CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Senior
Jayme Eilers allowed just one hit in a complete game shutout and classmate
Samantha Reele drove in a game-high three runs as Western Carolina completed a three-game Southern Conference series sweep of ETSU with an 8-0 victory in five innings Sunday on Senior Day.
WCU improves to 19-20 overall and 8-7 in Southern Conference play while ETSU falls to 13-34 and 4-11.
In the ETSU first, Kemiah Michel reached on a one-out single but was thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning. WCU went down in order in their half of the inning.
Myra Twitty led off the Catamount second inning with a walk and was replaced by pinch runner
Claudia Riddle. Riddle advanced to second on a single by
Jeralynn Wells and scored on the first of two Reele doubles for a 1-0 WCU lead.
The Catamounts seized control of the game with a five-run third inning.
Brooklynn Brewington reached on an ETSU error and scored on a
Natalie Henry two-run home run. Following a
Bailey Huneycutt single,
Myra Twitty hit her team-leading ninth home run of the season for a 5-0 WCU lead. Later in the inning, Wells reached on a fielders choice, stole second, and scored on a Reele double to give the hosts a 6-0 edge.
Consecutive pinch hit singles by
Amber Parker and
Anna-Paige Pelfrey started a WCU rally in the fifth. Parker was lifted for pinch runner
Riley Lambert, with Lambert scoring on a
Kennedy Stewman single. Reele ended the game with a single that plated Pelfrey.
Reele finished 3-for-3 with a single, two doubles, and three RBI. Henry and Twitty each hit a two-run home run with two RBI. Huneycutt, Wells, Pelfrey, Parker, Stewman,
Mattie Mentel, and
Bailey Treadway each finished with a single as WCU bashed 12 hits.
Eilers was masterful in the circle, facing 15 batters and allowing one hit with no walks and six strikeouts over the course of 61 pitches in 5.0 innings.
Michel had the lone hit of the game for ETSU. Taylor Suchy (0-3) took the loss, allowing six runs, four earned, on eight hits with a walk and two strikeouts in 3.0 innings.
The Catamounts close out nonconference play on Thursday, May 4, hosting NC Central in a rescheduled doubleheader at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. in Cullowhee. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
For the latest information on Catamount softball, follow @catamounts and @catamountsb on Twitter or go to
www.CatamountSports.com.
