Charleston, S.C. – Western Carolina broke open a one-run game on Saturday afternoon, scoring seven runs over the final four frames to pull away from The Citadel Bulldogs, 8-1, in Southern Conference action at Riley Park. Saturday's win coupled with Friday's 4-2 victory clinched the conference series for the Catamounts.
 
Leading by a run after a fourth-inning solo home run by sophomore Pascanel Ferreras – his eighth round-tripper of the season, WCU scored twice in the sixth inning including a solo homer by Nate Stocum. The Catamounts plated two in the top of the eighth, one coming on a run-scoring double by senior Bryson Parks before his classmate Immanuel Wilder belted a three-run home run in the top of the ninth to push a four-run margin to seven in the series-clinching victory.
 
Stocum collected a team-best three hits in a 3-for-5 effort with his third homer of the season, while Wilder finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI coming on his ninth-inning home run. Parks (1-for-3) extended his active hitting streak to 11-straight with his team-best 15th double of the season while also reaching by an HBP. Ferreras (1-for-5) and Seth Graves (1-for-4) collected WCU's remaining base knocks in an eight-hit performance.
 
Sophomore Gavin Mortenson (3-5) earned the victory on the mound for the Catamounts, holding the Bulldogs scoreless and limiting the home squad to just two base hits over a seven-inning start. Mortenson, who was sidelined with an injury sustained in the series with The Citadel a season ago, worked around five walks and a hit batter with seven strikeouts. Zebby Matthews saw relief action for a second-straight game, surrendering a run on a hit with two strikeouts in two innings out of the bullpen.
 
The two teams combined for just two base runners over the opening two innings on Saturday, both by the Bulldogs on a walk and a single with both stranded. Cameron Murray gave WCU its first base runner, reaching on a one-out error in the top of the third inning. In the home half of the frame, the Bulldogs threatened with a runner reaching third after drawing a walk and moving around on a Catamount throwing error. However, Mortenson was able to get a strikeout to strand runners at the corners and preserve the scoreless deadlock.
 
Ferreras blasted the first pitch he saw in the top of the fourth inning over the fence in left-center field to hand the Catamounts a lead they would never relinquish. In the bottom of the frame, The Citadel again threatened with a pair of runners aboard, but a timely double-play thwarted the would-be rally.
 
Wild pitches by the Bulldogs led to WCU's second marker coming in the sixth inning as Prater reached base on a third-strike wild pitch. Consecutive wild offerings to home allowed the Dallas, Ga., native to matriculate to third before a fourth wild pitch scored him from third. Stocum stretched the margin with his solo homer to right field.
 
Meanwhile, the Catamounts retired The Citadel in order in both the fifth and sixth innings as a part of seven-straight Bulldogs retired consecutively.
 
In the eighth inning, WCU stretched its lead as James Hinson reached on a pinch-hit fielding error that allowed Wilder, who had singled up the middle, to score from second base. Pinch-runner Brandon Butterworth then stole second base where he was driven home on a double down the left-field line by Parks for a 5-0 advantage.
 
The Citadel (20-18, 1-7 SoCon) pulled back to within four runs on a one-out solo homer by Ryan McCarthy in the home portion of the eighth inning. However, Wilder erased most of the doubt in Saturday's decision by homering with both Zach Ketterman and Prater aboard in the top of the ninth inning to provide the final tally.
 
Cameron Reeves (2-5) took the loss for the Bulldogs after allowing three runs on just four hits over five and two-thirds innings of work, striking out seven. Reeves was the first of five arms used by the Bulldogs in Saturday's game.
 
Wells Sykes collected two of The Citadel's three hits with McCarthy recording the third on his late-inning homer, while also reaching on one of six walks issued by WCU pitching.
 
Western Carolina (18-20, 3-5 SoCon) looks for its first conference series sweep of the season on Sunday afternoon in game three against the Bulldogs. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Riley Park in a game that will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats available online.