Friday, March 25
Davidson, N.C.
7:00 p.m.
Davidson College
1
vs
2
Western Carolina
Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Western Wins Game One, 2-1
3/25/2011 11:45:57 PM | Baseball
Box Score
DAVIDSON, N.C. — Matt Benedict allowed just one run over eight innings and struck out 13 to lead the Western Carolina Catamounts to a 2-1 win over the Davidson Wildcats in the opening game of the SoCon series Friday night at Wilson Field.
Davidson (10-11, 4-5 SoCon) got 11 hits, including five to lead off innings, off Benedict (W, 1-1), who worked out of jams all night and left nine Wildcats on the base paths to earn the win for Western (9-10-1, 1-6).
Junior center fielder Seth Freeman (1-for-5) went up the middle in the first, but Benedict got a double play ball from freshman left fielder Forrest Brandt and out of the inning with a two-out strikeout of senior designated hitter Danny Weiss (1-for-4).
Sophomore third baseman Andrew Barna (2-for-4, RBI) dropped a double into shallow left field, and sophomore shortstop Michael Zeblo (1-for-4) followed with a one-out base hit to center in the second. But Benedict kept the 'Cats off the board again with a punch out, before picking Barna off third to end the frame.
After getting lone hits in the first and second, Western got to junior LHP Chris Lamb (L, 1-3) for a run on a pair of hits in the third. Aaron Attaway doubled into the corner in right and bumped to third on a groundout in the next at-bat before scoring on an RBI-single from Matt Johns. But a spinning Zeblo flipped to junior second baseman James Cerbie, who connected with a lunging Gadaire at first for an inning-ending double play to keep it a one-run game.
Lamb faced the minimum in the fourth, and the Wildcats tied it up as Barna went down the left field line to score Gadaire, whose leadoff double looked like it might stay foul but swirled back into fair territory and dropped in shallow left field.
Benedict's sixth strikeout ended the scoring, and Lamb got a ground ball and two strikeouts in the fifth. But despite sacrificing him to second, the 'Cats couldn't take advantage of a leadoff double from freshman right fielder Kelly Myers (3-for-4), as Benedict struck out two more before the Catamounts added what proved to be the winning run in the sixth. After working a leadoff walk, Austin Schultz stole second and scored on a one-out base hit by Ross Heffley. Lamb left a pair on with a pair of strikeouts, but not before Western went ahead 2-1.
The Catamounts threatened to do more damage in the seventh, getting a pair of base hits to bring out senior RHP Mike Frongello. Attaway sacrificed the runners over a base, and Frongello intentionally walked Schultz to load the bases for the force, a gamble that paid off as he struck out Johns and fielded a ground out from Heffley to leave the bases loaded.
Frongello stranded two more in the eighth and one more in the ninth, but the Wildcats couldn't find the tying run. Myers and pinch hitter #J.P. Craven# (1-for-1) put together a pair of one-out base hits in the seventh, but Benedict got a fly out and his 10th strikeout to end the inning. Davidson got a two-out rally going in the ninth off reliever Taylor Sandefur, as Myers smacked his second hit of the game and pinch hitter Matt Ray worked a walk to bring on Andrew Chilcoat (S, 1), who struck out Freeman to end the game.
The Catamounts finished with nine hits, led by Johns (2-for-5, RBI) and Julian Ridings (2-for-4).
DAVIDSON, N.C. — Matt Benedict allowed just one run over eight innings and struck out 13 to lead the Western Carolina Catamounts to a 2-1 win over the Davidson Wildcats in the opening game of the SoCon series Friday night at Wilson Field.
Davidson (10-11, 4-5 SoCon) got 11 hits, including five to lead off innings, off Benedict (W, 1-1), who worked out of jams all night and left nine Wildcats on the base paths to earn the win for Western (9-10-1, 1-6).
Junior center fielder Seth Freeman (1-for-5) went up the middle in the first, but Benedict got a double play ball from freshman left fielder Forrest Brandt and out of the inning with a two-out strikeout of senior designated hitter Danny Weiss (1-for-4).
Sophomore third baseman Andrew Barna (2-for-4, RBI) dropped a double into shallow left field, and sophomore shortstop Michael Zeblo (1-for-4) followed with a one-out base hit to center in the second. But Benedict kept the 'Cats off the board again with a punch out, before picking Barna off third to end the frame.
After getting lone hits in the first and second, Western got to junior LHP Chris Lamb (L, 1-3) for a run on a pair of hits in the third. Aaron Attaway doubled into the corner in right and bumped to third on a groundout in the next at-bat before scoring on an RBI-single from Matt Johns. But a spinning Zeblo flipped to junior second baseman James Cerbie, who connected with a lunging Gadaire at first for an inning-ending double play to keep it a one-run game.
Lamb faced the minimum in the fourth, and the Wildcats tied it up as Barna went down the left field line to score Gadaire, whose leadoff double looked like it might stay foul but swirled back into fair territory and dropped in shallow left field.
Benedict's sixth strikeout ended the scoring, and Lamb got a ground ball and two strikeouts in the fifth. But despite sacrificing him to second, the 'Cats couldn't take advantage of a leadoff double from freshman right fielder Kelly Myers (3-for-4), as Benedict struck out two more before the Catamounts added what proved to be the winning run in the sixth. After working a leadoff walk, Austin Schultz stole second and scored on a one-out base hit by Ross Heffley. Lamb left a pair on with a pair of strikeouts, but not before Western went ahead 2-1.
The Catamounts threatened to do more damage in the seventh, getting a pair of base hits to bring out senior RHP Mike Frongello. Attaway sacrificed the runners over a base, and Frongello intentionally walked Schultz to load the bases for the force, a gamble that paid off as he struck out Johns and fielded a ground out from Heffley to leave the bases loaded.
Frongello stranded two more in the eighth and one more in the ninth, but the Wildcats couldn't find the tying run. Myers and pinch hitter #J.P. Craven# (1-for-1) put together a pair of one-out base hits in the seventh, but Benedict got a fly out and his 10th strikeout to end the inning. Davidson got a two-out rally going in the ninth off reliever Taylor Sandefur, as Myers smacked his second hit of the game and pinch hitter Matt Ray worked a walk to bring on Andrew Chilcoat (S, 1), who struck out Freeman to end the game.
The Catamounts finished with nine hits, led by Johns (2-for-5, RBI) and Julian Ridings (2-for-4).
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