GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) baseball team fell 8-6 in a weekend series opener against the Western Carolina (WCU) Catamounts in The Southern Conference (SoCon) on Thursday night at UNCG Baseball Stadium.

With two conference games left in the regular season, UNCG is now 8-11 in league play for seventh in the SoCon while WCU improved to 9-10 and now sit alone in fifth.

WCU got on the board first with three runs on two hits in the second inning. After Jack Spyke reached on an error to start the inning, the Catamounts drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Elijah Smith then singled through the right side to score Spyke for an unearned run. Two batters later, Spees skipped a single through the left side to score a pair and make it 3-0 Catamounts.

Jacob Budzik and Luke Jenkins hit back-to-back extra-base hits on the first pitches they saw to begin the bottom of the fourth inning. Budzik's double followed by Jenkins' triple got UNCG on the board, trailing 3-1. Jose Perez added another run when he tapped a sacrifice bunt to first to score Jenkins. After four frames, WCU led UNCG by one, 3-2.

The Catamounts answered with three more runs scoring on three hits in the sixth inning. After Noah Quarless grounded out to the left side to score Wyatt Stanley, Brayden Corn one-hopped a double off the wall in right to score two more runs and make it 6-3.

UNCG scored one run to cut the deficit to 6-4 in the sixth when Luke Holland legged out a single to second base that scored Parker Wight from third.

Trent Turner doubled the Catamounts' lead to 8-4 in the top of the ninth with a no-doubt home run out to left.

The Spartans matched it with two runs of their own in the bottom of the ninth when an error by WCU's shortstop allowed two runs to score. Budzik batted the ball, but it was not enough as the Catamounts got out of the jam with an 8-6 win.

PITCHING RECORDS:
Dusty Revis: W, 6-5
Danny Thompson Jr.: L, 2-3
Josh Ossiander: Save, 1

NOTES:

• Brantley Truitt, Jacob Dilley and Budzik each finished with two hits.
• Five different Spartans all had one RBI.
• Jenkins hit his first triple of the season.
• Truitt stole two bases in one inning.
• Thompson Jr. and Rob Ready combined for seven strikeouts.
• Ready and Jake Colucci pitched in relief.
• Both sides had two extra-base hits.
• UNCG had the edge in walks drawn, 6-4.

RECORDS:
UNCG: 20-31, 8-11 SoCon
WCU: 27-25, 9-10 SoCon

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The Spartans will take on the Catamounts again with game two of the series on Friday at 6:00 p.m. at UNCG Baseball Stadium. Friday's game will be UNCG's Senior Day. A ceremony to recognize the baseball team's 10 seniors will begin at 5:25 p.m.

All regular season baseball home games are free admission. The concessions at UNCG Baseball Stadium are open. Bringing in outside food is not permitted and pets are not allowed into the stadium.