CLINTON, S.C. (Interstat) — Western Carolina routed Presbyterian 14-3 on Tuesday, May 12, at the Presbyterian Baseball Complex, snapping a three-game losing streak with an emphatic offensive outburst.

The Catamounts improved to 33-20 while the Blue Hose fell to 11-41. Western Carolina pounded out 13 hits to Presbyterian’s three, and the visitors broke the game open with a seven-run second inning.

The pivotal moment came in the top of the second. After Cole Jones walked and Mason Holton singled, J. Jones bunted for a single to load the bases. Walker Fox then launched a grand slam to right-center field, giving Western Carolina a 4-0 lead. The Catamounts continued to pile on in the inning. A hit batter, a wild pitch, a strikeout, and a run-scoring single by Turner on a throwing error pushed the lead to 6-0 before the inning ended.

Western Carolina added four more runs in the fourth. Lyda singled, stole second, and scored on Wyatt Stanley’s RBI single. After a stolen base, Cole Jones crushed a three-run homer to right field, making it 10-0.

Cole Jones was the top star for Western Carolina. The right fielder finished 1 for 3 with a home run and four RBIs. In his previous four games, Jones had collected three hits with three RBIs, including a 1-for-3 performance with two RBIs at Wake Forest on May 10.

Walker Fox also went 1 for 2 with a grand slam and four RBIs. Bryant Kimbrell pitched three shutout innings, allowing no hits and striking out two. Mason Holton was 3 for 5 with one RBI.

Presbyterian scored its three runs in the fourth and sixth innings. The Blue Hose got on the board in the fourth when Albertus walked, advanced on a hit batter and a sacrifice bunt, then scored on a sacrifice fly. In the sixth, Bradley was hit by a pitch, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a groundout by Taylor. Albertus later scored on an RBI single by Adams.

Western Carolina used six pitchers. Kimbrell, Davis Wright, Colton Starling, Mason Snyder, and others combined to limit Presbyterian to three hits. Jeremiah Hampton pitched two innings for the Blue Hose, allowing one earned run with three strikeouts.

The win came after Western Carolina lost three straight at Wake Forest. The Catamounts had lost the previous meeting with Presbyterian on March 31 by a 6-5 score in Cullowhee. Western Carolina now prepares for a three-game home series against UNC Greensboro starting Thursday, May 14. Presbyterian travels to Gardner-Webb for a three-game set beginning the same day.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Western Carolina 6, Presbyterian 2. Interstat’s ELO system gave Western Carolina a 74.40 percent probability to win.