University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Wednesday, March 29
Asheville, N.C.
5 PM
UNC Asheville
11-13
5
vs
3
Western Carolina
9-15
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Western Carolina
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
3
10
1
UNC Asheville
0
0
0
1
0
0
4
0
X
5
7
1
Photo by: UNC Asheville
Tietjen’s Grand Slam Lifts Bulldogs to 5-3 Victory Over Catamounts
03.29.2017 | Baseball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Joe Tietjen has made plenty of big plays in his time with the UNC Asheville baseball team, so it should have come as no surprise Wednesday night when the senior center fielder sent a rocket of a home run over the center field wall at McCormick Field in what proved to be one of the bigger moments of the game. That home run, a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning, proved to be the game-winner, giving the Bulldogs a 5-3 win over in-state rival Western Carolina.
The Bulldogs (11-13) have now won four-straight over the Catamounts (9-15) in the series, including winning 8-0 last season in Cullowhee and claiming two games, 13-8 and 20-6, in 2015. The stretch of four games is the longest such streak by either team in the series and has seen UNC Asheville out-score the Catamounts 46-17 during the stretch.
The night was extra special for UNC Asheville as it was the Bulldogs' annual Vs. Cancer Game, where UNC Asheville raised money to donate to the Vs. Cancer Foundation in an effort to battle childhood cancer. An unofficial tally has the Bulldogs having raised over $8,500 so far this season alone. In the previous four years, UNC Asheville raised and donated close to $24,000 with much of the money staying in Asheville to help local children battling cancer.
Western Carolina took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and proceeded to keep the Bulldog batters at bay for much of the early going as the Bulldogs registered just one hit through the first three innings. That began to change in the bottom of the fourth when Kyle Carruthers drew a leadoff walk and then advanced to second when Andrew Friedholm drew a five-pitch walk in the next at-bat. Carruthers made it to third on a failed pickoff attempt by the Catamounts' second pitcher of the night, setting up a prime opportunity for Jake Madole who laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Carruthers.
The Catamounts wasted little time in retaking the lead as they scored a single run in the top of the very next inning and added what was at the time an insurance run in the top of the seventh to lead 3-1.
In the bottom of the inning, Western Carolina called upon its seventh pitcher of the game and it proved to be just what UNC Asheville needed as freshmen Joe Gruszka and Kole Harris as well as redshirt junior Joe Zayatz all notched one-out hits to load the bases. Tietjen wasted no time at the plate as he swung on the first pitch he saw and sent a towering home run straight out to center field, driving in four runs to push UNC Asheville ahead 5-3.
It was the 19th home run of Tietjen's career, moving him into a tie for 10th place all-time in program history and his four RBIs gives him 110 for his career, ninth-most by a Bulldog.
Following Tietjen's grand slam, Justin Woods, Harris and the Bulldog defense held firm to record the win. Woods (2-0) pitched 2.0 innings and struck out two batters while giving up just one unearned run to notch his second win of the season while Harris came on to pitch the final frame from his starting shortstop position to record his second save of the year.
Western Carolina sent eight pitchers to the mound throughout the course of the afternoon with starter Dillon Bray going the longest with 2.0 innings of work that saw him give up just one hit and two walks. Jacob Breakfield (0-2) was saddled with his second loss of the season.
At the plate, seven different Bulldogs combined to record UNC Asheville's seven hits. Western Carolina ended the night with 10 hits at the plate.
BULLDOG BITES
WIN THE GAME, LOSE THE HAIR: Following Wednesday's game, the entire team, including coaches and student-athletes, participated in the annual head shaving to show support for the Vs. Cancer Foundation and its battle against childhood cancer. Senior Justin Woods had not cut his hair since last season's Vs. Cancer Game while others like Spencer Orr and others gladly had their hair sheered for the cause. Members of Great Clips did the honors.
BREAKING INTO THE TOP-10 IN A BIG WAY: Senior center fielder Joe Tietjen broke into the top-10 in program history in two offensive categories Wednesday night when he ripped his grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning. It was his 19th home run, which has him tied for 10th all-time in the category. He now has 110 runs batted in, a mark that has him ninth in program history.
SWIPING BASES: Joe Tietjen also moved up a spot in program history as he stole a base Wednesday night, giving him 12 for the season and 35 for his career. He is now in sole possession of seventh in program history and is just one stolen base away from sixth and three away from fifth.
CANNONS FOR ARMS IN THE OUTFIELD: Danny Wilson had two assists from left field Wednesday night, both throwing runners out at home. He threw one Western Carolina runner out at home without a cutoff man in the top of the second inning and then combined with Kole Harris to throw another greedy runner out in the top of the sixth. The two assists gives UNC Asheville 11 outfield assists on the season, a mark that has them in the top-five in the nation in the category.
THE STREAK OVER THE CATAMOUNTS: UNC Asheville has now won four in a row over Western Carolina, the longest streak either school has had in the series. The Bulldogs have out-scored the Catamounts 46-17 during the run that dates back to the 2015 season. Head coach Scott Friedholm is now 4-0 against WCU while at UNC Asheville.
UP NEXT
UNC Asheville will remain out of conference this weekend as the Bulldogs travel to Richmond, Va., to take on the Spiders of the University of Richmond. The Bulldogs and Spiders will begin a three-game series with a 3 p.m. game on Friday, March 31. The two will then open the month of April with a 1 p.m. game on Saturday, April 1, before closing out the series with a game at high noon on Sunday, April 2.
QUOTABLES
"We did a great job tonight on the mound minimizing the damage when Western had opportunities. We also played really good defense with two guys being thrown out at home and a really nice double play by Joe Gruszka at second. Obviously the big hit by Joe Tietjen to give us the lead and the confidence that we needed to finish those last two innings was huge as well." - Scott Friedholm
The Bulldogs (11-13) have now won four-straight over the Catamounts (9-15) in the series, including winning 8-0 last season in Cullowhee and claiming two games, 13-8 and 20-6, in 2015. The stretch of four games is the longest such streak by either team in the series and has seen UNC Asheville out-score the Catamounts 46-17 during the stretch.
The night was extra special for UNC Asheville as it was the Bulldogs' annual Vs. Cancer Game, where UNC Asheville raised money to donate to the Vs. Cancer Foundation in an effort to battle childhood cancer. An unofficial tally has the Bulldogs having raised over $8,500 so far this season alone. In the previous four years, UNC Asheville raised and donated close to $24,000 with much of the money staying in Asheville to help local children battling cancer.
Western Carolina took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and proceeded to keep the Bulldog batters at bay for much of the early going as the Bulldogs registered just one hit through the first three innings. That began to change in the bottom of the fourth when Kyle Carruthers drew a leadoff walk and then advanced to second when Andrew Friedholm drew a five-pitch walk in the next at-bat. Carruthers made it to third on a failed pickoff attempt by the Catamounts' second pitcher of the night, setting up a prime opportunity for Jake Madole who laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Carruthers.
The Catamounts wasted little time in retaking the lead as they scored a single run in the top of the very next inning and added what was at the time an insurance run in the top of the seventh to lead 3-1.
In the bottom of the inning, Western Carolina called upon its seventh pitcher of the game and it proved to be just what UNC Asheville needed as freshmen Joe Gruszka and Kole Harris as well as redshirt junior Joe Zayatz all notched one-out hits to load the bases. Tietjen wasted no time at the plate as he swung on the first pitch he saw and sent a towering home run straight out to center field, driving in four runs to push UNC Asheville ahead 5-3.
It was the 19th home run of Tietjen's career, moving him into a tie for 10th place all-time in program history and his four RBIs gives him 110 for his career, ninth-most by a Bulldog.
Following Tietjen's grand slam, Justin Woods, Harris and the Bulldog defense held firm to record the win. Woods (2-0) pitched 2.0 innings and struck out two batters while giving up just one unearned run to notch his second win of the season while Harris came on to pitch the final frame from his starting shortstop position to record his second save of the year.
Western Carolina sent eight pitchers to the mound throughout the course of the afternoon with starter Dillon Bray going the longest with 2.0 innings of work that saw him give up just one hit and two walks. Jacob Breakfield (0-2) was saddled with his second loss of the season.
At the plate, seven different Bulldogs combined to record UNC Asheville's seven hits. Western Carolina ended the night with 10 hits at the plate.
BULLDOG BITES
WIN THE GAME, LOSE THE HAIR: Following Wednesday's game, the entire team, including coaches and student-athletes, participated in the annual head shaving to show support for the Vs. Cancer Foundation and its battle against childhood cancer. Senior Justin Woods had not cut his hair since last season's Vs. Cancer Game while others like Spencer Orr and others gladly had their hair sheered for the cause. Members of Great Clips did the honors.
BREAKING INTO THE TOP-10 IN A BIG WAY: Senior center fielder Joe Tietjen broke into the top-10 in program history in two offensive categories Wednesday night when he ripped his grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning. It was his 19th home run, which has him tied for 10th all-time in the category. He now has 110 runs batted in, a mark that has him ninth in program history.
SWIPING BASES: Joe Tietjen also moved up a spot in program history as he stole a base Wednesday night, giving him 12 for the season and 35 for his career. He is now in sole possession of seventh in program history and is just one stolen base away from sixth and three away from fifth.
CANNONS FOR ARMS IN THE OUTFIELD: Danny Wilson had two assists from left field Wednesday night, both throwing runners out at home. He threw one Western Carolina runner out at home without a cutoff man in the top of the second inning and then combined with Kole Harris to throw another greedy runner out in the top of the sixth. The two assists gives UNC Asheville 11 outfield assists on the season, a mark that has them in the top-five in the nation in the category.
THE STREAK OVER THE CATAMOUNTS: UNC Asheville has now won four in a row over Western Carolina, the longest streak either school has had in the series. The Bulldogs have out-scored the Catamounts 46-17 during the run that dates back to the 2015 season. Head coach Scott Friedholm is now 4-0 against WCU while at UNC Asheville.
UP NEXT
UNC Asheville will remain out of conference this weekend as the Bulldogs travel to Richmond, Va., to take on the Spiders of the University of Richmond. The Bulldogs and Spiders will begin a three-game series with a 3 p.m. game on Friday, March 31. The two will then open the month of April with a 1 p.m. game on Saturday, April 1, before closing out the series with a game at high noon on Sunday, April 2.
QUOTABLES
"We did a great job tonight on the mound minimizing the damage when Western had opportunities. We also played really good defense with two guys being thrown out at home and a really nice double play by Joe Gruszka at second. Obviously the big hit by Joe Tietjen to give us the lead and the confidence that we needed to finish those last two innings was huge as well." - Scott Friedholm
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Woods, Justin (2-0)
L: Jacob Breakfield (0-2)
S: Harris, Kole (2)
Batting:
2B: Nobu Suzuki 1
RBI: Caleb Robinson 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Brett Pope 1 ; Bryson Bowman 2
SB: Brett Pope 1 ; Bryson Bowman 1 ; Matt Smith 1
HBP: Nobu Suzuki 1 ; Bryson Bowman 1 ; Cameron Blaquiere 1
PO: Cameron Blaquiere 1
Batting:
2B: Friedholm, Andrew 1
HR: Tietjen, Joe 1
RBI: Tietjen, Joe 4 ; Madole, Jake 1
SH: Madole, Jake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Zayatz, Joe 1 ; Tietjen, Joe 1 ; Carruthers, Kyle 1 ; Gruszka, Joe 1 ; Harris, Kole 1
SB: Tietjen, Joe 1 ; Carruthers, Kyle 1
CS: Wilson, Danny 1
HBP: Carruthers, Kyle 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
4
lf/ss
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ BaseballC
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
INF/RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballINF/RHP
/ Baseball
OF/RHP
/ BaseballOF/RHP
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