University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
20-23
Western Kentucky
31-16
Johnson’s Solo Blast Lifts Asheville to 2-1 Win Over WKU
05.05.2024 | Baseball
This weekend's series is sponsored by Jan Davis Tire
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – After having to cancel Saturday's contest due to inclement weather, the UNC Asheville baseball team and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers returned to Greenwood Field on Sunday for the final game of the weekend series. The Bulldogs walked away with a 2-1 victory to finish the weekend 2-0.
Asheville's runs came in the Bulldogs' first and final offensive attempts. Ty Kaufman extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a leadoff single in the first and swiped second and third to put Asheville in scoring position early. Later in the inning, a fielding error by WKU's first basemen allowed Kaufman to score to help Asheville take an early 1-0 lead.
Western Kentucky was able to even the score with a solo shot in the sixth, but Cameron Johnson responded with a solo shot of his own in the eighth. Johnson's home run, his sixth of the season, put Asheville ahead 2-1. The Hilltoppers tried to make it interesting by moving a runner over to third in the ninth, but a groundout to Johnson and a game-saving tag by Michael Groves helped send the Bulldogs to victory.
The Bulldogs outhit the Hilltoppers 8-4, with Kaufman and Dylan Bacot leading the way with two apiece. Corbin Lanowitz, Kohl Abrams, Johnson, and Groves each recorded a hit.
Five Bulldogs took the mound for Asheville. Colby Guy got the start, going 3.2 innings, giving up two hits, no runs, walking three, and striking out four. Jacob Williams recorded the final out of the fourth inning before Cole Schiff pitched the fifth and sixth innings. Jacob Strmiska pitched in the seventh, and Justin Honeycutt tossed the final two frames to earn the win.
Asheville will return to action on Wednesday, May 8, as the Bulldogs travel to face ETSU in Johnson City, Tenn. Game time is scheduled for 5 p.m. The Bulldogs' final home series of the season will be next weekend, May 10-12, with senior day being on May 11.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Honeycutt, Justin (3-1)
L: MOE, Coby (1-1)
Batting:
2B: HALLER, Austin 1
HR: LIZAMA, Ethan 1
RBI: LIZAMA, Ethan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: LIZAMA, Ethan 1
HBP: MARMO, Caleb 1
Batting:
HR: Johnson, Cameron 1
RBI: Johnson, Cameron 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kaufman, Ty 1 ; Johnson, Cameron 1
SB: Kaufman, Ty 2
CS: Lanowitz, Corbin 1
