CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina used timely hitting along with strong pitching and defense as the Catamounts swept a Southern Conference doubleheader against Samford on Saturday at the Catamount Softball Complex. WCU took the first game 7-5 and completed the sweep with a 4-1 win in the second contest.
The Catamounts are 12-16 overall and 2-3 in league games while Samford is 14-21 and 3-2 in the SoCon. The teams close out the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. with the game streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
Game 1: Western Carolina 7, Samford 5
Myra Twitty finished a triple shy of the cycle with a 3-for-4 day at the plate, collecting four RBI as WCU scored a combined four runs with two outs in the win.
After the first two batters were retired in the WCU first inning,
Bailey Huneycutt reached on a single and advanced to third on a Twitty base hit.
Jeralynn Wells brought Huneycutt home with an infield single for a 1-0 Catamount lead.
Huneycutt worked a two-out walk in the third inning and then scored on a Twitty double down the left field line. WCU added another run in the fourth inning as
Mattie Mentel led off with a double and scored on a
Samantha Reele double for a 3-0 advantage.
Samford got on the board in the fifth inning with a two-run home run by Ansley Yantis.
Twitty gave an emphatic answer in the bottom of the frame with her team-best sixth home run of the year, a three-run blast that came after
Natalie Henry and Huneycutt reached before her.
The Bulldogs plated three runs in the sixth with a Logan Champion solo home run and a two-run double by Yantis to trim the WCU lead to one, 6-5. Reele got the Catamounts started in the bottom half of the frame with a leadoff walk and scored on a Huneycutt sacrifice fly.
Samford had two runners on with one out in the seventh inning before
Tessa Juett got a flyout and a strikeout to end the game.
In addition to Twitty's big day at the plate, Huneycutt was 2-for-2 with two singles, three runs scored, and an RBI.
Mattie Mentel also had a multi-hit game with a pair of doubles. Reele, Henry, Wells, and
Brooklynn Brewington each tallied one hit.
Yantis paced the Bulldogs, going 2-for-3 with a double, home run, and four RBI.
Juett (4-6) picked up the win, allowing five runs on seven hits with three walks and seven strikeouts while going the distance. McKenzie Newcomb (7-8), the reigning SoCon Pitcher of the Week, was charged with the loss as she gave up three runs on six hits with a walk and four strikeouts in four innings.
Game 2: Western Carolina 4, Samford 1
Bailey Huneycutt's three-run home run in the fifth inning broke a 1-1 tie as the Catamounts held on late to complete the doubleheader sweep. Huneycutt drove in all four of WCU's runs in the game.
After starting pitcher
Jayme Eilers worked out of a two-on, no out jam in the top of the first, Brewington led off the WCU portion of the frame with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch before a Henry base hit gave WCU runners on the corners with nobody out. Huneycutt doubled to bring home Brewington, but the Catamounts were unable to add more than the one run.
Samford threatened in the second inning, but
Jeralynn Wells and
Samantha Reele teamed up to extinguish the potential Bulldog rally. With runners at first and second with two outs, Sarah Squillace singled to center but Wells quickly got to the ball and fired a strike to Reele, who tagged out Lindsey Nelson at the plate for the final out of the inning.
Nelson got her revenge in the fourth inning, hitting a solo home run that tied the game.
WCU sent eight batters to the plate in the fifth inning as
Amber Parker led off the frame with a pinch-hit single. The Catamounts were thrown out on a close play trying to score and had runners on the corners with one out and Huneycutt due up. The Oakboro, N.C., native hit her fourth home run of the season, a long shot that easily cleared the center field fence for a 4-1 WCU lead.
Samford had runners in scoring position in the sixth inning before a popout got the Catamounts out of the inning. The Bulldogs again threatened with runners on first and second with one out in the seventh and loaded the bases with two outs following a 13-pitch walk to Grier Bruce. Huneycutt backhanded a ball hit to her at third base by Merritt Calhoon and stepped on the bag to record the final out of the game, securing the Saturday sweep.
While Huneycutt finished 2-for-3 with a double, home run, and four RBI, Brewington tallied a game-high four hits, going 4-for-4 and scoring two runs. Henry also had a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-4. Parker and
Taylor Norton both had pinch-hit singles.
Squillace led Samford with three hits while Nelson had two hits and the team's lone RBI.
Eilers (3-5) allowed one run on nine hits with two walks and six strikeouts in her fourth complete game of the year. Jordyn Partain (2-5) suffered the loss, giving up four runs on 10 hits with two strikeouts in 4.2 innings.
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