March 16, 2011

Box Score |   

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina softball (13-12) was swept by Lipscomb 1-0, 11-2 (9-8) Wednesday at the Catamount softball complex.

The Catamounts host their Southern Conference home opener Saturday, welcoming Georgia Southern for a three-game series. WCU plays a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday and a single game at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Game one was a tight contest dominated by Lipscomb pitcher Whitney Kiihnl who earned 16 strikeouts. Kiihnl was riding a perfect game for five innings, before Catamount junior Erin Foster spoiled her no-no. With one out, Foster laced a shot past the second baseman and into right field. Western Carolina managed to squeeze out a second hit in the seventh inning, a single past the shortstop by Jordan Fulton.

Lipscomb scored its lone run in the second inning. A walk, by starting Catamount pitcher Bekkah Burkett, and a pair of Catamount errors set up the Lipscomb run. With a Lady Bison runner on third, Lipscomb's Breanna Thurman hit a sacrifice fly to score Rena Cothron.

Burkett got the start and went two innings. She gave up two hits, one unearned run and falls to 0-2 on the season. Burkett was replaced by Katie King in the third inning. King completed the game giving up four hits and striking out five.

In the second game, Western Carolina took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Amelia Griffin and Fulton led off with back-to-back singles. Freshman Morgan Wyatt hit an RBI single to plate Griffin.

Lipscomb took the lead in the top of the third inning, off a three RBI homerun by Mollie Mitchell. It was the first of four homeruns by the Lady Bison, accounting for 10 of the 11 runs Lipscomb scored in the game. Thurman hit solo homeruns and Billington hit a two run shot and then capped off the game with a grand-slam in the top of the seventh inning.

Western Carolina got into the homerun business in the bottom of the sixth inning. Freshman Kelly Braman hit the third homerun of her career, and the first at home for the Catamounts, with a shot to left field.

Sophomore Amber Steinhardt started the game on the mound and takes the loss, falling to 7-4 on the season. She went 5.1 innings allowing six runs on nine hits and struck out two. Megan Taylor replaced Steinhardt in the sixth inning, allowing five runs on three hits and struck out one.