Western Carolina vs. #21 Georgia - Final Stats

Western Carolina vs. Florida A&M - Final Stats

Western Carolina vs. Syracuse - Final Stats

Tallahassee, Fla. - Western Carolina dropped two of three games in softball action Saturday at the 2007 Florida State Invitational. The Catamounts opened the day with a 6-0 loss to the 20th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs before rallying to blank the Florida A&M Rattlers, 8-0. With a third-place finish in Pool B, Western fell 11-3 in six innings to Syracuse in the night cap in bracket play.

Western will continue play on Sunday morning at 9:30 am against Georgia State. A Catamount win would put WCU in the Noon game to wrap-up play.

Syracuse plated three runs in the home half of the first and second innings to race out to a 6-0 lead, capitalizing on 10 hits while stranding five. But Western sliced the deficit in half in the top of the fifth inning. Sophomore Stephanie Beatty delivered a one-out single and moved to second when junior Savannah Filley singled on the infield to put to on for sophomore Beth Hauser who belted her second home run of the tournament, a three-run shot to straight away center field.

The rally was short-lived, though, as Syracuse ended the game with a five-spot in the home half of the sixth, capitalizing on three hits and a trio of Catamount errors to win 11-3.

Beatty led WCU with a perfect 3-for-3 showing at the plate while Filley was 1-for-1 with a pair of walks. Hauser finished 1-for-3 with the long ball and three RBI. McKenzie suffered her second loss of the day, lasting just two thirds of an inning and allowing three earned runs on four hits. Filley tossed four and a third innings, surrendering six earned runs on 12 hits.

In the first game of the day, Western collected five hits but could not scratch the scoreboard, falling to the nationally-ranked Bulldogs, 6-0. McKenzie was saddled with the loss after allowing four runs, three earned, in three and a third innings pitched with three walks. The Clemmons, N.C., native also led the Catamounts at the plate with a 2-for-4 performance. Smith, Filley and freshman Tatum Hargett also recorded hits for WCU.

After battling through two scoreless frames, Georgia scored at least one run in the third, fourth, fifth and six innings for the final margin. WCU's best opportunity came in the top of the third as back-to-back singles by McKenzie and freshman Serena Smith put two on, with Hauser loading the bases after being hit by a pitch. However, the Catamounts stranded the bases loaded with an inning-ending strikeout.

Sandwiched between the two tough losses for Western was an 8-0 victory over the Florida A&M Rattlers in the afternoon session. The victory was WCU's second of the tournament, coupled with the win over Buffalo from Friday afternoon.

Play from the Florida State Invitational concludes on Sunday.