Box Score vs. Radford Box Score vs. USC Upstate

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Western Carolina softball (1-2) split its pair of games at the Upstate Classic Saturday at Cyrill Stadium. The Catamounts defeated Radford 4-1 then fell to host USC Upstate 11-3 in five innings.

Western Carolina 4, Radford 1

Catamount senior hurler Jordan Garrett pitched a complete game, against Radford, picking up the win and improving to 1-0 on the young season. With the win, Garrett has 36 career victories becoming the winningest pitcher in Western Carolina softball history. In the game, she gave up four hits, one unearned run and struck out 10.

After two scoreless innings, to open the game, Radford broke open the contest with a run in the bottom of the third inning. The Highlanders' Nia Chiles led off the bottom of the third with a single and moved to second on a Catamount throwing error. A sacrifice bunt by Kayla Bishton moved Chiles to third and she scored when Megan Honaker reached first on Western Carolina's second error of the inning.

With a base runner in three of the first four innings of the game, Western Carolina finally capitalized in the fifth inning. Freshman designated player Abigail Daniels led off with a single up the middle - it was the first hit of her Catamount career.

A pair of Catamount ground outs sent Daniels to third. With two outs sophomore Courtney Price singled past the shortstop picking up an RBI when Daniels scored. Price scored, giving WCU a 2-1 lead, when junior Victoria Mariscal reached on a Radford error.

The Catamounts added two more runs in the top of the seventh. Junior Amber Kimrey was hit by a pitch to lead off. After a pair of groundouts pushed Kimrey to third she scored off a monster homerun to left field by junior Victoria Mariscal. The two-run shot was Mariscal's first homerun of her Catamount career.

Western Carolina had five hits in the game.

USC Upstate 11, Western Carolina 3

USC Upstate scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning to knock Catamount starting pitcher Mallory Broome out of the game. Broome left the first inning without recording an out giving up three earned runs and walking two.

Sophomore Courtney Buchanan replaced Broome getting three outs to end the inning. Buchanan would yield two Spartan runs in the bottom of the second with USC Upstate leading Western Carolina 6-0 after two innings.

The Catamounts cut the Spartan lead in half with one swing of the bat in the top of the third. With one out, Kimrey drew a walk. With two outs, Price singled to left field to place runners on first and second. Mariscal hit her second homerun of the day when she launched a three RBI homerun over the left field wall.

After tossing a scoreless fourth inning, Buchanan gave up five runs in the fifth inning to shorten the game. The Spartans hit a three-run homerun and a two RBI double to end the game all with two outs.

The Catamounts had just two hits in the game. Buchanan tossed 4.2 innings allowing seven runs on six hits and striking out four.

Western Carolina returns to action Feb. 20 at a tournament hosted by Charlotte. The Catamounts open the tournament against the host 49ers at noon.

Upstate Classic All-Tournament Team

Western Carolina – Victoria Mariscal
Upstate – Cheyenne Griffin (co-MVP), Dana Landers, Lexi Shubert, Shellie Robinson
Furman – Natalie Clemmons (co-MVP), Alex Sappington, Taylor Jenkins
George Mason – Brooke Blankenship
Radford – Whitney Davis