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Western Carolina University

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Schedule

Full
Lily Bell @ 2024 SoCon Tournament
Tim Cowie/SoCon Photos
10
Winner Western Carolina WCU 18-34
2
Mercer MER 22-32
Winner
Western Carolina WCU
18-34
10
Final
2
Mercer MER
22-32
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Western Carolina WCU 2 0 0 0 3 4 1 10 15 2
Mercer MER 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 8 1

W: Juett, Tessa (14-15) L: Hannah Pitts (7-9)

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

Offensive Outburst Pushes Catamounts to Friday at SoCon Championship

Bell Set Single-Season Program Record for Hits and Stolen Bases

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Behind a 10-run and 15-hit offensive showing and 17th complete game in the circle for junior Tessa Juett, Western Carolina softball advanced in the 2024 Southern Conference Softball Championship by defeating fourth-seeded Mercer 10-2 on Friday afternoon at the UNCG Softball Stadium. 

Freshman Lily Bell led the Catamount offensive attack, matching her career-high with four hits. She tallied her team-best 22nd multi-hit game of the season, and added three runs and a pair of steals. A product of Woodstock, Ga., Bell became the program's single-season record holder with hits (72) and stolen bases (34) in Friday's victory.

Senior Jeralynn Wells added three hits, including her team-high tying eighth homer of the season while driving in three runs. Junior Tessa Juett added her second homer in as many days with two more hits and three runs knocked in. Freshman Becka Wonsick posted a new career-high with three hits, including a double and two runs scored. 

Mattie Mentel, Kennedy Stewman, and Maya McPherson each added base knocks as part of the 15-hit performance for WCU, which marks its most hits as a team against a SoCon foe in 2024. 

Juett went the distance for the 17th time in 2024, allowing just two runs, one of which to earn her 14th win of the season. 



Western Carolina advances to Friday's tournament action and is now in a must-win rematch tomorrow afternoon with third-seeded Samford which ousted No. 5 Wofford on Thursday evening.The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tournament game times are subject to change; check CatamountSports.com, SoConSports.com, or WCU's social media for any schedule alterations.
 
For the third straight time in Greensboro, the Catamounts wasted no time in lighting the scoreboard. Bell tallied the leadoff base knock and worked around to third before Wells turned a 2-0 pitch into a 2-0 lead for WCU after half an inning with her home run.

Tessa Juett got the start for WCU and worked around a one-out single without trouble, including a solid defensive play from Kennedy Stewman to keep the lead at two after one. 
 
Mercer got on the board in the bottom of the second with an RBI single through the middle, but Juett limited the Bears to just one run in squelching the rally.

After a scoreless third, WCU was held without a base runner for the first time on Thursday afternoon, allowing the score to remain a one-run game. Juett also sat Mercer down 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the frame. 

Bell tied the program's single-season hit record with a leadoff knock in the fifth inning, then tied the program's single-season stolen base record, followed by a Mentel walk. Mercer recorded back-to-back outs before Juett deposited her second homer of the tournament, a three-run blast to make it 5-1.

Mercer scored a run on a WCU error in the home half of the frame, making it 5-2 as we moved to the sixth inning. 

The Catamounts poured it on in the sixth inning as Bell added an RBI single, followed by a pair of sacrifice flies from Mentel and Baldwin. The scoring was capped by Wells's RBI single, which allowed the lead to swell to seven after 5.5.

Juett continued her control of the Mercer offense in the sixth, working around a bases-loaded jam to keep it a 9-2 lead after six. 

Western Carolina continued the offensive explosion in the seventh with a Wonsick double before Bell added another base knock. The scoring was capped by Mentel's RBI groundout to stretch it to 10-2.

The Bears opened the frame with a leadoff single before a lineout double play turned by Sydney Dirks, followed by a flyout, pushed the Catamounts to Friday's action. 



Juett (14-15) tossed her 17th complete game of the season, scattering eight hits and a pair of runs with one earned run en route to her 14th win. The Berea, Ky. native grabbed her 27th career win on Thursday to move to fourth in the program's career record book and her 38th career complete game to move into third. 

Hannah Pitts (7-9) suffered the defeat for the Bears, going an inning and allowing a pair of hits and a pair of runs with two walks. Grace Taylor went 4.2 innings, allowing seven runs and 10 hits with five strikeouts. Grace Roark pitched the final 1.1 innings, allowing three hits and one run. 

Western Carolina (18-34) now turns its attention to an elimination game on Friday (May 10), with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. Coverage of all the tournament games is available on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) and with live stats through CatamountSports.com.

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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