Cullowhee, N.C. – James Hinson blasted a two-run home run and Hayden Friese connected on the first round-tripper of his career with a solo shot in the middle innings for Western Carolina, but East Tennessee State rode a strong start to even the best-of-three Southern Conference series with a 12-3 victory on Saturday afternoon at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
 
WCU's 8-4 win on Friday and ETSU's 12-3 triumph in game two sets up a Sunday afternoon series rubber match with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats available online through a link at CatamountSports.com.
 
Jack Spyke collected two of WCU's six hits in a 2-for-4 effort with a double, while both Hinson and Kyle Riesselmann reached base twice – Hinson with a homer and a walk, Riesselmann doubled and was hit by a pitch. Drew Needham (1-for-3) likewise reached twice with a single and a walk. Friese rounded out the offensive highlights for the Catamounts with his sixth-inning solo home run.
 
Six Buccaneers posted multi-hit games including three with three-hit efforts. Cameron Sisneros, who was robbed of a homerun at the end of Friday's opener, delivered a two-run shot in the first inning while adding a double and a single in a 3-for-5 performance. Nick Iannatone posted his second three-hit game with a 3-for-6 effort with a double and two RBI, with Noah Gent finishing 3-for-5 with two runs driven in for the Bucs.
 
ETSU (15-7, 1-1 SoCon) hit three home runs in the first two innings on Saturday afternoon to race to an 8-0 lead after two complete. With the deficit nine after the top of the fourth, Spyke doubled ahead of Hinson who blasted his third home run in his last three games to put the home squad on the board and make it 9-2 through four complete.
 
The Bucs got one of the markers back in the top of the fifth inning with a two-out RBI double by Iannatone with Friese scoring WCU's third run on his solo home run in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Ahead of the stretch in the seventh, ETSU capitalized on a lead-off walk and a double with a pair of run-scoring singles to hit a dozen runs. After Ketterman reached on a throwing error to start the seven, ETSU retired the next nine straight to end the game to earn the series-evening victory.
 
Catamount starter Spenser Hamblen (2-3) took the loss, surrendering eight runs – seven earned – on seven hits and a pair of walks. Reliever Davis Budd matched a career-high with three strikeouts over 2.1 innings out of the bullpen with the five remaining relievers – Carson Lowder, Cannon Pickell, Shane Huntsberger, Clay Cox, and Griffin Guinther – each recording one strikeout apiece with an inning of work.
 
ETSU's Andrew Ronne (4-1) was strong through seven innings in the start, striking out eight against two walks and scattering six hits with three earned runs allowed. Both arms out of the bullpen in Tyler Fetterman and Cason Engert struck out one in an inning of hitless, scoreless relief.
 
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