Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score

The Basics
Score: Mercer 7, Western Carolina 1; Western Carolina 9, Mercer 1 (5)
Records: Western Carolina 15-32, 2-12 SoCon, Mercer 30-15, SoCon 9-3
Location: Cullowhee, N.C. (Catamount Softball Complex)

CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- Western Carolina softball split the SoCon series doubleheader with Mercer Saturday dropping game one 7-1 before bouncing back to take game two 9-1, in five innings, at the Catamount Softball Complex.

Turning Point
Holding on to a 1-0 lead after two innings, Mercer broke open the game off Carolina Taylor's grand-slam in the third inning.

How it Happened
- Mercer scored seven unanswered runs over the course of the first six and a half meetings including the grand-slam by Taylor that broke open the game.
- The Bears' pitcher Megan Bilgri was cruising to a no-hitter through six innings, and it looked like she would put in the books but Catamount junior Hunter Gibbons had something to say about that.
- Gibbons broke up Bilgri no-hitter attempt with a lead-off double in the top of the seventh. She moved to third on a Madison Armstrong fly out and scored when Emily Castro flew out and on a Mercer error on the play avoiding the shutout.

Inside the Box Score
- Freshman hurler Haley Brogden got the start and took the loss falling to 5-8 on the year. She went 4.1 innings giving up seven runs on four hits, walked five and struck out seven.
- Brogden was replaced by sophomore Kinsey Liscio in the fifth inning with one out. She tossed 2.2 innings of shutout ball giving up two hits and struck out two.
- The Catamounts had just one hit in the game while Mercer had six.

Turning Point
Western Carolina hit four homeruns in the game, including a grand-slam, to power past Mercer in game two.

How it Happened
- After giving up a lone run in the top of the first, Western Carolina found itself down 1-0 to Mercer to start game two.
- The Bears' lead was short-lived as the Catamounts jump-started the game in the bottom of the first. It all started when Erica Hayes reached on a Mercer error and followed with a walk to Ashlyn Long. Gibbons was awarded a single after she hit a ball toward the Bears' shortstop who interfered with Hayes running to third. Hayes was awarded third base and the Catamounts had bases loaded with no outs and Shaina Reed coming to bat. Reed flipped the script of the game with one swing hitting the first grand-slam of her career and giving WCU a quick 4-0 lead.
- In the fourth inning, WCU was back at it again with back-to-back homeruns. With two outs, Abigail Daniels hit a homerun to right center field and Emily Castro followed with a homerun to center field.
- The Catamounts shortened the game to five innings scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Long hit her seventh homerun of the season to make the score 7-1 WCU. After back-to-back singles by Gibbons and Armstrong, Reed was at it again with a game-ending two-RBI double scoring Gibbons and Armstrong.

Inside the Box Score
- After closing out game one, Liscio got the start in game two tossing five innings giving up one run on two hits and struck out two. She improves to 5-8 on the year.
- After just one hit in game two, Western Carolina had eight hits in game two.
- Reed was 2-for-3 in the game with a run scored and a career-high six RBI in the game.
- Gibbons also had a pair of hits and scored two runs.

News & Notes
- Western Carolina halted a six-game losing streak with the win in game two against Mercer.
- The Catamounts four homeruns in game two ties for the most in a game this season as the team had four against Appalachian State earlier in the year.
- In her two appearances in game two against Mercer, Liscio tossed 7.1 innings with a 0.92 ERA giving up just one run on four hits and striking out five.
- Gibbons is currently on a four-game hit streak.
- The nine runs scored by Western Carolina against Mercer is the most scored on the Bears in SoCon play this season and the second-most runs scored on Mercer this season. Georgia State scored 14 runs on the Bears in the Mercer loss on April 4.

Up Next
Western Carolina closes out the SoCon series with Mercer at 1 p.m. Sunday. Seniors Daniels and Kassandra Flores will be honored prior to the game.

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