Lexington, Va. – Western Carolina baseball split its regular-season doubleheader on Friday, powering past the home-standing VMI Keydets 16-6 in game one before being on the opposite of a ninth-inning walk-off home run in falling 9-8 in the final game ahead of next week's postseason tournament.
 
With the game one victory on Friday, the Catamounts locked themselves into a top-four finish and the double-elimination portion of next week's Southern Conference Baseball Championship, presented by Holston Gases. The loss in the finale relegated WCU to a 13-8 regular-season record, landing the Catamounts in a two-way tie for third place in the final standings
 
The official seedings and pairings will be announced by The Southern Conference following the conclusion of regular season play on Saturday – though the majority of the seeds including the top four receiving byes have all been decided.
 
Zach Ketterman paced the Catamounts between Friday's two games, finishing 5-for-9 with four extra-base hits including a double, a triple, and two home runs, adding a pair of walks and an HBP. Drew Needham matched Ketterman with a .667 on-base percentage in finishing 4-for-8 (.500) with a double and two homers while also drawing three walks and an HBP. James Hinson reached base six times with three hits – a double and two home runs – adding three walks and was plunked twice, driving home a team-best five.
 
Trent Turner collected five base hits in 12 trips with a double and four RBI. Nate Stocum belted his team-best 20th home run of the season, tying him for seventh in WCU's single-season record books with the most homers in a season since Kenny Smith hit 20 back in 2007.
 
The story of the weekend, though, was missed opportunities as the Catamounts stranded double-digit runners in all three games – 10 runners in game one, 11 in game two, and a frustrating 15 in the finale for a combined 36 in the series.
 
WCU used a combined 10 pitchers between the two games, combining for 18 strikeouts including a team-best four by starter Dante Visconti and reliever Dusty Revis in game one and Griffin Guinther out of the bullpen in game two.
 
Game One – Western Carolina 16, VMI 6
Tied at three through four complete, Western Carolina outscored VMI 14-to 3 over the final five frames including a seven-run ninth to pull away for the series-clinching 16-6 victory on Friday morning in the front end of the twin bill.
 
Trent Turner led four Catamounts with multi-hit games with a double and three singles in a 4-for-6 performance, driving in three. James Hinson (3-for-4) plated five including a ninth-inning grand slam home run with Nate Stocum (1-for-4) belting a three-run homer in the sixth inning. Kyle Harbison (2-for-4) charted a double and a run-scoring single to accompany a sacrifice bunt.
 
The two teams traded runs over the first two innings before the Keydets took a 2-1 lead after three complete. Turner then delivered a two-out, two-run double that put the Catamounts in front 3-2 in the fourth inning only to see VMI tie the game in the home half of the frame.
 
Needham pushed the Catamounts ahead for good with a towering home run to center field in the fifth inning before Stocum connected on his three-run shot in the sixth for the 7-2 lead. WCU's scoring onslaught continued with a solo marker on a run-scoring single by Harbison in the seventh before Needham drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 9-2 in the final third. VMI got the run back in the home portion of the eighth.
 
The Catamounts put the game away with a seven-inning top of the ninth inning as 11 Catamounts took swings. Ketterman delivered a run-scoring triple – his third, three-bagger of the season – ahead of Turner who scored Ketterman on a single up the middle. Mason Holton drew a bases-loaded walk ahead of Hinson who blasted the grand slam to right-center.
 
VMI got back on the board to provide the final tally with a two-out, two-run homer by Grayson Fitzwater.
 
The eight Keydet hits were spread between seven hitters as Kaz Jordan finished 2-for-3  with an RBI and a run scored. Fitzwater and Justin Starke (1-for-4) both drove home two in the losing effort.
 
Dusty Revis (7-1) scored the victory in relief of starter Dante Visconti as the two combined for eight innings and eight strikeouts, both fanning four over 4.0 innings. Visconti limited VMI to three runs on four hits, working around a trio of walks while Revis scattered three hits with a run allowed in his relief appearance. Cole Beverlin tossed the final frame to secure the victory with VMI scoring twice on one hit.
 
VMI starter Trey Morgan (3-7) was saddled with the loss despite striking out seven over 5.0 innings, giving up four runs on four hits including two home runs with four walks. Six Keydet relievers combined to finish game two of its series with Clark Driscoll striking out two in 1.1 innings.
 
Game Two – VMI 9, Western Carolina 8
Western Carolina scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning on a Zach Ketterman solo home run and an RBI double off the centerfield fence by Drew Needham to knot the regular-season finale at eight. However, VMI senior Ty Swaim capped his final home game with a solo home run to center field as the Keydets celebrated a 9-8 walk-off win.
 
The Catamounts recorded double-digit hits for the third time in the series, out-hitting VMI 12-to-10  with three players combining for three hits apiece. Ketterman (3-for-5) bookended his game with solo home runs in reaching base four times by adding a walk. Drew Needham (3-for-5) finished a triple shy of the cycle including a first-inning solo homer, with Jack Spyke (3-for-4) reaching four times in his return to the lineup after last weekend's injury. The Lawrenceville, Ga., singled twice before legging out a run-scoring triple in the seventh inning.
 
Hayden Friese (1-for-3) reached base three times with an RBI single and two walks with Kyle Riesselmann lifting a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning.
 
Eight of VMI's nine starters posted hits with the ninth-inning hero senior Ty Swaim finishing 3-for-5 in finishing a triple shy of the cycle. Classmate Justin Starke became VMI's all-time hits leader with a solo home run in the fifth inning. Grayson Fitzwater (1-for-2) reached three times with a walk, HBP, and a single.
 
WCU opened the season finale with a bang as Ketterman belted the first pitch of game two over the fence in right field for the first of two Catamount homers with Needham handing the guests a 2-0 lead with a second solo round-tripper in the opening frame. VMI halved the margin in the home half as Swaim led off with a double before a wild pitch and sacrifice fly brought him home.
 
In the second inning, VMI pulled in front with a three-spot that included a pair of doubles to lead 4-2 after two.
 
The teams traded solo markers with WCU scoring in the fourth on a Kyle Riesselmann sacrifice fly to score Hayden Friese before Starke homered to reclaim the two-run lead, 5-3.
 
The next three runs belonged to WCU as the Catamounts grabbed a one-run lead, 6-5, in the top of the seventh inning. Friese tied the game with a run-scoring single before Spyke circled the base paths with his RBI triple. The one-run lead was short-lived, though, as the Keydets cashed in a lead-off walks in the home halves of the seventh and eighth innings to take a two-run, 8-6, advantage into the ninth.
 
Ketterman pulled WCU back to within a run on a solo home run to right – his second of the day – before Nate Stocum was plunked with two outs. Needham then smashed a double off the upper portion of the outfield fence in right-center to send Stocum around before sliding across with the game-tying run. The Catamounts continued to threaten with the go-ahead marker on base, but Mason Holton was victimized on a close play at first on a throw by Swaim that sent the proceedings to the bottom of the ninth tied at eight.
 
Swaim sent the home crowd home happy as he drilled a 0-1 pitch to center for the walk-off win.
 
Freshman starter Davis Budd tossed two innings, allowing four runs on five hits with a walk and a strikeout before being lifted. Spenser Hamblen tossed a team-long 3.0 innings with three strikeouts before freshman Griffin Guinther fanned four in 1.2 inning relief effort. Dylan Wheeler and Paddy McGonigal both recorded strikeouts with Shane Huntsberger charged with a run-scoring balk with a third of an inning. Cannon Pickell (0-2) was tagged for the loss on the lead-off ninth-inning homer.
 
Nathan Hawley (4-1) lucked into the win following the walk-off homer, scattering three hits with two runs over 2.1 relief innings. He struck out two against a pair of walks. Starter Andrew Jones pitched 5.0 innings, surrendering two runs on three hits.
 
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