MACON, Ga. – Western Carolina pitchers
Tessa Juett and
Jayme Eilers held Mercer to four combined hits in two games as the Catamounts swept a doubleheader at Mercer on Saturday afternoon. WCU won the opening game 5-2 and the nightcap by a 2-1 score.
WCU improves to 16-19 overall and 5-6 in Southern Conference games. Mercer drops to 15-30 and 5-6.
The teams close out the three-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m. The contest is scheduled to be streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats on catamountsports.com via StatBroadcast.
Game 1: Western Carolina 5, Mercer 2
The Catamounts used a pair of two-run innings and
Tessa Juett allowed just three hits in the complete game victory to take game one.
After the first two innings were scoreless, the Catamounts plated a pair of runs in the third inning.
Jeralynn Wells reached on a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on a
Brooklynn Brewington base hit. Brewington advanced to second on the throw home and came around to score on a
Natalie Henry single.
Mattie Mentel led off the fourth inning with a triple and scored on a
Samantha Reele sacrifice fly for a 3-0 WCU lead. Mercer answered in the home half of the inning with back-to-back solo home runs by Bailey Ledvina and Kylie Helm.
Bailey Huneycutt hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning for some insurance. Brewington led off the inning with a base hit and Huneycutt's blast came with one out.
Brewington finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Huneycutt was 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Mentel was 1-for-3 with a triple while
Myra Twitty went 1-for-4 with a double. Henry, Reele, and Wells each finished with a single.
Juett (6-8) allowed two runs on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts in the complete game performance.
Helm and Ledvina each finished 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI to lead Mercer offensively. Sophie Sumner went 1-for-2 with a single. Grace Taylor (9-16) took the loss after she surrendered five runs on eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 7.0 innings.
Game 2: Western Carolina 2, Mercer 1
Bailey Huneycutt's two-run home run in the first inning proved to be all the offense
Jayme Eilers would need as the Catamounts completed the doubleheader sweep.
Brooklynn Brewington led off the game with an infield single, stole second, and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. Huneycutt hit her second two-run home run of the day on a 2-0 count to give WCU a 2-0 lead.
Mercer threatened in the bottom of the frame before Eilers got a strikeout to end the inning.
The Bears got on the board with a run in the fourth inning. Kylie Helm opened the inning with a walk and was replaced by pinch runner Emma Dorval. Dorval reached second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a two-out single by Madi Wicker. Wicker would steal second base but Sophie Sumner struck out to end the inning.
Sumner was hit by a pitch with one out in the seventh inning but didn't advance as a groundout and flyout ended the game.
Huneycutt finished 1-for-3 with a home run, run scored, and two RBI. Brewington went 1-for-3 with a single and run scored.
Mattie Mentel was 1-for-3 with a single.
Eilers (5-5) threw her third one-run complete game in as many starts, allowing one run on one hit with five walks and six strikeouts. The senior from Sterling, Ill. needed 132 pitches to complete the job.
Wicker was 1-for-2 with a single and an RBI to lead Mercer offensively. The Bears stranded six runners on base. Katie Rearley (5-9) took the loss as she gave up two runs on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 7.0 innings.
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