Charleston, S.C. – After falling behind a run in the home half of the fourth inning, Western Carolina used a pair of three-run frames in the fifth and sixth to score the 6-2 victory over The Citadel, sweeping its Southern Conference series over the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon from Riley Park.
 
The holiday weekend three-game sweep of The Citadel was Western Carolina's first over the Bulldogs since 2021 which also came with a trio of wins in Charleston.
 
The tandem of Kyle Riesselmann and Trent Turner capped their solid weekends in the Lowcountry in combining to drive in three of WCU's six runs on a pair of base hits. Riesselmann finished 1-for-5 with a double and an RBI, while Turner reached base safely four times in a 1-for-2 performance with a double, two walks, an HBP, and a pair of RBI.
 
Jack Spyke (2-for-5) was the lone Catamount to post a multi-hit game, collecting a pair of singles with Drew Needham (1-for-3) legging out an RBI double. Kyle Harbison finished 1-for-3, plating a run on a sacrifice fly.
 
For the second time in the weekend series, WCU's pitching staff limited The Citadel to just four base hits – all single that were scattered between four different players. Chase Loggins finished 1-for-4 with an early RBI, while Garrett Dill and Aryan Patel both reached twice on walks. Sawyer Reeves, Thomas Rollauer, and Travis Elliott each collected one hit apiece for the home squad.
 
Both teams stranded a pair of base runners through the opening third of Saturday's finale. WCU put two aboard in the top of the first but were turned back while the Bulldogs had a runner in both the second and third innings but were unable to dent the scoreboard.
 
In the bottom of the fourth, the Bulldogs got going as Travis Lott reached with a lead-off HBP before being sacrificed into scoring position. Loggins then lifted a single into right field that allowed Lott to scamper home for the game's first marker and a 1-0 Bulldog lead.
 
Western Carolina responded a half inning later, scoring three runs with two out in the inning to take a lead it would never relinquish. Zach Ketterman reached on a one-out, infield error before Harbison drove a single up the middle to put two aboard. Riesselmann then collected the first of consecutive doubles, scoring Ketterman on his two-bag base hit down the left field line with Turner doubling to left to score two.
 
The Citadel (15-11, 0-6 SoCon) immediately loaded the bases in the home half of the fifth on a walk and two hit batters before reliever Dante Visconti induced a double-play that allowed one run to score but helped limit the damage and preserved a 3-2 WCU lead through five complete.
 
In the sixth, a Jack Spyke single and an infield error that allowed Hayden Friese to reach base put runners at the corners with nobody out. WCU cashed in on a wild pitch that allowed Spyke to score before Drew Needham doubled to right center field to push the Catamount advantage to three, 5-2. Harbison capped the game's scoring with a sacrifice fly to center to score Needham and provide the final tally, 6-2.
 
From the sixth inning on, The Citadel managed just four base runners with a WCU double-play in the eighth and a total of three left on base resulting in the series sweep-clinching win for the Catamounts.
 
Senior Dante Visconti (1-0) earned the victory on the mound Saturday, tossing two hitless, scoreless innings of relief for starter Cole Beverlin who made his first collegiate start for the Catamounts in the series finale. The WCU pitching legacy scattered two runs on two hits over his four innings of work, countering a pair of walks with two strikeouts. Sophomore Ryan White scored his first career save by tossing the final three innings while holding the Bulldogs scoreless with just one base runner on a walk.
 
Bulldog starter Ben Hutchins (3-3) took the loss after allowing three unearned runs on four hits with three strikeouts against two walks. WCU also tallied three runs against Anthony Hausner coming on two hits without the reliever recording an out in the sixth inning. Luke Kissenberth struck out three over three innings at the backend of The Citadel's bullpen.
 
Western Carolina (14-11, 4-2 SoCon) steps out of the conference for its next four games each coming on the road. The Catamounts travel to Boiling Springs, N.C., on Tuesday, April 2, to face the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs (9-17) at 6 p.m., before traveling to Mason, Ohio, for a three-game set against the Akron Zips at beautiful Prasco Park.
 
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).