ASHEVILLE, N.C. (Interstat) — The UNC Asheville Bulldogs, powered by an explosive fourth inning and a dominant relief performance from Matthew Hall, overcame an early deficit to defeat the Western Carolina Catamounts 8-4 in non-conference baseball action Tuesday evening at Greenwood Baseball Field.

The game’s pivotal shift occurred in the bottom of the fourth. Trailing 4-0, the Bulldogs’ offense erupted against the Western Carolina bullpen. Owen Michelson and Jack Minarik opened the frame with back-to-back singles off reliever Templeton, who had just entered for starter Davis Budd. After a double steal and a walk to Ben Green loaded the bases, third baseman Tyler Parks cleared them with a two-run double to left field, cutting the lead in half.

Griffin Guinther entered for Western Carolina but could not stem the tide. Zach Swangim promptly delivered a two-run single up the middle, scoring Parks and Green to tie the game at 4-4 and complete the four-run rally. The inning transformed the contest, erasing the Catamounts’ early advantage built on an RBI single from Jones in the second and a run-scoring single from Nate Holton in the third.

UNC Asheville’s bullpen took over from there, with Hall providing the most critical stint. Entering with two outs in the sixth inning and the bases loaded, he induced an inning-ending flyout from Kyle Lyda to preserve a 5-4 lead. Hall then retired the side in order in the seventh and worked around a hit batter in a scoreless eighth. In total, he threw 3 1/3 perfect innings of relief, striking out three and extinguishing any chance of a Catamounts comeback. The performance was a sharp rebound for Hall, who allowed four earned runs in just 0.2 innings in his previous outing at Villanova.

The Bulldogs secured the victory with a three-run eighth inning. After L. Lowe doubled and later scored on a fielder’s choice by P. Gillen, Ben Green provided the final blow with a two-run triple down the right-field line, stretching the lead to 8-4.

Western Carolina’s offense, which entered averaging over seven runs per game, was held to just three hits by a parade of seven UNC Asheville pitchers. The Catamounts’ only runs after the third inning came on a fielder’s choice in the fifth. They squandered a major opportunity in the sixth, loading the bases with one out before Ryland Howell and Hall combined to strike out two and get a flyout.

Davis Budd was effective in a start for Western Carolina, throwing three scoreless innings and allowing no hits. Guinther and Shane Huntsberger also provided scoreless relief, but the fourth-inning outburst proved too much to overcome.

With the win, UNC Asheville improved its season record to 13-12. Western Carolina fell to 17-9. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a Western Carolina victory with a final score of 8-5, and its ELO system gave the Catamounts a 72.2% probability to win, making the Bulldogs’ comeback a statistically significant upset.

Western Carolina opens a Southern Conference series at The Citadel on Friday. UNC Asheville begins a Big South Conference series at South Carolina Upstate, also on Friday.