Rock Hill, S.C. – Western Carolina's offense came alive over the final third of Friday night's game two at Winthrop, rallying from an early three-run deficit to tie the game at three in the top of the eighth inning. However, a two-run home run as part of a three-run home half by the Eagles provided enough cushion as Winthrop evened the best-of-three series with a 6-4 win over the Catamounts at Founders Field.
The nonconference series concludes on Saturday with a 2 p.m. start in the series rubber match. Coverage of the game is available
via live stats and
live streaming audio by Winthrop, linked online at CatamountSports.com.
Both starting pitchers were phenomenal in Friday's duel. WCU's
Carter Burnette (2-4) was saddled with the loss after striking out four over a season-long 7.1 innings. He was ultimately tagged for five runs while scattering seven hits, with two walks and a hit batter for three freebies, two of which scored for the early Winthrop lead.
On the opposite side, Luke Earnhardt strung together six and a third innings of hitless baseball in the start, maneuvering around four walks and a pair of hit batters with nine strikeouts. Issuing his final walk in the seventh inning before being lifted resulted in WCU's first run of the day, though Earnhardt did not factor into the official decision.
A day removed from lighting the scoreboard for a combined 22 runs on 28 total hits, the offense was scarce in a fast-moving Friday affair. The two scored 10 total runs on 16 hits in game two, with just five extra-base hits – three by Winthrop and two for the Catamounts.
All seven of WCU's hits were spread among seven different batters.
Noah Quarless reached base three times in a 1-for-2 effort, drawing a walk and being hit by a pitch, in addition to a single.
Walker Fox (1-for-3) found his way aboard twice with a run-scoring single and a walk, while
Trent Turner walked and plunked in an otherwise 0-for-2 effort.
Mason Holton (1-for-4) doubled home a run in the seventh inning, securing WCU's first hit and run.
Cole Jones, a middle-inning substitution, smashed his second home run in as many games with a ninth-inning, solo shot to right that pulled the Catamounts back to within two late.
Jaylen Jones extended his reached base safely streak to 17-straight games on an eighth-inning single.
Jackson Lyda saw his 19-game streak snapped in the loss.
Winthrop's nine hits came from six players, with three Eagles posting two-hit efforts in the win. Chazz Grossington (2-for-3) delivered three RBI on a pair of singles, while Josh Skowronski (2-for-3) homered and walked to reach base three times. Collin Crowley finished 2-for-4 with a double for the Eagles.
First-baseman Alan Benhardt (1-for-3) delivered the biggest swing of the night, knocking Burnette from the game with a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Free passes proved costly in the second inning, as a leadoff HBP and a walk both eventually scored on an RBI single by Grossington, as Winthrop grabbed its first lead of the series, 2-0 through two innings. Skowronski hit a solo home run in the third as the Eagles pushed their advantage to three through three.
Meanwhile, Winthrop starter Earnhardt carried a no-hitter through six and a third innings, though the Catamounts did have their chances. WCU put two on by walks in the second, only to see a double-play thwart the rally. The Catamounts later loaded the bases in the fourth on a pair of HBPs and a walk, but could not dent the scoreboard.
In the seventh,
Noah Quarless drew a one-out walk that chased Earnhardt from the mound as Winthrop went to the bullpen. Quarless was plated by the next batter, Holton, who doubled to right-center to put the Catamounts on the scoreboard. The home squad's two-run lead held through seven complete, though.
Western Carolina continued to chip away in the eighth as Turner dropped a shot into left that was ruled an error on the left-fielder, but allowed
Jaylen Jones to score. Turner eventually crossed the dish with the game-tying marker on a knock to right field by Fox, knotting the game at three.
However, after a lead-off walk and his fourth strikeout of the day, Burnette was touched for the go-ahead two-run home run by Benhardt for the 5-3 lead. The Eagles tacked on an insurance marker with a second RBI base hit by Grossington to reclaim the three-run cushion.
Cole Jones belted a lead-off home run to start the ninth, and Spees reached on a single through the right side to bring the would-be game-tying runs to the plate with nobody out. However, a trio of fly ball outs failed to advance the runner as Winthrop evened the series.
Kaden Fuller tossed the final two-thirds of an inning for the Catamounts, allowing a run on two hits in the relief effort.
Winthrop reliever Colby McNeely (5-0) was awarded the victory, striking out one in an inning and a third of one-run, three-hit relief. Harrison Wilson was the first one in relief of Earnhardt, giving up two runs – one earned – on four hits in 1.1 innings.
Game three of the series has a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday at Founders Field in Rock Hill.
