman Justice Bigbie also singled twice with a RBI with Koehler reaching three times, adding a walk to his 2-for-4 performance.

Western Carolina and the winner of the UNCG-Wofford game meet on Saturday afternoon at approximately 3:30 pm in a game that will be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network with live streaming audio available through CatamountSports.com. The game will also be video streamed on the SoCon Digital Network.

NOTE: Fans can keep track of any additional weather-related schedule changes through WCU Athletics' social media channels including Twitter using the handle, @Catamounts.