Box Score CULLOWHEE, N.C. – UNCG Baseball used four home runs, including two from Ryne Sigmon (Danville, Va./Danville CC) to earn an 8-5 victory over the Western Carolina Catamounts on Sunday afternoon. The Spartans snapped a three-game losing skid and improve to 36-17 overall, and 14-7 in the Southern Conference. Western Carolina falls to 25-25, and 15-9 in the SoCon. Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, UNCG is tied with Mercer Bears at 14-7 in SoCon play. The Spartans and Bears will meet in Greensboro on Thursday, Friday and Saturday for the final series of the regular season.
“Today's win says a lot about the toughness of our team.” Head Coach Link Jarrett said, “We played as fine of a game as we've played all season. Keaton (Haack) didn't have his best start, but we managed it properly, and (Chad) Sykes hadn't been in a game that early in a while, but he held on. (Bryce) Hensley got a big out on their lefty, and (Collin) Woody came in, and he (Woody)'s a competitor. He's as competitive as anyone I've ever been around and he wanted to finish it and he made pitches when he needed to. (Ryne) Sigmon on a hit and run, got on top of a fastball to run it out of here, was a good lift for us. Sigmon was in another situation with a runner on second and one out and I wanted him to get a ball that he could pull, and I told him 'I want you to hit a ball to the trees in right' and he almost did, it bounced off the top of the fence. It was a beautiful win for our team, and it'll be nice to know that we can go home and do something very special next weekend against Mercer.”
Sigmon led the Spartans with four RBI on the day, two runs scored on his two home runs. Dillon Stewart (Dunn, N.C./Brunswick CC) finished 3-for-3 with three runs scored and his team-leading 11th home run. Cesar Trejo (Greensboro, N.C./Ragsdale) finished 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Devin Ruiz (Pennsauken, N.J./Paul VI) added a solo home run, and L.J. Kalawaia (Wailuku, Hawai'i/Ohlone College) finished 1-for-3. Ben Spitznagel (Cincinnati, Ohio/Wabash Valley CC) added a hit and a run scored. Collin Woody (Tampa, Fla./College of Central Florida) added a run scored.
Keaton Haack (Greensboro, N.C./Pitt CC) got the start and logged 3.1 innings, allowing seven hits and three earned runs. Chad Sykes (Creedmoor, N.C./Voyager Academy) (4-2) picked up the win, tossing the next 3.2 innings, allowing two hits, an earned run and striking out two.
Bryce Hensley (Asheville, N.C./Catawba Valley CC) made an appearance in the eighth inning, facing two batters and recording an out. Woody logged the final 1.2 innings, allowing three his and an earned run, helping UNCG earn the win.
The Spartans took a 4-0 lead in the top of the second inning. After Stewart led off with walk, Sigmon hit his fourth home run to left center for a quick 2-0 lead. Ruiz followed suit and connected for a solo home run to left, right after Sigmon. After Spitznagel legged out an infield hit and stole second, Trejo singled to left to score Spitznagel and put UNCG up 4-0.
UNCG tacked on to its lead in the top of the third inning on a solo blast from Stewart.
Western Carolina was able to cut into the lead, scoring three runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings. Bryson Bowman hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the third, before Garrett Brown drove in a run on a sacrifice fly.
The Spartans added a run in the top of the sixth inning. Woody led off with a walk and moved to third after a sacrifice bunt and a ground out. A pitch got away from the Catamount catcher, allowing Woody to score and give UNCG a 6-3 lead.
The Catamounts cut into the Spartan lead in the bottom of the seventh inning, getting a solo home run from Bowman to trim the lead to 6-4.
UNCG regained a four-run lead in the top of the eighth inning. After Stewart led off with a double, Sigmon hit a home run off the top of the fence in right field to increase the Spartan lead to 8-4.
WCU mounted a comeback in the bottom of the ninth, plating a run on an Andrew Bullock single. Woody got a fly out to center with runners on the corners to earn the 8-5 victory.
The Spartans return to action Thursday, May 19th as they host the Mercer Bears for the first of three games between the top two teams in the SoCon.
-UNCG-
