Tuesday, May 20
Charleston, S.C.
TBA
Davidson College
10
vs
11 (12)
Western Carolina
Western Halts Wildcats' Near-Comeback with 11-10, 12-inning Win
5/20/2008 4:49:30 PM | Baseball
Lauren Biggers -- Assistant SID
Box Score
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Trailing 10-3 entering the top of the ninth, the 10th-seeded Wildcats scored seven runs, but despite three scoreless innings from Matt Webb, ended their season with an 11-10, 12-inning loss to the seventh-seeded Western Carolina Catamounts in the opening round of the 2008 Southern Conference Baseball tournament at Joe Riley Park Tuesday afternoon.
Davidson trailed 9-0 entering the eighth, in a game that seemed over early, but turned into a dramatic battle that lasted four hours and 39 minutes.
The Wildcats started their rally in the top of the eighth, putting up three runs on four hits and chasing Western starter Drew Saberhagen, who allowed just two runs on six hits in 7 1/3 innings.
After the 'Cats took advantage of walks, errors and hit batsmen for seven runs to tie the score in the top of the ninth, Webb shut down the Catamount offense for three scoreless innings, but was unable to go the distance. With two on and no outs in the bottom of the 12th, J.C. Lyon's liner into right field allowed the winning run to score on a throwing error from third.
"It's one of the most amazing games I have ever been a part of," head coach Dick Cooke said. "We struggled with our approach at the plate early in the game, but I thought we showed great patience. And we got a Herculean effort from Matt Webb today."
Davidson finishes the season 12-38 overall and 4-24 in the league, while Western improves to 24-33 overall and 7-21 in the conference and advances to face No. 2 Coll. of Charleston tomorrow at 10 a.m.
Third baseman Chris Fitzpatrick started off the Wildcats' scoring in the eighth with a single into center field and scored on Brett Shore's base hit through the right side. Second baseman Zach Kayne doubled down the left field line, sending in a pair of runs, to narrow the lead, 10-3. Kayne, who drew three walks in the game, set a new single-season school record with 47 walks on the season, besting Ryan Stroker '00 and Jay Heafner '06 with 45 each.
With Saberhagen gone, the rest of the Catamount bullpen did not fare as well. Western used six pitchers to close out the game, and Wildcat hitters scored eight runs on six hits and drew six walks. Catcher Tommy Piacenza reached on a fielding error to start the big inning, and Chris Fitzpatrick slapped a one-out single into the right-side gap. Center fielder Hugh Eden got hit by a pitch to load the bases, and everybody moved around on a wild pitch for the first run of the frame.
Shore and Kayne drew back-to-back walks, loading the bases and scoring the second run of the inning, and Matt Ray and right fielder Chase Fitzpatrick followed with consecutive two-out, bases-loaded walks. Piacenza made his second appearance of the inning and was hit with the bases still loaded, and pinch hiter Pat Brady knotted the score with a clutch two-run single into left field.
Chase Fitzpatrick finished 3-for-5 to lead the Wildcats, collecting three of the team's 12 hits. Reliever Mac Hunter (0-1) was tagged with the loss after facing two batters in the 12th in relief Webb.
For the Catamounts, Chris Masters was credited with the win after pitching a hitless twelfth. Matt Johns was a 4-for-5 day with three RBI to lead the Western offense.
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Trailing 10-3 entering the top of the ninth, the 10th-seeded Wildcats scored seven runs, but despite three scoreless innings from Matt Webb, ended their season with an 11-10, 12-inning loss to the seventh-seeded Western Carolina Catamounts in the opening round of the 2008 Southern Conference Baseball tournament at Joe Riley Park Tuesday afternoon.
Davidson trailed 9-0 entering the eighth, in a game that seemed over early, but turned into a dramatic battle that lasted four hours and 39 minutes.
The Wildcats started their rally in the top of the eighth, putting up three runs on four hits and chasing Western starter Drew Saberhagen, who allowed just two runs on six hits in 7 1/3 innings.
After the 'Cats took advantage of walks, errors and hit batsmen for seven runs to tie the score in the top of the ninth, Webb shut down the Catamount offense for three scoreless innings, but was unable to go the distance. With two on and no outs in the bottom of the 12th, J.C. Lyon's liner into right field allowed the winning run to score on a throwing error from third.
"It's one of the most amazing games I have ever been a part of," head coach Dick Cooke said. "We struggled with our approach at the plate early in the game, but I thought we showed great patience. And we got a Herculean effort from Matt Webb today."
Davidson finishes the season 12-38 overall and 4-24 in the league, while Western improves to 24-33 overall and 7-21 in the conference and advances to face No. 2 Coll. of Charleston tomorrow at 10 a.m.
Third baseman Chris Fitzpatrick started off the Wildcats' scoring in the eighth with a single into center field and scored on Brett Shore's base hit through the right side. Second baseman Zach Kayne doubled down the left field line, sending in a pair of runs, to narrow the lead, 10-3. Kayne, who drew three walks in the game, set a new single-season school record with 47 walks on the season, besting Ryan Stroker '00 and Jay Heafner '06 with 45 each.
With Saberhagen gone, the rest of the Catamount bullpen did not fare as well. Western used six pitchers to close out the game, and Wildcat hitters scored eight runs on six hits and drew six walks. Catcher Tommy Piacenza reached on a fielding error to start the big inning, and Chris Fitzpatrick slapped a one-out single into the right-side gap. Center fielder Hugh Eden got hit by a pitch to load the bases, and everybody moved around on a wild pitch for the first run of the frame.
Shore and Kayne drew back-to-back walks, loading the bases and scoring the second run of the inning, and Matt Ray and right fielder Chase Fitzpatrick followed with consecutive two-out, bases-loaded walks. Piacenza made his second appearance of the inning and was hit with the bases still loaded, and pinch hiter Pat Brady knotted the score with a clutch two-run single into left field.
Chase Fitzpatrick finished 3-for-5 to lead the Wildcats, collecting three of the team's 12 hits. Reliever Mac Hunter (0-1) was tagged with the loss after facing two batters in the 12th in relief Webb.
For the Catamounts, Chris Masters was credited with the win after pitching a hitless twelfth. Matt Johns was a 4-for-5 day with three RBI to lead the Western offense.
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