Feb. 26, 2006

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - The Western Carolina softball team scored two runs in back-to-back innings to hold a 4-1 lead over Appalachian State entering the bottom of the sixth, but surrendered a three-spot in the home half of the sixth inning and stood tied after regulation. The Catamounts nearly escaped the bottom of the eighth which would have stranded a Mountaineer runner on third, but a costly error on the WCU middle infield allowed the game-winning run to trot across the plate, handing Western its first extra innings loss in school history, 5-4, Sunday in the Holiday Inn First Pitch Classic in Charlotte.

Sunday's game was the first-ever meeting between the rival schools on the softball diamond, but did not count towards either school's Southern Conference records. Western (5-3) concluded the three-day tournament 2-2 with wins over Drexel and North Carolina A&T and losses to Charlotte and ASU.

Freshman Mendy McKenzie started the game for Western, going six solid innings allowing four runs, only one of which was earned, giving up seven hits and a walk while striking out five. Sophomore Savannah Filley threw and inning and two thirds in relief and was saddled with the loss after surrendering one hit and the game-winning run.

Tied at four in the top of the eighth inning, freshman Mollie Fowler was placed on second base in international tiebreaker fashion. She advanced to third when junior Nikki Bost laid down a successful sacrifice bunt, putting the Catamounts in scoring position with only one away. However, back-to-back strikeouts looking ended the WCU threat.

In the home portion of the eighth frame, Appalachian State's Ashley Gaston moved to third after a successful sacrifice bunt for the first out. Filley forced junior Diana Cook to pop up to first where freshman Lauren Ross squeezed it in foul territory for out number two. Playing strategy, Western intentionally walked senior Kristyn Hurt, who delivered a pinch hit, three-RBI double to center field in the bottom of the sixth that tied the game at four. With runners on the corners, Filley induced a ground ball to short where Samm Keppel, who had moved over from her normal second base position, field it and flipped to second, but new second baseman, Fowler, could not hang on, dropping the ball and allowing Gaston to plate the game-winning run on the error.

Freshman Stephanie Beatty continued her solid weekend of play at the plate, going 2-of-4 with a run scored. Her classmate, Lauren Ross, also hit .500 on the day with two hits in four plate appearances, driving in two on a double in the fifth inning. Junior Ashley Adams belted her first WCU career home run, a two-run blast in the top of the sixth which gave the Catamounts the three-run, 4-1, advantage, in a 1-for-4 outing.

After falling behind 1-0 in the bottom of the first on an RBI single to right, Western (5-3) finally lit the scoreboard in the top of the fifth inning with a two-spot to pull ahead, 2-1. Beatty delivered a two out single to right field, then advanced to third after freshman Jenny Jackson reached on an error by the left fielder and wound up at second. Filley was intentionally walked to load the bases for Ross, who delivered the two RBI double.

The Catamounts would add two additional runs an inning later as Fowler singled to center and was sacrificed over by Bost when Adams delivered the two-run home run.

Western returns home to the Catamount Softball Complex on Wednesday, March 1 in doubleheader action versus St. Francis (Pa.). First pitch of the twin bill is set for 3:00 pm. The Catamounts head to Charleston, S.C., on Friday for a three-day tournament hosted by Charleston Southern.