Birmingham, Ala. – Western Carolina softball returned to the diamond for the first time in 13 days on Friday but was unable to come out on the right side of a pair of games on the opening day of the Green & Gold Classic, hosted by UAB from Mary Bowers Field. WCU opened the day with a 2-1 setback against North Alabama before dropping a 4-1 decision on Friday night to #10 Alabama.
Savannah Baldwin was the lone Catamount to record hits in both games on Friday as she added a double and scored the lone run for WCU against the Crimson Tide. In game one against UNA, Maya McPherson, Mattie Mentel, Kennedy Stewman, and KJ Ammons also got in the hit column, with Stewman recording a double. Lily Bell and Tessa Juett joined Baldwin in the hit column against Alabama.
Game One – North Alabama 2, Western Carolina 1
Kennedy Stewman drove a run-scoring, two-out double down the leftfield line to score Jeralynn Wells in the bottom of the seventh inning as Western Carolina tried to claw back from a 2-0 deficit. However, the game-tying run was stranded at second as the Catamounts dropped their opener at the Green & Gold Classic.
UNA (9-4) broke the scoreless drought in the top of the third inning. After stringing together three straight singles, Haven Kirby delivered a sacrifice fly to centerfield allowed the Lions to push the first run across. Juett limited the damage in the frame with a lineout and flyout to keep the margin at one.
The scoreboard remained quiet as each team sent one batter over the minimum to the plate between the home half of the third through the fifth inning.
Juett kept North Alabama off the scoreboard in the sixth as the Lions again threatened, working around a leadoff single with a sacrifice bunt and a pair of popups fielded by Natalie Henry.
In the sixth, Ammons connected on a one-out single. After a wild pitch moved her into scoring position, Baldwin lined a single back up the middle but Ammons was thrown out trying to score to keep the Catamounts off the scoreboard.
North Alabama added an insurance marker in the top of the seventh courtesy of a two-out RBI triple to right field that forced WCU to need at least two runs in the home half of the frame.
After a pair of outs, pinch-hitter Mattie Mentel picked up her first hit of the season on a single to center. Stewman quickly sent her home on a two-out RBI double that allowed pinch-runner Jeralynn Wells to score and cut the deficit to one, 2-1. Juett grabbed a bat and put a flyball to straightaway center that was caught, allowing UNA to squeak out the 2-1 win.
Juett (1-1) tossed her 23rd career complete game but was saddled with the loss, allowing two runs – only one of which was earned – while scattering eight hits in the contest. Juett totaled five strikeouts in the loss to move into sole possession of 10th place in the program's career record book for strikeouts with 178 in her time in Cullowhee.
Cassidy Duskin (4-1) matched Juett, going the distance by scattering five hits and allowing one run en route to her fourth victory in the young season.
Game Two – #10 Alabama 4, Western Carolina 1
Tenth-ranked Alabama used a three-run frame early on Friday night that proved to be the difference as the Crimson Tide pushed across a trio of runs in the home half of the second inning in dropping Western Carolina, 4-1.
The Crimson Tide got the offense going in the second after both team stranded runners in the opening frame. Alabama got on the board with an RBI single followed four batters later by a two-run single that allowed the lead to be stretched to three.
After the teams sent the minimum to the plate in the third, Baldwin led the fourth off with a double to right center, posting her third extra-base hit of the season. McPherson pushed her to third before Sydney Dirks brought her in via a sacrifice fly to get the Catamounts on the board and cut the margin to two, 3-1. Taylor Norton worked around a pair of singles in the fourth with a strikeout and groundout that kept the Crimson Tide off the scoreboard in the frame.
In the fifth, Juett got into the hit column with a one-out double but was left stranded on the bases after a pair of groundouts. Alabama pushed across a fourth run with a two-out RBI single in the inning that stretched the lead to 4-1.
Baldwin reached base via a walk to open the sixth inning but was erased on a thwarted stolen base opportunity to keep the Catamounts off the scoreboard. WCU (2-3) pitching duo of Norton and Juett worked around a leadoff walk without harm in the sixth that kept the deficit at three, heading to the seventh inning.
Alabama (12-0) sat WCU down quickly in the seventh to claim the victory in the finale of Friday's night Green & Gold Classic.
Makenzie Martin (0-2) was tagged with the loss on Friday night as she went 2.0 innings with three earned runs allowed and added one strikeout, scattering three hits. Taylor Norton tossed three innings, scattering five hits and allowing just one earned run, while Tessa Juett totaled the final three outs on Friday night.
Jaala Torrence (5-0) pitched five innings, allowing three hits and the lone run for WCU with five strikeouts to claim the victory. Alea Johnson (1) added her first save of the year, tossing two scoreless frames with three strikeouts in relief of Torrence.
The Catamounts continue their action at the Green & Gold Classic on Saturday, with the first pitch set for 10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT against Bradley from Mary Bowers Field in Birmingham, Ala. The Catamounts are also slated to battle host UAB at 12:15 p.m. ET / 11:15 a.m. CT on Saturday.
Both games on Saturday will have live stats via CatamountSports.com, and a live stream will be available through ESPN+ (paid subscription required) for the matchup with the host Blazers.
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