Feb. 28, 2010

Box Score vs Barton College

Box Score vs South Carolina State

CARY, N.C. - Western Carolina softball earned two shutouts, defeating Barton College 2-0 and South Carolina State 10-0 Sunday, in the final day of action at the Lady Eagle Classic hosted by North Carolina Central. The Catamounts improve to 3-5, riding a three-game winning streak.

Freshman hurler Amber Steinhardt, fresh off her win on the mound on Saturday against North Carolina Central, tossed the first shutout of the season by a Catamount pitcher, with the 2-0 win over Barton College. She moved to 2-2 on the season, pitching her second straight complete game. Against Barton, Steinhardt allowed eight hits and struck out six.

After three and a half scoreless innings, Western Carolina finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth. Sophomore Chelsea Schaffer hit a lead-off single and advanced to second when Bekkah Burkett ground out. Schaffer scored off an RBI double by Shemekia Scotten.

The Catamounts added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning. It was Schaffer again staring things off for Western Carolina, hitting her second lead-off single of the game. Schaffer scored when Haley Pace ground out to the shortstop and Schaffer motored home.

Jordan Fulton, Schaffer and Scotten each had two hits in the game.

In the final game of the tournament, Western Carolina exploded for 10 runs on 10 hits in five innings. The Catamounts rode the arm of junior pitcher Chere Monday, who earned her first win of the season, and the first shutout of her career. Monday tossed a five hit shutout, did not give up a walk and struck out two.

The Catamounts got two runs in the first, two runs in the second and exploded for six runs in the top of the fifth inning. In the first inning, Pace hit an RBI single to score senior catcher Danielle Reese. Monday helped out her own cause when she it into a fielder's choice, but earned an RBI when Schaffer scored.

In the second inning, Robyn Burnette earned the Catamounts third run of the game off an RBI single by Fulton. A South Carolina State error allowed Fulton to score. In the sixth, Western Carolina batted through the line-up to help earn the six runs.

Schaffer led Western Carolina, going 3-for-4 and scoring two runs. Fulton had two hits, scored two runs and picked up an RBI.

Western Carolina returns to action on Friday, participating in the Buzz Classic hosted by Georgia Tech. The Catamounts open the tournament with Tennessee Tech at 11 a.m.