Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score

The Basics:
Score: Furman 4, Western Carolina 2; Furman 5, Western Carolina 2
Records: Western Carolina 8-19, 0-5 SoCon; Furman 18-16, 4-1 SoCon
Location: Cullowhee, N.C.

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Furman used a combined three homeruns and key hitting, in the pair of games Saturday, to slip past Western Carolina 4-2, 5-2 in a Southern Conference doubleheader at the Catamount Softball Complex.

Turning Point:
With Western Carolina leading 2-0, Furman used a four-run fifth inning, with two homeruns with a runner on base, to escape the Catamounts in the opening game of the Southern Conference three-game series 4-2.

How it Happened:
Western Carolina took the early 1-0 lead courtesy of a Furman error. Junior Abigail Daniels reached first in the bottom of the first on an error by Furman. Daniels went around to score when sophomore catcher Madison Armstrong hit a sacrifice fly RBI to right field. Armstrong put the Catamounts up 2-0 thanks to her first homerun of the season in the bottom of the fourth. Furman used two homeruns, each with a runner on base, to plate four runs in the fifth and hold on to win the game.

Inside the Box Score:
- Armstrong accounted for both runs in the games for WCU with a sacrifice fly RBI in the first and a homerun in the fourth. She went 2-for-2 in the game with a run scored and two RBI.
- Senior pitcher Courtney Buchanan went five innings and had an uneventful four innings, before giving up four runs, on two homeruns, in the fifth inning. She allowed four runs on five hits, walked five and struck out five. She falls to 2-7 on the year.
- Pitcher Lily Hayes replaced Buchanan in the sixth and tossed two scoreless innings giving up a hit and striking out two.

Turning Point:
Furman scored two runs in the third, and single runs in the fourth, sixth and seventh to secure the series win against Western Carolina in game two of the three-game series. How it Happened: Furman broke open a scoreless game scoring two runs in the top of the third courtesy of a two-RBI single to left field by Casey Bigham. The Catamounts cut the Furman lead to one, 2-1, in the bottom of the third inning. Ashlyn Long reached first on a Furman error with one out and went around to score when Hunter Gibbons hit an RBI single up the middle. Furman would score two unanswered runs to lead 4-1 headed to the bottom of the fifth when Western Carolina scored its final run of the game. In the bottom half of the fifth Armstrong struck again in the series leading off with a double and coming around to score courtesy of a RBI single by Cheyenne Matthews when she sent a shot down the third base line. Furman would add runs in the sixth and seventh to secure the win.

Inside the Box Score:
- Furman had 11 hits in the game and Western Carolina had five.
- Erica Hayes and Armstrong each had a pair of hits in the game.
- Sophomore pitcher Shaina Reed got the start and takes the loss falling to 2-4 on the year. She went six innings allowing four runs on nine hits and struck out five. Reed was replaced by freshman Kinsey Liscio in the seventh inning and she gave up a run on two hits and struck out one.
- Furman turned two double plays in the game - one with bases loaded for the Catamounts and no outs.
- Western Carolina left seven runners on base.

News & Notes:
- Mathews got the first start of her career when she got the starting nod as the designated player in game two against the Paladins. She got her first hit as a Catamount in her first start for WCU.
- Armstrong is hitting .800 in the two games against Furman with four hits, a run, a double, a homerun and two RBI. In fact, Armstrong has four of Western Carolina's 12 hits as a team in the first two games against the Paladins.
- Armstrong hit her first homerun of the season in game one against Furman.
- Armstrong is on a five-game hitting streak.
- Long has reached base safely in the last five games.
- Gibbons, as a sophomore, has already moved into the top 20 in the WCU record books for RBI with 57. - Armstrong has hit a double in four of the last five games.
- Western Carolina has hit a homerun in two of the last three games.

Up Next:
Western Carolina will complete the three-game Southern Conference series with Furman at 2 p.m. Sunday. The Catamounts will try to avoid their second consecutive SoCon series sweep after dropping three games at UNCG last weekend.

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