University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Western Carolina
Baseball Drops 10-7 Game at Western
04.02.2008 | Baseball
CULLOWHEE, N.C.? Kevin Mattison went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI but Western Carolina came away with 10-7 victory over UNC Asheville on Wednesday night.
The Bulldogs (12-19) opened the scoring in the top of the first inning. Mattison reached on an error and advanced to second base. Kevin Weidenbacher extended his hit streak to 26 games with a single moving Mattison to third where he would score on a double play.
Western (12-15) scored twice in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, Barrett Shaft tied the game with his second home run of the season to tie the game. Blake Murphy followed with a base hit and stole second base. He scored on a RBI single by Ryan Matthews.
Asheville retook the lead in the third inning. Mattison doubled to lead off the inning. Elliott Arrington drew a one-out walk and Reed Kreiser delivered a two-out, two-RBI double down the right field line to score both base runners.
Once again, the Catamounts answered in the bottom of the inning. A walk and a hit batter began the rally. Dylan de Graaf delivered a two out single to tie the game and a wild pitch scored the go ahead run from third.
Western extended its lead with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. A single and two walks loaded the bases with one out. Adam Baker delivered a two RBI-single to left. A wild pitch scored the final run of the inning to make the score 7-3.
Asheville answered in the top of the sixth. Danny Baatz reached on a fielder's choice and scored on a RBI-triple by Beau Zinman. After a walk to Catlin Carter, Mattison hit his sixth home run of the year to right field to tie the game.
Mathews drove in his second run of the night with a RBI double that scored Shaft from first base to put WCU back ahead 8-7. The Cats finished out the scoring in the eighth as Tyler Kirkpatrick's two-out single plated runners from second and third.
Garrett Ozar (4-2) picked up the win for Western while Matt Dalby (0-1) took the loss for Asheville. Mattison went 3-for-5 scoring three runs and driving in three more while Kreiser went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Western's Mathews went 4-for-5 and Shaft was 2-for-3.
Bulldogs will return home on Friday afternoon to open a three-game Big South series against Liberty at 3 p.m. at Greenwood Field. The game will be broadcast on the internet at uncabulldogs.com.
