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Western loses first two games in conference baseball tournament
Western Carolina's run in the Southern Conference Baseball Tournament didn't last long as the Catamounts (30-26) lost their first two game last week at Riley Park in Charleston, S.C. Eighth-seeded College of Charleston upset Western 9-7 last Thursday one day after

Charleston

The Cougars jumped to a 6-1 lead after two innings and stretched the margin to 9-1 before hanging on for the 9-7 win.

The Cats took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on Alan Beck's sacrifice fly.

Charleston bounced back with five runs in the bottom of the frame, highlighted by a two-run single by Mitch Miggenburg, and an RBI double by Tradd Denny.

The Cougars added a run in the second on singles by Jasha Balcom and Nick Orlandos and an RBI ground out by Ronny Marmol. Balcom's two-run homer made it 8-1 in the fourth.

CofC extended its lead to 9-1 with a run in the seventh as Balcom reached on a bunt single, stole second and third and scored on an error.

The Catamounts mounted their comeback with four runs in the seventh, all with two outs. A walk to Rod Goldston and a single by Ryan Schade led to RBI singles by Beck and Todd Buchanan before Donovan Minero delivered a two-run single cutting the gap to 9-5.

WCU made it interesting in the ninth when Goldston walked, Minero delivered an RBI double and Brad Sigmon plated a run with a single.

Andy Hutchings came on in relief for Charleston with two outs and fanned Doug Myers for his 12th save.

Ryan Mau earned the win with 6.2 innings of work as he walked seven and struck out seven. WCU starter Seth Foster (5-4) lasted just 3.2 innings.

Balcom had a perfect day at the plate going three of three. Nick Orlandos and Micah Smith both had two hits.

Minero paced the Cats with three hits in five at-bats.

Greensboro

Shane Schumaker went three of five with three RBIs and two runs scored leading UNC-G to a 7-5 win in the tourney's opening game. The Spartans would reach the championship round before falling to Citadel.

Doug Schutt led off the game with a double and scored on an RBI single by Schumaker. In the second, Chris Cook singled and came home on a Ramon Balderas triple for a 2-0 UNC-G lead. After the Spartans went ahead 3-0 in the fifth, Western responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame. Greensboro starter Everett Hancock was cruising, allowing just one hit through the first four innings, before Myers grounded a shot up the middle that caught Hancock in the midsection forcing him to exit the contest. Beck delivered a two-run single off reliever Taft Cable that closed the game to 3-2.

The Spartans added three runs in the seventh, two on a Schumaker triple, extending the lead to 6-2.

Goldston's two-run double narrowed the gap to 6-4 in the eighth.

Schumaker doubled and scored on Nick Lockhart's infield single making it 7-4 in the ninth.

Western managed a run in the ninth, but Cable struck out Buchanan to end the game. He pitched the final five innings, allowing four runs on five hits, to earn the win.

WCU starter Dan Foley (7-3) suffered the loss. He yielded six runs on 10 hits in 6.1 innings.

Lockhart, Cook, Chad Hayes, and Ramon Balderas all had two hits for the Spartans.

Recording two hits for the Cats were Beck, Minero and Myers.

Back to Sports: 05/24/01.