CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Sophomore Taylor Waitley connected on a two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to propel the Catamounts past Mercer 4-2 in the second game of a Southern Conference Friday doubleheader at the Catamount Softball Complex. With the win, Jim Clift earned his 250th victory as the head coach of WCU softball. Mercer claimed game one in Friday's twin bill 12-3 in five innings.
Waitley had a strong day at the dish in her only action in game two. She picked up two hits including the game-winning homer, while drawing a walk and tallying a sacrifice. Junior Tessa Juett picked up her first collegiate home run in the opening game. Senior Savannah Baldwin and freshman Lily Bell both picked up two hits, and Bell recorded her first career triple.
Redshirt sophomore Taylor Norton picked up her seventh career complete game going 7.0 innings with five strikeouts and only allowing two runs. Norton matched her season-high with five punchouts.
Game One – Mercer 12, Western Carolina 3 (5 Innings)
Mercer used three home runs and a seven-run fourth inning to power past Western Carolina in game one 12-3 in five innings.
Mercer wasted little time in game one as the first two runners reached in the opening frame before the Bears deposited a three-run shot to centerfield to seize early control. The Catamounts answered the big inning with some offense of their own in the home half of the inning as following Bell's leadoff triple, Baldwin connected on an RBI single to cut into the Mercer lead at 3-1 after one.
Both offenses settled down in the second as a Maya McPherson one-out walk was the only traffic on the bases for either team in a scoreless second inning.
The guests extended their lead in the third with a two-run homer to right field that gave Mercer the 5-1 lead. Baldwin added a two-out single in the bottom half of the frame, but WCU was unable to bring her around.
The Bears put game one out of reach with a seven-run top of the fourth, which included an RBI double, an RBI single, and a grand slam. The offensive explosion allowed the guests to take the 12-1 lead.
Western Carolina battled back in the home half of the inning. After Kennedy Stewman's leadoff single, Juett connected on her first collegiate homer down the right field line to make it a 12-3 game.
Both teams got a baserunner on in the fifth, but Mercer kept the margin at nine, 12-3, and was able to take game one in five innings from the hosts.
Juett (5-9) started for WCU and pitched five innings. She allowed 12 runs, 10 of which were earned, and 10 hits. The Berea, Ky. native recorded three strikeouts.
Grace Taylor (6-7) got the win for Mercer in game one with 4.0 innings, allowing three earned runs and scattering five hits with four strikeouts. Grace Roark came in to record the final three outs and only allowed a walk to the four batters she faced.
Game Two – Western Carolina 4, Mercer 2
Tied at two in the final frame of regulation, Taylor Waitley hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to push WCU past Mercer in game two and help secure Coach Clift's 250th career victory as a Catamount.
Both offenses struggled in the early going as the Bears went down 1-2-3 in the first and Bell's leadoff walk was the lone baserunner in the home half of the inning for WCU. In a role reversal, Mercer drew a leadoff walk but stranded the runner at second, and the Catamounts were erased to keep the game scoreless through two innings.
Mercer (14-18, 3-2 SoCon) got the first hit for either team in game two with a leadoff single in the third before Norton erased the threat with three straight outs. The Bears kept the Catamount offense puzzled in game two with another 1-2-3 inning.
After a leadoff single and double on back-to-back at-bats, a one-out RBI groundout from the guests pushed Mercer in front 1-0 after 3.5 innings. Waitley and Baldwin each reached on walks in the home half of the inning, but the score remained 1-0 in game two.
Mercer picked up a two-out single in the fifth before Norton induced the 6-3 groundout to keep the deficit at one.
Western Carolina (8-18, 1-4 SoCon) got the bats hot in the fifth. Stewman drew the leadoff walk before a sacrifice from McPherson advanced her to second. Mercer put both Natalie Henry and Becka Wonsick on via walks to load the bases before Bell deposited a base knock to left that allowed a pair of runs to score and gave WCU the 2-1 lead. Waitley reached on a bunt, but the guests erased the threat quickly after that to keep it a one-run game.
Mercer pushed back in the sixth with a sacrifice fly that evened the score at two before Norton tallied one of her five strikeouts to stop the threat and strand two in scoring position.
The Catamounts were sat down on three pitches in the home half of the sixth to send game two tied headed to the final inning.
Norton worked around a one-out single with a flyout and pair of popouts to keep the score knotted at two.
Pinch-hitter K.J. Ammons lined a single through the left side to get aboard as the eventual winning run. The Bears tallied back-to-back strikeouts before a 2-1 pitch to Waitley was deposited deep to left center for her first career big fly and gave the Catamounts a 4-2 walk-off victory and a doubleheader split.
Norton (3-3) went the distance for the third time in the 2024 season, scattering six hits while allowing a pair of runs en route to the late-inning victory. She matched her season-high with five strikeouts.
Hannah Pitts (2-5) suffered the loss for the Bears. She pitched 6.2 innings, allowing four earned runs with six walks and six strikeouts. Pitts only allowed four hits to WCU.
The Catamounts and Bears battle for the series on Saturday, with the first pitch set for Noon from the Catamount Softball Complex. Saturday's series finale will feature live stats available at CatamountSports.com and be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required). Following the conclusion of Saturday's game, kids 12 and under are invited to join Paws and the Easter Bunny for an Easter Egg hunt on the field.
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