Johnson City, Tenn. – Western Carolina baseball dropped both ends of Saturday's Southern Conference doubleheader at East Tennessee State in a pair of games at opposite ends of the offensive spectrum.
ETSU used big innings in sweeping the twin bill, making a nine-run first inning stand up in holding off the hard-charging Catamounts to even the series at a win apiece with a 14-13 victory in game one before limiting WCU to a single run on just two base hits in winning the day and the league series at Thomas Stadium.
WCU was outhit 22-to-14 in the Saturday twin bill with
Pascanel Ferreras reaching base six times including a 3-for-6 effort with a home run, adding a pair of walks and an HBP.
Brandon Butterworth also had three hits with a three-run homer, adding a walk.
Nate Stocum's two hits in the doubleheader were for extra bases with a double and a home run, also plating three in the two games.
Jack Spyke played in one of Saturday's two games, finishing with a team-best four singles and two RBI.
Western Carolina (16-26, 5-9 SoCon) returns home on Wednesday, May 4, to host mountain-rival UNC Asheville in the backend of a nonconference home-and-home at Childress Field /Hennon Stadium. Wednesday's game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. first pitch and will be broadcast regionally on The CW62 and ESPN+ (paid subscription required). The Catamounts are back on the road next weekend, traveling to Birmingham, Ala., to face the Samford Bulldogs.
Game One: ETSU 14, Western Carolina 13
Down by nine runs after the first inning and trailing 11-1 through two complete, Western Carolina managed to outscore ETSU 12-to-3 over the final seven innings but were unable to overcome the big start by the Buccaneers in dropping game two of the series, 14-13.
After spotting the Bucs a 10-run lead through two complete, the Catamounts managed a big inning of their own with eight runs crossing in the top of the third with the game standing at 12-9 in favor of the home squad a third of the way through. Down 14-9 entering the eighth inning, the Catamounts lit the scoreboard for three in the eighth as
Landen Morrison lifted a sacrifice fly to center and
Zach Ketterman doubled home two to make it a manageable ninth.
In the final frame,
Jack Spyke singled home
Jordan Starkes to make it a one-run game with two runners aboard. However, an infield fielder's choice stranded two and prevented the improbable come-from-behind effort.
WCU outhit ETSU 16-to-12 with six Catamounts posting multiple-hit games. Spyke paced the squad with his WCU-best four-hit effort, finishing 4-for-5 with two RBI.
Brandon Butterworth belted a three-run home run in a 3-for-6 performance with
Nate Stocum collecting a double and a homer in a 2-for-5, three-RBI outing.
Pascanel Ferreras (2-for-3),
James Hinson (2-for-6), and
Zach Ketterman (2-for-5), who drove home three on a pair of doubles, each collected two hits.
Starter
Kyle Riesselmann (1-3) suffered the loss after being roughed up in the first inning, tagged for eight runs on five hits with two walks in recording just a third of an inning.
Corey Bright tossed a team-long 2.0 innings out of the bullpen with
Landon Henley striking out three in an inning and two-thirds. Freshman
Adam Quincy was among the most effective, tossing 1.2 one-hit, scoreless innings.
ETSU had four players post multi-hit games with three – Nick Iannatone, Tommy Barth, and Leo Jiminian – each collecting three RBI apiece. Reliever Austin Emener (2-4) picked up the win after starter Cade Carlson was chased after 2.2 innings, with Derek McCarley collecting his third save of the season after an inning and a third relief.
Game Two: ETSU 8, Western Carolina 1
ETSU's Nathanial Tate, a three-time SoCon Pitcher of the Week, proved to be up to the billing in Saturday's series finale in holding WCU to a run on just a pair of base hits as the Buccaneers completed the doubleheader sweep and won the series with an 8-1 victory at Thomas Stadium.
Both of WCU's hits went for extra bases – a solo home run by
Pascanel Ferreras that proved to be the lone marker for the Catamounts and a double by
Kenny Leiner – as Tate (6-3) scattered the two hits over eight innings and worked around six walks with 10 strikeouts. Andrew Ronne struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning for the Bucs.
Ferreras finished 1-for-3, reaching twice with a walk. Leiner, who started behind the plate, was 1-for-2 also drawing a free pass.
ETSU (20-21, 6-9 SoCon) broke a scoreless tie with another big inning, pushing across all the runs it would need in a five-run frame that included a three-run home run by Noah Gent. Ferreras homered in the top of the fourth only to see ETSU answer with a marker in the bottom of the frame before capping the scoring with a two-spot in the eighth to provide the final tally.
Returning to the starting role,
Nick Torres (3-3) took the loss after allowing three runs on six singles over two and a third innings, striking out two. Three relievers finished off the finale with
Gavin Mortenson striking out four over four innings out of the bullpen, scattering four hits with a run allowed.
Nick Hyde struck out two in an inning to close the game.
While WCU's offense struggled in the nightcap, ETSU pounded out 15 base hits including three doubles and a home run. Six Buccaneers tallied multi-hit games with Gent's homer a part of a 3-for-4 offensive effort with Ashton King plating two in a 2-for-5 showing.
