Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Western Carolina softball swept Charlotte 5-1 and 4-3, in eight innings, Wednesday at D.L. Phillips Softball Complex.

The Catamounts improve to 13-18 on the season and have won six of their last seven games. Charlotte falls to 14-14 on the year.

Western Carolina 5, Charlotte 1

Western Carolina senior hurler Jordan Garrett evened her record to 8-8 with the win in game one. She allowed one run on six hits and struck out two.

Garrett only had one inning in which Charlotte was a threat coming in the bottom of the sixth. The 49ers got bases loaded but Garrett and the Catamount defense out of the jam when Grace Beatty fouled out to third base to end the inning.

After three tight innings to start the game, Western Carolina had a beauty of a scoring chance the Catamounts let slip through their fingers in the top of the fourth. Sophomore third baseman Kara Salvo led off with a single to right field. Fellow sophomore Courtney Price followed with a double to right center. Salvo was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice that allowed Taylor Sigmon to reach first. Back-to-back outs ended the WCU scoring threat.

In the bottom of the fourth, Charlotte did not let the scoring chance slip away. Jessica Plemmons led off with a single to left field and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Haley Pace. Plemmons scored off an RBI single by Chelsea Lisikatos. WCU recovered getting a line out and a strikeout to end the inning.

Western Carolina did not waste a scoring chance in the top of the fifth. Junior Karley Harkey beat out a single to first to lead off the inning. With one out 49er pitcher gave back-to-back walks to Emily Helton and Victoria Mariscal to load the bases. Salvo hit into a fielder's choice RBI scoring Harkey, and reaching first, to tie the game at one. Price broke open the game when she hit the second grand-slam of her career over the left center field wall to put WCU up 5-1.

Charlotte out-hit Western Carolina six to five but the Catamounts took advantage of timely hitting for the win. Price led WCU going 2-for-4 with four RBI and a run scored.

Western Carolina 4, Charlotte 3 (eight innings)

Western Carolina wasted no time scoring in game two plating three runs in the top of the first. Designated player Abigail Daniels led off with a single. Mariscal was hit by a pitch and Salvo walked to load the bases. Price reached first but Salvo was thrown out at home for the first out. Western Carolina was down to its last out when Taylor Sigmon struck out. Junior Crystal Cyr delivered when she hit a frozen rope double down the left field line to clear the bases and picked up three RBI.

Starting Catamount pitcher Courtney Buchanan's two walks in the bottom of the fifth came back to haunt her. A pair of walks were the bookend to a fielder's choice putting two 49er runs on. Plemmons hit a two RBI double to pull Charlotte within one and a Catamount error allowed the tying run to score.

With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth, Buchanan was lifted in favor of Sigmon. In a no decision performance Buchanan gave up three runs on four hits and walked four.

Sigmon forced a groundout facing her first batter in the bottom of the fifth for the second 49er out. However, she walked Beatty to load the bases. Sigmon struck out Courtney Carroll to end the Charlotte threat.

After Charlotte scored the three runs in the fifth, both teams were held scoreless for the ensuing next two innings to force extra innings. It was the second time in five games WCU has played an extra inning game.

With pinch runner Anna Hughey placed on second in the top of the eighth, Hughey moved to third on a groundout by Price. Hughey gave WCU the 4-3 lead on a groundout RBI to first by Sigmon.

Sigmon shut down Charlotte in the bottom of the eighth to close out the game and get the win. Sigmon tossed 3.2 scoreless innings, getting the decision, and improving to 2-2 on the season. She struck out three and walked two.

Western Carolina out hit Charlotte seven to four with Cyr and Amber Kimrey each getting a pair of base knocks. Cyr had two doubles in the game.

Western Carolina travels to Mercer this weekend for a three game series with the Bears. Saturday's doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. with Sunday's single game also beginning at 1 p.m.