April 3, 2007

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Western Carolina softball (17-22) swept Winston-Salem State (8-25) 9-1, 11-0 Tuesday at Southpark Field. The Catamounts will host its second Southern Conference series of the season when the team welcomes Chattanooga on Friday and Saturday. The club will play a single game at 5 p.m. on Friday and a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.

Western Carolina took the early lead in the opening inning of the first game. Mendy McKenzie led off the game by drawing a walk and Nikki Bost hit into a fielder's choice that should have resulted in McKenzie being out at second, but a Winston-Salem State error allowed McKenzie to stay second. A passed ball moved McKenzie and Bost to second and third setting up a scoring opportunity. With two outs, Lauren Ross sent a ball to left field for a two RBI single.

Winston-Salem State got back one run in its half of the first inning. Catamount pitcher Savannah Filley gave up a lead-off walk to Devyn Gillette and she scored thanks to an RBI single to shallow center field by Ashely Boswell who was out on the play when she attempted to move to second and was thrown out by Bost from centerfield.

After being held to just one hit through the first four innings, Western Carolina exploded for five straight hits in the top of the fifth inning. Catcher Danielle Reese led off the inning with a stroke passed third base. McKenzie went the opposite side, hitting a ball to right field to place runners on first and second. The Catamounts had bases loaded when Bost laid down a perfect bunt and beat out the throw to jam the bases. Stephanie Beatty launched a bullet to right field to plate Reese and McKenzie and advanced to second on the throw while Bost moved to third. Filley picked up a pair of RBIs for herself when she hit a frozen rope up the middle to score Bost and Beatty.

The Catamounts added three runs in the top of the sixth inning to shorten the game. With one out, Reese drew a walk and then moved to second when McKenzie hit a single to the left side. Bost hit a blooper to right field that scored Reese and McKenzie was also safe at the plate when the Rams' pitcher dropped the ball. Beatty's RBI single scored Bost for the final run of the inning.

Filley got the start on the mound for the first time since March 15. She tossed six innings allowing one run on four hits and struck out five. Filley improves to 3-4 on the season.

Two walks with one out began the second game for Western Carolina, as Bost and Beatty earned free passes. With two outs, Ross hit an RBI single up the middle to scored Bost for the first run of the game.

The Catamounts tacked on three runs in the second inning. Hether Pritchard and Reese produced back-to-back singles to start the inning and both scored off an RBI double by Bost. An RBI single by Filley scored Bost.

The scoring onslaught continued in the third, fourth and fifth innings. Jamie Swank hit a one out double and Pritchard reached first thanks to a Rams' error to put a pair of base runners on. McKenzie's shot to right field yielded a triple for the sophomore and scored Swank and Pritchard. Bost drew a two out walk to extend the inning and she and McKenzie scored off a two RBI single by Beatty. Ross reached first to start the fourth inning and scored off an RBI single by Reese. In the fifth inning, Bost got her second hit of the game and scored thanks to an in the park homerun by Beatty. It was Beatty's sixth homerun of the year.

McKenzie gets the win in game two and improves to 7-12 on the season. She tossed a three-hit shutout and struck out six.