Eagles Rally Past Catamounts with Nine Unanswered on Sunday
Mason Holton and Trent Turner both collect two hits; Jaylen Jones plates three
Statesboro, Ga. – Trailing for the first time after a two-spot Georgia Southern put on the board in the home half of the third inning, Western Carolina responded with a four-run fourth to surge back in front of Sunday's series finale at J.I. Clements Stadium, 5-2. However, ignited by a five-run fifth, the Eagles closed the game with nine unanswered runs to complete the season-opening sweep over the Catamounts, 11-5.
 
Senior Mason Holton reached base three times with a 2-for-4 performance, adding a walk, while classmate Trent Turner doubled as part of a 2-for-4 effort, scoring twice. Turner's two-base hit was the lone extra-base knock for the Catamounts, who again managed to out-hit the Eagles in the loss, 7-to-6, scattered between five players.
 
Freshman Jaylen Jones put together a memorable collegiate debut, bouncing home an early run on an infield groundout before plating two on his first career base hit on a two-run single to right-center field before eventually scampering home on a wild pitch with his first marker.
 
Georgia Southern's six hits were spread between six different players, with five going for extra bases, including four doubles and an eighth-inning homer. Sean Smith finished 0-for-2 but plated two while Cole Parker lifted a two-run home run to right to cap scoring late.
 
Jones handed the Catamounts the early lead with a right-side ground out to bring Turner home as WCU snapped a 17-inning scoring drought, plating two in Friday's opening inning before being blanked on Saturday. The Eagles responded with two runs in the bottom of the third inning on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly to pull ahead, 3-2, through three complete.
 
In the fourth, Turner doubled to the wall in left before Noah Quarless was plunked to put two aboard. Josh Ossiander successfully moved both runners into scoring position with a would-be sacrifice bunt that split the Eagles defense, reaching on the infield single to load the bases. Jones then collected his first collegiate base hit by dropping a single into right-center with two scoring to push the Catamounts in front again.
 
Elijah Smith successfully pushed a sacrifice bunt to third to bring Ossiander home before Jones scored on a wild pitch to cap the inning's scoring with WCU up 5-2 through four complete.
 
However, Georgia Southern capitalized on three consecutive doubles, a sacrifice fly, and a run-scoring single in the bottom of the fifth inning to retake the lead, adding a run-scoring ground out to tack on insurance as the Eagles led 7-5 after five.
 
Solo markers for the Eagles in the sixth, coming on a passed ball and a bases-loaded RBI walk, extended the lead before Georgia Southern provided the final tally on an eighth-inning two-run home run to complete the three-game sweep in the first series meetings between the longtime league rivals since 2014.
 
Striking out two to combine with starter Davis Wright to complete fanning the side in the top of the fourth inning, reliever Spenser Hamblen (0-1) was saddled with the loss after surrendering four runs on three hits with a walk. Wright struck out five over three and a third innings in his WCU debut.
 
Freshman Carter Burnette struck out two in his debut, limiting GS to a run despite three walks, while sophomore Griffin Guinther used a strikeout as part of a two-thirds inning effort. Redshirt freshman Kaden Fuller was touched for two runs in the eighth but struck out the side in his first collegiate action.
 
Georgia Southern reliever Carson Bryant (1-0) stemmed the tide in Sunday's finale to earn the victory in relief, blanking the Catamounts over 4.2 innings of scoreless, one-hit relief with a pair of strikeouts against a walk. Eagle starter Evan Vandenbosch was tagged for five runs on six hits with a walk and a punchout over the opening 3.1 innings.
 
Western Carolina (0-3) opens the home portion of its 2025 schedule with a four-game homestand beginning on Tuesday afternoon. The Catamounts will host USC Upstate at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. The home opener is scheduled for a 4 p.m. first pitch. The Catamounts will then welcome Big Ten foe Maryland to Cullowhee for a three-game weekend on Feb. 21-23.
 
Both season and single-game tickets for Catamount baseball are on sale now through the Catamount Athletics ticket office, located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center, by phone at (828) 227-2401, or online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets.
 
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