Box Score

The Basics
Score: Chattanooga 11, Western Carolina 3
Records: No. 3 Seed Western Carolina 33-23, No. 6 Seed Chattanooga 29-27
Location: UNCG Softball Complex, Greensboro, N.C.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- No. 3 seed Western Carolina fell to No. 6 seed Chattanooga 11-3 Wednesday in the opening day of the Southern Conference Championships at the UNCG Softball Complex.

With the loss, Western Carolina drops to the elimination bracket and will face No. 2 seed Furman at 10 a.m. Thursday.

Turning Point
Chattanooga scored six runs in the top of the third inning.

How it Happened
- Western Carolina scored the first run of the game off an RBI single by Courtney Price plating Victoria Mariscal after she reached on a Chattanooga fielding error.
- Chattanooga broke open the game scoring six runs in the top of the third inning.
- Western Carolina cut Chattanooga's lead in half scoring two runs in the bottom of the third. Mariscal led off with a single up the middle and scored off a two run homerun by fellow senior Crystal Cyr.
- Chattanooga scored a run in the fifth and four in the top of the seventh. The four runs in the seventh was off a grand-slam by the Mocs' Amanda Beltran.

Inside the Box Score
- Senior Taylor Sigmon got the start and went two innings allowing six runs on eight hits and falls to 13-15.
- Junior Courtney Buchanan replaced Sigmon going five innings allowing five runs on six hits and struck out four.
- Chattanooga had 14 hits in the game and Western Carolina posted seven.
- Mariscal and Cyr each had two hits in the game.

News & Notes
- Mariscal extended her hit streak to eight straight games.
- Sigmon had three strikeouts in the game pushing her career strikeout total to 401 - she becomes just the second Catamount pitcher in program history to go over 400 career strikeouts. Former Catamount standout Jordan Garrett finished her storied career with 740.
- Cyr hit her 16th homerun of the season ranking her third in the WCU record books for homeruns in a season. She is two behind former Catamount Erin Foster who sits in second place with 18. Cyr has a career total of 24 homeruns, ranking her second the WCU record books for homeruns in a career, and is five shy of tying the record for career homeruns owned by former Catamount Lauren Ross, who ended her career with 29.
- Cyr has 50 RBI this season which continues to lead the Southern Conference and ranks third in the WCU record books for RBI in a season. She is four behind Foster who had 54 in 2012 ranking her second.

Up Next
Western Carolina, as the No. 3 seed, will face No. 2 seed Furman at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the elimination bracket of the Southern Conference Championships. The game can be seen on the SoCon Digital Network and heard online via the Catamount Sports Network with the voice of Catamount softball Kyle Rush.

For the latest information on Catamount softball, follow @catamounts on Twitter or go to www.catamountsports.com.