The Basics

Score: Mercer 9, Western Carolina 0 (5); Mercer 6, Western Carolina 4

Records: Western Carolina 13-19, 1-5 SoCon; Mercer 15-21, 2-1 SoCon

Location: Sikes Field, Macon, Ga.   

Macon, Ga. – Western Carolina softball's comeback in game two fell short as the Catamounts dropped a pair of games at Mercer Saturday 9-0 (5) and 6-4 at Sikes Field.

Mercer 9, Western Carolina 0 (5)

Turning Point

Mercer scored in three of the four innings scoring a total of nine runs to trim the game to five innings.

How it Happened

• Mercer took the early 1-0 lead scoring a run in the bottom of the first.
• The Bears exploded for five runs in the bottom of the third as the Catamounts burned through three pitchers in the inning.
• Mercer added three more runs in the bottom of the fourth to end the game in five innings.

Inside the Box Score

• Western Carolina had one hit in the game – a single by Shaina Reed.
• The Catamounts went through three pitchers in the game. Junior Kinsey Liscio got the starting nod and lasted two innings giving up three runs on five hits and falls to 7-5 on the year.
• Junior Kylie Shay replaced Liscio going only 0.2 innings allowing three runs on three hits.
• Kayla Brewer replaced Shay and closed out the game. She went 1.1 innings giving up three runs on three hits.

Mercer 6, Western Carolina 4

Turning Point

Mercer scored in five of six innings and weathered the Catamounts four-run sixth inning rally.

How it Happened

• Mercer scored runs in the first and second inning to take a 2-0 lead after two innings.
• The Bears tacked on two more runs in the third inning and one in the fourth and one in the fifth.
• The Catamounts rallied for four runs in the top of the sixth inning. It all began when Hunter Gibbons was hit by a pitch and Reed and Kailey McNeil drew walks with two outs. With the bases loaded, pinch hitter Myra Twitty perfectly placed a hit down the right side to clear the bases. Addie Pate followed with bloop single to score Twitty and cut the Mercer lead to 6-4.

Inside the Box Score

• Madison Armstrong had two hits in the game for Western Carolina.
• Shaina Reed got the start and went four innings giving up six runs, four earned, on six hits and struck out two. She takes the loss and falls to 4-10 on the year.
• Liscio, who started game one, replaced Reed in the fifth inning. She came in and tossed two scoreless innings with a strikeout.
• Western Carolina's four runs in the top of the sixth ended 10 scoreless innings for the Catamounts in the doubleheader.
• The Catamounts had four hits in the game while the Bears had eight.

News & Notes

• Gibbons had her on-base streak halted at 13-straight in the first game against Mercer.
• Bailey Huneycutt had her hit streak end at seven games.
• Western Carolina was shutout for the fifth time this season in the 9-0 loss in game one of the double-header.
• In the seven games on the week, Western Carolina went 3-4 with 47 hits and scored 38 hits. Huneycutt hit .400 for the week with eight hits, four runs, two doubles, a triple, one home run, and four RBI.

Up Next

Western Carolina travels to USC Upstate Wednesday for a doubleheader with the Spartans set to begin at 4 p.m.

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