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WCU pitchers allow 47 runs as GSU sweeps three games
Western Carolina’s pitching staff gave up 47 runs in three games as Georgia Southern swept a Southern Conference baseball series over the weekend at GSU.
The Catamounts (6-14, 0-3) scored in double figures all three games, but the offense could not overcome their pitching woes.
The Eagles scored in all eight innings they batted, including a seven-run third, to take the series finale 15-12 Sunday. Jeremy Beckham was three of five with five RBIs while Chris Shehan and Jeremiah Parker both had two hits. Parker drove in four runs.
Trailing 5-2 entering the bottom of the third, GSU seized control with the seven runs to go up 9-5. The big blows were Parker’s three-run homer and Beckham’s three-run double. Another run scored on a wild pitch.
J.C. Lyons’ RBI single cut the gap to 9-6 in the fourth, but the Eagles got two in the bottom of the fourth to lead 11-6 as A.J. Wirnsberger homered with a runner on base.
Matt Johns had a two-run single for the Cats in the fifth, but Beckham’s run-scoring single made it 12-8 in the bottom of the frame.
Both teams scored a run in the sixth leaving the Eagles up 13-9. Blake Murphy homered for WCU, but Parker answered with a homer for GSU.
Murphy’s two-run double brought the Cats within 13-11 in the seventh.
The Eagles scored on an error in the seventh, and Beckham homered in the eighth for a 15-11 lead.
Nick Liles homered for the final run in the WCU ninth.
Ty Wright’s homer in the GSU first along with Beckham’s RBI single in the second countered a Western run in the top of the second on a wild pitch for a 2-1 edge.
Ryan Mathews’ two-run single, an RBI single by Johns and an RBI on Barrett Shaft’s fielder’s choice put the Cats up 5-2 in the third.
Greer, Murphy, Lyons, Shaft and Johns all had two hits.
Eagle reliever Charlie Strohecker was the winning pitcher. Blake Nation recorded the save.
WCU starter Garrett Ozar (2-2) was hammered for nine runs in two plus innings and took the loss.
An eight-run fourth inning carried GSU to a 13-12 win Saturday. Shehan had seven RBIs while going three of five, and David Richardson was three of four. Wright and Phillip Porter both had two hits.
Shehan’s grand slam and Parker’s two-run blast highlighted the fourth as the Eagles overcame a 6-2 deficit to lead 10-6. Richardson and Wright both had RBI singles.
Dylan de Graaf had a two-run homer in the WCU fifth, but Shehan’s two-run double made it 12-8 in the bottom of the fifth.
Murphy homered with a man aboard in the sixth, but Brian Pierce’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the frame kept GSU up 13-10.
RBI singles by Shaft and Liles made it 13-12 in the ninth, but the game ended with the tying run in scoring position.
Western had taken a 3-0 lead in the first on Lyons’ RBI single and Mathews’ two-run homer.
The Cats stretched their advantage to 5-0 in the second on Greer’s RBI single and Murphy’s two-run double.
Richardson homered in the GSU second and Shehan drove in a run with a ground out in the third narrowing the deficit to 5-2.
Liles’ run-scoring double put his team up 6-2 in the fourth.
Liles was three of five at the plate. Murphy, Mathews and de Graaf all had two hits.
Aaron Eubanks was the winner in relief despite giving up six hits and five runs in three plus innings.
WCU starter Drew Saberhagen (0-3) was ripped for 11 hits and 12 runs in less than five innings to suffer the loss.
Western reliever Mike Tavernier was struck in the head by a one-hop ground ball. He suffered fractured bones in his face around his right eye and was treated and released from East Georgia Regional Medical Center.
The Eagles scored nine runs in the first two innings of Friday’s opener and rolled to a 19-10 win. Shehan was four of five while Porter, Parker, Wirnsberger, Richardson and Beckham all had two hits.
They took a 4-0 lead in the first. Benedict had a two-run double with the other runs scoring on Parker’s ground out and Richardson’s sacrifice fly.
A sacrifice fly by de Graaf made it 4-1 in the second.
Winsberger’s grand slam and a solo shot by Richardson put GSU in control 9-1 in the bottom of the second.
Greer’s three-run homer in the fourth and Lyons’ solo blast in the fifth narrowed the gap to 9-5.
Porter’s RBI single and Shehan’s two-run double extended the margin to 12-5 in the bottom of the fifth.
The lead reached 17-5 when the Eagles scored five times in the sixth. Beckham, Benedict, Parker and Will Southwell all had RBI singles, and Wright delivered a sacrifice fly.
An RBI double by de Graaf made it 17-6 in the seventh.
Murphy had a two-run homer in the eighth, and another run came home on Shaft’s infield out, but the Cats still trailed 17-9.
Parker had a sacrifice fly and Richardson walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth for a 19-9 GSU lead.
Liles’ sacrifice fly drove in the final run in the ninth.
Greer and Lyons both finished with three hits.
Drew Murray pitched the first five innings for the win.
Western starter Tyler Sexton (0-3) took the loss.
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