BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Western Carolina softball battled to the bitter end but unfortunately came out on the wrong end of a pair of contests with Big South foe Gardner-Webb as the Runnin' Bulldogs swept Tuesday's nonconference doubleheader with 1-0 and 4-3 victories at Brinkley Softball Stadium. 

Freshman Sydney Dirks posted a pair of multi-hit games to lead WCU's offense including a double in game one, a run scored, and a steal in the finale. Classmate Maya McPherson connected on her fourth homer of the season in game two that tied the matchup in the fifth. 

Freshman Lily Bell had base knocks in both games with a pair of stolen bases in the opener. With her two steals in game one, Bell took second place in WCU's single-season record book for stolen bases in a season with 24.   

Junior Tessa Juett totaled a season-high 11 strikeouts in her game one start, which helped the Berea, Ky. native gain seventh place in the program's career record book for strikeouts with 279 in her time in Cullowhee.  

Game One – Gardner-Webb 1, Western Carolina 0 
After a scoreless contest for six-plus innings, Gardner-Webb strung together three straight hits including a one-out RBI single to lead the hosts a 1-0 victory over the Catamounts. 

Gardner-Webb worked a quick 1-2-3 frame in the top half before loading the bases with a single and a pair of hit-by-pitches in the home half. WCU starter Tessa Juett kept the Runnin' Bulldogs off the board with three strikeouts, including back-to-back punchouts to keep it scoreless after one.  

Senior Jeralynn Wells tallied a two-out single in the second inning, but the hosts quickly thwarted WCU's threat. Juett picked up where she left off in the second with a 1-2-3 frame, including two strikeouts to run her game total to five.   

The two teams traded 1-2-3 innings in the fourth before Sydney Dirks broke the run with a leadoff double in the fifth. After advancing to third on a passed ball, Gardner-Webb quickly stopped the threat with three straight outs to keep the game scoreless. 

The Runnin' Bulldogs drew a one-out hit-by-pitch, but Juett's popout and strikeout kept the midweek matchup deadlocked after five innings.

Bell picked up a one-out single in the sixth and back-to-back stolen bases moved her to third base before a pair of quick outs forced pushed the game into the home half of the sixth. GWU tallied a pair of one-out singles and drew a two-out walk before a flyout forced sent the game to the seventh still scoreless.

Dirks reached on a one-out single for her second base knock of the game, but a quick foul out and flyout kept WCU off the board. Gardner-Webb picked up a one-out double followed by a single through the left side before a base knock allowed the hosts to claim a 1-0 walk-off victory in game one. 

Juett (10-11) suffered a tough-luck loss for the Catamounts on Tuesday, going 6.1 innings, scattering seven hits, and allowing the lone run while totaling a season-high 11 strikeouts. 

Andrea Lyon (10-6) went the distance for Gardner-Webb, scattering four hits and picking up six strikeouts for her 10th win. 

Game Two – Gardner-Webb 4, Western Carolina 3 
Similar to Tuesday's game one, a tight battle carried over into the finale with the Runnin' Bulldogs using a two-out triple to right-center to claim a second walk-off win, 4-3, to claim both ends of the doubleheader. 

Both teams placed a baserunner in the first two innings. Baldwin picked up a one-out single in the first and a Mattie Mentel hit by pitch put traffic on the bases in the second. The hosts took advantage of a WCU error in the opening two innings, but neither team crossed the plate in the first two frames. 

In the third, Kennedy Stewman and Bell both reached base with singles. After a bunt from Baldwin moved the runners over, Gardner-Webb used a fielder's choice and a caught stealing to keep it a 0-0 game. 

Gardner-Webb (29-16) broke the scoreless drought in the third with a one-out, two-run single to center, allowing the Runnin' Bulldogs to claim a 2-0 advantage. 

Western Carolina (13-25) looked to answer in the fourth as Dirks and KJ Ammons reached on back-to-back singles. After both moved up into scoring position, Juett drew a walk to load the bases. GWU was able to record a pick-off and a groundout to get out of the inning with a 2-0 lead. 

Makenzie Martin worked around a one-out single in the fourth without harm, recording one of her four strikeouts to erase the threat and keep the deficit at two. 

WCU broke through in the fifth inning with a two-out hit by pitch to Baldwin before McPherson deposited a two-run home run over the fence in left-center that tied the score at two. The offense wasn't done there as a Dirks single followed by a Runnin' Bulldogs error chasing a third run home to give the guests a 3-2 lead. 

Martin kept the Runnin' Bulldogs off the scoreboard in the fifth, working around a two-out single without issue to send game two to the sixth inning. 

Gardner-Webb sat the Catamounts down in order in the sixth before a two-out RBI single followed by a WCU error allowed the tying run to scamper home and tie the game at three. 

McPherson picked up her second hit of game two but could not cross home plate, sending the finale to the home half of the inning tied. GWU recorded a leadoff single but was quickly erased on a double play ball before a one-out walk replaced the runner on first. Gardner-Webb capped Tuesday's action with an RBI triple to claim the 4-3 walk-off. 

Martin (0-11) tossed all of game two on Tuesday, going 6.2 innings. She allowed four runs, three of which were earned, on nine hits with four strikeouts.

Kalyn Kyle (12-5) closed the game for the Runnin' Bulldogs, tossing the final 2.0 innings, allowing one hit and totaling three strikeouts. Elle Doolittle got the start for Gardner-Webb as she pitched 4.0 innings, scattering five hits with a pair of strikeouts. Sydney Gilbert appeared between Doolittle and Kyle, pitching an inning, allowing three runs and two earned runs on a pair of hits with a strikeout. 

The Catamounts return home for their first series in nearly a month beginning on Saturday, April 20, at 1 p.m. with a doubleheader against UNCG from the Catamount Softball Complex. The three-game set with the Spartans wraps up on Sunday with a start time set for 1 p.m. from Cullowhee. All three games will have coverage through live stats available at CatamountSports.com.  

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