Box Score

COLUMBIA, S.C. - In just its fourth game of the season, due to the wintery weather over the last two weeks, Western Carolina softball (1-3) fell to South Carolina (12-4) 3-1 Thursday at the Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.

It took six innings for Catamount softball to get to South Carolina pitcher Julie Sarratt. Prior to sixth, Sarratt had sat down 15 straight WCU batters. In the sixth WCU did three key things: broke up Sarratt's perfect game, ended her no-hitter and denied her a shutout.

Sarratt had pushed her number to 16 straight batters sat dwon before redshirt sophomore Brooke Coggins ended Sarratt's perfect game with a one out walk.

Coggins was replaced on first by freshman Abigail Daniels and pinch hitter Emily Helton entered the game with one out. Helton ended Sarratt's no-hitter when she singled through the left side. After a fielder's choice erased Daniels at third, junior Victoria Mariscal drew a walk to load the bases. A rattled Sarratt then hit sophomore Kara Salvo to score Helton who was at third. Junior Crystal Cyr struck out, with bases loaded, to end the inning.

A pair of Western Carolina errors allowed South Carolina to tack on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

South Carolina got on the board quickly with a solo one out homerun by Kristen Struett facing Catamount starting pitcher Jordan Garrett. After giving up a single to Lauren Masters, Garrett recovered sitting down the next two batters to end the first with just one run.

With a 3-2 count, Garrett hit Jordan Bizzell to put the lead-off Gamecock on to open the second. Four straight balls by Garrett walked Olivia Lawrence to put runners on first and second and no outs. Garrett gets a first pitch double play to get two quick outs leaving a runner on second base. Garrett notched a strikeout to end the inning and the early Gamecock threat.

For the second straight inning South Carolina opened the inning with its first two base runners on. Garrett threw eight straight balls to give free passes to Struett and Masters. Western Carolina wouldn't; get by unscathed in the third inning. The Gamecocks added a run on an RBI single by designated player Sarah Mooney. The Gamecocks looked like they would pour on more runs with bases loaded and two outs. However, Garrett wiggled out of the jam when she forced Lawrence to fly out.

With Garrett at helm, in the fourth inning, Western Carolina notched its first three up and three down of the game. Garrett struck out a Gamecock batter and forced two groundouts to end the inning.

Garrett was replaced by junior Taylor Sigmon in the fifth inning. Garrett ended the game tossing four innings, giving up two runs on three hits and striking out four. Garrett also takes the loss falling to 1-1 on the season.

In her first inning, Sigmon stuck out the first South Carolina batter to open the fifth. After giving up a hit, Sigmon forced a pair of ground outs to end the inning.

It was the second straight inning South Carolina was held scoreless. Sigmon closed out the game going two innings giving up one hit, one unearned run and striking out three. She also had the only other Catamount hit in the game picking up a lead-off double in the top of the seventh.

Western Carolina will compete in the Seahawk Softball Spring Classic, hosted by UNC Wilmington, beginning Friday. The Catamounts open the tournament facing Marist at 12:30 p.m. followed by Delaware at 5:30 p.m.