April 26, 2008

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina softball (16-34, 6-14 SoCon) split its doubleheader with Furman (21-27, 8-9 SoCon) Saturday at the Catamount Softball Complex. The Catamounts came from behind to win game one 4-1 only to fall 8-5 in nine innings in the nightcap. The two clubs will fight for the rubber game on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.

It was senior day for lone senior day Jamie Swank and the Harrisburg, N.C. native put her stamp on the first game. Trailing by a lone run in the bottom of the sixth inning, Swank's heroics secured a win the first game in the series against Furman.

The four-run rally for the Catamounts began when junior third baseman Stephanie Beatty drew a lead off walk. Beatty was out on a fielder's choice by Mollie Fowler, who scampered to second off a Lana Mackey wild pitch. Fowler was replaced by pinch runner Nicole Shook, who moved to third when Mackey walked Alesha Clayton and Keely Torgison to load the bases. It was time for Swank to shine when she hit a screaming shot to left center field, and it looked like she would get the team's third grand-slam of the season, but the ball skimmed the top of the outfield wall and fell back into play. Swank logged in a three RBI triple and give Western Carolina a 3-1 lead. Mackey's second wild pitch of the inning allowed Swank to score for the fourth run.

Junior hurler Lauren Ross got the call to the mound and had another stellar outing. She threw four scoreless innings before yielding a run in the top of the fifth inning. It was Furman's Bethany Ullrich that hit the RBI single for the Paladin's lone run in the game. Ross didn't yield another run going seven innings allowing six hits and struck out five.

Ross also got the starting nod in the second game and after the dust cleared the Hope Mills, N.C. resident would end the day pitching 16 innings when the second contest went into free softball. She showed a bit of fatigue in the second game giving up four runs in the third inning after opening the game with two scoreless. Ross allowed five earned runs and 14 hits and struck out three. It was during the second game Ross went over 100 strikeouts for the second consecutive season and currently has 102 in her career, tying her season high. Ross ended the day with a record of 8-17, having gotten the win in all six of the Catamount's conference victories.

Western Carolina took an early one run lead in the first inning. Swank singled to right field, and after Danielle Reese ground out to move Swank to second, freshman Amber Hawkins doubled to center field to score Swank.

After Furman posted four runs in the top of the third inning, Western Carolina would battle back to tie the game in the bottom half of the third. Swank reached first on an error and was erased when Hawkins hit into a fielder's choice with one out. Beth Hauser singled up the middle to place runners at first and second and both moved to second and third when Furman pitcher Ullrich was called for an illegal pitch.

Beatty came to the plate and belted a two RBI double to center field to score Hawkins and Hauser. Beatty's two RBI broke the school record for RBI in a career upping her total to 79 in her career. After Beatty moved to third on a wild pitch, Fowler singled to left field to plate Beatty.

The two teams went the next four innings knotted at four. As the game moved into extra innings, Furman again took the lead when the Paladins scored a lone run in the top of the eighth thanks to an RBI single by Kate Termini.

Western Carolina answered again when it tied the game with a run of its own in the bottom of the eighth. Ross helped her cause by getting a lead off single up the middle. A sacrifice bunt by Clayton moved Ross to second and with two outs, Swank hit an RBI single to score Ross.

Furman clinched the game when the club scored three runs in the top of the ninth.