Box Score Box Score

The Basics
Score: Furman 7, Western Carolina 1, Western Carolina 3, Furman 2 (8)
Records: Western Carolina 31-20, 7-7 SoCon, Furman 25-25, 6-8 SoCon
Location: Pepsi Stadium - Greenville, S.C.

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Western Carolina softball split the Southern Conference doubleheader at Furman Saturday, at Pepsi Stadium, falling in game one 7-1 before bouncing back to take game two 3-2 in eight innings.

Turning Point
Tied 1-1, Furman scored six runs, benefitting from two Western Carolina errors, in the bottom of the fourth and take a 7-1 lead that would stand until the end of the game.

How it Happened
- Western Carolina took the early 1-0 lead when freshman Madison Armstrong led off the first inning with a triple. Armstrong scored when Taylor Sigmon reached base on a Furman error picking up the RBI when Armstrong scored.
- Furman tied the game when Candice Johnson led off with a homerun to centerfield.
- Furman exploded for six runs in the bottom of the fourth and benefitted from two Western Carolina errors.

Inside the Box Score
- Western Carolina committed four errors in the game.
- Sigmon was 2-for-3 in the game at the plate.
- Western Carolina had six hits and gave up nine hits to Furman.
- Sigmon tossed the complete game and takes the loss giving up seven runs, three earned, nine hits, and had five strikeouts.

Turning Point
Tied 2-2, Western Carolina retook the lead for good, in the eighth inning, off an RBI single by senior second baseman Crystal Cyr, scoring pinch runner Anna Hughey for the go ahead run.

How it Happened
- Furman broke open a scoreless game scoring a run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Emma Ogburn hit a one out single and scored off an RBI double by Taylor Collins. A heady play by Sigmon on the attempted run home got Collins trying to advance to third.
- In the top of the seventh, Cyr hit her 15th homerun of the season, with one out, knotting the game at one. Back-to-back doubles set up the second run of the inning. Courtney Price doubled to left center and scored off an RBI double to right field by Victoria Mariscal.
- Furman tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh. With the bases loaded, the Paladin's AnnaRose Borrelli hit a single to right field scoring Johnson. A big play at home plate kept Furman from scoring the winning run as Sierra Bishop was thrown out at home.
- In the top of the eighth, Western Carolina re-took the lead 3-2 off an RBI by Cyr. Back-to-back singles by Abigail Daniels and Armstrong, with one out, put runners at second and third. Sigmon hit into a fielder's choice erasing Daniels at second. After Armstrong was pinch ran for by Hughey, Cyr hit an RBI single to right field to score Hughey. Sigmon was erased at second base for the third out on the play.
- Sigmon and the Catamount defense sat Furman down in order, in the bottom of the eighth, to preserve the 3-2 win.

Inside the Box Score
- Cyr broke up Furman pitcher Alex Sappington's no-hitter with her homerun in the top of the seventh inning. Prior to Cyr's hit, Western Carolina went six hitless innings against the Paladins.
- Junior pitcher Courtney Buchanan tossed a brilliant game going six innings allowing one run on five hits, struck out five and walked four. She did not get the decision in the game.
- Sigmon came in to replace Buchanan in the bottom of the seventh. She gave up two singles and a walk to load the bases and allowed the game-tying run in the seventh to get the decision in the game. She went two innings allowing one run on three hits and struck out one. Sigmon improves to 12-13 on the year.
- Western Carolina had six hits, all after the sixth inning, and Furman had eight.

News & Notes
- Cyr moved into a tie for second place for homeruns in a career, in the WCU record books, with the 23rd homerun of her career. It was also her 15th of the season which leads the Southern Conference and ranks third in the Catamount record books.
- With a combined eight strikeouts in both games on Saturday, Sigmon is now tied for second place in the WCU record books for strikeouts in a career with 382.
- The eight inning game at Furman is the second straight Southern Conference game Western Carolina has gone into extra innings in a conference game. WCU went eight innings in the 2-1 loss at Samford April 17.
- Western Carolina's 3-2 win over Furman, in game two, halted Western Carolina's four-game losing streak - the longest of the season. - Armstrong hit the first triple of her career in game one against Furman.
- The seven triples, by Western Carolina as a team in 2016 ranks tied for fourth in the WCU record books.
- With the win over Furman, on Saturday, Western Carolina maintains third place in the SoCon race.

Up Next
Western Carolina will play the rubber match with Furman, to decide the Southern Conference series, beginning at 1 p.m. The game can be seen on the SoCon Digital Network.

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