CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina softball closed out an eight-game homestand in style on Wednesday afternoon with its second straight doubleheader sweep in as many days, downing Georgia State 8-0 in six innings before a 5-3 victory in the finale at the Catamount Softball Complex.
WCU stretched its win streak to five on Wednesday, marking the longest such streak since April 21, 2021-May 2, 2021, when the Catamounts took seven in a row.
Freshman Lily Bell stayed hot with four hits in six trips, including three runs scored and her team-high ninth steal of the season. Mattie Mentel added three hits including a home run in the opening game. Jeralynn Wells, Sydney Dirks, and Becka Wonsick each deposited home runs over the fence in the twin bill.
In the last two doubleheaders, WCU's bats were red-hot, totaling 42 hits and recording a .365 average with 15 extra-base hits, led by Bell's 11-for-14 performance at the dish for the Catamounts.
Game One – Western Carolina 8, Georgia State 0 (6 Innings)
The Catamounts used multi-run innings in the first, third, and fifth before a solo shot from Becka Wonsick in the sixth propelled the hosts to the 8-0 run-rule victory in the opener with the Panthers.
Georgia State (8-14) put two on in scoring position with one out in the opening frame before starter Taylor Norton induced a popout and strikeout to keep the guests off the scoreboard.
Bell continued her hot swinging with a leadoff infield single before Mentel gave the Catamounts an early 2-0 lead with a homer over the left field wall.
The teams traded 1-2-3 frames in the home half of the second and the top of the third before WCU got the bats hot again. The Catamounts put the first three runners on with a Wonsick walk followed by a single from Bell and Mentel as Savannah Baldwin lined a base knock through the left side to push the lead to 3-0. Maya McPherson then worked a full count before an infield single off the freshman's bat made it 4-0 for the Catamounts after three.
The Panthers threatened in the fifth inning as their first two runners reached base. However, the Catamounts worked the lineup for three straight outs including a heads-up play by Norton, got the Panthers runner leaning off of third to keep the lead at four.
The Catamounts offense went back to work in the fifth with Mentel reaching on a Georgia State error before an RBI double from Baldwin pushed the lead to 5-0. The hosts weren't done yet as two batters later, Dirks deposited a homer over the left-field fence to push the advantage to seven.
Norton tossed another 1-2-3 frame before Wonsick's solo shot in the sixth pushed the lead to eight and allowed Western Carolina (6-11) to claim the 8-0 run-rule victory over the Panthers.
Norton (2-2) went the distance in game one, pitching 6.0 innings to match her season-high. She scattered three hits and tallied three strikeouts en route to the victory. Wednesday's result marks the sixth career complete game for the Chesterfield, Va. native.
Sydney Boulware (4-7) suffered the loss for Georgia State. She got the start and went 4.1 innings, allowing seven runs and six earned runs while scattering eight hits. Boulware added three strikeouts to her line. Katie Kastelic tallied the last three outs for the Panthers, allowing one run on one hit with a strikeout.
Game Two – Western Carolina 5, Georgia State 3
Western Carolina used early offense coupled with another strong pitching performance from Tessa Juett as she went the distance in the 5-3 victory in game two of the twinbill.
The bats started quickly following a 1-2-3 frame from Juett as she worked around a leadoff single. The Catamounts used back-to-back hits from Bell and Mentel, followed by a double steal to put both into scoring position. McPherson plated the first run via a sacrifice fly to put WCU on the board.
Dirks (RBI single), Wells (RBI double), and Stewman (RBI single) on three straight at-bats allowed the Catamounts to extend the lead to 4-0 in the early going of game two.
Juett allowed the first two to reach in the second before three of the following four were sat down via the strikeout to erase the Georgia State threat in the second inning.
After a quick 1-2-3 inning from Georgia State, the Panthers got on the board courtesy of a two-run homer that cut the deficit in half to 4-2.
Georgia State quickly erased the Catamounts in the third, 1-2-3. Even though the Panthers got a two-out baserunner, it was sandwiched between Juett racking up the strikeouts, as she had three in the frame to keep the margin at two.
Wells opened the home half of the fourth with a solo shot to left that pushed the lead back to three, 5-2.
Juett posted another 1-2-3 frame in the fifth, including another strikeout for the WCU junior. WCU threatened with a pair of hits in the inning but could not extend the lead on the guests.
Georgia State cut into the deficit in the sixth with an RBI groundout, which made it a 5-3 lead for WCU in the late stages of the contest. WCU threatened with a two-out base knock from KJ Ammons in the sixth, but Georgia State quickly snuffed out that threat.
Juett finished the complete game in the seventh with a quick 1-2-3 inning, propelling the Catamounts to their second doubleheader sweep in as many days.
Juett (5-5) went the distance for the Catamounts to complete a 3-0 week in the circle for the Berea, Ky. native. She allowed three runs and five hits while tallying a season-high 10 punchouts en route to the victory. With the win, Juett moved into a tie for ninth in the program's career record book with her 18th victory in a WCU uniform. She finished the week with a 3-0 mark, totaling 22 strikeouts in 18.1 innings and allowing just six earned runs.
Hallie Adams (2-3) got the start for the Panthers and recorded just two outs for the visitors. She allowed four earned runs on five hits and faced seven batters in the contest before WCU chased her from the circle. Kastelic made her second appearance of the day, tossing the final 5.1 innings. She scattered four hits and allowed one run with seven strikeouts.
The Catamounts begin Southern Conference play on March 23 with a trip to Greenville to battle chromatic rival Furman in a three-game league series. The Catamounts and Paladins square off in a 1 p.m. twinbill before closing the series the following afternoon at 1 p.m. All three contests will feature live stats available at CatamountSports.com and be shown ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
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