Asheville, N.C. – Entering in the seventh inning as a pinch hitter, James Hinson homered twice to lead six Catamounts with two-hit efforts on Tuesday evening as Western Carolina completed the home-and-home sweep of its mountain-rival UNC Asheville powering to a 14-5 victory at Greenwood Field.
 
Hinson accounted for five RBI between an opposite field seventh-inning three-run homer to left and a two-run blast to right in the ninth inning. Trent Turner reached base three times in a 2-for-5 effort, hittng a lead-off solo home run in the eighth inning. Transfers Tafton Hensley and Mason Holton both collected run-scoring doubles, Hensley finishing 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI while Holton was 2-for-3 and two runs driven in, adding a pair of walks.
 
Kyle Riesselmann continued to swing a hot bat, credited with a 2-for-5 performance at the dish with a pair of runs scored in the lead-off spot, while Zach Ketterman hit the base paths three times in a 2-for-3 effort with a walk and an RBI on a sacrifice bunt. Nate Stocum doubled and walked twice, pushing across WCU's first marker of the day on a third-inning RBI groundout.
 
UNCA's Robbie Burnett hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning as all six Bulldog hits were scattered between six players. Burnett finished 1-for-3 with a pair of walks and two runs scored. Michael Groves (1-for-3) doubled with an RBI with Canon Pierce also legging out a two-bagger in the home defeat.
 
Western Carolina (10-9) raced out to a 7-0 lead through the first five innings, holding the Bulldogs off the scoreboard in both the runs and hits columns until the home portion of the fifth. Stocum's run-scoring ground out scored Riesselmann in the third inning for the early advantage before the Catamounts erupted for six runs in the top of the fifth inning.
 
Kyle Harbison singled and later scored on a wild pitch to open the barrage in the fifth ahead of Hensley's two-run double off the fence in right-center that made it 4-0. Ketterman squeezed home Jack Spyke on a sacrifice bunt before Holton capped the six-run frame with a two-run double to left field as the Catamounts built the 7-0 advantage.
 
UNC Asheville (10-10) had its biggest frame in the home portion of the fifth, answering WCU's six-spot with Burnett's three-run homer to pull the 'Dogs back to within four, 7-3, through five complete.
 
Two innings later, WCU reclaimed its seven-run edge as Hinson went to the opposite field for his three-run, pinch-hit homer that handed the guests a 10-3 lead. The Bulldogs manufactured two runs in the home portion of the inning, plating a run on a bases-loaded walk before Groves lifted a sacrifice fly to left to ultimately cap UNCA's scoring.
 
The Catamounts provided the final tally with the long ball in the top of the final two innings as Turner led off the eighth with a solo home run to left before Hinson's second round-tripper with a two-run shot in the 14-5 victory. After opening with seven-straight runs, the Catamounts finished the game by scoring seven over the final three innings.
 
Freshman Davis Budd was solid in the three-inning start, working around four walks with a pair of strikeouts without allowing a base hit. Jackson Reid (2-0) was credited with the win as the first reliever out of the bullpen, surrendering three runs on three hits with a walk and a strikeout. Dylan Wheeler struck out two in his inning of relief with Griffin Guinther, Shane Huntsberger, Gavin Mortenson, and Clay Cox combining to toss the final three frames, Mortenson with a strikeout as both he and Cox tossed a hitless, scoreless inning.
 
UNCA reliever Nic Melton (0-1) was saddled with the loss after starter Nick Bruno left after two innings with a pair of walks and a team-best two strikeouts over two innings. Melton likewise tossed two frames but was tagged for the first run. The Bulldogs used a combined nine pitchers, three tossing two innings apiece as Bruno and Melton were joined by Brett Johnson who struck out one with three runs on three hits allowed.
 
Western Carolina extended its seasonal win streak to six in a row with its 10th tally of the season as it prepares to enter Southern Conference play this weekend, welcoming East Tennessee State to Childress Field / Hennon Stadium for a three-game series. League play is slated to open on Friday (March 22) with a 5 p.m. first pitch, followed by a 2 p.m. start on Saturday (March 23) and conclude at 1 p.m. on Sunday (March 24). Each game against the Buccaneers will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats available online at CatamountSports.com.
 
Keep track of everything related to WCU Athletics and Catamount baseball including any game day schedule changes through our social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountBSB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountbsb).