GREENSBORO, N.C. - Celebrating 20 graduating seniors from 2020 and 2021 on Saturday, UNCG baseball split itsdoubleheader against visiting Western Carolina, while clinching a series victory over the Catamounts. The Spartans secured a seventh straight win in game one to tally the series deciding result in a 6-4 final in game one, but were unable to complete the sweep in the afternoon as WCU emerged with a 7-1 finale victory.

For the second straight day, the Catamounts took the early lead but saw it erased early, as the home team responded with a five-run frame in the second inning of game one.

After conceding a run in the first, UNCG drove in five during the bottom half of the second while tallying four hits and batting through the order for the second time in its series with WCU. Zack Budzik led things off with an ambush single, before a Robbie O'Neal ground-rule double and a Bradley Bott walk loaded things up. The Spartans would score in the next four plate appearances on a bases loaded hit by pitch and a walk from Corey Rosier and Greg Hardison respectively, preceding a two-RBI single from Josh Madole to right field. Hogan Windish wrapped up the Spartan scoring in the frame after a squeeze bunt from the second baseman resulted in an infield single and a 5-1 lead.

While he wasn't perfect, starting right hander Austin Koehn sprayed seven Catamount hits and a three walks across five innings of work, holding Western Carolina to just two runs in his fourth winning decision of the season. Koehn stranded seven Catamount runners during his start, including a pair of bases loaded opportunities in the first and fifth innings, finishing his day with a pair of strikeouts.

The redshirt-sophomore's run support further increased in the fourth, when Windish drove in his second run of the game on a double to left. That run was the last that they would collect in game one however, as the home team went scoreless in their last four offensive frames. 

The lack of run production in those waning moments did not matter however, as the Spartan pitching staff used three relievers to close out the final four innings. 

Jack Voigt faced the minimum during his first two innings before getting into a bases loaded jam in the eighth that resulted in a third Catamount run. Kross Robinson collected the final out of that frame before getting in a similar situation in the ninth. Another run would come across for the visitors, but Brandon Stephens retired the final two batters of the night for his fourth save of the year and a seventh straight UNCG victory.

Contrary to its predecessors, game three of the Spartans' and Catamounts' series got off to a slow start offensively. For the first time that weekend, neither team scored in the opening frame, while WCU's first run did not come until the third, and would go down as unearned.

Alex Hoppe had an excellent start to his outing, holding a no-hitter through the first 4.2 innings of his performance on the mound. Of the Catamounts' first four base runners, two were Spartan defensive errors as Hoppe did not surrender a hit until a two-out triple in the fifth.

UNCG's starting righty held opposing batters to just three hits over his 5.2 frames but those three were enough, as two triples, a homer and those two Spartan defensive mistakes were enough to plate four. 

Although the home side was only outhit 7-5 in the game, the club was unable to group enough of their hits together to score more than one in the series finale, on a Pres Cavenaugh solo shot in the fifth. 

The Catamounts would add another three runs over the remainder of the contest to salvage a game in the series, but UNCG remained the ultimate winner on the weekend with their second straight SoCon series clinched. 

>>> Windish and O'Neal both went 2-for-4 against the Catamounts in game one of Saturday's doubleheader, with the former driving in a pair of runs. Windish started the weekend 4-for-6 (.667) through the first two games of the series with three HBP, six RBI and four runs scored
>>> Madole extended his hitting streak to five with singles in both games on Saturday. He's hitting 10-for-20 (.500) with eight RBI, a double and a home run during his current streak
>>> UNCG is 7-1 in its last eight games after seeing its winning streak end against WCU. They've outscored opponents an average of 8.9 runs to 4.3 during that time

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