BOX SCORE (PDF)
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG baseball team outhit Southern Conference leader Western Carolina 11-6 Friday night, but a grand slam by Tyler White in the fifth inning helped the Catamounts pick up a 7-3 victory at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
The Spartans fall to 18-24 overall and 6-13 in league play while Western improves to 28-17 and 16-6. The Catamounts have now emerged victorious in nine-straight SoCon games.
Senior outfielder Christian Wolfe extended his hitting streak to 19 games, going 2-for-4 at the dish. It is the longest streak by a UNCG player since Ricky Orton strung together 20-straight games with a base knock in 2007.
A trio of Spartans tallied multiple hits in the contest while senior infielder TJ Spina and sophomore outfielder Eric Kalbfleisch drove in a run each.
Despite giving up six runs in a tough loss, sophomore RHP Max Povse (3-3) limited Western Carolina to just four hits and struck out eight batters as four of those runs came on one swing. The Catamounts came into the evening batting .299 as a team.
Povse worked around a leadoff walk to retire three consecutive batters in the top of the first, keeping the visitors scoreless. Senior infielder Trevor Edwards and junior catcher Cambric Moye reached on a two-out walk and single in the bottom of the frame, but Moye was picked off at first to end the threat.
UNCG struck first in the bottom of the second as Kalbfleisch led off with a triple to center field. A RBI groundout by Spina made the score 1-0 after two complete innings, but the Catamounts responded with a run in the fourth thanks to a one-out home run by Jacob Hoyle.
The big blow for Western occurred in the fifth as with one out and a man on second, a walk and a single loaded the bases for Julian Ridings. Povse struck out Ridings but could not stop White as he drove a ball just over the glove of Kalbfleisch and out of the park for a grand slam – making the score 5-1.
The next two innings were played quickly before a long eighth inning saw the Catamounts plate a run in the top of the frame before the Spartans answered with two in the bottom to push the score to 6-3. Wolfe singled through the right side for UNCG before he reached second on a sacrifice bunt by senior outfielder Zach Leach. Edwards poked a single through the right side to put runners on the corners before Kalbfleisch tagged a ball to left field for a RBI single. Spina then singled on the infield and an errant throw by the shortstop allowed Edwards to score from second base. Spina would subsequently reach second on a wild pitch, but sophomore outfielder Zac MacAneney struck out to end the inning.
A RBI single by Ridings in the top of the ninth provided the final margin as UNCG could not push across a run in their half of the inning.
The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday to complete the series. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 1 p.m. The UNCG baseball players will be shaving their heads as part of the UNCG Baseball vs. Cancer initiative. This will take place at 11:20 a.m. and fans will have the opportunity to participate beginning at 1 p.m.
- UNCG -
