Boiling Springs, N.C. – Behind strong pitching from freshman Amanda Fulton and timely hitting from sophomore Sydney Dirks, the Western Carolina softball team split a doubleheader with in-state foe Gardner-Webb on Tuesday, claiming a 2-1 win in eight innings before falling 5-1 in the nightcap with both meetings being held at Brinkley Stadium.
Making her second career start, Fulton was dynamite in the circle as she scattered seven hits with only one run allowed and five strikeouts to earn her first collegiate win.
Sophomore Lily Bell led the offense with three hits spread between the two games while also adding her sixth stolen base. Classmate Maya McPherson connected on her first home run of the year in the opener.
Dirks added a triple in game one, while junior Tate Stewman, freshman AG Batson, Courtney Marks, and graduate student Imara Harrell joined the offensive showing with a base knock, including Marks adding a double. McPherson, Dirks, and junior Rylee Butler each had RBIs.
Senior Tessa Juett was strong in relief of game two as the Berea, Ky. native tallied 2.1 scoreless frames with a walk and six strikeouts.
Game One – Western Carolina 2, Gardner-Webb 1 (8 Innings)
Tied at one after seven innings bringing the international tiebreaker into play, the Catamounts advanced a runner to third on a sacrifice bunt before Sydney Dirks lined a triple to the left-center field gap to score Imara Harrell with what proved to be the difference in the extra-inning win in Tuesday's game one.
The Catamounts looked to mount a two-out rally in the second inning with a walk by Dirks followed by Taylor Waitley reaching on a Runnin' Bulldogs error. But Dirks was gunned down trying to steal third to erase the threat.
In the third, WCU saw the first two runners reach base as Tate Stewman and Lily Bell lined singles up the middle, but the Catamounts could not convert, with groundouts ending the frame. Fulton worked around traffic in the third with a one-out single and hit by pitch reaching base before a groundout and punchout erased the threat.
After another threat was thwarted by Gardner-Webb in the top half of the fourth, the Runnin' Bulldogs used a one-out solo blast in the bottom of the inning to take the 1-0 lead.
The Catamounts continued to put traffic on the bases with a two-out walk in the fifth but could not manage the equalizing marker until finally breaking through in the sixth. Maya McPherson tied the game with a solo blast to even the game at one apiece.
In the home half of the sixth, Gardner-Webb looked to pull back in front as the Runnin' Bulldogs put a leadoff runner on, but three straight groundouts induced by Fulton sent the opener to the seventh, even at one.
WCU threatened with a bases-loaded situation in the seventh as Bell, Rylee Butler, and McPherson reached before the hosts forced the inning-ending popup. Gardner-Webb put together a significant threat in the seventh with a one-out single followed by a two-out double, setting up the winning run before Fulton got the inning-ending strikeout to force extras.
After Imara Harrell was placed on second to begin the tie-breaking rules in the eighth inning, Batson pushed the sacrifice bunt before Dirks lined a triple to the left centerfield gap to score Harrell and give the Catamounts their first lead of the day. The one-run lead was all Fulton needed, with a 1-2-3 home half to secure the win.
Fulton (1-1) went the distance on Tuesday, scattering seven hits and allowing just one run over eight innings with five strikeouts. She's the third Catamount pitcher to toss a complete game over the opening 10 games.
Ali Stidham started for the Runnin' Bulldogs but didn't factor into the decision, going 3.2 scoreless innings as she allowed three hits and tallied a strikeout. Kalyn Kyle (2-2) suffered the loss going the final 4.1 innings, allowing four hits and two runs, with one of those being earned. Kyle also tallied a pair of strikeouts in the loss.
Game Two – Gardner-Webb 5, Western Carolina 1
Gardner-Webb used a four-run third inning to create the necessary separation to earn the doubleheader split with the Catamounts on Tuesday, grabbing a 5-1 victory in the backend of the twin bill.
Scoreless into the home half of the second, the Runnin' Bulldogs threatened by loading the bases before AG Batson induced the inning-ending ground out to end the threat. Gardner-Webb (7-3) then put together its best offensive inning of the day in the third with a pair of two-run singles to take command of game two at 4-0.
WCU answered in the fourth with a leadoff single from Lily Bell, who advanced to second on a throwing error before a sacrifice bunt moved her to third, and a Rylee Butler RBI groundout cut the game to 4-1. But Gardner-Webb got that run back in the fourth with a solo blast to left center to retake the four-run lead.
Between the fifth and sixth, only a one-out walk from Gardner-Webb saw either team go above the three-batter minimum as the Runnin' Bulldogs put together a third straight 1-2-3 frame to secure the 5-1 win.
Batson (1-3) tossed 3.2 innings, allowing six hits, five runs and tallying a pair of strikeouts. Tessa Juett finished it off for WCU, pitching 2.1 scoreless frames with a walk and six strikeouts.
Hannah Frye (3-0) went the distance for Gardner-Webb, allowing three hits and one run with five strikeouts for the hosts.
Western Carolina (2-8) returns to Georgia for a doubleheader against Sun Belt foe Georgia State at Bob Heck Softball Complex on Wednesday, Feb. 26. The Catamounts and Panthers meet for a single game beginning at 6 p.m. The game will have live stats available on CatamountSports.com.
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