Greenville, S.C. – Trailing by four, 11-7, entering the top of the ninth inning in Friday's first elimination game of the 2025 Southern Conference Baseball Championship, presented by Holston Gases, upset-minded fifth seeded Western Carolina scored three runs and had the game-tying marker at third base before a two-out strikeout squelched the rally and secured the one-run, 11-10, victory for the No. 3 seed The Citadel at Fluor Field at the West End.
 
Five of the first six Catamounts reached base in the final frame with three scoring to trim the deficit down to one. Brayden Corn drew a lead-off walk from starter George Derrick Floyd that ended his complete-game bid. After the first out was recorded on a pop-up in foul ground, Trent Turner and Jack Spyke both singled, with the latter plating a run to cut into the deficit. Mason Holton then doubled to left field to push across two that made it a one-run game.
 
Wyatt Stanley continued the rally with a second walk in the frame, with both he and Holton advancing on an infield ground out. However, a two-out strikeout ended the rally and effectively the Catamount season with two runners left in scoring position.
 
Western Carolina concludes its season at 30-28 overall, two wins better than last year's final record. It represented the first 30-win season for the Catamounts since 2016 (31-31). The third-seeded Bulldogs advance into Saturday's 3:30 p.m. game to face No. 4 Mercer.
 
Four Catamounts posted multi-hit games with Hayden Friese (3-for-5) driving in three with a pair of singles and a two-run double in the sixth inning. Brayden Corn (2-for-3) reached base four times with his third home run of the tournament, accompanying a double and two walks. Jack Spyke (2-for-5) also belted a solo home run to lead-off the fourth inning and plated a second run with a ninth-inning single, while Cole Jones (2-for-5) had a single and a double with an RBI in his first start of the tournament.
 
Trent Turner (1-for-4) reached base twice with a walk and his ninth-inning single, while Trey Spees (1-for-3) also found his way aboard two times with a single and  a walk.
 
Five Bulldogs posted multi-hit games with Anthony Hausner (3-for-5) finishing a triple shy of the cycle, driving in three including one on a first-inning single and two on a third -inning homer. Matthew Lively (3-for-4) doubled twice with his second two bagger plating two, while Travis Elliott (3-for-5) singled three times.
 
Phillips Daniels (1-for-3) reached base three times with a walk and two walks, and Aryan Patel (2-for-4) singled twice with a pair of RBI.
 
A pair of first-inning singles led to the Bulldogs taking a 1-0 lead after one complete with Hausner driving home TJ Andrews, who technically singled twice though he was cut down at second base in the third inning.
 
WCU went on to tie the game with a lead-off solo homer by Corn to open the third inning. But the deadlock was short-lived as The Citadel scored three runs in the third to pull in front 4-1 as two of the runs scoring on the Hausner homer.
Jack Spyke led off the fourth with a solo blast to center field to cut the deficit in half, 4-2, through four complete. Then, two runs on a Corn double and a run-scoring ground out by Friese knotted the game at four. Again, though, the tie didn't last long as the Cadets plated five runs in the home half of the fifth to take a 9-4 lead.
 
WCU closed back to within two in the visitor portion of the sixth inning on the strength of three doubles. Stanley doubled to left field before Jones hit an RBI two-base hit for the first run. With two aboard, Friese doubled to right field to score two runs, making it a two-run game, 9-7.
 
The Citadel tacked on a pair of insurance markers that would later prove to be paramount as Lively and Hausner scored for the 11-7 lead, setting up WCU's run in the ninth to pull to within one run, 11-10, in the season-extending victory for the 'Dogs.
 
Reliever Josh Ossiander (3-2) suffered the loss for the Catamounts after surrendering four runs on just two hits with three strikeouts but four HBPs over two innings. In his third tournament appearance, Evan Langston tossed 2.1 innings in the start, allowing four runs on six hits with a walk. Left-hander Owen Austin struck out two over 2.2 innings with two runs allowed on five base hits, with Shane Huntsberger tossing the eighth inning, allowing a run on two hits.
 
Bulldog senior George David Floyd (6-3) nearly worked a complete game in what was likely his final start for The Citadel. He gave up eight runs while scattering 11 hits over an eight-inning start, striking out five against four walks, the last of which came in the ninth inning. Maddox Webb inherited the runner in relief and allowed four-straight Catamounts to reach in the final frame with one out on the board. He was touched for two runs on three hits with a walk and a strikeout that ended the game.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount baseball and WCU Athletics through social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountBSB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountbsb).
 
2025 Southern Conference Baseball Championship
 
May 21 (Wednesday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 1: #5 Western Carolina 15, #8 VMI 1 (7 inn.)
Game 2: #7 Wofford 4, #6 UNCG 2

May 22 (Thursday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 3: #5 Western Carolina 10, #4 Mercer 3
Game 4: #7 Wofford 12, #3 The Citadel 4

May 23 (Friday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 5: #1 ETSU 16, #5 Western Carolina 13
Game 6: #2 Samford 12, #7 Wofford 7
Game 7: #3 The Citadel 11, #5 Western Carolina 10
Game 8: #4 Mercer 8, #7 Wofford 6

May 24 (Saturday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 9: #1 ETSU vs. #2 Samford, Noon
Game 10: #3 The Citadel vs. #4 Mercer, 3:30 p.m.
Game 11: Winner Game 10 vs. Loser Game 9, 7 p.m.
 
May 25 (Sunday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 12: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 11, 12 p.m.
Game 13: Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser^, 40 minutes after Game 12
^ if necessary