Box Score

The Basics
Score: Western Carolina 9 -- Boston University 1 (six innings) / Charleston Southern 5 -- Western Carolina 4
Records: Western Carolina 5-2, Boston University 0-2 / Charleston Southern 5-0
Location: CSU Softball Stadium -- Charleston, S.C.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Western Carolina softball split day one action at the Charleston Southern Tournament powering past Boston University 9-1, in six innings, before dropping a close contest, 5-4, to host Charleston Southern Friday at the CSU Softball Stadium.

Turning Point
Western Carolina scored nine unanswered runs after giving up a run to Boston University in the bottom of the first.

How it Happened
- Boston University jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Brittany Younan.
- Senior right fielder Victoria Mariscal tied the game at one with one swing of the bat hitting her first homerun of the season to lead off the third.
- Western Carolina scored in the ensuing next three innings.
- With bases loaded, Karley Harkey picked up an RBI on fielder's choice in the fourth inning scoring Taylor Sigmon. Mariscal notched her second and third RBI of the game when she singled to right field scoring Madison Armstrong and Hunter Gibbons.
- In the fifth inning, WCU scored three more runs spurred by Kara Salvo's lead-off double to left field. A fielding error put Crystal Cyr on first for runners at the corners. Sigmon hit an RBI single to score Salvo and Gibbons walked to load the bases yet again. Armstrong hit a sacrifice fly RBI scoring Cyr and Anna Hughey followed with a sacrifice fly RBI to score Sigmon.
- A one out walk by Courtney Price began a two-run inning for WCU in the sixth. After Salvo singled and Cyr was hit by a pitch the bases were loaded yet again. A fielder's choice by Sigmon forced a play at the plate and Price to be called out but both Salvo and Cyr would score on a Gibbons two RBI single to centerfield.

Inside the Box Score
- Western Carolina had 10 hits in the game and gave up four.
- Western Carolina scored nine runs in the game, eight of them coming in the final three innings. - Sigmon started the game and went three innings for a no decision allowing one run on two hits and striking out one.
- Freshman lefty Hurler Lily Hayes tossed three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, to pick up her first win as a Catamount.
- Five Catamounts had two hits in the game (Salvo, Cyr, Gibbons and Mariscal). - Western Carolina committed one error and Boston University had three.
- Boston University had only one base runner in the final three innings as WCU shut down the final four batters to end the game.

Turning Point
Charleston Southern came back from being down 4-3, in the bottom of the seventh, to score two runs - aided by a Western Carolina error plating a score and an RBI single to end the game.

How it Happened
- Charleston Southern took the early 2-0 lead scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the second.
- Western Carolina tied the game in the top of the fifth. Harkey got it started with a lead-off double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. A wild pitch by the Buccaneers gave WCU its first run of the game and after Abigail Daniels singled past the short-stop she scored off an RBI single by Cyr to knot the game at two.
- The Buccaneers retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth 3-2 when, after two strikeouts to open the inning, a Catamount error afforded CSU a baserunner who came around to score.
- Western Carolina took its first lead of the game in the top of the sixth. Armstrong hit a one out single setting up a two-out two-run homerun shot by Hunter Gibbons giving WCU a 4-3 lead.
- Charleston Southern rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh to win the game 5-4.

Inside the Box Score
- Western Carolina committed three errors in the game.
- The Catamounts gave up five runs and 12 hits and had nine hits in the game.
- Courtney Buchanan started the game for WCU going 2.2 innings giving up two runs on five hits and striking out two for a no decision.
- Sigmon came into the game in relief tossing 3.1 innings yielding three runs on six hits and taking the loss falling to 2-1 on the season.
 - Sigmon went 2-for-4 in the game.
- Gibbons hit the Catamounts homerun in the game.

News & Notes
- Western Carolina had its five-game winning streak snapped in the 5-4 loss to Charleston Southern.
- In the Catamounts two losses, to open the season, WCU has lost by one run -- 7-6 to Jacksonville State and 5-4 to Charleston Southern.
- The five runs by Charleston Southern is the second-most runs WCU has given up this season. - The Catamounts defeated Boston University 9-1 in six innings -- the fourth time this season WCU has won in six innings or less.
- Cyr and Sigmon are both on a seven-game hitting streak.
- Western Carolina has hit at least one homerun in the last four games.
- Salvo, Sigmon and Cyr each have 10 hits in the first seven games of the season.
- Mariscal hit her first homerun of the season and freshman Gibbons hit the first homerun of her Catamount career.
- With three hits in the two games Friday, Sigmon has 137 career hits moving her to seventh in the Catamount record books for hits in a career. Sigmon also now ranks fourth in career RBI, with 83, in the Catamount record books. Sigmon needs 17 RBI to overtake former Catamount Lauren Ross who ended her stellar career with 99 RBI.

Up Next
Western Carolina will face the same opponents as Friday at the Charleston Southern Tournament squaring off against Boston University at 9 a.m. and the host Buccaneers at 1 p.m.

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