On March 29 the nation found out how good Western Carolina baseball was, and on Friday the Bucs saw for themselves as the Catamounts drilled ETSU 13-3 at Childress Field/Hennon Stadium in the series opener.
About a week earlier, the Catamounts had shocked the then-No. 1 team in college baseball, Georgia Tech, 8-5 in Atlanta, and ETSU knew that a strong showing in this series would put them ahead of Western Carolina in the Southern Conference standings.
The Bucs got behind early in game one similar to the way they did in the first game of the Elon series and saw themselves down 7-1 after two innings.
ETSU struggled to get hits in contest, scattering seven. The Bucs only had one player with more than one hit, and that was Nick Crowe, who was 2-for-4 with one run scored.
Western Carolina pitcher Caleb McConnell (5-3) had a quality outing going the distance and striking out nine while only walking one. The Catamounts were led offensively by right fielder Steven Strausbaugh, who was 3-for-4 with four RBI’s, and pre-season All-American Jared Greenwood went 2-for-3 with three runs scored.
ETSU senior Michael Bauer (1-1) was charged with the loss in the game. McCay Green, Robbie Campbell and David Yates also saw time on the mound.
As the Bucs have done all season long, the squad rebounded from the blow out loss on Friday night with a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over the Catamounts on Saturday. ETSU scored all of its runs in the final three innings.
Chuck Hargis, Caleb Glafenhein and Greg Roberts all went 2-for-4 in the game as the Bucs totaled 11 hits.
Glafenhein also got in one with his glove, making a critical throw to cut-off man Hargis, who gunned down the Catamount’s Nate Hall in bottom of the fifth when the game was 1-0.
Jeremy Hall (6-1) continued his tear through the SoCon pitching eight solid innings, surrendering only two earned runs and no walks.
Caleb Moore came collected his seventh save of the year as he came in in the ninth.
Sunday’s game was also a one-run contest, but the Bucs found themselves on the other end as they were defeated 9-8 in a heartbreak loss.
ETSU was threatening to score in the top of the ninth with the bases loaded.
But the Catamounts (21-11, 9-6) had just enough to shut the door on the Bucs and collect their ninth conference win of the year.
ETSU held a 4-3 lead in the fourth, but the Catamounts plated three in the bottom of the inning.
The Bucs tied the game in the seventh and the Catamounts responded again when Nate Hall scored Chris Davis on a sacrifice fly to center, making the score 9-8.
First baseman Anthony Russell had a good day at the plate going 3-for-4 with three RBI’s and a home run and Mike Giroud went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
With the loss ETSU in now 17-10 overall, and 7-8 in the conference and they look get back on track against this weekend when they host Wofford. Friday’s game starts at 8 p.m.

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