Cullowhee, N.C. –
Wyatt Stanley homered twice and drove in four of Western Carolina's five runs on Tuesday, clawing the Catamounts back to within a run with his second round-tripper coming in the home half of the ninth inning.
However, the Catamounts were unable to overcome a pair of crooked numbers hung on the scoreboard by visiting Presbyterian, including a three-run third and a pair of insurance markers in the seventh, as WCU dropped a 6-5 decision in the front end of the nonconference home-and-home at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
Stanley reached base three times in a 2-for-4 effort, posting his first career multi-home run game, adding a first-inning walk. The High Point, N.C., product has six homers on the season, tied for the second-most on the squad, and is second with 25 runs driven in. He also has the second-longest reached-base safely streak at 15 games.
WCU's remaining four hits were spread between four players, with
Trent Turner finishing 1-for-5 with a double despite two hard-hit line drives that were snared by PC at third base.
Jackson Lyda (1-for-4) reached base twice with a single and an HBP to extend his reached-base safely streak to a career-long 18-straight games.
Caden Haywood (1-for-3) also reached twice with a single and a walk, with
Cam Murray going 1-for-3 with a single in the starting role behind the plate.
Presbyterian was keyed by a three-hit, four RBI performance by infielder Matthew Rollison, who doubled twice. He pushed home two of the three runs in the third inning for the 3-0 lead for the Blue Hose, then added the two insurance markers that were ultimately needed with a two-run double in the seventh.
PC's remaining four hits were all singles and scattered among four players, including a run-scoring knock by freshman Bo Moody (1-for-3) that started the three-run third. Catcher Layton Hyneman and outfielders Emory Guilford and James Green each singled and scored in the win.
Down 4-0 through four innings, Lyda was plunked ahead of Stanley, who gave the Catamounts life with a two-run blast to right field to trim the deficit to two, 4-2. WCU saw the next two reach with Turner's double and a walk to
Walker Fox, but were unable to inch any closer through five complete.
Reliever
Kaden Fuller struck out two in tossing a pair of hitless, scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth to maintain the two-run margin, but again, the Catamounts couldn't capitalize.
Presbyterian reclaimed its four-run lead with a two-out, two-spot in the top of the seventh inning with Green singling and Moody walking before Rollison's second double made it 6-2.
In the ninth, pinch hitters
Yates Sikes and
Noah Quarless both drew free passes to put two aboard. An infield fielder's choice erased Quarless at second, but an errant throw in attempting the double-play allowed Sikes to score and Lyda to reach second base in a three-run game, 6-3. Stanley then uncorked his second homer to right with the two-run bomb, closing WCU to within a run, 6-5. However, it was as close as the Catamounts could get, as a second hard line-drive out at third by Turner and a slight miss on a flyball by Fox ended the game.
Freshman starter
Tyler Oaks (1-2) was saddled with the loss, surrendering three runs on four hits in 2.1 innings with three strikeouts. The Madisonville, Tenn., product worked around a two-out double in the first inning and tossed a 1-2-3 second before running into trouble in the third.
Ryan White struck out two in 1.2 relief innings ahead of Fuller, who was strong through two frames.
Jacob Arnberger struck out one in two-thirds of an inning, surrendering a pair of runs on two hits, with
Griffin Guinther striking out three of the four batters he faced.
Mason Snyder tossed a perfect ninth, striking out one with just seven total pitches.
Eli Bowery tossed 2.0 innings in the start for Presbyterian, surrendering three hits with a walk and a strikeout as he worked through the WCU lineup once. Reliever Tucker Meredith (1-2) was credited with the victory as the most effective reliever, striking out two in facing just one over the minimum thanks to a dropped third strike in two innings. Jeremiah Hampton collected his first save of the year, surrendering a pair of inherited runners but only charged with one run allowed in an inning of work with a walk and a strikeout.
Western Carolina (18-12) stays out of conference this week with a road trip to Rock Hill, S.C., to face the Winthrop Eagles (21-8) for a three-game series that opens on Thursday, April 2, at Founders Field. The Catamounts and Eagles meet for the first time since 2014, when WCU swept a home-and-home series, winning 8-0 in Cullowhee and 9-6 in Rock Hill.
Games on Thursday and Friday are at 6 p.m. and will air on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required), with Saturday's finale scheduled for a 2 p.m. first pitch. Live stats for each game is available through links at CatamountSports.com.
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).
Gallery: (3-31-2026) Baseball - vs. Presbyterian (3/31)
