Greensboro, N.C. – Western Carolina baseball split its Southern Conference doubleheader against UNCG on Saturday, dropping game one 6-4 before salvaging game three with a 7-1 victory at the UNCG Baseball Stadium. WCU dropped just its second league series of the season, both coming away from home.
 
Junior Justice Bigbie paced the Catamounts during Saturday's doubleheader, finishing 4-for-7 with two doubles and a home run. The Chesapeake, Va., native scored three runs with an RBI while also drawing a pair of walks. Classmate Will Prater (4-of-8) also collected four hits in the twinbill, tripling along with three singles, scoring twice with two runs driven in.
 
Junior Daylan Nanny found his way aboard four times in the two-game set, three in game one and once in the second game to stretch his reached base safely streak to a career-long 36-straight game – each game played this season.
 
All told, WCU outhit UNCG in Saturday's two games, 17-to-11, including six extra-base hits to three for the Spartans.
 
Game One Recap – UNCG 6, Western Carolina 4:
UNCG rode a five-run second inning to a victory in game one of Saturday's doubleheader, clinching the three-game series by holding off the Catamounts 6-4. WCU was limited to four, single-run innings though multiple chances were there in the loss.
 
WCU outhit UNCG, 10-to-6, in game one, but stranded 12 runners on base, including leaving the bases loaded three times, including the first, fifth, and eighth innings, while leaving two aboard in the ninth.
 
Luke Robinson paced four Catamounts with multi-hit games, finishing 3-for-5 with a trio of singles and a run scored. Justice Bigbie was aboard four times, finishing 2-for-3 with a double and two walks, while Daylan Nanny reached three times with two singles and a lead-off walk in the ninth inning. Will Prater added a pair of singles and an RBI.
 
After Bigbie scored on an RBI-single by Prater in the first inning, the Spartans pushed across five runs on four hits in the home half of the second inning, with a WCU error prolonging the scoring barrage that handed the home squad a 5-1 edge.
 
Robinson ground out but scored Nanny in the third inning to cut the deficit to three, 5-2, in the third, only to see UNCG reclaim a four-run cushion with a walk and double in the fourth inning.
 
The Catamounts loaded the bases in the eighth but only managed one run on a Drew Needham sacrifice fly to score Robinson from third base, leaving the bases loaded. Then, down by three in the ninth, WCU again loaded the bases but was limited to one run on a fielder's choice with a flyout ending the game, stranding two as the final out was recorded.
 
WCU starter Tristen Campbell (2-1) was saddled with the loss, chased after the elongated second inning with five runs allowed on four hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Jacob Corn was solid out of the bullpen, limiting the Spartans to one additional run while scattering two hits over six relief innings, countering a walk with four strikeouts.
 
UNCG's Austin Koehn (4-2) tossed five innings in scoring the victory, working around three walks with a pair of strikeouts, giving up two runs on seven hits. Brandon Stephens tallied the save in the ninth inning, not allowing a run with just one hit allowed.
 
Both Hogan Windish and Robbie O'Neal doubled in 2-for-4 efforts to lead UNCG, with Windish matching Josh Madole with two RBI.
 
Game Two Recap – Western Carolina 7, UNCG 1:
Pressed into a starting role for WCU in game two, sophomore RHP Zach Franklin scattered three hits over six innings as the Catamounts claimed the series finale, 7-1, halting UNCG's seven-game winning streak.
 
Franklin (5-3) struck out seven without issuing a walk while limiting the Spartans to just one run to pick up the victory. The Marion, N.C., native did not allow a Spartan base runner beyond second base over the first 4.1 innings of his start until a one-out solo home run by Pres Cavenaugh in the fifth inning. Franklin responded by striking out three of the next five batters he faced. Davis Tyndall scored the three-inning relief save, working around four walks with six strikeouts in scoreless, two-hit relief in recording his first collegiate save.
 
Zach Ketterman opened the game's scoring, opening the third inning by reaching on an infield fielding error. Then, a stolen base and a Seth Graves sacrifice bunt moved him into scoring position, where he scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Pascanel Ferreras for the early lead. Ferreras would later add to WCU's advantage, tripling to left-centerfield before scoring on a wild pitch.
 
With the lead cut to one on Cavenaugh's solo homer in the home half of the fifth, the Catamounts pulled away with two runs in the sixth and a three-spot in the top of the eighth inning. Justice Bigbie blasted an opposite-field home run to right field to open the sixth with Will Prater tripling and scoring on a Daniel Walsh sac fly. In the eighth, Bigbie doubled before scoring from third on an infield bunt single by Prater. Nate Stocum then drove home two with a double to right field before being caught trying to stretch it into a triple, providing the final tally.
 
UNCG starter Alex Hoppe (1-3) took the loss for the Spartans after allowing four runs – only three of which were earned – on three hits over 5.2 innings, walking two and striking out one. Reliever Price King was tagged for three runs on two hits, with Jared Mathewson striking out two in the ninth inning.
 
The Spartans' five hits were spread between five players, with Cavenaugh homering with Zack Budzik reaching twice on a seventh-inning walk and a ninth-inning single. Dallas Callahan walked twice for UNCG.
 
Western Carolina (22-14, 10-6 SoCon) plays its first of back-to-back divisional SoCon series at home on May 7-8, hosting the Mercer Bears at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium next Friday with a doubleheader and Saturday. The three-game series is slated to be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).