The Western Carolina University Club Baseball team was defeated by the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday, Oct. 23, 10-0 and 14-4. The series, which took place at West Cabarrus High School in Concord, N.C., was the last of three on the Catamounts’ autumn slate.
With fall break coming to a close, Western was at a disadvantage for the doubleheader. Only a mere 14 players were in the area to compete, leaving the team short-handed.
Senior right-handed pitcher, Jace Crowe, started on the mound for the Catamounts in game one. Crowe, who was making his first pitching appearance of the 2021-22 season, had a solid performance to start but tapered off. He threw three innings, allowing six hits and six earned runs.
Following Crowe were two freshman right-handed pitchers, Logan Hosch and Trey Triplett.
Triplett, who had an outing to forget last weekend against Coastal Carolina, held down the 49ers’ offensive display to end the game. He pitched one and two-thirds of an inning, allowing two hits and one earned run.
“Last weekend, I felt like I was going to go out and shut Coastal down. Just me out there, trying to do all of the work. But, I felt like this time, I just let my fastball run, and if they hit it, they hit it. I felt like I made a big adjustment from last week,” said Triplett.
Offensively, the Catamounts weren’t able to string together decisive hits to score runs. Sophomore second baseman, Evan Allen, accounted for one hit, while junior catcher, Robert Carter, tallied two singles.
Outside of the three hits, WCU struck out nine times, while at the plate.
Senior co-coaches, Aaron Prickett and Thomas Helms, both mentioned that the team’s lack of enthusiasm was a major key in the opening loss.
“We were so quiet in the dugout. We can’t expect to be competitive if we are not cheering for one another,” said Prickett.
In game two, the Catamounts hopped on Charlotte early, scoring two runs off of three hits in the first inning. Two bases-loaded walks to Jace Crowe and junior outfielder, Jared Linhart, allowed WCU to get on the scoreboard first, leading 2-0.
Junior right-handed pitcher, Daniel Humenick, started on the hill for the Catamounts. Just a week removed from his flawless six-inning performance at Coastal Carolina, both coaches were confident in his ability on the mound.
Wasting no time, Charlotte quickly responded off of Humenick, with a three-spot in the bottom of the first, taking the lead, 3-2.
Humenick would go on to pitch four innings, allowing five hits, and three earned runs. Almost replicating his performance from last Saturday, he limited the damage to a minimum.
In the sixth inning, however, following a scoreless inning on the mound by junior, John Moore, the Catamounts pulled closer to the 49ers. Back-to-back doubles by Logan Hosch and Jace Crowe made it a one-run game, trimming the score to 5-4.
The Catamounts were a scoreless inning away from potentially taking the lead and evening the series at one.
All hope came to an abrupt stop in the bottom of the sixth, as Charlotte took advantage of key mental mistakes. In the end, the Catamounts weren’t able to finish the game in regulation, losing in a mercy rule, 14-4.
Among those to start in the second game, sophomore first baseman, Cole Staggs, made his second appearance off the bench. Despite his hitless performance, he believes that the team has work left to do.
“I think we have a lot we need to work on. Command of the zone for pitching would be one of them. Pop flies for infielders would help too. If we do good in practice this winter and put our all into it, come the spring, we will do fine,” said Staggs.
The loss in game two, a heartbreaker, has the potential to serve as fuel for the spring season, said both of WCU’s coaches. With a lack of control on the mound and defensive errors as a result of the final game, co-coach Thomas Helms is confident that Western has a bright future ahead.
“In the second game, we definitely picked it up a bit and showed a little grit. To actually string hits together will get the offense prepared for the spring,” said Helms.
The Catamounts will continue to practice for the next half of the season, this winter. Their conference home-opener is on Feb. 19 against Lander University at the Fairview Youth Complex. The series, which will officially launch their 20-game schedule for the spring of 2022, will be the first of many to count towards their win-loss record.
Disclaimer: John Moore is the President of the Western Carolina Club Baseball team. He compiled this story, and took the photos above, while managing and playing.
