University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
12-11
Villanova
8-10
Baseball Falls in Middle Game at Villanova on Saturday
03.21.2026 | Baseball
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The teams traded scoreless frames for the first two innings, before Villanova scored four times in the third and once in the fourth for a 5-0 lead heading to the fifth. After a scoreless fifth, Asheville clawed back into the game with one run in the sixth and three in the seventh to cut the deficit to 5-4. Blaize Johnson drove home the first run in the sixth on a single to center to score Logan Lowe, before the Bulldogs would get back in the game in the seventh. Owen Michelson led the inning off with a walk, before Zeb Swangim ripped a one-out single to right to move Michelson to third. Coleman McGinnis was hit by a pitch to load the bases, before Michelson scored on a Logan Lowe groundout with the other two runners moving up 90 feet each. Johnson would drive in Swangim and McGinnis with a single to center to get the Bulldogs back within one. Villanova responded with three runs in the bottom of the seventh and two runs in the bottom of the eighth to bring the game to its final score.
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Johnson paced the offense with two hits and three RBI in the game, while Patrick Gillen, Michelson and Swangim each had one hit in the game. Lowe also drove in one run in the game. Lowe, Michelson, Swangim and McGinnis each scored once in the game. Michelson also stole one base in the game. Cooper Smith (1-2) took the loss on the bump for the Bulldogs, allowing two runs on one hit through two innings with one walk and two strikeouts. Nick Bruno collected 0.2 innings of work allowing two runs on two hits with one walk, before passing the ball to Garrett Crum who fired 3.2 innings of relief. Crum surrendered two runs, one earned on one hit with one walk and four strikeouts. Matthew Hall and Landon Gross combined to finish the game, with Gross tossing a scoreless inning allowing two hits and picking up one strikeout.
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The Bulldogs (12-11) come back tomorrow (Sunday, Mar. 22) to finish the series with Villanova. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m., with video and live stats available at www.uncabulldogs.com.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jack Kelley (2-3)
L: Smith, Cooper (1-2)
Batting:
RBI: Lowe, Logan 1 ; Johnson, Blaize 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Lowe, Logan 1 ; Michelson, Owen 1 ; Swangim, Zeb 1 ; McGinnis, Coleman 1
SB: Michelson, Owen 1
CS: Lowe, Logan 1 ; Green, Ben 1
HBP: Gillen, Patrick 1 ; McGinnis, Coleman 1
Batting:
2B: JoJo Montgomery 1
RBI: Austin Lemon 3 ; Brayden Leonard 1 ; Michael Whooley 2 ; John Freitag 1 ; Carter Richey 2 ; JoJo Montgomery 1
SH: JoJo Montgomery 1
SF: John Freitag 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Austin Lemon 1 ; Brayden Leonard 2 ; Michael Whooley 1 ; Mark Giallusi 1 ; Larry Hotaling 3 ; JoJo Montgomery 1 ; Jack Roventini 1
SB: Brayden Leonard 2 ; Michael Whooley 1 ; Jack Roventini 1
HBP: Brayden Leonard 1 ; Mark Giallusi 1
