Lexington, Va. – Cole Jones delivered a two-out RBI single to score Noah Quarless in the top of the 10th inning before Kaden Fuller sealed the victory with a strikeout to strand a pair of Keydet base runners in the home half of the extra frame as Western Carolina claimed Sunday's rubber match in its Southern Conference series at VMI with a 4-3 win in 10 innings at Gray-Minor Stadium.
 
WCU won its third-straight weekend series, including two in SoCon play, coupled with last weekend's sweep of Mercer. The Catamounts are in a three-way tie for second in the conference standings at 8-4 overall with Samford, which swept UNCG this weekend, and ETSU took 2-of-3 at home against The Citadel.
 
Jones doubled twice in a 4-for-5 effort with a pair of RBIs in the win, recording four of WCU's seven hits in the tightly-contested series finale. Trent Turner belted a first-inning home run and was later intentionally walked to reach twice in a 1-for-4 performance. Quarless (1-for-4) likewise reached base two times, coming on an RBI double and his 10th-inning walk. Virginia native Cam Murray legged out a pinch-hit double as WCU threatened to break the scoreless in the top of the ninth inning.
 
Jackson Lyda reached twice on a pair of walks, with Jaylen Jones reaching on a free pass while contributing a pair of sacrifice bunts in the winning effort.
 
Western Carolina pitching was the main story on Sunday, though, as three hurlers combined to blank the Keydets for nine innings after Grayson Fitzwater gave the home squad a 3-1 lead with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. Reliever James Fordham (4-2) earned the victory in relief, working around a pair of walks with three strikeouts and scattering four hits over 4.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Fuller struck out Cole Raile (1-for-5) with runners at first and second in the 10th to collect his second save of the season.
 
True freshman starter Evan Myers turned in the best start of the weekend for the Catamounts, striking out a career-high nine over five innings. After a shaky start, surrendering a pair of freebies on a walk and an HBP ahead of the Fitzwater three-run home run, the Denver, N.C., product settled into a groove. Myers struck out one to end the first inning before recording two strikeouts in each of the next four frames, exiting in a tie game after the fifth.
 
VMI reliever Hunter Sipe (4-2) was tagged with the loss, issuing the lead-off walk to Quarless to start the 10th before being lifted after a Jaylen Jones sacrifice bunt. Sipe surrendered a run without allowing a hit, walking two, one intentionally.
 
Starter Buddy Baker struck out four against four walks over 3.2 innings, surrendering three runs – two earned – on four hits. Andrew Jones matched Fordham, tossing five two-hit, scoreless relief innings as both offenses were kept in check for much of the afternoon. Tyler Bassett gave up the RBI single to Cole Jones with the inherited runner scoring the go-ahead marker.
 
Three Keydets finished with two-hit games, with Fitzwater (2-for-4) collecting a double to accompany his first-inning home run. Gabe Jenkins (2-for-4) and Bradley Garner (2-for-3), who reached three times, both doubled for VMI, with Owen Prince drawing a pair of walks in the loss.
 
VMI stole a pair of bases on Sunday, but were caught four times on the paths as the Catamounts held the Keydet offense in check.
 
After trading first-inning home runs with Turner's solo shot and the three-run blast by Fitzwater, the Catamounts rallied to tie the game with solo markers in the third and fourth innings. Quarless doubled home Lyda, who reached on a one-out walk, in the third inning, before a passed ball allowed Cole Jones to score from third in the fourth to knot the game at three.

Neither team managed much traffic through the middle of the game, with WCU stranding just five runners aboard through the end of regulation, including two left on in the ninth. The Keydets left five on base from the bottom of the fourth through the ninth, and had two on in the 10th when Fuller ended the game.
 
In the decisive frame, Quarless coaxed a four-pitch walk to reach before moving to second base on the second sacrifice by Jaylen Jones. Mason Holton grounded out to allow the go-ahead marker to reach third base, where Cole Jones drove a 1-0 pitch through the left side for the lead.
 
Fordham retired the first two Keydets with a strikeout and a groundout before Gardner doubled down the left-field line to give the home squad life. WCU intentionally walked Fitzwater before summoning Fuller from the bullpen. Battling through a seven-pitch at-bat, Fuller struck out Raile to secure the victory and the series.
 
Western Carolina (26-15) remains on the road on Tuesday as the Catamounts travel to Boiling Springs, N.C., to face the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs (18-22) on Bill Masters Field at John Henry Moss Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live streaming audio from the Catamount Sports Network and live stats available online at CatamountSports.com.
 
WCU then hosts mountain-rival ETSU next weekend for a three-game conference series in Cullowhee, April 24-26, in a second-place showdown in the SoCon.
 
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).