April 1, 2009

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina softball (9-20) dropped a pair of games, 9-2, 3-2, Wednesday to non-conference opponent USC Upstate (19-9) at the Catamount Softball Complex. The second game was an eight-inning, extra-inning contest, the second extra frame game in the last three played by the Catamounts.

USC Upstate put together nine runs on nine hits to take the first game. Spartan starting pitcher Morgan Childers sat down the first nine Catamount batters, and had a no-hitter through four innings, before freshman Chelsea Schaffer broke it up with a single up the middle.

Western Carolina starting pitcher Megan Taylor allowed lone runs in the first inning and third, before the Spartans exploded for five runs in the fourth. The Catamounts avoided the shutout scoring a run in the bottom of the fifth. Pinch hitter Beth Hauser hit a lead-off single and advanced to second on a ground out by Keri Burnside. Hauser scored thanks to a RBI single by Danielle Reese.

The Spartans tacked up two runs in the top of the seventh inning. Western Carolina added one run in the bottom of the seventh when Burnside led off with a double and then scored thanks to a sacrifice fly by Kristen Gay.

Taylor takes the loss on the mound and falls to 0-3. Childers gets the win and improves to 13-6.

With the score tied at two, in extra innings in the second game, USC Upstate took a 3-2 lead with an RBI single by Amber Patterson. With the international tie-breaker rule in effect, the Catamounts placed Stephanie Beatty on second and with one out, Lauren Ross hit a sacrifice to move her to third. Beth Hauser struck out to end the Western Carolina threat and drop the second game of the doubleheader.

Down by one run, 2-1, in the bottom of the seventh inning in the second game, freshman Chelsea Schaffer smoked a long ball, with one out, over the center field wall to tie the game at two. Amber Hawkins and Stephanie both flew out to the outfield to end the inning.

After four scoreless innings, USC Upstate took a 1-0 lead in the second game. With one out, Catamount pitcher Katie King hit Monica Hall and placed her on first. Kim Brasil hit an RBI single for the first score of the game.

Western Carolina tied up the game in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs, sophomore Amber Hawkins hit a homerun over the right field wall, her third of the season, to tie the game at one.

The tie was short lived as. Spartan Crislyn Chewning hit a lead-off homerun to right field to take a 2-1 advantage.

Freshman pitcher Katie King takes the loss and falls to 3-8 on the season.

Western Carolina returns to action this weekend hosting Southern Conference rival Chattanooga. The doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday and the single game slate is set for 1 p.m. Sunday.