Greenville, S.C. – On the strength of a solo home run and a pair of two-run doubles that peppered the Green Monster in left field, fourth-seeded Western Carolina rallied from an early deficit with a five-run sixth inning to carry a two-run lead into the final third of Friday night's elimination game in the 2024 Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
 
However, No. 7 seed Mercer continued its postseason run by scoring four unanswered runs over the final third of Friday night's game including a three-run homer in the top of the eighth inning to eliminate the Catamounts 10-8.
 
The Bears advance into the final four and a Saturday afternoon rematch with third-seeded ETSU in the second of three games on the tournament schedule. Western Carolina saw its season ended with a 28-26 overall record.
 
Senior Zach Ketterman reached base three times, finishing 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and three RBI including the first of two two-baggers in WCU's five-run sixth inning. Classmate Drew Needham (2-for-4) also reached three times with a walk and a two-run double. Senior Kyle Riesselmann (2-for-3) and junior Jack Spyke (2-for-4) both singled twice as four Catamounts posted multi-hit games.
 
Senior James Hinson belted his second solo home run of the tournament, sparking WCU's sixth-inning rally with a blast over the right corner of the Monster in left-center field. The remaining four of WCU's 13 hits were spread between four Catamounts with senior Nate Stocum, junior Trent Turner, junior Mason Holton, and sophomore Hayden Friese each reaching on singles.
 
Mercer had five players post multiple hits with a combined four home runs in the win. Ely Brown (3-for-5) finished a triple shy of the cycle with a solo homer, a double, and a run-scoring single to lead the Bears. Ty Dalley (2-for-5) hit a two-run home run with Jackson Cherry (1-for-5) homering in the seventh inning. Bradley Frye (2-for-4) had the biggest hit of the game, though, with a go-ahead, three-run home run in the top of the eighth inning.
 
Western Carolina rallied from multiple deficits on Friday evening, falling behind 2-0 after the top of the first inning. In the home half, Ketterman reached third base on a double with a mishandled ball in right field allowing him to stand 90 feet away before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Turner to cut the deficit in half. WCU continued to threaten in the bottom of the opening frame with Stocum singling and Needham walking, but both were stranded.
 
The Bears lengthened their lead in the second with a three-spot including a two-run and solo home run, carrying the 5-1 lead into the fourth inning. In the bottom of the frame, Friese singled home Holton before WCU managed to load the bases. Ketterman was then plunked by a 3-0 inside pitch to drive in a second run to cut the deficit to two, 5-3. However, a double-play with the bases juiced squelched the Catamount rally.
 
Mercer used a pair of two-out base hits to prevent a shutdown inning in the top of the fifth, stretching the lead back to three, 6-3.
 
In the sixth inning, Hinson blasted the second pitch of his at-bat over the wall in left-center to spark what proved to be a go-ahead rally. Friese and Spyke both reached before Riesselmann sacrificed both into scoring position. Ketterman then rang a two-run double off the Green Monster to knot the game at six apiece. Three batters later with two runners aboard, Needham bounced one off the left-field wall for a second two-run double to give the Catamounts their first lead of its tournament at 8-6.
 
However, WCU managed just two more base runners for the remainder of the game with singles in the eighth and ninth innings while the Bears mounted their rally. Jackson Cherry hit a solo homer in the seventh to make it a one-run game before Frye cleared the bases with what proved to be a game-winning, three-run home run to left, propelling Mercer into Saturday.
 
Catamount senior Jonathan Todd (2-2) was saddled with the loss, surrendering three runs on three hits with three strikeouts against a walk. Dante Visconti earned the start, surrendering five runs – four of which were earned – on four hits with a pair of walks over two innings. Dusty Revis struck out four over five relief innings.
 
Jaxon O'Neal (2-2) – the fifth pitcher used by the Bears – secured the victory despite exiting the game due to injury in the eighth inning. O'Neal tossed 1.2 innings of one-hit, scoreless relief with a strikeout with Colton Cosper collecting his second save of the year, striking out one over 1.1 innings with just a single allowed. Starter Graham Yntema gave up three runs on six hits over 3.1 innings with a strikeout.
 
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