Cullowhee, N.C. –
Trent Turner lifted a three-run home run over the right field fence to cap a four-run eighth-inning rally on Sunday afternoon as Western Carolina erased its second, three-run deficit against Samford to win the series rubber match, downing the preseason favorite Bulldogs, 10-9, at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
The Catamounts fell behind 3-0 in the top of the first inning, but rallied back with a trio of two-run innings to claw in front 6-4 through four complete. However, Samford crafted a five-run fifth to lead the series finale, 9-6, after the fifth inning.
WCU's bullpen then settled to keep the Bulldogs off the board over the final four frames, with the Catamount offense coming back to life in the decisive eighth to earn the come-from-behind victory.
Turner finished 2-for-5 with a fourth-inning, run-scoring double and the eventual game-winning three-run home run, plating a game-high four in the victory.
Jaylen Jones reached base all four times he went to the plate, finishing 3-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring three of WCU's 10 runs.
Walker Fox (1-for-5) got the Catamounts going with a two-run home run in the second inning after Samford's three-run first, with
Jackson Lyda (1-for-4) reaching twice with a single and a walk with an RBI on a fourth-inning groundout.
Wyatt Stanley (1-for-3) drove home two, igniting the eighth-inning rally with a run-scoring fielder's choice as part of two RBI. Stanley was also plunked and drew a walk.
Noah Quarless reached base four times with a trio of walks and an HBP as the Catamounts improved to 17-8 overall, 2-1 in SoCon play as WCU improved to 12-3 at home this season.
For Samford (9-13, 1-2 SoCon), four players collected multiple hits, with Eddie Marshall finishing 3-for-4 with three singles and adding a walk to reach base four times. Gus Gandy (2-for-5) doubled, with Jake Souders (2-for-5) and Will Lawrence (2-for-5) both singling twice. Souders was struck out three times, with Lawrence seeing action in the place of Jackson Harris, who was ejected from Saturday's game. Jeffrey Ince (1-for-4) doubled home a run in the fourth inning for Samford.
Down to its final six outs and trailing by three, 9-6, WCU got a spark off the bench as pinch-hitter
Yates Sikes coaxed an eight-pitch walk, firing up the Catamount dugout.
Jaylen Jones then shot a single through the right side to put two on before Lyda loaded the bases with a second walk in the inning.
Stanley jump-started the rally, reaching on a bases-loaded fielder's choice that drove home a run to trim the deficit to two. Then, on a 0-1 pitch, Turner launched one to right that carried the fence for the three-run homer that propelled WCU to the lead.
The drama wasn't done there, though. Reliever
Bryant Kimbrell, who ended up tossing 4.1 innings in the winning effort, got a ground ball that exploded over the head of Turner to put the tying run aboard with a single. Kimbrell then used his heavy fastball to induce a foul out to the left side of the infield before striking Lawrence out looking to push the Bulldogs to the brink with one out remaining.
After delivering a strike to Jeffrey Ince for the 0-1 count, Kimbrell received the ball back from Quarless, but circled the mound in pain and ultimately was forced to exit with an injury. Reliever
Owen Austin then worked around one out of the zone, and a pair fouled off to strike out Ince looking on an outside pitch that was called a strike for the third and game-winning out.
Kimbrell (4-0) stayed perfect on the season with the victory, striking out four against a walk over his 4.1 innings of two-hit, scoreless relief. Austin was credited with the save, facing just the one batter.
James Fordham, who started in the midweek for the Catamounts, settled things early after starter
Evan Myers was chased after just two-thirds of an inning. Fordham struck out two over a pair of walks with five runs – four earned – on six hits.
Hard-throwing reliever Zak Spurrier (1-2) was tagged with the tough loss, surrendering the final three runs on the Turner homer, one of two hits allowed, while also issuing a pair of walks. Andrew Marble struck out two against two walks and three hits in two innings as the starter, with John Malone tossing 1.2 innings as the most effective reliever with four strikeouts and a walk, scattering two hits in scoreless relief. Drew Druckenmiller and Austin Tommasini both tossed 1.2 relief innings, with Tommasini striking out a pair.
After posting a 6-2 record during its eight-game homestand, Western Carolina (17-8, 2-1 SoCon) plays seven of its next eight games away from Cullowhee. The Catamounts close their string of eight-straight games against "Bulldog" monikers this week, visiting UNC Asheville (12-12, L-2) at Greenwood Field on Tuesday before a three-game SoCon series this weekend at The Citadel (March 27-29).
Tuesday's mountain-rivalry game at Asheville is scheduled for first pitch at 4 p.m., with the weekend series at Joe Riley Park in Charleston, S.C., opening Friday at 6 p.m., and continuing Saturday at 2 p.m., before closing Sunday with a 1 p.m. start. Each game is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required) with links to live stats available online at CatamountSports.com.
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