Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina posted big-inning rallies in both ends of Thursday's doubleheader against VMI at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium but were unable to counter with shutdown innings as the Keydets claimed both ends of the Southern Conference twin bill, winning 14-11 in 10 innings in game one before out slugging the Catamounts 17-12 in the nightcap.
 
VMI improved to 18-14 overall and 5-3 in the SoCon while the Catamounts dropped to 12-18 overall and 3-5 in league play.
 
Through two offensive games on Thursday, the two teams combined for 54 total runs on 64 hits including 27 for extra bases – 14 doubles and 13 home runs. VMI had 36 hits with five doubles and nine homers while the Catamounts legged out nine doubles with four homers.
 
Returning from injury and illness, senior Jordan Starkes led the Catamounts with five base hits over the two games as he finished 5-for-8 with a double and a home run, and a pair of walks. Cole Jones (4-for-8) and Jack Spyke (4-for-10) both finished with four hits apiece with Jones hitting a double and a homer while Spyke tallied a double and three singles in game two alone. Zach Ketterman led WCU with four RBI, posting three hits with a double and a home run.
 
Brandon Butterworth stretched his reached base safely streak to 18-straight games, collecting two hits with a walk and an HBP.
 
For VMI, Justin Starke finished 5-for-7 with three walks and a pair of HBPs, batting .714 with a .833 on-base percentage. Starke scored six runs with an RBI. Cole Jenkins (6-for-10) and Ty Swaim (6-for-12) had six hits apiece with Jenkins homering four times between the two games and finishing with six RBI. Cole Garrett had five hits and a team-best eight RBI for the Keydets.
 
Game three is tentatively scheduled for Friday evening in Cullowhee, but unfavorable weather forecasts could easily alter those plans. Any schedule updates will be released online at CatamountSports.com and through social media on Twitter using the handles @Catamounts and @CatamountBSB. The third game of the series is slated to be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
 
Game One: VMI 14, Western Carolina 11 (10 inn.)
Down 9-3 entering the bottom of the eighth inning in game one, WCU pushed across eight runs in the frame to erase the six-run deficit and head to the ninth with a two-run lead. However, VMI hit a game-tying two-run homer in the top of the ninth and tacked on three runs in the 10th to secure the victory in the opener.
 
The Catamounts got a run-scoring single by Zach Ketterman with Jack Spyke driving in a run on a groundout. Cole Jones laced a two-RBI double to left with Kyle Harbison making it a one-run game by plating a run by grounding out for the second out of the inning. With two away, Brandon Butterworth tied the game by beating out an infield single and James Hinson pushed the Catamounts ahead 11-9 with his third double of the game on a shot off the fence in left-center field.
 
However, with a runner on first and coming just one pitch after a would-be pick-off throw at first base dribbled out of Spyke's mitt, Cole Jenkins belted a game-tying, two-run homer to knot the game at 11.
 
In the 10th, VMI put the first three aboard on an HBP and a single that moved runners to second and third ahead of Cole Garrett who singled home two. Jenkins tacked on an additional RBI with a single to right field to provide the final tally. The Catamounts got a one-out walk by Pascanel Ferreras in the bottom of the extra frame, but a strikeout and line drive ended the game.
 
The two teams combined for 25 runs on 33 hits in game one including a season-high 20 hits for VMI and 13 base knocks for the Catamounts. Six Keydets posted multi-hit games with Garrett finishing 4-for-6 with four RBI while Jenkins also drove in four in a 3-for-5 effort. WCU saw five players finish with multiple hits with Jordan Starkes (3-for-3) and James Hinson (3-for-6) leading the way with Hinson's three hits all coming on doubles.
 
WCU reliever Gavin Mortenson (0-2) was saddled with the loss, tagged for five runs on four hits over an inning and two-thirds. Nick Torres struck out five over 4.2 innings.
 
Reliever Trey Morgan (1-0), who started the game in center field, tossed the final 1.2 innings of hitless, scoreless relief, striking out two against a walk. In his first career start, freshman Andrew Jones struck out three against two walks over 6.1 innings.
 
Game Two: VMI 17, Western Carolina 12
For the fourth-consecutive game, Western Carolina mounted a furious rally in the middle-to-late innings to overcome a deficit – but for the third time during the same span, the Catamounts could not complete the comeback, falling to VMI in game two, 17-12.
 
WCU overcame an 8-2 deficit to tie the game with a six-run sixth inning in the nightcap. However, the Catamounts were outscored 9-4 over the game's final three frames as the Keydets completed the doubleheader sweep and claimed the best-of-three SoCon series.
 
The Catamounts had their chances late, nearly rallying for a second time in the eighth inning. Down 13-9, Nate Stocum belted a two-run homer down the right-field line to make it a two-run game with Kyle Riesselmann clawing WCU back to within a run at 13-12 with a sharp single up the middle. VMI responded in the top of the ninth, though, pushing across four runs on a pair of run-scoring singles to plate three and adding an RBI groundout to provide the final tally.
 
Following suit from the series opener, the high-scoring game two saw 29 combined runs coming on 31 total hits – 16 by VMI and 15 for WCU – with six combined home runs, three aside.
 
The Keydets saw five batters collect multi-hit games including four, three-hit efforts. Cole Garrett finished 1-for-6 but drove in four with Grayson Fitzwater belting a grand slam home run for his lone base knock of the game with four RBI. Jack Spyke (4-for-5) led five Catamounts with multiple hits, posting his best game in a WCU uniform with three singles and a double, reaching a fifth time on a walk. Stocum, Ketterman, and Jones each homered for the Catamounts
 
Freshman Adam Quincy (0-1) took the loss, facing just two batters that both reached on base hits and scored. WCU starter Matt Schepel struck out one in an inning and a third before exiting the game with shoulder tightness. Coby Ingle provided the stop-gap for the WCU pitching staff, tossing a team-long four innings while striking out four against a walk with three runs scoring on four hits.
 
VMI's Marcus Van Alstine (1-0) picked up the victory in relief despite surrendering four runs on five hits, striking out two against a walk in 2.1 innings. Trey Morgan collected his second save to accompany his win in game one on the mound, throwing an inning and a third of hitless, scoreless relief.
 
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