Charleston, S.C. – Western Carolina's potent offense was limited to just three singles as the Catamounts only managed nine total base runners in Sunday's series finale at The Citadel, falling 3-0 at Riley Park. WCU won the first two games of the three-game set to win the Southern Conference series.
 
Sunday's loss halted WCU's three-game seasonal win streak while also ending its eight-game winning streak against the Bulldogs. The Citadel downed WCU for the first time since 2019.
 
Making just his fourth career start, senior Jacob Corn (3-2) was saddled with the loss after tossing five and a third innings. He surrendered two runs on three hits with four walks including one intentional. Dylan Wheeler and Lucas Hartman both threw in the sixth inning with Hartman walking and striking out one. Zebby Matthews made his third relief effort of the weekend, striking out two against two walks in two and a third innings of work with a run allowed on two hits.
 
The Citadel (21-18, 2-7 SoCon) plated solo markers in the first, fourth, and eighth innings to go along with a strong pitching performance from freshman Fisher Paulsen (4-2) who struck out 10 over eight innings. Ryan McCarthy delivered a run-scoring single in the home half of the first inning with what proved to be the game-winner with the Bulldogs tacking on a second run in the fourth on an infield groundout. The third run scored on the only extra-base hit of the contest in the eighth as McCarthy, who finished 2-for-2 for the 'Dogs, scored on a double by Noah Mitchell.
 
Paulsen (4-2) held WCU to just two base hits and worked around five walks and a hit batter to earn the victory. George Derrick Floyd collected his first save, striking out one in an inning of one-hit, scoreless relief.
 
The Catamounts had their chances early as Zach Ketterman led off the game with a single but was left on first base. In the second inning, a pair of two-out walks by Will Prater and Cameron Murray put two aboard, but WCU was unable to find timely hitting to leave both runners on the paths.
 
WCU's best opportunity of the day came in the fourth as an Immanuel Wilder lead-off walk and a Nate Stocum single put runners at the corners with nobody out. Daniel Walsh attempted a bunt to advance both runners, but Wilder was put out at the plate and the visitors would strand two more through four.
 
The Catamounts were retired in order in both the fifth and sixth innings, the first by the benefit of a double-play and the latter with a trio of strikeouts. WCU had base runners in the seventh and eighth on two-out walks but were held off the scoreboard. Walsh singled with one out in the ninth but could not find another base knock in suffering the shutout loss, its first of the season.

Ketterman, Stocum, and Walsh tallied WCU's only hits of the day. Bryson Parks saw his hitting streak end at 11-straight games, matching Ferreras and Ketterman for the longest of the season. Parks did walk to extend his reached base safely streak to 12-straight with Prater stretching his active streak to nine straight with a walk.
 
Western Carolina (18-21, 3-6 SoCon) makes a brief stop at home on Wednesday evening to host the Presbyterian Blue Hose (18-20) at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium before traveling to Lexington, Va., to face VMI in SoCon play next weekend. Wednesday's game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. first pitch and will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats available online at CatamountSports.com.