Charlotte, N.C. –
Trent Turner belted his third home run of the season with a first-inning, two-run shot to left field to give Western Carolina an early edge against in-state rival Charlotte on Tuesday evening at Hayes Stadium. However, the 49ers bullpen stymied the Catamount hitters and the home squad used a three-run fifth inning to propel Charlotte to a 5-2 victory.
Tuesday's loss halted WCU's two-game series winning streak while also marked just the second Catamount loss to Charlotte in the last 10 series meetings.
The two teams combined for seven runs on just 10 total hits with an error aside, both stranding seven on the base paths. Catamount pitching recorded a combined nine strikeouts in the loss but struck out a total of 18 times in the road loss. Seven of the nine hitters in the WCU order with multiple plate appearances were struck out twice.
WCU's four hits were scattered between four players with Turner providing the lone extra-base hit with his third home run of the season. The Waynesville, N.C., product reached twice, adding a late-inning HBP. Also recording base hits were
Tafton Hensley (1-for-3),
Zach Ketterman (1-for-4), and
Kyle Harbison (1-for-3).
Kyle Riesselmann reached twice with a walk and an HBP and was aboard in the first inning for Turner's homer.
Charlotte's six hits were additionally scattered between six different players with four going for extra bases. Johnny Sutryk finished 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI to lead the way for the 49ers, with Carson Bayne (1-for-4) and Kaden Hopson (1-for-3) also recording doubles. Noah Furcht reached base three times, adding a pair of walks to a 1-for-2 showing at the plate.
Hit by a pitch on the second offering of Tuesday's game, Riesselmann was aboard when two batters later, Turner smacked a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left field for the early lead for the Catamounts. Charlotte cut the margin in half in the home portion of the frame, though, as the 49ers cashed-in a lead-off walk, scoring on an out recorded on a throw down to second base for the second out.
WCU again threatened in the top of the second inning as Hensley reached on an infield single and Ketterman singled on a bunt to put the first two aboard. However, Trey Baker emerged from the bullpen to thwart any further rally. Baker got the ground ball he was looking for to cut-down the lead runner before the first two of five-consecutive strikeouts ended the frame.
After seeing the first two reach in the second, the 49ers successfully retired 10 in a row until a fifth-inning, two-out walk by Riesselmann. In the home half of the frame, Charlotte used a pair of doubles and a two-base error on a dropped fly ball to produce the game-tying and go-ahead run. The home squad tacked on one additional marker in the three-run inning to lead 4-2 through five complete. Two doubles sandwiched around an HBP in the home sixth allowed Charlotte to extend the margin to three and provide the eventual final score at 5-2.
Over the final four frames, WCU managed just four base runners with its best chance to score coming in the top of the seventh.
Mason Holton reached on an infield throwing error with a close play at first before Harbison shot a single through the right side to put two aboard with one out. However, the 49er bullpen continued its strong outing, retiring the next two Catamount batters to keep WCU off the scoreboard.
Senior
Jonathan Todd earned the start on Tuesday, striking out two while issuing a walk and allowing his first run of the season in a planned two-inning start. Reliever
Ryan White (0-1) was saddled with the loss as the first arm out of the WCU bullpen, allowing three runs – only one of which was earned – on two hits with a team-best three strikeouts. Relievers
Davis Budd (1),
Dante Visconti (2) and
Griffin Guinther (1) each posted strikeouts.
Charlotte's Baker (1-0) struck out nine over a 4.1 inning scoreless relief effort, allowing just two Catamount base runners on a walk and a hit batter. AJ Wilson struck out two in an inning while Tony Rossi fanned six over 2.2 hitless, scoreless relief innings.
Western Carolina (4-8) stays on the road this weekend with four scheduled neutral field contests in Michigan State's First Pitch Invitational hosted at Fluor Field, home of the Boston Red Sox single-A affiliate Greenville Drive and site of the 2024 Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases.
WCU is scheduled to face Western Michigan at 6 p.m. on Friday evening before squaring-off against the host Spartans in a Saturday doubleheader with the first pitches at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The weekend concludes Sunday at 2 p.m. against VCU which is under the leadership of a pair of former Catamount assistant coaches – head coach Bradley LeCroy and assistant coach Andrew Cox.
Each game in Greenville is slated to be broadcast on the Drive's YouTube channel, with links to 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).
