CULLOWHEE, N.C. (Interstat) — Matthew Rollison drove in four runs and a beleaguered Presbyterian bullpen delivered 7 1/3 innings of hitless relief as the Blue Hose held off a furious ninth-inning rally by Western Carolina to secure a 6-5 victory Tuesday night at Hennon Stadium.

The win, just the sixth of the season for Presbyterian, snapped a two-game skid and came against a Catamounts squad that had been projected as a heavy favorite. Interstat’s game simulator had forecast a 6-3 Western Carolina win, with its ELO system giving the Catamounts a 74.6% probability of victory.

The game’s most critical sequence came in the top of the seventh inning, which proved to be the decisive offensive frame. Leading 3-2, Presbyterian added crucial insurance runs against the Western Carolina bullpen. Joel Green singled and stole second, and Brody Moody walked to set the stage for Rollison. The third baseman, who later moved to first, laced a double to left-center field, scoring both runners to push the Blue Hose lead to 6-2. Those runs became monumental by game’s end.

Rollison, the top star for Presbyterian, finished 3 for 4, breaking out of a recent slump. He had managed just two hits in his previous 16 at-bats over four games. His two-run single in the third inning had initially staked Presbyterian to a 3-0 lead.

Presbyterian’s early offense was enough for a parade of relievers who silenced the Catamounts’ bats after the fifth inning. Starter Bo E was pulled with two outs in the third, and the combination of Tucker Meredith, Eli Bowery, Braiden Eagen and Mason McDaniel did not allow a hit over the next 5 1/3 innings. McDaniel and Eagen bridged the gap to the ninth, with the staff collectively striking out six.

Western Carolina’s offense was dormant until the fifth, when designated hitter Wyatt Stanley launched a two-run homer to right-center off reliever Chamberlin, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Stanley then brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth with a dramatic second two-run blast.

Trailing 6-3 entering the final frame, the Catamounts mounted a serious threat against Presbyterian’s fourth reliever, Burkart B. Pinch-hitter Sikes and pinch-hitter Quarless worked walks. A fielder’s choice and a throwing error by the shortstop allowed one run to score. That brought Stanley to the plate as the potential tying run, and he delivered, crushing his second homer of the night to right field, a two-run shot that suddenly made it a 6-5 game.

The rally ended there, however, as Hampton J., the sixth Presbyterian pitcher of the night, entered and got Fox to strike out swinging to end the game.

Stanley finished 2 for 4 with four RBIs, accounting for all but one of Western Carolina’s runs. The Catamounts’ bullpen, after a rough start by Oaks, was stellar. Ryan White, Kaden Fuller, Griffin Guinther and Mason Snyder combined for 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out eight. Guinther struck out all three batters he faced in the seventh.

Presbyterian improved to 6-23 overall, while Western Carolina fell to 18-12. The Blue Hose begin a three-game series at Charleston Southern on Thursday. The Catamounts travel to face Winthrop for a three-game set starting the same day.