Cullowhee, N.C. –
Marshall McGowan hit his first career home run as part of a career-best, three-hit and six RBI effort on Saturday afternoon to help power Western Carolina to a 13-4 win over Morehead State in game three of the nonconference action series at Childress / Hennon Stadium.
WCU's 13 runs came on 10 base hits, as the Catamounts broke open a tight affair with a six-run fourth, tacking on a solo marker in the fifth, two in the sixth, and capped it with a four-spot in the home half of the eighth inning. The home squad capitalized on 10 combined walks and six hit batters.
McGowan (3-for-5) doubled twice in addition to his home run, and
Trent Turner (2-for-3) singled twice as the duo accounted for half of WCU's hit count and the lone multi-hit games in the winning effort. Turner reached base four times, adding a pair of walks.
Noah Quarless singled home two in the decisive fourth inning.
Jackson Lyda reached three times with a pair of HBPs and a single, adding a sacrifice fly.
Wyatt Stanley finished 1-for-2, but reached base four times with two walks, an HBP, and a solo home run in the sixth inning.
Kyle Krupp and Davis Germann both finished 2-for-4 at the top of the Morehead State lineup, with Germann scoring twice and Krupp scoring once with an RBI. Alex Kean drove home two with a fourth-inning sacrifice fly and an eighth-inning double. The eight Eagle hits were spread between six players.
Davis Wright (1-1) was solid in the start, scattering three runs on five hits over five innings with four strikeouts to collect his first victory of the season. WCU is now 4-1 in games he has started this year.
Mason Snyder struck out two over three relief innings, surrendering his first run of the season on two hits before
Tyler Oaks finished the game with a strikeout in an inning of one-hit, scoreless relief.
Kamden Hawks (1-2) took the loss as the first of six Eagle pitchers to see action, giving up six runs – five earned – on just four hits with three walks against a pair of strikeouts. Carter Owens struck out two in an inning of relief, and Bradley Poynter also fanned two in 1.1 relief innings.
Morehead State broke the scoreless stalemate in the top of the fourth inning, using a pair of bunt singles by Krupp and Germann before the RBI double from Kearns for the 1-0 lead. Alex Kean then lifted a sacrifice fly for the 2-0 lead.
The Catamounts roared back, though, sending 12 hitters to the plate in the elongated home half of the fourth, plating six runs on just four hits while taking advantage of four walks and an HBP. Quarless doubled home Stanley and
Mason Holton, who reached on a walk and a single, respectively. With Quarless and Turner on, McGowan lifted a big fly to right that carried the fence for his first collegiate home run and a 5-2 lead. Lyda scored on a bases-loaded walk to Holton to cap the rally.
Both teams plated markers in the fifth inning, Morehead State using a Krupp single and McGowan adding to his career day with a run-scoring double to match.
In the sixth, Stanley led off with a home run to right center with Turner plating
Walker Fox, who drew a one-out walk, to stretch the margin to six at 9-3.
Two doubles in the top of the eighth inning lit the scoreboard for the Eagles as Kean plated Germann to close MSU within five, 9-4. But the opportunistic Catamounts pushed across four in the eighth to seal the deal. McGowan collected his second run-scoring double with a two-run shot down the right-field line with
Caden Haywood singling through the left side to drive in a run as he reached twice, adding a walk. Lyda capped the game's scoring with a sacrifice fly to right.
The four-game series concludes Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium, with the game available on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) and live stats links at CatamountSports.com.
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