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Murphy lead WCU to sweep of Hartford in doubleheader
Western Carolina sophomore Blake Murphy went five of seven, including two home runs, with 10 RBIs leading the Catamounts to a doubleheader sweep of Hartford on March 21 at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium.
Western won game one 24-12 while getting its first shutout of the year in game two, 11-0 in seven innings.
Murphy was four of four with four runs scored and six RBIs in game one. Grey Gregory, Steven Strausbaugh, Trey McDaniel and Tim Hallam all finished with three hits while Barrett Shaft, Jonathan Greene, Ryan Wilson and Jason Haynes added two hits apiece.
Western Carolina’s Blake Murphy went five of seven, including two home runs, with 10 RBIs leading the Catamounts to a doubleheader sweep of Hartford last week. – Photo by Mark Haskett
McDaniel’s two-run homer and an error gave the Cats a 3-0 lead in the first inning of the opening game.
Strausbaugh’s homer made it 4-0 in the second.
Ben Sobocinski’s grand slam tied the game in the third.
Western regained the lead in the fourth when Murphy homered with two men on base.
Shaft’s RBI double made it 8-4 in the fifth
The Hawks tied it in the sixth on David Grossman’s two-run homer, an RBI triple by Frank Cipolla and Ryan Crowley’s run-scoring single.
WCU went ahead for good at 12-8 with four runs in the sixth. Wilson belted a three-run homer and Shaft had a sacrifice fly.
Crowley’s RBI double cut the gap to 12-9 in the eighth, but the Cats erupted for 12 runs in the bottom of the frame.
McDaniel and Murphy were both hit by pitches with the bases loaded while Greene and Gregory drew bases-loaded walks. Hallam and Murphy both had two-run singles. Haynes and Shaft each had RBI singles. Strausbaugh drove in a run with a fielder’s choice and another run scored on an error.
Hartford scored three times in the ninth to account for the final margin. Bryan Propst walked with the bases loaded, and Frank Cipolla had an RBI single.
Jeremy Ellenburg (1-0) came out of the bullpen to pick up the win.
Hartford reliever Jon Casey took the loss.
Cipolla, Crowley and Brady Stouffer all had three hits for the Hawks. Propst added two hits.
While Western’s offense was productive in both games, it was the pitching of Caleb McConnell (1-2) that was the story of game two. He pitched six innings, allowing four hits with eight strikeouts and no walks.
Murphy’s three-run homer staked the Cats to a 3-0 lead in the first.
They extended the margin to 8-0 in the second. Hallam, Strausbaugh, Gregory and Scott Ward all had RBI singles, and Murphy delivered a sacrifice fly.
WCU scored three runs in the fifth on RBI singles by Shaft and Ward and a wild pitch.
Hallam, Shaft and Ward all had two hits.
Sobocinski, and Matt O’Connell both had two hits for the Hawks.
Hartford starter Erik Price was the losing pitcher.
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