CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Chicago State baseball team dropped both ends of a doubleheader with Western Carolina on Saturday. The Cougars fell 10-5 in the first game and were on the losing end of a 2-1 pitcher's duel in the late game.
In the first game Andy Gayton and
Judah Wilbur (Denver, Colorado/) were the majority of the Cougar offense. Gayton went 3-of-5 from the plate while Wilbur was 2-of-5. Western Carolina got things going in the first inning with a leadoff double that led to four runs in the inning.
Chicago State cut into the lead in the third inning, with a leadoff double from Judah
Richard Paulino (San Pedro de Marcoris, Dominican Republic) roped the first home run of the season to score two as the Cougars plated three runs in the inning. The Catamounts responded and scored six runs in the home half of the inning, courtesy of a double and a single in the first two at bats.
The Cougars were able to hold the Catamounts scoreless for the remainder of the contest but couldn't rally for a big inning, dropping the first contest, 10-5.
Brett Gregory (Lompoc, Calif./Cabrillo) got the start on the mound and pitched 2.2 innings of work.
Blake Kaplan (Las Vegas, Nev./Sierra Vista) came in pitched 5.1 innings allowing just one hit and no runs.
The second contest of the day was a pitcher's duel from the outset.
The Cougars got on the board first with a run from
Judah Wilbur (Denver, Colorado/) who was plated on a single from
Dalton Daily (Visalia, California/). Neither team could get much offense going but the Catamounts did push a run across in the home half of the third inning courtesy of back-to-back triples.
With the game tied at 1-1 the pitchers on both teams went to work. The pitchers combined for four innings of scoreless work and it wasn't until the bottom of the eighth inning that Western Carolina scored the game-winning run on an RBI single.
Chicago State's Rodney Valdes twirled 7.2 innings of work allowing just two runs on two hits.
Up Next
The Cougars and Catamounts close the series with a single game at 12 pm on Sunday.
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