CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina softball continued its momentum from Sunday afternoon to claim both ends of Tuesday's nonconference doubleheader, using a ninth-inning walk-off in the opener before scoring a comeback victory in the finale of the sweep over Presbyterian at the Catamount Softball Complex. WCU grabbed the 5-4 extra-inning win in the opener before a 9-6 victory in game two to defeat the visiting Blue Hose.
Freshman Lily Bell had a twinbill to remember. The Woodstock, Ga. native finished with a 7-for-8 day at the dish, posting a career-high four hits in the opener and a career-best four RBIs in the back half of the twin bill. Senior Jeralynn Wells finished with five hits and four runs including a homer, while classmate Savannah Baldwin tallied three extra-base hits and drove in five runs over the two contests.
WCU continued to swing hot bats up and down the lineup on Tuesday, totaling 24 hits between the two games including nine for extra bases. The squad was led by Bell's seven hits, along with Wells who had five.
Game One – Western Carolina 5, Presbyterian 4 (9 Innings)
Savannah Baldwin belted a game-tying, three-run home run in the fifth inning before driving in the game-winning run on a walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth as Western Carolina fought back from a 4-1 deficit to win the opener in extras, 5-4.
Presbyterian (8-16) came out of the gates quickly on Tuesday with a solo homer followed by the guests taking advantage of a WCU error to quickly race the lead to 2-0 after half an inning. Bell tallied her first hit of the afternoon to lead off the home half of the inning and promptly stole second. However, PC retired the next three batters in order including a pair of strikeouts to maintain the early lead.
The Blue Hose advanced the lead to 3-0 with an RBI single in the second and were able to sit the Catamounts down 1-2-3 in the second to keep the edge.
Tessa Juett settled in during the third, working around a one-out walk with a double play behind her to keep the deficit at three.
Western Carolina (4-11) opened the third in a big way with Wells connecting on her second home run of the season to cut the deficit to two, 3-1. The Catamounts upped the pressure as the next three runners reached, including a pair of walks before PC erased the threat.
Presbyterian retook its three-run lead at 4-1, capitalizing on a two-out error to score a run. WCU responded quickly in the home half of the inning, though. The frame began with a Bell hustle double before Mattie Mentel singled to put two on for Baldwin. The Bessemer City, N.C. native deposited the first pitch she saw in the fifth over the fence in center field to tie the score at four.
PC put the would-be go-ahead runner on with a two-out single in the seventh but could not score in the final frame of regulation. Mentel opened the seventh with a base hit but was quickly erased on an inning-ending double play which forced extras for the second time in 2024 for WCU.
The Catamounts erased the Blue Hose threat 1-2-3, setting up WCU's golden opportunity. Wells added a two-out double down the left field line, preceded by a Catamount reaching via hit-by-pitch, putting two in scoring position. Presbyterian squashed the threat with a popout to the shortstop to force the ninth inning.
PC worked a leadoff walk base runner to second before Juett's season-high tying eighth strikeout erased the Blue Hose chance.
The top of the Catamount order struck one final time in game one as Bell added a leadoff single before two batters later, the game was capped by Baldwin's double to the right-center field gap that allowed Bell to race around the base paths and score from first base and give WCU the 5-4 win.
The top three batters in the Catamount order finished the opener 8-for-14 at the plate with two doubles and a home run, scoring four runs and driving in four.
Juett (3-5) went the distance in the opener, tossing a career-long nine innings while allowing four runs – three of which were earned – as she scattered eight hits in the victory. She also matched her season-high with eight strikeouts, a feat she's matched twice before Tuesday's action. It's the 12th time in program history that a Catamount pitcher has gone at least nine innings and the first since Savannah Rice had 9.1 innings of work against Chattanooga on May 11, 2022.
Kasey Wolfe (2-6) was the tough-luck loser in Tuesday's extra-inning affair. The Blue Hose freshman went the distance in 8.1 innings of work, allowing five runs and scattering 11 hits. Wolfe tallied 10 strikeouts in her start for the guests.
Game Two – Western Carolina 9, Presbyterian 6
Western Carolina used a four-run burrage in the fifth and sixth innings on Tuesday afternoon to regain the late lead and complete the doubleheader sweep of the Blue Hose.
WCU's first three runners reached base in the home portion of the second to start the game's scoring. Maya McPherson singled, Wells reached on a base hit, and a Kennedy Stewman drew a walk to quickly load the bases. After PC recorded back-to-back outs, Bell continued her hot swinging by bounding a two-run single up the middle, which was quickly followed by an RBI double from Mentel that propelled the hosts to the 3-0 lead.
After a scoreless third, the Blue Hose struck in the fourth with a pair of singles before an RBI double allowed the guests to get on the board. It was quickly followed up by a Catamount wild pitch that made it 3-2 WCU after 3.5.
Western Carolina (5-11) began the fourth quickly with a single from Taylor Waitley followed by a sacrifice bunt to push her into scoring position. Bell then connected on another base knock up the middle that pushed the lead to 4-2. The lead swelled to three, 5-2, when an RBI double from Baldwin allowed Bell to score from first in similar fashion like the game one winner.
Presbyterian (8-17) battled back in the fifth with a two-out three-run homer before a solo shot on the ensuing at-bat that pushed the guests in front 6-5.
The Catamounts answered the Blue Hose offense with runs of their own. A two-run double from Waitley was followed by an RBI single from Bell, pushing the hosts back in front 8-6 in the late stages of Tuesday's action.
Juett answered the Bell quickly in the sixth with a pair of strikeouts as part of a 1-2-3 frame to keep the lead at two, 8-6. Waitley added a sacrifice fly in the home half of the sixth that gave the Catamounts the breathing room they needed for the seventh inning.
The Blue Hose tallied a pair of base hits in their final at-bats, but Juett used a pair of flyouts and a strikeout to help secure the clean sweep of Presbyterian on Tuesday.
Juett (4-5) got in the win column by tossing the final 2.1 innings, allowing two hits with four strikeouts to her credit. Makenzie Martin started with 3.1 innings of work as she tallied three strikeouts but didn't factor in the decision. Taylor Norton also saw the circle in game two, working 1.1 innings and allowing four runs and a pair of hits.
Peyton Duncan (2-4) suffered the loss as she got the start and went 4.0 innings, allowing seven runs and six earned runs while scattering eight hits. Duncan recorded five strikeouts for PC. Riley Pennington was first out of the bullpen, going 1.1 innings and allowing five hits and a pair of runs. Lanie Ruscoe got the final two outs on Tuesday for the Blue Hose.
The Catamounts finish the homestand on Wed., March 13, with a twin-bill against Georgia State beginning at 1 p.m. Both games will have live stats on CatamountSports.com and be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
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