Charleston, S.C. – Jack Snyder tossed a four-hit, complete game, and Western Carolina made a third-inning, two-run triple by Justice Bigbie stand up as the Catamounts claimed Thursday's opener of its final regular-season Southern Conference baseball series 2-1 over The Citadel at Riley Park.
 
Snyder struck out a career-high nine batters, tossing a career-long nine innings in recording the complete-game victory. The senior from Chicago, Ill., limited the Bulldogs to two singles, a double, and a ninth-inning solo home run by Ryan McCarthy in scoring his first victory of the season – and first as a starter at WCU.
 
Snyder retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced through the fourth inning, combining to record four 1-2-3 innings in the winning effort.
 
Seth Graves led off the third inning with a double to right field that ricocheted off the outfield wall with Will Prater reaching for the second of three times on base with a four-pitch walk. Then, with runners at the corners two batters later, Justice Bigbie just missed putting one out of the ballpark in left-center, racing around the bases with the two-run triple that provided the Catamounts with all the runs they'd need.
 
The Catamounts threatened to tack on insurance markers by putting runners aboard in five of the next six innings but were unable to light the scoreboard more, stranding a total of eight on base combined, including a runner at third base in three innings.
 
Despite being held to four hits on the day, The Citadel (12-37, 4-23 SoCon) had its opportunities in Friday's series opener. Jeffery Brown opened the first inning with a single and was sacrificed into scoring position before eventually being stranded at third base. The Bulldogs again left a runner 90-feet away in the fifth inning as catcher Travis Lott reached on an infield error but was left on as Snyder recorded a strikeout to end the frame.
 
The Catamounts (24-19, 12-11 SoCon) used their SoCon-leading 38th double-play to erase a lead-off single in the sixth inning, with Snyder carving the outside corner for consecutive strikeouts looking to strand two, including the game-tying run at second base in the eighth inning. McCarthy's one-out solo home run to rightfield was followed by back-to-back groundouts to Zach Ketterman at third and a Prater-to-Snyder groundout to the right side of the infield to end the game.
 
In addition to Bigbie, Seth Graves and Daylan Nanny collected two hits apiece for six of the Catamounts' seven hits on the day. Graves reached three times, adding a ninth-inning walk to a single and double, and Nanny tied for the team lead with his 14th two-base hit of the year to go along with a single in the fourth inning. Nanny stretched both his reached base safely streak to 43-consecutive games, each game played to date this season, while also extending his seven-game hitting streak. Prater reached three times, including a single, walk, and on an error.
 
Bulldog starter Jake Pilarski (2-4) was saddled with the loss despite limiting WCU to two runs on the seven hits, matching Snyder with nine strikeouts against a walk. Chace Cooper tossed three innings of scoreless, one-hit relief with a walk and two strikeouts.
 
Snyder scattered The Citadel's four hits between four batters, with McCarthy hitting his team-best 11th home run of the season in the ninth to provide the final tally. Pinch hitter John Lanier doubled with Brown and Adam Colon, both singling for the home squad.
 
WCU and The Citadel play a doubleheader on Friday, beginning at 10:30 a.m. at Riley Park to wrap up the 2021 regular season. Both games are slated to be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with Dave Weinstein on the call. With one more victory, the Catamounts would automatically secure the final berth into next week's SoCon Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases in Greenville, S.C.
 
Inside the Box Score:

• Western Carolina improved to 5-3 in one-run games this season while scoring its first victory of the year (1-4) when scoring two-or-fewer runs … WCU improved to 11-0 when holding an opponent under two runs scored;
• Western Carolina limited The Citadel to four base hits on the day – tied for the second-fewest allowed in a game this season (3 – VMI (4/10) and 3 – Samford (4/16); 4 – vs. Towson (2/20), 4 – vs. ETSU (4/23) and 4 – vs. CIT (5/20);
• Jack Snyder tossed the first complete game of his career and the fourth CG by a Catamount pitcher this season … the four complete games by WCU this year are the most in a single-season since 2014 … WCU's 2021 complete games have been tossed by: Zebby Matthews, 5 inn., vs. VMI (3/10); Ryan Mitschele, vs. Samford (4/16), Zebby Matthews, at ETSU (4/23) and Jack Snyder, at The Citadel (5/20);
• The Catamounts improved to 22-0 on the season when leading after eight innings;
• Western Carolina turned its SoCon-leading 38th double-play of the season … Among the 38 turned, WCU freshman Pascanel Ferreras has been a part of turning 29 double plays;
• Western Carolina's victory over The Citadel on Thursday eliminated both UNCG and VMI from contention to make the 2021 SoCon Baseball Championship ... both the Spartans and Keydets needed WCU to be swept in Charleston to have a chance to claim the No. 4 seed;
• The Catamounts' win on Thursday also reduced WCU's magic number to one -- one more victory over The Citadel in Friday's doubleheader OR one loss by ETSU to Samford in Friday's twinbill -- and WCU would punch its ticket into the postseason tournament ... ETSU defeated Samford, 11-1, in seven innings on Thursday in their series opener.