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Full
Mattie Mentel bats against Appalachian State
Ava Schmitt
0
Western Carolina WCU 2-7
1
Winner Radford RAD 9-9
Western Carolina WCU
2-7
0
Final
1
Radford RAD
9-9
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Western Carolina WCU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0
Radford RAD 0 0 0 0 0 1 X 1 4 1

W: PEACE, A. (2-2) L: Juett, Tessa (1-2)

1
Western Carolina WCU 2-8
3
Winner Radford RAD 10-9
Western Carolina WCU
2-8
1
Final
3
Radford RAD
10-9
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Western Carolina WCU 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 6 0
Radford RAD 0 0 1 0 0 2 X 3 4 2

W: PALYA, E. (1-0) L: Martin, Makenzie (0-4)

Game Recap: Softball | | Greg Hartlage, Director of Media Relations

Softball Drops a Pair of Tight Midweek Contests at Radford

Radford, Va. – Western Carolina softball opened a busy stretch of action on the road Tuesday afternoon, suffering a pair of tight setbacks to Big South foe Radford at the Radford Softball Stadium. The Highlanders grabbed a 1-0 victory in the opener before claiming a 3-1 win in the backend of Tuesday's nonconference twinbill. 

Freshman Lily Bell led the Catamounts at the plate with four hits including a career-high three in game two alone after securing one in the opener. Tessa Juett, Mattie Mentel, and Natalie Henry each tallied a pair of hits including Mentel picking up two in the first game with the Highlanders. Sydney Dirks also added her second double of the young season in game one. 

Game One – Radford 1, Western Carolina 0 
Radford scored the lone run of the opening game with an RBI single in the sixth inning to claim the tight 1-0 result in the doubleheader opener on Tuesday afternoon. 

After both teams traded a baserunner in the opening frame, WCU began the second by putting its first three runners aboard as Kennedy Stewman reached on a single before a fielder's choice and a Highlanders error allowed Mentel to get on before Jeralynn Wells reached via a hit by pitch. Radford (9-9) worked around the bases-loaded jam, though, with three straight outs to keep the guests off the scoreboard. Radford had one runner reach in the second on a hit-by-pitch but didn't threaten to score.

Juett began the third with a leadoff single before being forced out on Savannah Baldwin's groundball to third. Dirks connected on a double in the next at-bat as Baldwin tried to score and was thrown out at home, thwarting the WCU chances in the frame. Juett was dialed in, sitting down the Highlanders on just seven pitches to keep it scoreless after 3. 

Like the second, the Catamounts had their first three baserunners reach before Radford worked out of trouble with three straight outs to keep WCU off the scoreboard. For a second straight frame, Juett sat the hosts down 1-2-3 with three consecutive strikeouts, including two of the looking variety. 

Western Carolina (2-7) continued to threaten in the fifth inning as Dirks and Stewman reached on walks before Mentel added a single, but Radford induced a double play ball to end the Catamount threat. Then in the bottom of the frame, After sitting down nine straight Highlanders, Juett worked around a pair of two-out singles without harm, getting a grounder to Stewman to keep Radford without a run.

Bell added a two-out single in the sixth and was able to swipe second but was left on the basepaths. Radford broke the scoreless tie in the sixth with a leadoff single followed by a two-out walk before lining a single to right to get on the scoreboard and make it 1-0. 

Radford sat the Catamounts down 1-2-3 in the seventh to secure the 1-0 shutout victory over Western Carolina in game one on Tuesday afternoon. 

Juett (1-2) was tagged with the loss, allowing the game's lone run in the sixth which proved to be the difference in the contest. She scattered four hits while tying her season-high with eight strikeouts against a pair of walks. 

Abby Peace (2-2) claimed the victory in game one, allowing two hits and totaling four strikeouts en route to the win. Malorie Reeves earned the start with 3.1 innings pitched as she scattered seven hits and a pair of strikeouts. 

Game Two – Radford 3, Western Carolina 1
In game two, offense was at a premium once again as the Highlanders used a two-run homer in the sixth inning to break a 1-1 tie and propel the hosts to the doubleheader sweep.

Western Carolina quickly got in the hit column in game two as Bell tallied a base hit and promptly scampered to second on a Radford throwing error. The Catamounts had Dirks reach on a walk, but the Highlanders kept the Catamounts off the scoreboard in the opening frame. Makenzie Martin, who made her third start and fourth appearance of the young season, made quick work of the opening inning as she sat the Highlanders down 1-2-3.

Both teams sent the minimum to the plate in the second inning as a one-out walk didn't faze Martin, who got her defense to turn the double play to keep the score at 0.

Bell continued to swing her hot bat on Tuesday with another base knock and was able to scamper to third on a passed ball, followed by her fifth steal of the season. But, Radford (10-9) got a pair of flyball outs to keep the Catamounts off the run column. 

Radford began the third with a solo home run to right field to gain the advantage, but the damage was limited to that as Martin sat down three of the following four batters she saw. 

Western Carolina (2-8) got the bats rolling quickly in the fifth inning with three singles off the bats of Henry, Taylor Waitley, and Bell to load the bases before an RBI base knock from Juett allowed the Catamounts to knot the score at one. Radford used a fielder's choice and strikeout to keep the score tied after 4.5 innings.

Martin came back out and made quick work of the Highlanders with her fourth inning facing the minimum batters. 

KJ Ammons opened the sixth with a leadoff walk, but the hosts sat the next three batters down to keep it a tie game. Radford pulled in front for good in the home half of the frame with a two-run homer to centerfield that gave the Highlanders a 3-1 lead they wouldn't relinquish as the Catamounts were sat down quickly in the seventh. 

Makenzie Martin (0-4) was tagged with the loss, allowing four hits and three earned runs in the complete game. She added three strikeouts and only one walk in her third career complete game for the Purple and Gold. 

Ellen Palya (1-0) tossed the final two shutout innings for Radford as she allowed one walk and tallied a pair of strikeouts. Chloe Greene got the start in the second game for the Highlanders and tossed five innings, scattering six hits and allowing one earned run, but didn't factor into Tuesday's decision. 

The Catamounts return to their home diamond for the first time in 2024, hosting the Catamount Classic beginning on Friday, March 8. The 10-game tournament will feature matchups between WCU, Kent State, NC Central, and Gardner-Webb. All 10 contests will feature live stats available at CatamountSports.com, with the five Catamount matchups featuring ESPN+ (paid subscription required) broadcasts. 

Keep track of everything related to Catamount softball and WCU Athletics through social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountSB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountsb), or go to www.CatamountSports.com
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