Clinton, S.C. –
Walker Fox belted a grand slam home run to key a five-run second inning, and
Cole Jones hammered a three-run shot in a four-run fourth as Western Carolina got back on track by cruising to a 14-3 road victory over Presbyterian on Tuesday evening on Elton Pollock Field at the PC Baseball Complex. WCU's win halted a three-game slide and avenged an early-season, one-run home loss to the Blue Hose.
The Catamounts (33-20) scored 14 runs, the squad's 20th double-digit scoring effort, coming on 13 hits, spread between 10 different players. WCU earned its ninth seasonal victory, coming shy of the full nine-inning regulation distance.
Mason Holton finished 3-for-5 with a trio of singles and an RBI to lead two with multi-hit efforts in Tuesday's victory.
Jaylen Jones finished 2-for-2 before being lifted by
Yates Sikes, who collected a single. Fox (1-for-2) and
Cole Jones (1-for-3) both finished with four RBI, hitting their ninth home runs of the season.
Trent Turner and
Cam Murray both reached base twice, with Murray plating two runs on a single in the third inning.
Wyatt Stanley (1-for-4) and
Jackson Godfrey (1-for-2) both collected run-scoring singles in the winning effort.
Five Catamount pitchers combined to limit Presbyterian to three runs on just three singles, spread among three players, with one walk and a trio of hit batters. Andrew Albertus (1-for-2) reached base twice with a walk and two runs scored, with Bo Moody (1-for-1) and Jayden Adams (1-for-1) registering the squad's remaining hits.
Bryant Kimbrell (5-0) tossed a team-long three innings, striking out two with just two base runners allowed, with a single and an HBP.
Davis Wright struck out one in an inning and a third of relief, with
Colton Starling getting WCU out of the fifth inning with two-thirds of a frame.
Jacob Arnberger and
Mason Snyder pitched an inning apiece out of the bullpen.
WCU's defense turned a pair of double-plays to end both the first and second innings.
PC's Domaine Vann (0-2) took the loss, surrendering five runs – four earned – on four hits with two walks and a pair of strikeouts. Brooks Chamberlin was tagged for six runs – five earned – on six hits in an inning, before Jeremiah Hampton and Braiden Eagen both struck out three over two innings apiece with three runs allowed.
Five consecutive Catamounts reached base in the top of the second inning, with Fox homering to right-center field to score
Cole Jones,
Mason Holton, and
Jaylen Jones for the 4-0 lead.
Trent Turner singled on the infield, allowing
Cam Murray to score from second base on an error for the 5-0 advantage after two.
Murray drove home two in the third inning on a two-out single to right field as the Catamounts grabbed a 7-0 lead through three.
In the top of the fourth,
Wyatt Stanley singled home
Jackson Lyda before
Cole Jones homered to right to cap a four-run frame to push the advantage to double figures at 11-0.
Presbyterian (11-42) got on the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly in the home half of the fourth inning at 11-1. WCU extended the lead to 14-1 in the top of the sixth inning with Turner scoring on a RBI groundout, and Holton scoring Stanley on an RBI single.
Jackson Godfrey capped the Catamount scoring with an RBI single through the left side.
The Blue Hose got back to within 11 runs with two runs scored in the home half of the sixth, coming on an RBI groundout and a run-scoring single. But the Catamounts ended the threat with a strikeout to preserve the double-digit lead, with Snyder tossing a 1-2-3 home half of the seventh in the run-ruled finish.
WCU closes the regular season this week, hosting in-state SoCon foe UNC Greensboro (21-29, 6-12 SoCon) beginning on Thursday evening at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. The series includes 5 p.m. starts on Thursday and Friday, with a 2 p.m. finale on Saturday for Senior Day.
Each game of the home finale is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required) with live stats available online at CatamountSports.com.
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