FURMAN FALLS TO WESTERN CAROLINA 6-0
Alan Beck had three hits, including a two-run homer, and Ryan Basner pitched six scoreless innings as Western Carolina defeated Furman 6-0 in a winner’s bracket game of the Southern Conference Baseball Tournament at Riley Park. The game was concluded on Friday after the rain delay Thursday afternoon postponed play.
The game was concluded Friday morning after being halted by rain with on Thursday evening after six and a half innings.
Beck’s two-run shot over the left field scoreboard came with two outs in the top of the sixth off Paladin reliever Calvin Hurst, giving Western Carolina a comfortable 5-0 lead before the game was suspended.
Basner (8-2) surrendered just two hits, a single by Clint Hill and a double by Craig Caudill to open the bottom of the first. He then retired 17 of the next 18 batters he faced, striking out seven in the process. Ryan Foster pitched the final three innings for the Catamounts and yielded three hits.
Jon Stallsmith (4-6) started for Furman and took the loss. He pitched four and two thirds innings, giving up six hits and three runs.
The Catamounts scored two runs in the fifth to make the score 3-0 on a sharply hit ball by Denver Edick that went under the glove of third baseman Case Cassedy. The ball rolled all the way to the corner in left field, allowing Alan Beck to score from second and Todd Buchanan from first. Beck reached base earlier in the inning on a single and advanced to second when Buchanan drew a walk.
Western Carolina’s Brandon McDowell broke up a scoreless game in the top ofthe fourth with an RBI single up the middle that scored Edick from second. McDowell’s grounder barely eluded the glove of shortstop A.J. Davidiuk.
The Catamounts added a run in the ninth to account for the final margin when Matt Nelson scored off an error by Paladin reliever Dan Wasmuth.
With its victory, Western Carolina (39-18) advances in the winner’s bracket
to face either Georgia Southern or College of Charleston Saturday at noon. Furman
(32-23) will face VMI in a loser’s bracket game Friday at 5 p.m.