Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina baseball swept both ends of Saturday's nonconference doubleheader over Eastern Kentucky, winning Friday's rescheduled game 9-5 in game one before claiming the second game 10-3 at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
WCU outscored EKU by a count of 19-to-8 in the doubleheader sweep while the Catamounts outslugged the Colonels, 24-to-16. Both teams finished with a combined seven extra-base hits. On the mound, WCU's pitching staff finished with 22 strikeouts in the two games while EKU struck out 18. The Catamount defense also turned four double plays between the two games.
Making his return to the lineup after a three-game absence, senior
Jordan Starkes (5-for-10) led WCU in the doubleheader with five hits including legging out a double.
Drew Needham and
Pascanel Ferreras also both doubled, finishing 4-for-8 and 4-for-9, respectively. Starting both games,
James Hinson collected five RBI including a grand slam home run in the opener, posting a 3-for-6 effort while adding a pair of walks and an HBP.
The three-game series concludes on Sunday afternoon with a 1 p.m. first pitch at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. Live stats coverage of the series finale is available online at CatamountSports.com with updates on Twitter using the handle, @CatamountBSB.
Game One – Western Carolina 9, Eastern Kentucky 5
Sylva native
James Hinson belted a grand slam home run in the home half of the first inning as Western Carolina rallied from a two-run deficit after half a frame on the way to claiming the series-opener on Saturday afternoon, 9-5.
Down 2-0 after the top of the first,
Brandon Butterworth drew a bases-loaded walk to put the home squad on the scoreboard. Then, after coaxing a 2-0 count, Hinson drove a round-tripper over the fence in centerfield to put the Catamounts ahead for good.
EKU managed single markers in the third and fifth innings as Conner Davis hit a solo homer in the top of the third before plating a run on a single up the middle in the fifth to close to within a run, 5-4. The Catamounts then put the game out of reach with a three-spot in the bottom of the fifth inning including a run-scoring infield single by Ferreras, a bases-loaded HBP by Hinson for his fifth RBI of the day, and a wild pitch that allowed Ferreras to score. Starkes capped scoring in the eighth with an RBI single to score pinch-runner
Tom Brosnahan.
Nick Torres (1-0) earned the victory out of the bullpen, striking out two over four innings of one-hit, one-run relief of starter
Matt Schepel who struck out five without issuing a walk. Schepel allowed four runs – only three of which were earned – on eight hits over four innings.
Gavin Mortenson closed the game with an inning of work, striking out one in the top of the ninth.
EKU starter Rese Brown (1-1) was saddled with the loss after allowing five runs on three hits over four innings, striking out seven against two walks.
Three Colonels posted two-hit games with Davis (2-for-4), Miguel Larreal (2-for-5), and former Catamount Jalen Jones (2-for-4) with a double.
Game Two – Western Carolina 10, Eastern Kentucky 3
Nate Stocum hit a three-run, line drive home run down the right-field line in the home half of the first inning to power the Catamounts to an early lead as Western Carolina pounded out 10 runs on 15 hits in sweeping the backend of Saturday's doubleheader, 10-3.
EKU's Miguel Larreal homered on the game's first pitch with his lead-off round-tripper giving the Colonels a short-lived lead. Half an inning later and with
Zach Ketterman and
Pascanel Ferreras aboard, Stocum homered to give the home squad the two-run lead it would never relinquish.
Jack Spyke delivered a run-scoring single through the left side to open the scoring in a decisive five-run third with
Cole Jones blasting a three-run home run to left center before Ferreras hit a run-scoring double to right to cap the rally. Spyke struck again with an RBI single to spark a two-run fourth with
Drew Needham plating a run on an infield groundout to push WCU ahead, 10-1.
The Colonels managed two runs in the fifth including a solo home run by Ron Franklin and a Jalen Jones infield RBI groundout to make it 10-3 but would get no closer as neither team lit the scoreboard over the final four frames.
Five Catamounts posted multi-hit games with
Jordan Starkes (3-for-5) and
Drew Needham (3-for-4) finishing with three hits apiece. Ferreras doubled as a part of a 2-for-5 effort with Spyke finishing 2-for-5 with two RBI.
Starter
Kyle Riesselmann (1-1) earned the victory for the Catamounts, striking out a career-best seven over six innings. Riesselmann surrendered just three runs while scattering five hits on the heels of starting the first game in the outfield.
Dylan Wheeler struck out five against three walks over his two innings of relief work with freshman
Ryan White closing the game with an inning of one-hit, scoreless relief with a pair of strikeouts.
EKU starter Michael Schuler (0-1) took the loss, allowing eight runs on 11 hits over two and a third innings of work with a walk and a strikeout. Offensively for the Colonels, the squad's five hits were scattered between five players with Larreal and Ron Franklin both hitting solo home runs.
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