Myrtle Beach, S.C. – Saint Joseph's scored seven runs in three of the final four frames to pull away from Western Carolina, handing the Catamounts their second-straight neutral field loss, 9-2, on Sunday afternoon in final game of the Brittain Resorts & Hotels Invitational at TicketReturn.com Field.
The Hawks led 2-1 after WCU countered solo markers in the first and third with a run of its own in the fifth inning. However, Saint Joseph's scored two in the sixth, one in the seventh, and tacked on four insurance markers in the eighth to put the game out of reach. WCU plated a run in the home half of the eighth to eventually provide the final tally.
Down to their final three outs, the Catamounts attempted a ninth-inning rally, loading the bases on a pair of walks and a single, but were unable to cut into the St. Joe's lead in the loss.
Junior transfer
Daniel Walsh reached base a team-high four times, finishing 2-for-3 at the plate while also drawing a walk and was hit by a pitch to lead WCU. Senior
Luke Robinson and junior
Seth Graves both doubled as a part of 2-for-4 outings.
Ryan Mitschele (1-1) suffered the loss on Sunday after only allowing four runs – three earned – on seven hits, countering two walks with a pair of strikeouts. Among the seven hits allowed by the Statesville, N.C., native, only one went for extra bases. Six different relievers saw action behind Mitschele with senior
Jack Snyder tossing a long of one inning.
For the Hawks (3-4), Lucas Rollins (1-1) picked-up the victory, scattering four hits over the minimum five innings of work with four strikeouts. Two relievers out of SJU's bullpen combined to toss the final four frames, holding the Catamounts to a run on five hits with three more strikeouts and the only two walks issued.
Four Hawks' hitters posted multi-hit games including a 4-for-5, two-RBI performance by infielder Liam Bendo. Outfielder Jake Artz collected one of three SJU doubles in a 3-for-5 outing.
All told, the Catamounts finished with nine hits and left eight runners on base. Saint Joseph's tallied 15 hits and stranded a dozen runners.
Western Carolina (5-2) makes a quick stop at home on Wednesday (Feb. 26) to host Georgia State in nonconference action at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium before returning to neutral field tournament action next weekend at the First Pitch Invitational, hosted by Michigan State at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. WCU faces Ball State (Feb. 28, 5 pm), Michigan State (Feb. 29, 6 pm) and Kansas (March 1, 10 am) at the site of the Southern Conference Baseball Championship.
