Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Feb. 25, 2012
Box Score vs. Utah Valley
Box Score vs. North Carolina A&T
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Western Carolina softball (5-7) split a pair of games in day two of action at the North Carolina A&T Softball Invitational. The Catamounts defeated Utah Valley 6-5 before falling to host NC A&T 4-2.
The game against Utah Valley was resumed on Saturday morning after the contest was halted in the second inning due to inclement weather on Friday afternoon. Western Carolina didn't waste anytime when the game picked back up scoring the first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning.
With one out, in the third, junior Jordan Fulton singled past the shortstop. Amelia Griffin followed with a single and both she and Fulton advanced to second and third on a Catamount groundout. Fulton scored on a Utah Valley wild pitch.
Kelly Braman's homerun to left field, in the fourth inning, tacked on a pair of runs for Western Carolina. Braman's long ball was a two RBI shot, as she homered after Shemekia Scotton led off the fourth with a walk.
Utah Valley got its first run of the game in the top of the fifth inning, making the score 3-1.
Braman struck again for the Catamounts in the bottom of the fifth inning. She hit a two RBI single to centerfield scoring Haley Pace and Erin Foster.
Utah Valley had a sixth inning, scoring three runs. Relief pitcher Jordan Garrett was credited with the Utah Valley runs in the sixth inning. Amber Steinhardt replaced Garrett in the sixth inning and her appearance would earn a save, her second this season.
Senior lefty pitcher Katie King started the game and went four innings allowing one run on six hits. Western Carolina never lost the lead, so King got the win, improving to 1-2 on the season.
Western Carolina added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Makenzi McAteer opened the inning with a double. Alex Church pinch ran for McAteer and scored on a Utah Valley passed ball.
Utah Valley would make things interesting in the top of the seventh, pulling within one run, 6-5. With two outs, Maddy Schulz hit a homerun to trim the Catamount lead. Steinhardt forced pinch hitter Jamie North to fly out to the shortstop to end the game.
Braman led Western Carolina going 2-for-3 with four RBI, a homerun and a run scored.
After opening the tournament 2-0, Western Carolina hit a bit of a snag against host North Carolina A&T. The Bulldogs got an early 2-0 lead, in the bottom of the first inning, courtesy of two Catamount errors.
Western Carolina would fail to score in the first five innings of the game. North Carolina A&T capitalized by building a 4-0 lead, with additional runs in second and fourth inning.
The Catamounts avoided a shutout by adding a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning. Western Carolina got base runners in the fifth inning after Amelia Griffin reached on a Bulldog error and Pace singled through the left side. Scotton hit a two RBI triple to right center to scored Griffin and Pace.
Garrett tossed the complete game and took the loss. She allowed four runs on eight hits and struck out four, falling to 4-3. Scotton had a pair of hits for the Catamounts.
Western Carolina plays Youngstown State at 9 a.m. Sunday.
