Winston-Salem, N.C. – No. 13 Wake Forest hit three of its four home runs in the game on a trio of solo shots in the opening frame and rode a dominant pitching performance as Western Carolina dropped game one of its nonconference series on a dreary Saturday evening at David F. Couch Ballpark.
The series continues Sunday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Both ends of the twin bill will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra (
paid subscription required) and through the Watch ESPN app with live stats linked online at CatamountSports.com.
Western Carolina (23-20) was limited to just three singles in the loss, two collected by
Trent Turner (2-for-4) who delivered a two-run knock in the top of the ninth inning to put the Catamounts on the scoreboard.
Nate Stocum (1-for-4) extended his active hitting streak to 18 straight games with a ninth-inning single.
Hayden Friese reached base a team-high three times on a trio of walks with
Mason Holton collecting a free pass in the eighth for WCU.
Zach Ketterman opened the ninth with a first-pitch HBP to push his reached-base safely streak to 17 straight as he and Stocum scored the two runs for the Catamounts.
Wake Forest (30-16) had three players post two-hit outings with Seaver King (2-for-4) and Jack Winnay (2-for-5) both homering among their pair of knocks with an RBI apiece. Cameron Gill reached three times with a pair of singles and a walk with Marek Houston (1-for-4) leading off the game with a solo homer and Jake Reinisch (1-for-4) hitting a three-run shot as part of a four-run sixth.
Three home runs in the first inning – two coming on first pitches – staked Wake Forest to a three-run lead after one complete inning. Meanwhile, the Catamounts were limited to just two base runners through the game's first five innings coming on a pair of walks by Friese. Wake recorded 10 strikeouts during the same span.
Wake Forest tacked on an additional marker on a two-out single in the fifth before a four-run sixth inning that featured a three-run home run by Reinisch. The Deacs capped their scoring in the seventh with a one-out RBI single by Gill who was later thrown out trying the backend of a double steal by Catamount catcher
Kyle Harbison.
In the ninth, Ketterman was plunked on the first pitch of the frame before Stocum lifted his streak-extending single into center field. With two in scoring position, Turner bounced a single through the right side allowing both runners to scamper home. Friese drew his third walk to again put two Catamounts on the paths, but a pair of groundouts and a strikeout ended the game with two aboard.
Catamount starter
Gavin Mortenson (2-5) struck out seven over his six-inning start and was tagged with eight runs on nine base hits with four walks.
Ryan White and
Cannon Pickell both struck out two out of the bullpen in tossing an inning apiece.
Entering the weekend as the NCAA's strikeout leader, Wake's Chase Burns (9-1) lived up to the billing in scoring the win as the Tennessee transfer fanned a baker's dozen over his six hitless, scoreless innings. The only blemishes for Burns were a pair of walks and a wild pitch. Zach Johnston struck out over two innings with Hudson Lee – making his debut – touched for both runs on two hits and a walk without recording an out. Andrew Koshy finished off the final three outs.
All told, the two teams combined for 30 total strikeouts on Saturday night – 19 by the Deacons and 11 by the trio of WCU pitchers.
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