University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Western Carolina
Bulldogs Sweep Season Series against Western with Saturday Win
05.02.2015 | Baseball
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville baseball team scored 10 of the first 11 runs on Saturday night on the way to grabbing a 13-8 win and a second consecutive victory over Western Carolina to sweep the home-and-home season series.
Overall, the Bulldogs (20-26) scored at least one run in seven of their nine at-bats, including a four-run second inning, three runs in the fifth inning and a pair of runs in the opening frame. Seven of their 15 total hits went for extra bases in the win.
After digging themselves the big hole, Western (18-24) responded with six total runs in the middle innings to cut into the deficit before Asheville cushioned the lead with single runs in the eighth and ninth frames to wrap up the night.
Tommy Houmard led the Bulldog offense with a 4-for-5 night with a triple and four RBI, and Lucas Owens collected three hits as well. Two Dogs – Joe Tietjen and Hunter Bryant – each finished with two hits, as Tietjen knocked a pair of doubles from his leadoff position and Bryant added his 11th home run of the season.
Left-hander Jordan Fulbright notched his fifth win of his freshman campaign, as the lefty tossed 5 1/3 innings and allowed just six hits and two Catamount runs while striking out a pair.
The Bulldogs jumped on the board with two runs in the opening inning via Owens' RBI double and a bases loaded walk to Justin Woods before hanging a four spot on the scoreboard in the second inning. Houmard brought in two runs with his triple and was followed by Bryant's two-run homer moments later to break the game open.
Woods added to the lead with his leadoff solo home run in the third inning before Asheville plated three runs in the fifth frame via Houmard's RBI single, a bases loaded walk to Erik Connolly and an RBI groundout by Kyle Towles.
After the Bulldogs added a single run in the top of the sixth on Houmard's fourth RBI of the night, Western Carolina posted six total runs across the sixth and seventh innings. The hosts used several big hits to pull close, including an RBI triple and a two-run homer, to get to an 11-7 deficit.
Asheville added a run in the eighth when Tietjen stole home as part of a double steal, and added their final run of the night in the ninth inning on Tietjen's RBI double.
The Bulldogs continue their run of non-conference games with a pair of midweek contests in the coming days. First, they travel to UNC on Tuesday night to makeup a game that was postponed by rain back in mid-April before returning to Greenwood Field Wednesday night for a 6 p.m. battle with USC Upstate.
