Cincinnati, Ohio – Western Carolina hit three home runs including a three-run blast by
Daniel Walsh and a grand slam by
Seth Graves as the Catamounts closed its seven-game road swing with a series-clinching, 14-4 road victory over Xavier on Sunday afternoon at Hayden Field.
The Catamounts pulled out to a 13-1 lead through six innings on a solo homer by
Bryson Parks, capping the series with the 10-run victory. WCU also plated three runs on bases-loaded walks in the fourth inning.
Four Catamounts posted two-hit games on Sunday with
Immanuel Wilder reaching base five times in the win, finishing 2-for-2 with a pair of singles and three walks scoring three runs.
Pascanel Ferreras singled twice including a run-scoring knock down the left-field line in the first inning with
Jordan Starkes doubling in a 2-for-4 effort with a walk.
Will Prater also tallied a pair of singles adding a stolen base in the winning effort.
Walsh (1-for-4) belted a three-run homer in the first inning and Graves (1-for-3, walk) hit the grand slam in the third inning for WCU with
Zach Ketterman legging out his third triple in the past four games, finishing 1-for-5 with a walk.
With the offense clicking in the finale,
Gavin Mortenson (2-3) settled in after surrendering a two-out home run in the bottom of the first inning. The Summerfield, N.C., native scattered seven hits over six innings, limiting the Musketeers to the first-inning run while countering three walks with five strikeouts. He stranded nine Musketeer base runners including leaving the bases loaded in his final inning of work in the sixth. Reliever
Jacob Corn returned to the mound for the Catamounts and scored the three-inning save, striking out three while allowing three runs on five hits
Xavier starter George Eisenhardt (1-5) took the loss, allowing six runs on five hits after two innings of work with three strikeouts against two walks. Relievers Justin Loer and Bobby Jones also both struck out three out of the bullpen.
Luke Franzoni homered in a team-best 2-for-3 effort with the remaining 10 Musketeer hits scattered between 10 batters. Xavier also got homers from pinch hitters Aedan Anderson in the eighth and Eddie Rivero in the ninth inning.
Western Carolina (13-15) returns home to open a short, four-game homestand by hosting Gardner-Webb in the first of three seasonal meetings against the Runnin' Bulldogs on Wednesday, April 6 with a 4 p.m. first pitch. The Catamounts then open Southern Conference play next weekend as the ETSU Buccaneers come to Cullowhee for a three-game series at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
