Atlanta, Ga. – Western Carolina's offense struggled to get on track against Georgia Tech's Sunday afternoon pitching, while the Yellow Jackets scored in each of the six innings it went to the plate on the way to the 13-0 victory in seven innings in the series finale at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The potent Catamount offense was limited to just two base hits – both coming in the first inning – in suffering their third-straight loss in Atlanta. Tech has won 10 straight over WCU dating back to 2014.
Jack Spyke (1-for-1) led the Catamount offense by reaching base three times, singling in the first inning and walking twice. The Lawrenceville, Ga., product extended his active hitting streak to a season-long 12 games that also lengthened his reached base safely streak to a team-long 23 straight games.
Hayden Friese (1-for-3) legged out a first-inning double, but was ruled out at the plate on a swiping tag on Spyke's single that ended what proved to be WCU's best scoring opportunity.
The Catamounts only managed two other base runners in addition to Spyke and Friese in Sunday's loss.
Noah Quarless was hit by a pitch and
Brayden Corn reached on a catcher's interference call. After stranding double-digit runners on base in the first two games of the series, WCU only left five combined in the series finale.
Eight of Georgia Tech's 13 hits on Sunday went for extra bases. Ranked second in the country entering the game with 117 two-base hits on the season, the Yellow Jackets legged out four doubles, added a triple, and hit three home runs in the final game of the series. Drew Burress (2-for-4) homered twice with three RBI, while Drew Rogers (3-for-3) reached base four times with two doubles, a triple, and an RBI HBP.
Catamount freshman starter
Carter Burnette (2-1) took the loss, surrendering four runs on four hits with three walks in an inning and two-thirds. Five relievers went to the mound with
Josh Ossiander tossing a team-long 2.0 innings.
Owen Austin struck out one in an inning of relief, while
Cannon Pickell fanned one for his third of an inning.
Jaylen Paden (5-1) struck out eight over five innings of two-hit, scoreless relief, facing just three over the minimum before exiting. Two relievers – Alex Hernandez, who entered to start the sixth inning after starting in the outfield to retire both batters he faced. Porter Buuresma worked around a walk with a strikeout in tossing 1.1 hitless, scoreless relief innings.
Western Carolina (23-24) opens its final four-game homestand of the regular season, hosting Presbyterian on Wednesday, May 7, before welcoming The Citadel Bulldogs to Cullowhee for a three-game Southern Conference series May 9-11. The next three WCU home games are scheduled for 5 p.m. starts, with the home finale and Senior Day next Sunday, May 11, with a 1 p.m. first pitch at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
Each of WCU's next four home games are slated to be broadcast on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required) with live stats linked online at CatamountSports.com.
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