CLINTON, S.C. – Presbyterian College baseball shut down Western Carolina to earn its seventh win in eight games with a decisive 5-1 victory at the PC Baseball Complex on Tuesday afternoon.
PC improves to 13-4 and hosts Gardner-Webb this weekend in a Big South Conference-opening series on Friday at 3 p.m. Western Carolina moves to 6-7.
Tanner Chock (Loris, S.C.) improved to 2-0 by throwing six innings and allowing only four hits and one run, striking out five and walking two. Relievers Russell Thompson (Alcolu, S.C.), Brian Kehner (Marietta, Ga.) and Hayden Deal (Newton, S.C.) combined to allow only one hit in the final three innings and fanning three along the way. The Blue Hose also played an error-free game on defense.
Jay Lizanich (Greer, S.C.) and Ryan Hedrick (High Point, N.C.) each posted two hits on the day. Hedrick and Cam McRae (Darlington, S.C.) drove in one run apiece.
PC drew first blood in the second inning for a 1-0 lead. Peter Johnson (Seattle, Wash.) singled to right and took third with some heads-up baserunning on a Hedrick single through the right side. Western Carolina pitcher B.J. Nobles tried to pick off Hedrick for the second out, but his throw missed the mark and allowed Johnson to come home for a 1-0 PC lead.
Western Carolina tied the game on a two-out bloop single in the top of the fourth.
Three straight walks set the Blue Hose up for success in the bottom of the sixth. With the bases loaded and two away, the Catamounts' shortstop threw the inning-ending chance to second. The throw went wide, however, allowing two Blue Hose runs to come in for the 3-1 lead.
PC struck again in the bottom of the seventh. Lizanich ripped a leadoff double to the left field wall and a perfect bunt from Brandon Martin (Gray Court, S.C.) put runners on the corners with nobody out. McRae then beat out a fielder's choice to second and score Lizanich and keep a runner on, 4-1. Later, Ryan Hedrick hit a single off the mound and up the middle to score McRae, 5-1.
Blue Hose pitching and defense shone in the eighth with two tough groundouts to Lizanich and Hedrick before Weyenberg ended the inning by hauling in an over-the-shoulder catch. PC sealed the win by turning a 6-4-3 double play to end the top of the ninth.
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Western Carolina.... 000 100 000 - 1 5 3 (6-7)
Presbyterian College 010 002 20X - 5 8 0 (13-4)
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Pitchers: Western Carolina - B.J. Nobles; Korey Anderson(3); Dillon Bray(6); Taylor Durand(7);
Dylan Biumi(8); Corey Sikes(8) and Spencer Holcomb. Presbyterian College - CHOCK, Tanner;
THOMPSON, Russell(7); KEHNER, Brian(8); DEAL, Hayden(9) and KOSKI, Rob.
Win-CHOCK, Tanner(2-0) Loss-Korey Anderson(0-2) T-2:41 A-251
Weather: Warm, high-60s, overcast
