Greenville, S.C. – Western Carolina broke a 2-2 tie with a five-run seventh inning on its way to a 9-2 lead before holding off Michigan State's ninth-inning rally to down the event-host Spartans 9-5 on Saturday evening at the First Pitch Invitational at Fluor Field.
Zach Ketterman laid down an RBI bunt single ahead of
Kyle Riesselmann who delivered a bases-clearing double to push across three runs before eventually scampering home on a wild pitch to cap scoring in the decisive seventh inning.
Nate Stocum added a two-run homer to right field in the eighth as the Catamounts built a seven-run lead before fending off a three-run ninth for the Spartans to earn the victory, snapping a five-game slide.
Western Carolina closes its early-season appearance at Fluor Field on Sunday morning with an amended first pitch at 10 a.m. against Western Michigan (7-7). The game will be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network with
live streaming audio available online at CatamountSports.com, with live video through the Greenville Drive's YouTube channel.
Riesselmann finished 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI to lead three Catamounts with multiple-hit games. Stocum homered in a 2-for-4, two-RBI effort with Ketterman plating one in a 2-for-4 showing.
Tafton Hensley and
James Hinson both doubled in 1-for-4 performances with Hinson opening WCU's scoring with a two-run double in the fourth inning. He and
Jack Spyke both reached twice with a hit and a walk.
Michigan State's Dillon Kark collected a game-high three base hits in a 3-or-5 effort with a trio of singles with Nick Williams driving in two with an RBI single in the ninth inning to pace the Spartans.
Playing in their home away from home at Fluor Field, the Spartans took the early lead with a run-scoring single in the home half of the first inning. The lead stood until Hinson doubled to right center to score both Spyke and Riesselmann for the 2-1 Catamount lead in the fourth inning.
Michigan State knotted the game with a run-scoring groundout in the sixth inning. However, the Catamounts pushed across the five runs in the seventh with Stocum's homer in the eighth to provide enough separation in the winning effort.
Catamount starter
Spenser Hamblen (2-2) scored his second victory in the Purple & Gold, surrendering two runs while scattering five hits over five innings while working around four walks with a pair of strikeouts.
Dante Visconti tossed three solid relief innings with a pair of runs on just one hit with a walk and a strikeout before
Jonathan Todd finished the game with a pair of strikeouts in an inning of one-run, one-hit relief.
Nick Powers (2-2) took the loss for Michigan State after giving up four runs on seven hits over six innings, striking out seven against a walk.
Western Carolina (5-9) faces Western Michigan for the first time on the baseball diamond on Sunday morning with the first pitch slated for 10 a.m.
A reminder that Sunday (March 10) is also the end of Daylight Saving Time with clocks springing forward one hour.
Tickets for each game hosted by the Drive at Fluor Field are available online at
https://www.milb.com/greenville/tickets/collegehstickets.
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).
First Pitch Invitational – Amended Schedule
Fluor Field – Greenville, S.C.
Thursday, March 7:
2:00 pm –
VCU 9, Western Michigan 7 (11)
6:00 pm – Western Carolina 2,
VCU 5
Friday, March 8:
4:00 pm – Western Michigan, 3 vs.
Michigan State, 5 (Home Team)
Saturday, March 9:
5:00 pm –
Western Carolina, 9 vs. Michigan State, 5 (Home Team)
Sunday, March 10:
10:00 am – Western Michigan vs. Western Carolina (Home Team)
2:00 pm – VCU vs. Michigan State (Home Team)
