UNCG Baseball Clinches Series Against Western Carolina Catamounts in 11-8 Win

UNCG Baseball Clinches Series Against Catamounts in 11-8 Win

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) baseball team defeated the Western Carolina Catamounts in an 11-8 win to take the series, 2-1.

Kennedy Jones lit the board up with his fourth home run of the season during his first at-bat of the game in the bottom of the first.

Zack Budzik scored four runs to match his career high in one game, going 3-for-3 with two RBI and a double. Jones went 2-for-4 at the plate, scoring three runs with one RBI, for the only other multi-hit game for the Spartans.

How it Happened

GC Jarman continued the scoring effort in the bottom of the first with a sacrifice fly allowing Budzik to run home for a 2-0 lead. The Catamounts cut the deficit to 2-1 with a RBI single from Hinson in the top of the second.

The Spartans extended their lead in to three runs, 4-1, in the bottom of the third. The two runs scored on an error during Mitchell Smith’s at bat and Rowan Watt’s RBI single. Again, in the bottom of the fourth, two more runs crossed the plate as Smith’s two-run single scored Jones and Budzik, 6-1.

The Catamounts had a late rally at the top of the sixth, scoring one off a sacrifice fly out to the right field, and a two-run home run from Drew Needham bringing UNCG’s lead down to two runs, 6-4. The Catamounts continued scoring bringing in four runs, to take the lead, 8-6.

UNCG countered, scoring three in the bottom of the seventh, including Jones scoring on a wild pitch, Budzik stealing home, and Jacob Budzik crossing the plate on Jarman’s sacrifice fly, for a 9-8 lead.

After retiring six-straight Catamounts, the Spartans drove in Bradley Bott and Daniel Cerda on Zach Budzik’s RBI single to right center, 11-8, which was the eventual game-winning hit.

Records

UNCG: 13-11, 2-1 SoCon
Western Carolina: 10-14, 1-2 SoCon

On Deck

UNCG heads to NC State on Tuesday, March 28th for a midweek match-up starting at 6 p.m.

Following the single contest, the Spartans have their first away weekend series of the season against SoCon opponent VMI starting Friday, March 31st at 6 p.m. in Lexington, Virginia.

Courtesy of Kelly Couse
Strategic Communications Coordinator

UNC Greensboro